Posts Tagged ‘eye diseases’
If you don’t currently wear glasses or contact lenses, you might find that when you think of an eye test the picture conjured up in your mind is the card and chart of your school days. While eye tests when you were a child were great for identifying those who might need help in correcting problems with their vision, eye tests have come a long way since.
These days eyes tests combine traditional testing methods with new techniques and technologies to get an in-depth picture of the health of your eye. For those that do wear contacts or glasses, regular eye tests are essential for making sure that their prescription is up to date and best for their eyes. For those that don’t at the moment, tests can identify if there are any signs of weakness in the eyes.
While many people wouldn’t consider having an eye test unless they are having problems with their vision or are experiencing commonly known side effects such as headaches, eye tests are for much more than checking whether you are long or short sighted. Advances in technology mean that these tests can now help spot the warning signs for other aspects of eye health.
For example, an eye test will allow opticians to pick up on the early signs of eye diseases such as glaucoma and cataracts and can also be vital in the early detection of health problems such as diabetes or high blood pressure. This means that eye examinations are far more in-depth than ever before.
When you go for an eye test, you’ll find that your optometrist will be interested in much more than how clearly you can read the infamous letter chart. They will also compile a detailed history and details of your lifestyle, they will also use autorefraction to determine your baseline prescription and they will use tonometry to measure the pressure in your eyes – this is vital as it’s a key factor in identifying glaucoma.
Your optometrist will also conduct a slit lamp exam, allowing them to look at your cornea, conjunctiva, lids, iris and lens under high magnification with the help of a microscope and a small beam of light. They will also be examining the strength and flexibility of your eye muscles and carrying out a full retinal exam, to ensure that they have a broad and comprehensive picture of the health of your eyes.
A modern eye test may sound complicated, but your optometrist will talk you through the process and ensure that you get the best out of your exam.
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/see-the-benefits-of-eye-tests-1320629.html
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There is vision problem called amblyopia or lazy eye among children below six, which always affects only one eye. Its symptoms include eyestrain, overall poor visual acuity, headache, and one-eye squinting. The patient can also realize the fact that his two eyes are not equally functioning.
Trauma, strong uncorrected nearsightedness or farsightedness and strabismus are some of the reasons that may cause amblyopia. People with amblyopia usually have poor central vision in one eye. Potential blindness can be caused if amblyopia is left untreated.
Since the brain turns off the weaker eye, one treatment for amblyopia is vision therapy exercise, which forces the brain to see through the amblyopic eye. The most common application is patching the stronger eye, which may take several hours each day or all day long for weeks. For convenience, children can take use of prosthetic contact lenses, which block vision in the stronger eye while offering natural eye color.
Atropine eye drops can also be placed in the stronger eye and then its vision can be blurred. This way of treatment eliminates the constant vigilance to check the patch. Certain studies have proved that atropine drops have become an effective alternative to patching. The disadvantage of atropine is its broad side effects, including light sensitivity, flushing and potential paralysis.
Since strong uncorrected refractive error can be one of the reasons that cause amblyopia, corrective eyeglasses and contact lenses may be prescribed to treat this vision problem. And sometimes eyeglasses are in a combination of patching.
The best way to treat strabismus-caused amblyopia is surgery, which corrects the problematic muscles.
Early treatment of amblyopia is essential, since it will never disappear naturally and may lead to permanent visual problem as serious as vision loss. And the risk of eye diseases on the stronger eye should also be considered.
Article Source:http://vision.firmoo.com/eye-diseases/symptoms-and-treatments-of-amblyopia.html
Vision Library is the information source in area of vision care, including eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, sports protective eyewear, vision error and diseases, vision surgery, ageing and kid’s vision etc., solely sponsored by Firmoo.com, an emerging online optical store.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/symptoms-and-treatments-of-amblyopia-1325115.html
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Routine eye exams are necessary to check that your eyes and vision are ship shape. Eye exams can be used to spot symptoms of a wide range of diseases like diabetes, brain tumors and rheumatoid arthritis.
Opticians are eye healthcare professionals who work with ophthalmologists to provide vision services as well as diagnosing and treating vision problems and eye diseases. Along with ophthalmologists and other eye healthcare professionals opticians help to provide complete patient care before, during, and after exams, procedures, and surgeries.
If you are searching for an optician then there are several things to look out that can help you find the perfect match.
First and foremost you should look for a qualified optician. Having a solid set of credentials is an encouraging sign of a good optician and ensuring your chosen eye doctor has the correct training and experience means you will receive proper diagnosis and treatment.
Eye care providers should be certified through an accredited medical institution. Certificates and licenses are usually displayed in the office.
Experience is another important factor to look out for when searching for an eye doctor. An optician or ophthalmologist who has more experience is generally better equipped to detect eye disease and diagnose disorders simply because they have seen more patients.
Another benefit of visiting an experienced optician is the reassurance that they have maintained a professional practice of optometry or ophthalmology for several years.
You may also want to know if anyone at your opticians participates in medical research or education. Working professionals who actively participate in the latest research and development in the field are likely to be better informed about the latest techniques and enhancements when it comes to diagnosing and treating eye disease and/or vision problems.
Choosing an optician who is able to provide a wide range of services is beneficial. Laser eye surgery, glasses, contact lenses and sunglasses are all popular services that you should look for.
You should also select your optician based on the specific services and treatments you need. An optician who provides fewer general services may specialise in certain conditions that are more relevant to you, such as glaucoma or cataracts. Before you begin the optician search you should consider what your eye healthcare needs are as this helps to determine which type of optician suits you best.
Last but not least you might want to consider patient satisfaction when searching for opticians. Talking to your family, friends, and coworkers can help you discover which providers they found the best. Word of mouth still remains one of the most prevalent forms of communication today and a recommendation from a trusted source can be just as good as any other means of finding an optician.
Adam Singleton writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/searching-out-the-best-optician-1316132.html
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Different people should receive complete eye exams at different intervals. Children’s eyes should be examined at six months of age, three years of age, and six or seven years of age and every two years during school days, since high vision problem rates are reported among both preschool and school-aged children. For children with risk factors of vision problems such as prematurity, developmental delays, turned eyes, family history of eye diseases and history of eye injury, more frequent eye exams are necessary.
Adults at different ages need eye exams in different frequencies. Based on American Optometric Association (AOA), among people less than 40 years old, one exam every two or three years is enough for those with normal vision, while an annual exam is required for those wearing eyeglasses or contacts. People with diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders may also require more frequent eye exams. People above 40 need eye exams every one to two years and people over 60 need annual exams, in case of age-related problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration.
In the United States, ophthalmologists, optometrists, as well as opticians can conduct regular eye exams. Ophthalmologists are the most professional since they are exclusively licensed to perform eye surgeries. Optometrists can prescribe certain medications and minor surgical procedures, while opticians are only entitled to adjust and repair glasses, or fit your contacts.
A basic complete eye exam should contain several items: family eye history review, distance and near vision evaluation, current eye prescription determination, eye coordination evaluation and internal and external eye healthy examination. You should be clear of all these items as well as the exact charge at the time you make an appointment with your doctor. Exam fees for contact lens fitting, laser-surgery evaluation and pediatric testing are higher than that of regular exams. You should check your vision insurance benefits for potential discount, since exam fees vary widely from discount outlets to surgical offices.
For better exam results, you need to take necessary documents and cards of yourself and your family members. Your vision insurance card is needed if you want to get any discount. For your eyes full evaluation, your major medical health care cards and recent prescription glasses or contacts may be useful to provide additional eye exam aspects. A list of your prescription medications can help the doctor learn your complete health history. Of course, you can bring your interested questions.
Article Source:http://vision.firmoo.com/eye-exams/eye-exam-intervals-and-preparation.html
Vision Library is the information source in area of vision care, including eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, sports protective eyewear, vision error and diseases, vision surgery, ageing and kid’s vision etc., solely sponsored by Firmoo.com, an emerging online optical store.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/eye-exam-intervals-and-preparation-1309219.html
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Besides FDA-approved AMD treatments, there are still many investigational treatments that are under trial. These treatments are provided only if the patient acts as a volunteer to test their safety and effectiveness.
While Avastin has been used to treat colorectal cancer, it has not been approved to treat macular degeneration. Some ECPs only use Avastin in the form of off label. Studies show that Avastin brings positive results in AMD treatment. Like these FDA-approved treatments such as Lucentis and Macugen, Avastin also function by injection into the eye.
Another treatment aiming at stopping the abnormal blood vessel growth is named Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) Trap-Eye. This treatment was reported to be as effective as Lucentis for wet AMD.
Retaane treats advanced macular degeneration by attacking enzymes, which allows abnormal blood vessel growth. Left untreated, enzymes will weaken the walls of retinal blood vessels. Retaane performs in a way that is quite different from most of those AMD treatments. It is deposited behind the eye alongside the sclera and will be replaced every six months.
By preventing abnormal blood vessel development, Combretastatin is indicated to slow or halt myopia AMD progression, which affects young people with some eye diseases. The company is still carrying out clinical studies to demonstrate that whether the treatment is effective for AMD on old people.
Encapsulated Cell Technology (ECT) is designed to maintain sustained release of genetically engineered cells, in order to reduce retinal damage. Radiation treatment such as X-rays is also used to deal with AMD, which is still under early clinical studies.
AMD can be treated in another particular way. Since AMD is associated with slow blood flow and capillary vessel damage caused by macro-proteins and fatty components, procedures that can remove these harmful substances are effective. One of such procedures is the RHED procedure, which is also under trials.
Injected into a vein in the arm, the ICG dye is used to detect the presence and location of neovascular vessels. The Feeder Vessel Therapy also uses a high speed camera to trace the dye during its progression into the abnormal vessels.
AMD patients always have central blind spots, so that doctors have invented a tiny, implanted device to magnify images onto the retina. This treatment is known as implantable telescope, which has received significant clinical trial results.
Another potential AMD treatment is Transpupillary Thermotherapy, which combines an infrared laser and drug treatment. While its creator announces positive effects, some patients say it is dissatisfying.
Other researches focus on both artificial retinas and gene therapy, which are in early stages. Artificial retina can permanently recover the vision of AMD patients. Gene therapy is conceived to introduce specially encoded genes to alter AMD process.
For patients failed to get satisfied with all those moderate treatments. They can finally resort to an AMD surgery, which can remove the damaged tissues.
Article Source:http://vision.firmoo.com/eye-diseases/amd-treatments-trials-researches.html
Vision Library is the information source in area of vision care, including eyeglasses, sunglasses, contact lenses, sports protective eyewear, vision error and diseases, vision surgery, ageing and kid’s vision etc., solely sponsored by Firmoo.com, an emerging online optical store.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/amd-treatments-that-are-under-trials-and-researches-1301145.html