The LASIK Eye Surgery Basics

By Daniel Laurel

 

LASIK, also called laser in-situ keratomileusis, is a form of eye surgery renown for correcting refractive errors in the eye. Refractive errors happen when the eye doesn't focus the way it should. In normal vision, the image falls through the eye and focuses precisely on the retina, the membrane in the back of the eyeball. If a person is nearsighted, the image focuses in front of the retina. If the person is farsighted, the images focus on the back of the retina. In another problem called astigmatism the cornea, or the front surface of the eye, is somehow irregular.

Why LASIK?
LASIK has become popular because it works very well in correcting vision problems. The treatment is not terribly painful, though there's some discomfort a day or two after the operation. The procedure doesn't require stitches or bandaging. Best of all, patients report that their vision improves right away. Most people who have LASIK have such improved vision that they no longer need to wear contacts or glasses.

Considerations
However, LASIK still isn't a miracle cure. The surgery is complicated and mishaps can happen. A corneal flap needs to be cut very accurately in the eye. If this procedure is done incorrectly, it can impair a patient's vision. Other side effects can be patients experiencing glare or halos. They can lose some of their night vision and develop dry eyes. Indeed, a person who wants LASIK and already has dry eyes will probably be dissuaded from having the operation. Other conditions that might rule against a patient having LASIK surgery are autoimmune diseases like HIV or rheumatoid arthritis.

People with a condition called keratoconus might also not be good candidates for LASIK surgery. This is where the cornea is so irregular that it's actually cone shaped. People with very unstable vision should also not have LASIK. Women who are pregnant or nursing should wait until they've given birth or stopped nursing to have LASIK.

Before the eye surgery, a patient will meet with an ophthalmologist or a member of his or her staff to make sure they're a good candidate. The patient will have a medical history taken and be examined.

He or she will also have tests conducted on his or her eyes.

The Surgery and After Before the LASIK surgery the patient is given eyedrops to numb their eye. Some patients are also sedated. Then, a very precise laser called a femtosecond laser makes a flap in the cornea. It's then peeled back like a lid and another type of laser is used to sculpt the eye tissue to make sure that the light can focus properly on the retina. Then, the flap is replaced. The operation takes about ten minutes.

After the patient is taken home, he or she should rest for a few days. The ophthalmologist will prescribe eye drops, because the eyes will be dry afterwards. The patient will then have follow-up visits to the ophthalmologist. The first might be a day or two after the surgery. Other visits will follow over a span of six months or so.

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Preventing Workplace Eye Injuries: What You Might Be Missing

By Leslie J Anderson

 

Human beings are highly visual animals. Where other animals rely on smell or hearing, human beings are heavily reliant on our eyes to collect information about our world. An injury to the eye can change a person's life, from their ability to simply get around their house, to their future employability. An injury to one or both eyes can cause a business to lose a valued worker and can be devastating for the worker himself.

Because of this, most construction, craft, and repair businesses require the use of safety goggles in the work place. Still, not enough companies insist on safety gear. The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services estimates that eye injuries in the work place occur at a rate of 1,000 per day. 90% of these could have been prevented with proper safety gear.

Managers and manufacturing blogs will often list three reasons for a worker abandoning his eye gear, discomfort, fogging or scratches lenses, and most common, appearance. This problem has been around since the early 1900s when, thanks to the production of Gas Masks for World War I, safety goggles were beginning to be used more widely.

A New York Times article from 1913 mentions the already rising number of eye injuries due to workers choosing not to wear the proper safety gear. The article complains, "Familiarity with danger so often breeds contempt, so that the glasses are laid aside at times when most needed." Luckily modern manufacturers have already begun to design safety gear that resembles fashionable designer glasses. There have been vast improvements in anti-fog and anti-scratch coating, and a greater focus on comfort. Hopefully these will convince more workers to keep them on.

Even with the proper safety gear there are dangers to the eye that are often overlooked. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the most common cause of eye injuries (just above flying debris, impact, and sparks) is rubbing or itching foreign material into the eye. In other words, even with proper gear, it is important to train workers in eye safety.

Another danger that is often overlooked is UV light. We are often told that UV light is dangerous, but the specifics are not always mentioned. UV light can cause photokeratitis and retinal burn. Long term UVexposure has long been associated with cataract formation. It's the equivalent of a sunburn on your cornea.

Macular Degeneration, on the other hand, is more likely related to long term exposure to the visible light spectrum. If you spend all day working in the sun, or send a team out to work all day in the sun, these are serious dangers that should be considered. This is a danger that is often overlooked. While sunscreen, hardhats, and safety glasses are all traditional around job sites, sunglasses may still be considered unnecessary.

The damage can be compounded by moving back and forth between indoor and outdoor work. Dilation may mean the light accepting pupil is larger as you go outside, possibly causing more damage and you squint and blink. Sunglasses are an excellent solution and many companies are coming up with wonderful sunglass/safety glass combos which protect against both debris and UV light. Some are even polarized to give extra protection. These are ideal for construction, roofing, or any dangerous work outside. These glasses provide both long term and short term protection from injury, and potentially save workers eyes.

Leslie J. Anderson
E-Commerce Facilitator
http://www.carbideprocessors.com

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How to Protect Your Children's Eye Health and Preserve Natural Vision: A Story of Myopic Monkeys

By Chang Oh

 

If you have suffered from bad eyesight all of your life and had to rely on eyeglasses or contact lenses for a long time, wouldn't you want your children to have a different life? To do that, you need to first notice that you have bad eyesight for a reason. Your children might be modeling your bad habits without even knowing while at the same time being exposed to an environment not friendly to good eyesight. That is, in order for you to protect your children's eye health, you must know what causes bad eyesight. This article shows how you can do just that.

In 1993, a couple of Taiwanese researchers conducted an interesting experiment. They made two 3-month-old monkeys watch TV for 12 hours a day, just 3 feet away from it. After one year of this, the two monkeys were raised the same as other "normal" monkeys. When the researchers had eye tests for these two monkeys after one year of normal raising, they showed little difference in eyesight from other monkeys - only -0.25 diopter. However, the difference became dramatic afterwards; -4.0 after two years, and a whopping -8.0 after three years. The catch is that they didn't watch TV for a minute after that one year of "treatment!"

What can be inferred from this experiment is that early age is more critical to eyesight development than any other age. Even if you keep your children away from TV, it can only be a little help if you had left them exposed when they were infants. This is all the more reason why you should pay extra attention to your environment and your habits, which can be harming your children's eyesight without you even knowing it.

One such condition is how your children's room is lit. Sure, how bright or how dark it is lit is important, yet how long is also very important. Before the advent of electric light bulbs, our eyes were accustomed to a certain cycle of daylight and darkness. This cycle allowed the eyes to relax and recuperate in order for it to work another day. Today our rooms are kept brightly lit well after sunset. Think about what infants have to go through during their birth. They were used to the cozy darkness of their mothers' womb; then in an instant they are abruptly exposed to the bright hospital lights.

How do you think this affects the children? The iris, the part that controls the amount of light coming into your eye, has to sustain a constant strain. This surely decreases the iris' capability, just like the case where a constant strain on your muscle without time to relax won't allow your muscle to work properly. Conversely, if you ensure that a proper amount of time is allotted for relaxation, you can protect your children's natural vision.

Almost every good habit for the eyes circles around relaxation and removing strain. In addition to the points mentioned above, you can tell your children to blink more often when watching TV or reading a book, to move their eyes away from TV or the book and look at a distant object once in a while, and to sit up straight when using computer. These are all good habits for removing excess strain on your children's eyes.

If you want to find out more about useful hot tips, techniques, information, exercises, etc. on how to improve your eyesight naturally, visit [http://www.howtoimprovevisionnaturally.com]

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6 Common Vision Problems in Children

By Suzy Buglewicz 

 

The American Academy of Ophthalmology estimates that nearly 25% of school-aged children have vision problems, and since kids often don't complain about subtle problems with their eyes, it's important for parents to be aware of symptoms that might signal an eye disease or injury.

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.

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All You Need To Know About Laser Eye Surgery

By Owen Zoey

 

People suffering from diminished eyesight should not give up hope as laser eye surgery is now available to correct your eye related flaws and provide clear vision in a quickest possible time. Since the success rate of this surgery is very high, it has now become the most sought after eyesight correction procedure all across the globe.

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!

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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.

There are some risks involved with laser eye surgery as is normal with any other surgery. However, this research calculated the risk associated with the Lasik eye surgery is very low. It was found that the risk of significant loss of vision after laser surgery is about one in every ten thousand patients which is about 0.01%, this is significantly low. This means that the rate of success is 99.9%. This was compared to the risk of getting some contact lens related eye infection in those who wear contacts.

 

The risk was found to be approximately one in every hundred people who use contact lenses after about thirty years of use. With contact lenses there is also a significant risk of vision loss as a result of these contact lens related infections. This has lead to the conclusion that laser eye surgery is safer as compared to contact lenses due to the significant risk of eye loss when using contact lenses.

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

Eye surgery guruJennifer Daily is the author of this article on laser eye surgery. Find more information, about lasik here

How Do You Choose the Right Prescription Glasses?

By Jackson Barry

 

When choosing prescription glasses, it is important that you consider the best frames and best lenses for you. The lenses are of course the most important thing. You need to be sure that you can see things clearly when wearing them. You may also benefit from anti-glare lenses or those that darken whenever you are out in the sunlight. That way, you do not need to buy a pair of sunglasses. As for the frames, there are a lot of options and styles available.

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.

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