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What are these conditions and/or how do they work? Q: What is "LASIK" Laser Vision Correction and how does it work? A: The first Laser Vision Correction was performed in 1988 and has been approved in the United States since 1996. "LASIK" uses the VISX Excimer Laser to reshape the front surface of the eye to allow images to focus on the retina. The laser emits pulses of cool ultra violet light to remove microns (small amounts) of tissue from the cornea. The laser treatment takes approximately 60 seconds or less depending on the amount of correction you need. The surgery is pain free. Topical anesthesia drops are used and you might only feel a scratchy, sandy feeling in the eye for a day or two after. Many patients return to work and normal activities within one to three days however the eyes must be protected from injury and infection. Swimming, hot tubs and contact sports are best avoided for a few weeks. Many insurances consider LASIK an elective procedure but we encourage you to verify coverage with your individual carrier. Q: What is Corneal Refractive Therapy (Paragon CRT)? A: CRT uses specially designed therapeutic contact lenses used to reshape the cornea of your eye while you sleep - without surgery. After waking, you remove the lenses and go the whole day seeing without any other vision correction. It means more freedom from wearing contact lenses and glasses and having clear vision during your everyday activities. Dramatic vision improvement occurs within the first few days and complete vision correction in one to two weeks. You can see with the CRT lenses on or off so during the transitional period you can wear the Paragon CRT lenses part of the day or temporary soft lenses may aide your vision until full CRT vision correction occurs. CRT is not a permanent change in the eye so if you stop wearing the lenses your vision will return to how it was before. The FDA has approved this safe and effective vision correction for all appropriate adults and children ten years of age and older. A: Nearsightedness (myopia) is a common vision condition in which a person sees close objects clearly but cannot see distant objects with the same clarity. Light entering the eye focuses too soon ("near"), before reaching the retina, causing things to be out of focus beyond a persons far point of vision (myopic amount) so it is easier to see things near than far. A: Farsightedness (hyperopia) is a vision condition in which distant objects are usually seen clearly but close objects are not brought into proper focus. Light entering the eye focuses too "far" behind the retina requiring the eye to focus to bring things into focus at distance and then having to focus even more to see images at near, so it's easier to see far than near. A: Astigmatism is a common vision condition that occurs when the front surface of the eye (the cornea) is slightly irregular in shape. (Very few things in nature come perfectly symmetrical; the eye is one of them.) This slight irregularity can result in vision being blurred at all distances. A: Presbyopia ("old eye" in Latin) is a vision condition that occurs when the crystalline lens of the eye gradually loses its ability to change shape to bring close objects into clear focus. It usually becomes noticeable when people reach their early- to mid-forties. It is a natural part of the aging process of the eye. The muscle that controls focus continues to work but the lens has grown in size and stiffness and the muscle doesn't effect the change required to maintain adequate near vision. A: Amblyopia is the loss or lack of full development of vision in one eye which is not fully correctable with lenses and is not the result of any identifiable eye health problem. The cause of amblyopia is usually due to conditions such as crossed-eyes or a large difference in refractive error between the two eyes. It is treated with proper vision correction (glasses, contact lenses), patching of the good eye to make the amblyopic eye work and vision therapy techniques. A: Strabismus refers to the deviation or misalignment of the two eyes. It is more commonly known as crossed-eyes (esotropia) in which one or both of the eyes turn in. One or both of the eyes may also turn out (exotropia), up (hypertropia) or down (hypotropia). Treatment of strabismus often includes eyeglasses, prisms and vision therapy. In extreme cases, surgery may be required. Q: What is ocular hypertension? A: Ocular hypertension is an elevation of the pressure in the eye above the range considered normal with no detectable changes in vision or damage to the structures of the eye (glaucoma). It is a risk factor to developing glaucoma and must be carefully monitored. The cause of ocular hypertension is unknown. A: Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the internal pressure of the eyeball rises to a point that loss of the nerve fiber layer occurs causing damage to the optic nerve. This damage can result in severe vision loss and even blindness. Glaucoma is usually treated effectively by using medications (eye drops) to lower eye pressures. In some cases, laser or surgical treatments may be required. A: If a normally clear lens within the eye becomes cloudy, it is called a cataract. It usually takes a long period of time for a cataract to form and become significant enough to impair vision. When it reaches this point of maturity that vision is affected the cataract is removed surgically and an intraocular lens implant is inserted to replace the cataract in order to restore vision. A: Eye coordination is the ability of both eyes to work together as a team. Each eye sees an ever so slightly different image and your brain, by a process called fusion, blends these two images into one three-dimensional picture. Good eye coordination keeps the eyes in proper alignment. Signs and symptoms of poor eye coordination include: double vision, headaches, eye and body fatigue, irritability, dizziness and difficulty in reading (covering one eye while reading, skipping lines, re-reading words or sentences, fatigue or losing their place while reading), concentration and comprehension difficulties. Poor sports performance and avoiding tasks that require prolonged close work are common as well. Treatment for eye coordination can include proper vision correction with glasses or contact lenses and/or vision therapy. A: Vision therapy is an individualized treatment program prescribed to prevent the development of certain vision problems, to improve conditions like strabismus or amblyopia, or to help you learn to enhance specific vision skills. These skills include eye movement control, eye focusing, eye coordination and teaming between the two eyes. Improvements in academic performance and sports performance enhancement have been achieved with vision therapy techniques. Q: What are spots and floaters? A: Spots (often called floaters) are small, semi-transparent or cloudy specks or particles within the jelly-like fluid in the eye (the vitreous) that become noticeable when they move within the line of sight. They may also appear with flashes of light. Most spots are normal but sometimes spots can be indications of more serious problems. Proper attention to a sudden onset of floaters or flashes of light accompanied by new floaters is needed. Q: How does diabetes affect the eye? A: Diabetes and its complications can cause changes in nearsightedness, farsightedness and premature presbyopia. It can result in cataracts, glaucoma, strabismus and decreased corneal sensitivity. Visual symptoms may include fluctuating or blurring of vision, double vision, night vision problems, flashes and floaters within the eyes. The most serious eye problem associated with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. This is when weakening or swelling of the tiny blood vessels in the retina result in blood leakage, abnormal new blood vessel growth and loss of proper retinal function which can progress to blindness. Treatments include medical, laser and surgery to help treat diabetic eye disease. The best treatment is preventative and early detection of any changes in the eye. |
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