All About LASIK

Tired of wearing glasses? Whether you’re nearsighted, farsighted, or suffer from astigmatism, you have an option for vision without glasses or contact lenses. You may have heard of LASIK; officially, the procedure is called laser in-situ keratomileusis. The cornea is the clear part in the front of your eye. Laser vision correction surgery reshapes the cornea so that the light that passes through it is properly focused onto the retina — the layer of nerves at the back of the eye that transmit light into the brain. The advantages of LASIK include: Success rate. Approximately eighty percent of patients will … Continue reading →

Astigmatism

If your eye doctor has told you that you have astigmatism, you aren’t alone. Astigmatism is a pretty common eye disorder — it is an irregularity in the curve of the cornea. The worse the curve is, the more help your eyes will need. Astigmatism can quickly and easily be corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses. An eyeball is a sphere. In a normal eye, light enters the eye and refracts evenly to create an image of the object for your brain to process. If you have astigmatism, your eyeball may be shaped more like the back of a … Continue reading →

Cataracts

More than half of all Americans over the age of sixty-five have cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the lens in your eye that can impair your vision. For you to see, light must pass through your cornea, pupil, and the fluid inside your eyeball (called aqueous humor) before it hits the lens. The lens takes the light rays and bends them into focus onto the retina at the back of the eye. From the retina, the optic nerve takes the information and sends it to the brain as images. A buildup of protein in the lens creates a … Continue reading →

Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is the number one cause of vision loss in people over the age of sixty. It is rarely a condition that leads to blindness, but it can cause a significant loss of vision. The retina is the nerve tissue at the back of the eye that senses light. The small central part of the retina is the macula. When the macula deteriorates with age, a person develops age related macular degeneration. There are two main types of macular degeneration: Dry form macular degeneration — deposits in the macula called drusen build up over time. These yellow deposits can … Continue reading →

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a condition caused by too much fluid pressure building up in the eye. This pressure is known as intraocular pressure and can damage the optic nerve — the one responsible for transmitting images from the eyes to the brain. Without treatment, glaucoma can eventually lead to permanent blindness within just a few years. What makes the intraocular pressure increase? In a normal, healthy eye, the fluid inside flows out through a mesh-like opening. If the mesh becomes blocked, the fluid will start to build up. Doctors aren’t sure why the mesh becomes blocked; occasionally it can be caused … Continue reading →

Eye Health: Fact and Fiction

How much do you know about your eyes? Some things you may think you know as fact… may not be the truth. Myth: Reading in low light can harm your vision. FACT: Reading in low light may strain your eyes but it won’t ruin your eyesight. So the next time you catch the kids reading with a flashlight under the covers, don’t worry! Eye strain isn’t permanent. I always got yelled at for reading without enough lights on. Myth: Sitting too close to the television can harm your vision. FACT: Contrary to mom’s warnings, sitting too close to the television … Continue reading →

Get Your Eyes Checked to Prevent Glaucoma

As many as 4 million Americans are suffering from glaucoma — a disease caused by a build-up of fluid in the eye that puts pressure on the optic nerve, causing vision loss. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States! It is not preventable or curable, but the progress of the disease can be slowed with early detection. People who are at risk for glaucoma: People over the age of 40 People with a family history of glaucoma People who are very nearsighted Diabetics African Americans Glaucoma develops gradually and painlessly over time. You may not notice … Continue reading →