Posts Tagged ‘refractive errors’

How to choose the right style of eyeglasses

Individuals with refractive errors may have to wear eyeglasses in order to get clear vision. This way is in most cases the most convenient solution to vision problems. But some hyperopic or myopic patients think that their appearance will be negatively affected by those eyeglasses. They switch to contact lenses for natural look.

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A Guide to LASEK Eye Surgery

LASEK surgery is a form of laser eye surgery that corrects refractive errors by reshaping the cornea – to this day, thousands of people the world over have benefited from this revolutionary procedure. LASEK eye surgery is performed on patients whose corneas are either too thin or too flat for LASIK eye surgery, but both procedures offer the same results in vastly improved vision and negate the need for glasses or contact lenses.

Who Can Benefit From LASEK Eye Surgery?

Patients who suffer from refractive errors will be delighted to learn that LASEK eye surgery can once and for all allow them to live life with more freedom and no longer rely on corrective eyewear.

LASEK eye surgery can be used to treat the following refractive errors:

  • Short-sightedness (myopia) – This eye condition results from the cornea being slightly rounder and shorter than it should be. Due to this, the light that enters the eye converges just in front of the retina, meaning that suffers experience difficulty when trying to see a clear image at a distance. Through LASEK eye surgery, the shape of the cornea is corrected and the light is made to focus precisely on the retina – meaning that the blurred images at a distance will become a thing of the past, eliminating the effects of short-sightedness!
  • Long-sightedness (hyperopia) – Patients who suffer from hyperopia have a cornea that is slightly flatter and shorter than it should be. This results in a blurred image because the light that enters the eye focuses on a point just behind the retina. Most people who suffer from this refractive error rely on glasses on contact lenses, but through LASEK eye surgery, the effects of hyperopia can be permanently corrected. That means no more headaches and straining eyes to get objects – both near and far – into focus.
  • Astigmatism – In this case, the cornea is a more conical shape than it should be – this means that light enters at different angles through this cone. This creates two points of focus and ultimately a blurred image. Although this condition is slightly more complex than myopia or hyperopia, using the right technology, virtually all astigmatism symptoms can be treated through LASEK eye surgery.

What Does the LASEK Procedure Involve?

A patient is deemed an appropriate candidate for LASEK eye surgery when they suffer from one of the above mentioned refractive errors and usually because their cornea is not thick enough to withstand LASIK eye surgery. During the LASEK procedure, an ophthalmic surgeon focuses of the preservation of the corneal epithelium. In this way, the procedure differs from both LASIK and as the surgeon does not create a corneal flap or scrape and remove the epithelium.

LASEK treats the epithelium with a diluted alcohol solution which loosens it; the surgeon then rolls the epithelium tissue back and works with a laser to reshape the exposed corneal tissue beneath. The surgeon then simply smoothly rolls back the epithelium cells in their new reshaped position.

What Happens After Laser Eye Surgery?

Recovery time from LASEK eye surgery tends to take slightly longer than that of LASIK, but in the hands of expert surgeons, the visual outcomes are the same. Patients experience vast vision improvement with maximum convenience.

Post-treatment, patients are usually prescribed medicated eye drops which aid the healing process and relieve any temporary discomfort during this time. For about the first week, patients are given a night shield to wear when sleeping, which prevents any accidental rubbing of the eyes. In some cases, patients are fitted with soft contact lenses to give further protection to the healing eyes.

Patients who undergo LASEK eye surgery will find they have a newfound freedom as they no longer have to rely on glasses or the deal with the hassles of contact lenses or spectacles. Due to their vast visual improvement, many patients say that their self-esteem is boosted, along with their confidence!

The London Vision Clinic is leading laser eye surgery clinic in the UK, boasting world-class ophthalmic surgeons who expertly perform LASIK and LASEK eye surgery. If you suffer from a refractive error and are considering LASEK eye surgery, contact one of the Patient Education Consultants at the London Vision Clinic today to set up a screening to determine your suitability for the procedure.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/a-guide-to-lasek-eye-surgery-1675407.html

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Eyeglass selection for children

Selecting a pair of children’s eyeglasses always requires more time and skills. Some parents are quite confused by the various types of children’s eyeglasses. Actually, there are many different kinds of spectacle frames that are specially designed for those kids. With this wider selection, parents are more likely to get confused that which frame is exactly suitable for their kids. One requirement is clear that a kid should feel comfortable with his or her glasses.

For those kids, eyeglasses are needed because they have visual problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness. Without proper eyeglasses, they can only see distant objects or things close up. And the severity of a specific visual problem determines how long a kid should wear the eyeglasses. With slight refractive errors, some children only need to wear their glasses part time, such as studying. Some others may have to wear their eyeglasses all the time. They remove eyeglasses only before going to sleep. In most cases, the doctor suggests the wearing period for a specific kid. But the selection of eyeglass frame needs opinions from the parent, child and the optician.

Safety should be given the top priority while choosing eyeglasses for children. Children’s eyeglasses always deserve the best fit, which is neither too tight nor too loose. In addition, children always need a pair of eyeglasses with an arm that is long enough to go behind the ear. Spring hinges are particularly necessary for children, because they can protect glasses from easy breakdown.

For children’s eyeglasses, enough space between the lenses and the eyes should be set aside, in order to allow the air to come through smoothly. Eyeglasses for kids can be made from both plastic and wire. In addition, most male kids prefer glasses with a double bridge while a girl always opt for the ones with a single bridge. Another interesting phenomenon is that some children like eyeglasses equipped with styles that are originally designed for their parents.

In the early years of the development of children’s eyeglasses, plastics were most widely used because they are more durable. However, a lot of metal frames are also available for the majority of children. For instance, nickel alloys are commonly used now. In some cases, more than one pair of eyeglasses is needed by a kid.

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·Selection for Children eyeglasses

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Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/eyeglass-selection-for-children-1567341.html

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Why do doctors perform LASIK as the most common vision correction procedure?

Many patients have asked a relatively simple question, “why was LASIK invented at all”? A decade ago very few people even knew the word LASIK, and while the word had become a part of our lexicon, the real reason that doctors choose to do LASIK escapes many peoples understanding. We were one of the first handful of doctors in the United States, and the first to realize the potential benefits of LASIK for vision correction almost fifteen years ago. Since that time there are now over 10,000 LASIK doctors in the USA alone and a multiple of this number worldwide. The reasons for the success of LASIK are numerous but in a sentence it provides rapid, accurate, and relatively painless restoration of vision to a wide range of refractive errors. Patients are able to see like they were wearing contact lenses without all of the bother, cost, inconvenience, and risks of contacts. In general they have better visual function than provided with glasses in the same way that contact lenses are better than glasses for so many reasons.

This simple question is profound, because it touches on an invention that has changed the way in which the world views vision correction and has helped millions of people worldwide to see better without the aid of glasses or contact lenses.

For perhaps millions of years, much of human kind has suffered with vision problems. There are the serious eye diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma and a myriad of other problems. Beyond this is the simple fact that many people are unable to see clearly at distance, near, or both. This is from the imperfections of the eyeball as a camera and this was greatly helped over that last few hundred years by glasses and more recently in the last 50 years by contact lenses. Although with the advent of lasers, there was a hope that such technology could improve vision, limitations in the nature of the eye had limited laser application to vision correction until the advent of LASIK .

LASIK is a hybrid procedure, that is it involves two steps which together are able to improve vision very rapidly and predictably for patients with ametropias. The first step is to create a potential space for the laser to correct the vision and the second is to do the correction itself. In the early days of LASIK about 15-20 years ago , this potential space was made with a device called a microkeratome. This is a miniature shaver which can peel a thin layer of outer tissue from the cornea which remains attached at the edge or “hinge”. Another laser, the excimer laser then focuses on the freshly cut surface, and removes tissue in a programmed manner to reshape the eye. Finally, the flap is replaced which assumes the contour of the newly shaped cornea beneath it. It is the transfer of the shape combined with covering the treated area with living tissue that makes LASIK so remarkable. Healing occurs at the edge or seam of the flap and the eye barely knows that anything has occurred beneath. The vision is rapidly restored with no significant healing response, which is key to the success of LASIK.

Newer lasers, called femtosecond lasers, are able to make the flap layer more precisely without a cutting blade but fundamentally perform the same function. This all laser approach is a safer and slightly more effective way of restoring vision by LASIK. The current state of the art in LASIK is to use advanced femtosecond lasers such as our Visumax to make a flap, and a wavefront optimized excimer laser like our Zeiss or our Allegretto laser(s) to reshape the cornea. With this type of treatment we have a very low complication rate, and excellent vision results in most cases.

We become complacent very quickly with new technologies but it is a truly amazing and revolutionary accomplishment that in a procedure that lasts only a few minutes , a persons vision can be corrected from a lifetime of limitations.

Dr. Dishler is the first doctor to perform LASIK in Colorado, the first doctor to offer blade free LASIK in Colorado, and is a consultant, lecturer, and inventor. He is involved with several FDA studies and answers questions related to laser vision correction online.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/why-do-doctors-perform-lasik-as-the-most-common-vision-correction-procedure-1488131.html

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LASIK in North Carolina

Thanks to advances in laser technology and medical training, people who suffer from certain eye ailments can finally get relief from always wearing glasses. Previously, laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis or <a href=http://www.horizoneye.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/site.content/type/24693.cfm>LASIK</a> was available only to the very wealthy. Now through greater competition and lower prices it is now widely available to the masses. If you are ready to give up your glasses or <a href=http://www.horizoneye.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/site.content/type/24742.cfm>contact lenses</a> for the freedom of good eyesight, now is a great time to explore the benefits of LASIK eye surgery.

LASIK eye surgery is a common treatment for refractive errors of the eye, including:

Treating and Myopia with LASIK

Approximately 30 percent of the population experience nearsightedness, which is traditionally treated with prescription glasses or contact lenses. In a normal eye, light passed through the cornea and the lens of the eye, converging on the retina, recording a sharp clear picture that your brain interprets. Myopia is a condition resulting from one of two conditions:

With these conditions, the light converges in front of the retina, causing blurry images for objects at a distance. Prescription glasses are used to correct the refraction and return the focus to the proper location on the retina. Using this same theory, LASIK corrects the focus in the same way be reshaping the cornea to do the same thing.

Treating Hyperopia with LASIK

Hyperopia is basically the opposite of myopia. Instead of the light refracting and focusing in front of the retina, the convergence occurs at a point behind the retina. Approximately 40% of adults have hyperopia to some degree. Conditions that lead to hyperopia are:

Treating Astigmatism with LASIK

A typical cornea is rounded like a ball. With astigmatism, the cornea is shaped like a football or has a wrinkle that causes the light to refract erratically.

How LASIK Treatment Works

LASIK uses the same theories for vision correction that are used in glasses and contacts. The difference is that the laser directly reshapes the cornea to correct the refraction.

During the procedure:

If you suffer from myopia, hyperopia with or without astigmatism and you want to get rid of eyeglasses or contact lenses, you should consider LASIK eye surgery. To find a Charlotte LASIK eye doctor please visit the website of Horizon Eye Care today.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/vision-articles/lasik-in-north-carolina-1466282.html

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