Lasik Recovery Time - What You Need to Know

By Al Falaq Arsendatama

 

Irrespective of what many people say, including the doctors who perform the LASIK procedure, LASIK recovery time is not a 20 minutes phenomenon, but you take up to six months to completely recover. Patience is required by people who undergo LASIK surgery, as clarity of vision after surgery will depend on the procedure adopted, your refractive error, and post-operative complications, if any. It is often claimed that clarity of vision is attained immediately after the surgery, but it may not be true in most of the cases.

It is normal that post surgery, you face complications, such as ghosts, halos, starbursts, regular or irregular astigmatism, and reduction in clarity for a short period of time. Over a period of time, from as little as a few weeks to as much as six months, these complications may dissipate, and in certain cases, you may need further surgery before recovering fully. If these complications continue beyond six months, you may assume that these are permanent.

Step-By-Step Recovery after LASIK Eye Surgery

Let us look at the LASIK recovery time in stages:


* First Day After Surgery - Most people can return to their normal routines a day after the surgery. You will need to regularly use antibiotics, steroids, and other medications for your dry eye syndrome.

Do not rub your eyes for the first 7 days and, while showering, do not let the water strike you on the face directly. Soap and shampoo in the eyes should be avoided strictly. Computer work, watching TV, and reading are acceptable, provided you lubricate your eyes regularly, and blink frequently.

Light exercises are OK, but keep the sweat out of your eyes.


* One Week After Surgery - Avoid touching your eyes, as well as keep sweat out of your eyes.

Exercises are fine, but avoid swimming, whirlpools and hot tubs. Keep your eyes well lubricated, and use lotions, creams and eye makeup with care, unless advised to the contrary by your doctor.


* Three Weeks After Surgery - Strenuous sports, including swimming, can be started, but with eye protection. You can start outdoor activities, but ensure that your eyes are well protected.


* 3 to 6 Months After Surgery - It will take, at least this much time for your vision to stabilize. Fluctuating vision is part of the healing process and will take time to recover.

You may need re-surgery to correct certain anomalies. It is imperative that you follow your doctor's instructions after the surgery. LASIK recovery time depends on the care you take with your eyes.

Find more information on LASIK eye surgery [http://www.lasereyeplus.com/lasik.html] here. Check out what you need to know about laser eye surgery procedures [http://www.lasereyeplus.com/laser-eye-treatment.html] and how much laser eye surgery may cost you [http://www.lasereyeplus.com/laser-eye-surgery-cost.html].

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

Macular Degeneration - Can You Prevent It?

Macular degeneration is a condition that usually affects older people. In this condition, the macula degenerates steadily and will eventually lead to blindness. There are two types of macular degeneration - dry and wet. Wet macular degeneration can be with lasers but there is no treatment for the dry variety of this disease. This condition affects millions of individuals in the United States, although there can be a way to help prevent it. By taking a supplement like Macuhealth, a person may be able to avoid blindness in older age and save their vision.

                 

When the body starts to age, the muscles get weaker. This includes the retina as well as macula. The weaker the muscles get, the more impaired the eyesight gets. Symptoms of this condition include colors being less bright, patches in the vision and darker vision. This is thought to be caused by a lack of certain components that the body produces. Taking a supplement like Macuhealth can help a person prevent this condition and prevent blindness.

 

This condition gradually reduces the eyesight of those who have been afflicted. Although those who have this condition may not all be totally blind, it is akin to living in darkness and the sufferers will have trouble recognizing faces and reading any signs as their vision gradually deteriorates. Needless to say, this is a problem that no one wants to face. Seniors are often diagnosed with this condition, although it has varying degrees. With some, their eyesight may deteriorate more rapidly than others. One thing is certain, however, and that is that the eyesight is not going to get any better. Treatments such as injections and lasers can only do so much.

 

Taking a supplement that is high in lutein and meso zeaxanthin helps build up the pigment in the macula and helps with prevention for anyone who is older than the age of 40. Most people start to see a decrease in their vision when they reach this age and many will start to wear reading glasses as reading up close becomes more difficult. Those who continue to experience worsening vision should see a doctor about the possibility of having this condition. In some cases, treatment to correct the macula is available. In others, there are no treatments to cure, but the condition can be prevented with the use of certain products that are designed to maintain macula health.

 

If you or a family member suffers from macular degeneration, then there is some hope. Taking this MacuHealth will not improve your eyesight, but can help it from getting worse. This is also a good preventative measure for anyone who is over 40 and concerned that they may be heading towards this condition as this supplement gives them the opportunity to keep their eye muscles in better shape.

 

This supplement is available at an online site that can tell you all that you need to know about this condition as well as other resources that can help those who are living with this condition. Again, this is more common in seniors and is rare in younger people, but anyone who has persistent trouble with their vision or observes it getting worse should be evaluated by an eye doctor.

 

About the Author

 

articlelink01Seniors are often at risk for macular degeneration , a condition that causes legal blindness. Those who want to avoid this can take a product like macuhealth that can be found at NoMoreAMD.

Preventing Sports Eye Injuries

By Suzy Buglewicz   

 

Every year, it's estimated that nearly 50,000 Americans suffer eye injuries while participating in sports and recreational activities. While many of these injuries have the potential to cause temporary or permanent vision loss, 90% of them are preventable by using the appropriate protective eyewear, according to The Coalition To Prevent Sports Eye Injuries.

Blunt trauma, corneal abrasions and penetrating injuries are the most common sports related eye injuries. Contact sports and sports involving balls, sticks or racquets pose the highest risk of injuries to the eye, occuring most frequently in the following activities:

• Baseball
• Basketball
• Racquet sports
• Hockey
• Football
• Lacrosse
• Fishing

Most sports related eye injuries occur in people under the age of thirty, and are a leading cause of sports related accidents in kids ages 5 to 14. Symptoms include:

1. Eye pain or trouble seeing
2. A cut or torn eyelid
3. Bruising around the eye
4. One eye that is not moving as well as the other eye
5. One eye sticks out compared to the other eye
6. The pupil is misshaped or is unusually large or small
7. Bleeding on the surface or inside the eye (hyphema)
8. A foreign object is in the eye or under the eyelid that can't be easily removed

Treating an eye injury as soon as possible can greatly improve the chances of preserving vision. Depending upon the severity of the injury, treatment can involve placing a protective cover over the eye, or surgery to repair a tear.

How to protect your eyes while playing sports

Wearing protective, properly fitting eyewear made with polycarbonate lenses can prevent the majority of sports related eye injuries. The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends wearing protective eyewear for all participants in sports and recreational activities where there is a risk of injury, including any chance of getting hit in the eye by a fast moving object. Protective eyewear is available with and without a prescription and with UV and antiglare treatments designed for specific athletic needs. Protective eyewear should fit snugly and provide clear vision with comfortable, durable straps.

Protective sports eyewear can include:
• Sports goggles
• Wraparound style sunglasses
• Eye and face guards that can be worn over glasses
• Goggles and masks for element sports like snowboarding, skydiving or scuba diving

Protect your eyes while playing sports. If an eye injury occurs, seek medical care as soon as possible, even if the injury appears to be minor. Delaying medical attention can result in partial loss of vision or permanent blindness.

To find a doctor or medical facility wherever you are, download the free iTriage healthcare smartphone app, or visit http://www.iTriageHealth.com.
http://www.iTriageHealth.com

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

Retinal Detachment - Understanding This Surgical Emergency

By Dr Ang C. D.

 

The retina is an important layer in the back of the eye, whose function is to absorb and process light that enters the eye, very much like the film which captures images in a camera.

The retina contains millions of photoreceptors called rods and cones. The rods are found mainly in the outer parts of the retina, and are important for night vision and seeing movement. The cones are found mainly in the central part of the retina (around a region called the macula), and they are responsible mainly for colour vision and fine vision.


What is Retinal Detachment?

Retinal detachment occurs when there is a hole or tear in the retina. When this happens, the aqueous humor, which is the fluid within the eyeball, can pass through this tear, and underneath the retinal layer. This causes the retina to get detached from the underlying wall of the eye. Vision in the detached part of the retina is severely affect, and is typically seen as a "veil" or "dark curtain" that comes across the visual field.


What are the Symptoms?

Retinal detachment is considered a medical emergency, and if you should experience any of the following symptoms, you should immediately consult your doctor:

• Sudden dramatic increase in the number of floaters
• Flashes of light
• Sudden decrease in vision
• A "veil" or "dark curtain" that obscures part or all of your vision
• Slight feeling of heaviness or pressure in the eye


What are the Risk Factors?

• Having severe short sightedness. Myopia is associated with over 60% of cases of retinal detachment.
• Having retinal detachment in one eye, increases the risk of retinal detachment in the other eye.
• Retinal detachment occurs slightly more frequently after cataract surgery.
• Having proliferative diabetic retinopathy or proliferative retinopathy of sickle cell disease.
• Injury to the eyeball can potentially increase the risk of retinal detachment.


How is it Diagnosed?

Your eye doctor/ophthalmologist will make the diagnosis of retinal detachment based on your symptoms and physical examination. Some of the following tests are done as part of the eye examination:
• Visual acuity
• Visual field testing
• Examination of the retina to look for tears in the retina, or detached areas. This is done using a magnifying instrument with a powerful light source.


How is it Treated?

A retinal detachment is considered a surgical emergency, and should be dealt with by an ophthalmologist immediately to repair it, or stop it from getting worse.

The most common methods of repairing a detached retina include:

1. Scleral buckling surgery

In this form of surgery, a band of plastic, known as a scleral buckle, is placed around the eyeball to indent it. This relieves traction on the retina, thus preventing retinal tears from getting worse. This is often combined with pneumatic retinopexy, in which a gas bubble is injected into the eye, to help press gently against the retinal tear, and help keep the formerly detached retina in place. The ophthalmologist then uses a laser or freezing probe to seal off the tear in the retina.

2. Vitrectomy

In this procedure, tiny instruments are inserted into the vitreous cavity (back part of the eye), to remove the vitreous gel and reposition the detached retina from the inside of the eyeball. Vitrectomy gives ophthalmologists better access to the retina to repair large tears, and it is often also combined with laser treatments and gas injections to help repair the damaged retina.

Dr Ang C.D. has been in medical practice for over 12 years. He graduated with an M.B.B.S. degree from the National University of Singapore in 1997 and subsequently completed his post-graduate diploma in Family Medicine.

He has had training in Emergency Medicine, Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Orthopaedic Surgery, Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Neurosurgery, General Surgery, Colorectal Surgery and Urology.

Dr Ang currently practices in a family clinic in Singapore, seeing a good mix of paediatric, adult and geriatric patients.

With the goal of providing local and international patients with a resource for specialist care in Singapore, Dr Ang has founded SingaporeDoc.com, a Web Directory of Specialists in Private Practice in Singapore.

http://singaporedoc.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr_Ang_C._D.

Help For Dry Itchy Eyes

By Dr Jeffrey Lewis

 

Do you suffer from dry itchy eyes? Are your eyes watering constantly? Do they feel inflamed and painful?

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, you may be suffering from a common syndrome whereby your eyes experience a dryness and itchy feeling.

Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that causes an infection or irritation to the tear duct or tear film. This often results in excessive tearing, evaporation of tears, an extreme redness of the eyes, and eyes that feel prickly and sometimes throb with pain.

While it's relatively easy to treat this condition, some people avoid seeking treatment altogether because they think it will go away on its own. This is a myth. If you develop this fairly common syndrome, you should seek treatment immediately so the condition does not get worse.
Most people complain about dry inflamed eyes because of the desire to scratch them and the irritation that they cause. This is the symptom that stands out the most, and is often the one that people focus on because it is such a distraction.

If you are looking for help in treating this eye condition, you may want to avoid over-the-counter eye drops. Over-the-counter eye drops are great if you just want to get rid of the redness in your eyes. But they do not help treat the other symptoms associated with dry eye syndrome.

You may want to consider using an artificial tears product of some kind. Artificial tears were specifically designed to treat these types of eye symptoms. This solution was crafted to help soothe the inflammation in your eyes, eliminate the redness, and also alleviate those irritated feelings.

Some artificial tear products come in a bottle, allowing for single doses. Others come in larger bottles that require several doses throughout a given period of time. It all depends on which artificial tear product you choose.

Artificial tears are the basic foundation to treating numerous differing eye conditions. Many times, people are confused about the best products to use. It is easy to understand why someone may become confused with all the products available. Please check out my free guide, Dry Eye Relief Doesn't Come in a Bottle, to discover which treatment solution might be best for your particular situation. This informative e-guide can offer help in finding the right kind of artificial tear treatment for you, without the hassle of having to figure it out on your own.

As with any medical condition, always consult a physician before pursuing any form of treatment. Though the information in this e-guide offers much pertinent information, it is not a substitute for professional medical advice.

Please look over my free e-guide, Dry Eye Relief Doesn't Come in a Bottle, to help you learn more about which product might be best for you and your specific eye situation. Free Guide [http://www.dry-eye-relief.com/]

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

What About Glaucoma?

By Hillary G Glaser

 

Our eyes are surrounded with fluid that is constantly flowing in and out of the back of the eye, behind the iris, and into the front part of the eye. This fluid is important in sending signals from our eyes to our brain for better understanding. If there is any sort of blockage during this sequence, immense pressure (called intraocular pressure, or IOP) will build up causing glaucoma. There are four different varieties of glaucoma for you to be aware of: open-angle (chronic) glaucoma, angle-closure (acute) glaucoma, congenital glaucoma, and secondary glaucoma. While certain types of glaucoma aren't curable, if caught early enough, there is treatment for every kind, and it can significantly reduce the chances of vision-loss. The treatment needed for glaucoma depends solely on the type you're suffering from, and reactions your eyes have.

Chronic glaucoma affects the highest percentage of those suffering from glaucoma. It cannot be cured, but it can be managed - with close help from medical experts. By coming on slowly, it can be caught earlier, but it also means a gradual loss of sight - which can be a very scary situation. One symptom of open-angle glaucoma is the slow loss of peripheral sight. Depending on the damage, it can be helped with both eye drops or pills.

Angle-closure (acute) glaucoma is a sudden and extreme form. It is certainly an emergency and should be handled as such, in order to avoid vision-loss! Symptoms include severe pain in one or both eyes, cloudy vision, a variety of colors surrounding all light fixtures, swollen and/or red eyes, and even nausea. Treatment could be anything from pills and eye drops to an IV or possibly even emergency surgery.

Congenital glaucoma is also very serious as it primarily affects babies. However, while crucial, it is usually caught by the doctor on either newborns, or babies that are just a few months old. As long as you are going to your doctor regularly, it should be caught and treated quickly via surgery. Just in case, always keep a lookout for your baby's eyes; symptoms include dilated pupils, red eyes, light sensitivity, or cloudiness in one or both eyes.

Secondary glaucoma comes from some previous disorder, medication, or disease. Typically your doctor will find this and diagnose it as well; treatment can often be postponed as treatment for the original disorder can help for the secondary glaucoma symptoms to also disappear.

Glaucoma is a very serious disease, with several different forms of attack - and can be just as worrisome as the word, itself. This extremely critical eye disease is currently one of the primary reasons for blindness in the United States; it's very important that we understand as much as we can in efforts to be able to best diagnose specific types of glaucoma, and then determine the next needed step. Whenever you go in to get your next eyeglasses prescription, be sure to consult your doctor about your personal risks for glaucoma. If you're not yet wearing glasses, in order to help push off a possible inevitability or depending on prescription glasses, of course, consulting an ophthalmologist is truly the number one solution for any optical concerns you may have! However, knowing more about harmful diseases can also only better prepare you should you need to face this disorder head-on.

Hillary Glaser is the Director of Marketing and Special Projects for GlassesUSA.com - the easiest way to buy glasses online. She over sees day-to-day operations for all marketing and promotions of eyeglasses for the company.

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

How is Color Blindness Inherited?

By Parmu Malika

 

Introduction

Color blindness in most of the individuals is always an inherited trait. Since men have one X chromosome and women two, men are more prone to be color blind than women. Thus when a man inherits the gene for the defect he becomes color blind whereas a women when she inherits a single gene for the peculiarity will not be prone to the color vision defect. The reason is that the good X chromosome will control the defective gene inherited. Thus for a women to inherit the deficiency she must acquire the defective trait from both her parents.

The second cause for the defective color vision is through disease. Cataract is one of the most common causes for this inherited genetic deficiency. Also retinal and optic nerve maladies will also result in the deficiency. Medications like digitalis taken for heart disease, quinine for malaria and alcohol also ensue in color blindness.

Color blindness does not mean that the affected individual can see only black and white, but it means that they cannot see or they have trouble in making out the difference between some colors. Test yourself with the help of this diagram.


Cones and color Visualization

An individual's color vision is related to cones which are very small cells on the retina. The cones of 'red,' 'blue' and 'green' are susceptible to colors and combinations of them. All the three types of cones are required if the colors are to be perceived properly. If the combination of the cones is not correct then the brain is restrained from getting the exact message related to colors. A color blinded person will see a green color leaf as if it were tan or gray.


Forms of the genetic deficiency

Genetic color blindness is the result of hereditary disorders in the photoreceptor cells. The malfunctioning of different types of cone cells results in different forms of genetic color deficiency.

Difficulty in differentiating between the colors yellow, red and green is one type of the deficiency and difficulty in distinguishing between blue and yellow is yet another type of color blindness. The most uncommon type is mono chromic with the sufferer seeing only a black and white world.

The color blindness resulting in difficulty to distinguish red-green color is the most common kind of the genetic deficiency. This sort of deficiency affects about 2%-6% of all men. A person may also inherit this trait which reduces his/her capacity to distinguish between blue and yellow and the deficiency affects both men and women equally.

Hereditary color blindness can be inherited that is it can be present from birth, or it may start in childhood or adulthood. Hereditary color vision deficiency may remain the same all through a person's life. This depends on the mutation of the genes. It may also be progressive. Approximately 8% of males, and only 0.5% of females, are color blind in some way or another.

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

Home Remedies for Pink Eye

By Jaya Patel

 

Pink eye symptoms include redness, itching, dry eyes and discharge. There are three types of pink eye - viral, allergic, and bacterial. Viral pink eye is the most common of the three and caused by the same virus as the common cold and as with the common cold there is no exact treatment for it.

Viral pink eye is highly contagious and can be spread on contact so staying away from those that have it and keeping your hands clean are very important in not contracting it. Your eyes may have excessive tearing and slight discharge of mucus. Bacterial pink eye symptoms are more severe as there is a large significant discharge of puss, heavy crusting, and can affect both eyes. Allergic pink eye normally occurs due to persistent allergies. Occasionally extreme irritation from chemicals and fumes can also make you susceptible to the condition.Pink eye can also show up as a result of your immune system being compromised from various long-term conditions such as lyme disease and vascular diseases.

The most common cause is contracting the viral version through someone else. This is frequent amongst children as they pick it up from other kids in school and daycare. You can also get it from excessive exposure to chlorinated water from swimming in a pool or not keeping your contact lens clean or sanitized. If you do wear contacts and you get pink eye, you should stop wearing the lenses until your eye has completely healed.

Most of the time, pink eye is an occasional occurrence and goes away after a few days. if you get chronic pink eye or if it lasts for more than a week, then you must work with a doctor to diagnose other things going on in your body.

The natural remedies work best for viral pink eye (which is the most common). The correct therapy can drastically reduce and eliminate the condition from a week to 48 hours and sometimes within a day. Please remember that as with other natural remedies, different therapies have different results on individuals and the effectiveness of these remedies is highly dependent on your prior health history, other existing conditions in your body, your emotional well-being, and your genetic makeup.

Here rare some tips and natural remedies for pink eye:

1. Please leave your eye alone, I know this sounds too obvious to even mention but you can literally prolong your condition two to three times if you cannot resist the urge to keep touching or rubbing the infected area.

2. Keep your hands clean. Another obvious advice but it needs to be mentioned. You will do your family members and others around you a big favor by not spreading those germs.

3. Stay away from too many over the counter creams and ointments, they really don't help that much and may end up even irritating your eye even more.

4. Eat a diet rich in antioxidants such as lots of fresh vegetables and fruits to support your natural healing. Juicing some vegetables is a great. I like to take the "Emergen-C" packet every day when I feel that I'm getting something (this is great in general and doesn't have to be just for pink eye). You can get these packets for both adults or children and are great supplement when you get sick.

5. An Ayurvedic remedy is a coriander eye wash. Coriander, fennel and cardamom are cooling herbs that are beneficial whenever your body experiences irritation or inflammation. Add 1 teaspoon of whole coriander seeds to a small clean bowl. Add boiling water to it, cover, and let it seep for 15 min. Strain into another bowl. Use a sterile cotton ball to soak in this remedy, lay down and apply to your eyes for 15 min. Repeat 3-4 times a day.

6. Chamomile and elderberry blossom teas are very helpful in easing the discomfort and to help it heal naturally. Make the tea, let it cool, and apply with clean cotton ball. You can also apply the tea bag directly to the eye.

7. Aloe Vera juice can be very comforting, soothing, and healing. Witch Hazel has similar soothing effects.

8. A drop of castor oil in the eye is very effective for some people.

9. A couple of drops of raw unfiltered honey is therapeutic as it provides immediate enzymes and vitamins to the effected area of the eye.

10. Grated potato compress has been found to be very healing. Potato is a natural astringent and helps to disinfect.

If you found this article helpful and/or if you have any comments and suggestions, please take a moment to post here and let me know your thoughts.

Jaya Patel has a health and wellness online store. She is a blogger for all things healthy and non-toxic. She is dedicated to empowering others to achieve holistic health for them and their families through their food choices, cleaning products and personal care products. Examples of topics she writes about are home remedies for various ailments, super foods that pack the most nutritional punch, natural and alternative therapies, non-toxic and truly natural products for your home, skin and hair.

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

Understanding LASIK Surgery: Who Is It For?

By Arl Adoreno   

 

What is LASIK surgery and what conditions does it correct? What are the limitations and the risks involved in such a procedure? Are there any long-term side effects that may result from the operation? To better understand if LASIK surgery can help improve your vision, here are some things you definitely need to know.

LASIK Surgery 101

LASIK stands for "laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis", a surgical procedure that can be used to treat myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) and astigmatism (blurred vision). It involves reshaping the patient's cornea to remove his or her dependency on glasses and/or contact lenses.
LASIK surgery is fast and painless. The whole procedure can be completed within 15 to 20 minutes (for both eyes) and results can be seen within 24 hours. In addition, the results of the surgery are permanent. It is not uncommon for LASIK patients to enjoy a 20/20 vision after the surgery. As such, most people prefer it over other vision corrective therapies.

Who Is It For?

Basically, LASIK surgery is ideal for people who are:

• Over 18 years of age
• Have stable visionfor at least two years prior to the surgery. However, if your prescription is unusually high, your doctor may advise you against having the procedure.
• Have healthy eyes.You should have a healthy cornea, retina and eye pressure before undergoing surgery. Your cornea should likewise be of sufficient thickness to ensure good results. Patients with pupils larger than 8.5 mm in the dark and those with corneal scarring will not be considered as good candidates for LASIK treatment.
• Free from any pre-existing eye diseases. Dry eyes syndrome, cataract, advanced glaucoma and keratoconus can get you rejected.
• In good health.Patients with autoimmune diseases such as Crohn's disease, diabetes, hepatitis, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are not advised to undergo LASIK surgery. Likewise, patients who have HIV or AIDS and/or a recent history of ocular herpes are not considered ideal candidates for such a procedure.
• Not pregnant.Pregnant or lactating mothers are not encouraged to undergo the procedure.

Limitations, Risks and Side Effects

LASIK surgery is designed to correct vision problems such as astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness. It does not guarantee that you will totally have no need for glasses as you age.
Since LASIK is a surgical procedure, there is always a certain degree of risk involved. Among the complications and side effects associated with the procedure includes the following:

• Temporary discomfort
• Minor vision disturbances (glare, hazy vision and dry eye symptom)
• Flap complications (irregular astigmatism, epithelial ingrowth, diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK), keratectasia or keratoconus)
• Dry eyes
• Incomplete corrections (under- or over-correction and residual astigmatism)
• Infection

LASIK surgery is one of the most effective and most sought after procedures that can be used to correct a patient's vision. Will it be able to help you correct your problem? Consult a qualified LASIK surgeon to know if it is right for you.

For more information on LASIK surgery and other available vision correction procedures, please visit 20/20 Image Eye Centers. They can help put your life in better focus!

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

Causes Of Itchy Eyes

By Renee Foo   

 

In a nutshell, itchy eyes develop as a symptom of some other medical reasons. We need to understand and determine whether the itchiness in the eyes is a result of allergies or illness or diseases. There are many causes of itchy eyes. The following is an attempt to list the major and common causes of itchy eyes but this is no way a complete listing due to the many possibilities of rendering one with this itchiness in the eyes.

Allergy

Under the allergies section discussed, there are mainly 4 broad categories of these allergens that are capable of causing an allergy. To recap this again, they are the external outdoors, in-door household, food and medication as well as animal.

Allergies are often triggered by external environmental substances. Itchy eyes can develop if one comes into contact with dirt and dust (external environment/ in-door household), pollen from plants and flowers (external environment/ in-door household), animal dander from cats and dogs (external environment/ in-door household), and lastly food and medication.

Common Cold

Common cold affects people across all age groups. This is by far the most potent and dangerous illness to strike the human's immune system. It adopts a very agile structure in that it is able to mutate its form neutralizing the anti-bodies developed to suppress it. Common cold is a viral infection. When contracted, itchy eyes usually develop together with other symptoms such as running nose, sneezing, cough, headache, itchy throat, tiredness, congestion and fever. Common cold normally last 2 weeks and itchy eyes can last as long as this infection before it is clear up.

Pinkeye or Conjunctivitis

Itchy eyes may develop as a symptom of pinkeye. Unlike the other symptoms resulting from allergies or common cold, pinkeye is a highly contagious disease. This is even more potent among the young people. Pinkeye is usually a bacterial or viral infection. It may also be due to allergies. The name given as a result of allergy is called Allergic Conjunctivitis. This will cause the eyes to be itchy, red and watery.

Conjunctivitis can damage the cornea and impair the vision in some extreme cases if condition is left untreated.

Dry Eyes

Dry eyes refer to a condition resulting from the eye's lachrymal glands deficiency. The lachrymal glands are not able to produce adequate tears, thus making the eyes dry. This dryness in the eyes without the tears to moist the eyes normally result in much discomfort.

The irritated eyes are likely to develop redness, get itchy due to this dryness and in swelling are possible. Similar to allergies, the external factors such as dry weather and smoke can aggravate dry eyes condition. Artificial eye-drops are commonly available over the shelf for self medication to treat dry eyes.

Blepharitis

Blepharitis refers to a condition of a persistent inflammation of the eyelids. This condition may be due to a bacterial infection in the skin around the eyelids. While this may be a minor condition that does not mean that it will not cause a problem.

The resulting itchiness in the eyes can be very irritating.

Millions of people suffer from eyes diseases. Eyes are one of the most important organs of the human body, and it is vital that these eyes are well taken care of.

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

Myopia, Hyperopia, Nearsighted, Farsighted, Astigmatism, Presbyopia - What Do They All Mean?

By Dr. Richard A. Driscoll

 

 

These are questions that eye doctors are frequently asked. It can be confusing when there are common terms for medical conditions.

Myopia or Nearsightedness
A condition where a person's uncorrected vision is only clear up close. Instead of the light focusing on the retina, it focuses in front of the retina. A myopic person can read a magazine, however their distance vision is blurry and requires glasses or contact lenses to make it clear.

Hyperopia or Farsightedness
Hyperopia, commonly referred to as farsightedness, is when a person sees better in the distance than at near. Light entering the eye focuses behind the retina placing a blurry image on the retina. For a hyperopic person to see clearly at any distance a muscle, inside the eye called the ciliary body, must focus an intra-ocular lens. As we get older it becomes more difficult for the eye to accomplish this auto focusing. Because of the eye's ability to focus, farsighted people often don't need glasses until their 30s or 40s.

Uncorrected farsightedness, however, may cause a person to experience eyestrain or an eye turn (strabismus), depending on the degree of farsightedness and the patient's age. The younger we are the easier it is for the eye to compensate for farsightedness. Uncorrected farsightedness can lead to amblyopia. Farsightedness and presbyopia are often confused.

Presbyopia
A person is presbyopic when the crystalline lens in the eye can no longer focus well at near, making reading glasses or bifocals necessary. A person can be both farsighted and presbyopic or nearsighted and presbyopic. Presbyopia typically begins in our early 40s. The older we get the more difficult it is for our eyes to focus at near. The effects of presbyopia level off in our mid to late 60s.

Astigmatism
Many people feel astigmatism is a bad, progressive disease. Actually astigmatism is caused when light focuses in two points in the back of the eye because it is not in the shape of a sphere. An eye with astigmatism has often been described to be in the shape of an egg or football, to some degree that is true, though an astigmatic eye is not exaggerated to that degree. Most people have some astigmatism. Visually, a person with uncorrected astigmatism will often see a faint shadow on letters or objects.

Emmetropia
A person is emmetropic when an image focuses clearly on the retina without the eye doing any focusing itself. A person that is emmetropic has uncorrected "normal vision".

Dr. Richard A. Driscoll is a therapeutic optometrist and optometric glaucoma specialist practicing at Total Eye Care, with offices in Keller and Colleyville, Texas. More information is available on the Total Eye Care Website and on The Eye Doc Blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Dr._Richard_A._Driscoll

Nearsightedness Description and Treatment

By Erin Flanagan  

 

Nearsightedness is a type of change of common vision. Individuals who are nearsighted should be able to view physical objects in close proximity adequately but might have issues viewing at a distance. Things at a distance will often look out of focus or blurry.

Frequently, nearsightedness will begin in the grade school years. Due to the fact small children may be less likely to tell you about alterations in their eyesight, simply because they don't yet understand of the concept, there are specific signals you can keep an eye on for in your youngster:

• Sitting down near the television
• Squinting or rubbing his eyes regularly
• Holding stories and also other materials in close proximity to his face
• Pestering to sit in the front of the school room or in the front row of the movie theater so he can see better
• A desire not to engage in events that need distance vision which can include athletics

An eye exam with an optometrist can diagnose nearsightedness. This extensive eye exam is a simple, noninvasive occasion which could easily figure out your prescription level required to reinstate your eyesight to its very best level.

Contacts and glasses are both a solution for an individual who's nearsighted. For young kids, eyeglasses are normally encouraged over contacts. After a child nears teen years, contacts could possibly be an option according to the child's level of comfort with placing the contact lens and properly taking good care of and maintaining contacts.

Should you be having troubles with tasks which need vision at a distance, speak to your optometrist to have an eye exam today. Prescription lenses will surely have you seeing far better and back in the game.

Learn more about vision problems and how to schedule an eye exam with your eye doctor.

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