Posts Tagged ‘Eyesight’

What are eye disorders related to age? Continued…

Some eye problems become common as age increases. There are variety of measures one can take to minimize or even prevent the effects of eye conditions including:

- Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the lens in your eye. As your age increases, the eye lens becomes stiffer, thicker and less transparent. Protein fibers in the lens break down and clump together and start to take on a whitish or yellow-brown color. The resulting cloudiness changes the refractive ability of the lens so that the light entering you eye is scattered and the lens cannot project a sharp and focused image.
Early stage will need a new eye glass prescription or a magnifying class to increase sharpness, ultraviolet protection sunglasses and headgear to decrease glare.
Mono-focal lenses are the most commonly implanted lenses and they have one power.
Multi-focal intraocualar lens implants function similarly to bifocal eyeglasses.
Cataract surgery leads to improve vision in about 90 percent of people. Risks included are inflammation, bleeding, swelling, retinal detachment, increased pressure inside eye and lens dislocation.

- Glaucoma
It is a group or eye diseases characterized by damage to the optic nerve which is a bundle of more than a million nerve fibers at the back of your eye. The optic nerve sends electrical impulses to your brain which interrupts the impulses as images. The main cause in damaging the optic nerve is the high pressure inside the eye ball. The most common form of glaucoma called open-angle glaucoma develops so gradually that you may not notice until you begin to lose your peripheral vision.
Visit your eye doctor regularly. Glaucoma can be controlled but no cured. Good thing is the eyesight can be preserved. The main goal of treatment is to reduce the pressure in eyeballs. Prescribed eye drops are the first step of treatment to lower the pressure. If these do not work, surgical procedures are available.
One method of surgery, laser trabeculoplasty uses a laser to help open up your eyes drainage system so that fluid drains out more easily.

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How does an image reaches your brain through your eye? What are age related eye problems?

Eyes are far superior to any existing technology because they are made of living tissues. Eyes move and function together in perfect synchronization. Each eyeball makes many rapid adjustments for brightness, focus and internal pressure. The journey of an image to your brain includes five steps:

- Light passes through your cornea.
- Light is directed through your pupil.
- The crystalline lens fine tunes the focus.
- The retina transforms light into electrical impulses.
- The brain “sees” the image.

Some eye problems become common as age increases. There are variety of measures one can take to minimize or even prevent the effects of eye conditions including:
- Presbyopia
It is also called near vision. Wearing corrective eyeglasses is the simplest way to manage presbyopia. Prescription eyeglasses also are a relatively simple way to correct for presbyopia. Another option is to wear bifocal contact lenses or wear a different strength of contact lengths on each eye. Multi-focal intracular lens implants – plastic lenses that are surgically placed inside the eyes may be another option.

- Dry Eyes
Tears are an essential lubricant for eyes and are produced by glands in and around eyelids. Sometimes, tear production and tear quality decreases with age causing dry eyes. Dry eyes make your eyes feel hot and gritty and appear irritated but they seldom cause eye damage. Dry eyes can be treated by using non prescription, preservative free artificial tear solutions, applying ointments that moisten and protect the cornea for longer intervals that can artificial tears alone. Another option is blocking the ducts with tiny removable silicone or gel like plugs, using prescribed eye drops to increase production of tears.

What is LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) treatment and what are its advantages?

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is a cosmetic procedure that uses a laser to correct the vision. It not only improves the vision but also improves the overall quality of life. Advances in refractive laser vision correction have provided patients with a number of options that allow them to reduce or eliminate their dependency on glasses and contact lenses. The most popular refractive procedure, LASIK, has successfully been performed on millions of patients worldwide.

The goal of LASIK is to improve vision to the point of reducing your dependence on glass. If a small degree of refractive error persists after the procedure, a re treatment i.e. the enhancement procedure can be done, in selected cases. The chances of regression are almost nil by this procedure but if it occurs, it can be re-treated.
For LASIK treatment, one should be at least 18 years old and demonstrate no change in spectacle number for at least one year. Presbyopia or near vision cannot be satisfactorily corrected by laser procedures. Patients who have undergone LASIK will get near vision glasses due to normal aging process.

Generally, both eyes are treated at the same sitting which is more convenient and least disruptive to the patient’s work and lifestyle. The LASIK procedure itself takes only about five minutes per eye but you may have to stay in clinic for about 30 minutes.

The LASIK procedure, as such is near painless. Some patients complain of mild discomfort after the procedure which can be easily controlled by medications. LASIK procedure is reasonably safe procedure. Problems, if at all they occur are minor and not visually significant. One can resume your work within 72 hours.