Saturday 29 June 2013

6 Common Vision Problems in Children


August is Children's Eye Health and Safety Month and with the start of a new school year right around the corner, it's also the perfect time to be on the lookout for these six common eye problems that often go unnoticed. The majority of vision problems that are detected early can be treated effectively.

How often should children have their vision checked?
Good vision is essential for physical and social development, success in school, and overall well being. Since vision changes can occur without anyone noticing them, regular screenings can determine if children need glasses or contacts. Infants, toddlers and school-aged children should have their vision tested during regular pediatric appointments and whenever any of the following symptoms are present:

• Rubbing eyes often
• Squinting or turning head often while trying to focus on an object
• Mentions that things are blurry or hard to see
• Disinterest in reading or viewing faraway objects
• There is a family history of vision problems
• Wandering or crossed eyes
6 Common Vision Problems in Children

Refractive Errors
Myopia, also referred to as nearsightedness, is the most common refractive vision error among school-aged children and occurs when the eyeball is too long for focusing power, causing distant images to appear blurred. Hyperopia, or farsightedness, occurs when the eyeball is too short for normal focusing. Astigmatism occurs when the front surface of the cornea is irregular. Symptoms indicating a refractive error can include headaches, blurred vision, eye strain or fatigue. Refractive errors can usually be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

Amblyopia
Also known as "lazy eye", this condition affects about three out of every 100 people and occurs when one eye has not developed normal sight, while the other one has. With early detection, the lazy eye can usually be restored through glasses, surgery on the eye muscles, and patching the stronger eye after treatment to help strengthen the lazy eye.

Strabismus
When the eyes are not properly aligned, this condition also known as cross-eyed occurs, resulting in the child using only the better eye to see to avoid double vision. Symptoms can include one eye focusing straight ahead, while the other eye turns in, out, up or down. Strabismus cannot be outgrown, however glasses can improve focusing.

Color Blindness
Also known as color vision deficiency, this often hereditary condition is the inability to distinguish between colors or shades of colors. Depending on the severity, treatment for color blindness usually includes tinted glasses or contact lenses.

Conjunctivitis
Commonly referred to as pink-eye, symptoms include red or pink eyes and can include discharge, a burning or itching sensation and crusting around the lashes. Although conjunctivitis is highly contagious among pre-school and elementary-aged school children, the condition is easily treatable with prescribed antibiotic drops or ointment.

Corneal Abrasion (Eye Injury)
Nearly 50% of eye injuries occur during sports and recreational activities, and more often in children and teens than any other age group. Eye injuries can damage a child's sight and even cause blindness. Avoid eye injuries by:

• Keeping common household items like cleaning supplies, scissors, forks, rubber bands and even pencils out of the reach of small children. Make sure kids play with age appropriate toys and avoid any with sharp or protruding parts.

• Have your child wear protective eyewear when playing sports, especially those with high velocity ball action like lacrosse, soccer, tennis, basketball and hockey.

To learn more about the symptoms and causes of eye diseases or injuries, or to find a provider near you, download the free mobile healthcare app iTriage from your preferred mobile device or visit http://www.iTriageHealth.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzy_Buglewicz

Monday 24 June 2013

All You Need To Know About Laser Eye Surgery


In case you are contemplating undergoing laser eye surgery, here is a rundown on the basic facts that you need to know before deciding to have one.

Select the right surgeon
When you are planning to undergo laser eye surgery, make sure you have selected the right surgeon. A well-qualified and experienced surgeon has the capability to handle even the most intricate case with utmost care. So, perform a thorough research and then select a skilled doctor for your treatment.

You can also ask him about the costs and other medical procedures during the consulting period.

Before laser surgery
Before proceeding to surgery, your doctor will first perform a complete eye test to ensure whether you are eligible for the treatment or not. He will evaluate everything, from the shape and thickness of the cornea to pupil size, refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism, and other faults in your eye. Apart from these issues, the moist of your eyes are also checked. Depending on the level of your dry eyes, you might also recommend some precautionary treatments.

When it comes to general health history, he will prescribe medicines, in case there are any complications.

During the surgery
Your surgeon will use a mechanical tool known as microkeratome or femtosecond laser to create a small, circular and thin flap on the cornea. By folding this flap, he will get access to the cornea. With the aid of excimer laser, he will remove the corneal tissue. The next step is to reshape the cornea.

This happens when your advanced laser tool uses cool ultraviolet beam. This will eliminate the microscopic amounts of tissue from the cornea.

For people suffering from nearsightedness, you need to flatten the cornea, whereas when it comes to the people suffering from farsightedness, a steeper cornea is needed. Once the surgeon is able to reshape the cornea, the flap is laid back in place where it gets healed naturally.

The good news for this procedure is that you are free from any stitches and bandages. Few drops of anaesthesia are enough to complete the procedure successfully.

After the lasik surgery
Your doctor will recommend you to rest a bit. Though you might feel itchy or burning sensations but this will definitely fade away with time. Immediately after the surgery, you might also be recommended to go home.

There are times when people come across issues such as blurred vision and haziness, but generally, the clarity returns the very next day. In case there is persisting serious issue with your eye, do not neglect it. Contact your surgeon and get it solved without giving it a second thought.

Melbourne laser eye surgery is one of the most fantastic procedures that corrects eye related flaws and provides clear vision to the people in a quickest possible time. Click on this link to know more about the surgery!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Owen_Zoey

Monday 10 June 2013

Why Laser Eye Surgery Is Safer Than Contact Lenses

By Jennifer Daily 
 
There has been a lot of research done on people who have undergone laser eye surgery as well those who wear contact lenses. The main of this research was to find out which is safer between the two. This research concluded that Lasik eye surgery is a safer option as compared to contact lenses in the long run.

Another risk that comes with contact lenses is hygiene. It is difficult to clean them and most people do not adhere to a strict contact lens cleaning regime to protect them from accumulating dirt. Again even though the user actually cleans the lenses it is important to know whether the cleaning solution used on the contact lenses is actually safe for the eye to avoid causing adverse effects to the patients' eyes. This again makes laser eye surgery a better choice and a safer one since you do not have to worry about contact lens hygiene and how to clean them. You also do not risk any infections from dirty lenses.

It was also discovered that with contact lenses there is the risk of unsafe practices such as wearing lenses over night. This is a very dangerous habit which could affect the eye negatively in the long run if repeated frequently. This therefore poses a bigger risk for the user even when they are unaware of it. In such situations laser eye surgery is a better option if the patient qualifies for Lasik surgery. With laser surgery you do not risk forgetting to remove your contact lenses and falling asleep with your lenses on this is a very dangerous habit. With Lasik laser surgery there is also little risk of sharing contact lenses which may lead to cross contamination and transfer of bacteria or other germs that may lead to infections.

Therefore, it is recommended for people who wear contact lenses to go and consult at laser eye clinics. They conduct an assessment to see if you qualify for Lasik eye surgery. If you qualify then you can think about it and decide if it is what you want.
 
About the Author
Jennifer Daily is the author of this article on laser eye surgery. Find more information, about lasik here

Saturday 1 June 2013

How Do You Choose the Right Prescription Glasses?


Choosing Lenses
You need to consult your eye doctor to determine the lenses that will fit best for your prescription glasses. For example, lenses that darkens when outside is ideal for individuals who spend most of their times outdoors. Using this kind of glasses prevents them from switching from one eyeglass to another. Anti-reflective or anti-glare lenses on the other hand are beneficial for people who always drive at night.

Choosing Frames
The frames are essential for one's look. You need to choose the right frames as these can make a great impact on your appearance. You may choose stylish thick frames that are available in various designs and colors. The most popular colors are brown, black and tortoiseshell. Some thick frames are even associated with eye-catching accessories. Rimless frames are light and can blend easily on the face.

They are not that noticeable as compared with wire rimmed or plastic frames.

If you are fond of wearing jewelries, gold and silver for example, you may want to consider them as well when choosing your glasses. You may want to have gold or silver frames to accentuate and enhance your looks.

In choosing frames, it is vital that you consider the shape of your face. Generally, frames that are the opposite of your facial features tend to look best. If, for example, you have a round face, square frames would look nice. On the other hand, oval, cat's eye or round frames would look great on a square face.

It is always advisable to try on various samples and from that, choose the pair that suits you best.
If you are seeking help and advice from eye experts, you may visit Cedar Eye Clinic [http://www.jacksoneyecare.com/]. Consult with a highly trained Cedar Eye specialist [http://www.jacksoneyecare.com/?p=44] to help and treat your eye and vision problems.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jackson_Barry