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Archive for the ‘Visual Acuity’ Category
Presbyopia
Tuesday, December 20th, 2011
Having 20/20 vision is nice. It’s the way your vision should be. Millions of people need corrective lenses to see 20/20 because of myopia. However, these individuals, as well as those who have natural 20/20 vision may find when they hit their early 40s that things that were once so crystal clear up close have begun to get fuzzy. This blurred vision may be more than a passing thing, it may be presbyopia.
Presbyopia is part of aging, and unavoidable for nearly everyone after they’ve reached 40. It’s the reason your grandparents all wear reading glasses, and it’s the reason your parents hold their books and magazines as far away from them as they can. Presbyopia is, for all intents and purposes, age-related farsightedness.
Why people develop presbyopia is not fully understood, and there are a couple theories. One is that the lens begins to become hard due to proteins. This makes the lens less flexible to focal changes. Another theory is that the ciliary muscle begins to weaken. This makes it harder for the lens curvature to steepen to see things near. A third, and newest, theory is that the lens continues to grow, and by age 40 it has grown so much that the ciliary muscle does not have enough space to contract and steepen the lens. However, this last theory is not held by many eye doctors right now.
Whatever causes presbyopia can only be fixed by the old standbys: corrective lenses, LASIK, and conductive keratoplasty (CK).
If you are 40 or older and have noticed your near vision beginning to blur, find an experienced eye doctor in your area to test you for presbyopia today.
Posted in Contact Lenses, LASIK, Laser Vision Correction, Presbyopia, Visual Acuity | Comments Off
Understanding Visual Acuity
Monday, December 12th, 2011
20/20 vision does not mean perfect vision. What it does mean is that you can see at 20 feet what a majority of other people can see at 20 feet. Visual acuity tests are designed to determine at what range you can see. With visual acuity tests, the top number is fixed, but the bottom number is a variable. For example, if you can see at 20 feet what most people can see at 40 feet, your vision is 20/40. The bottom number can go up or down in either direction from 20 and is used to determine if you are nearsighted or farsighted.
Correcting Refractive Errors
If you do not have 20/20 vision, you may require assistance from prescription eyewear such as glasses or contact lenses to help you see objects at a range of distances. Several alternatives to prescription eyewear such as LASIK and PRK can also be used to correct refractive errors and help provide clear sight. In fact, eyewear is not a fix so much as a Band-Aid. Only a refractive error correction surgery can truly provide you with lasting eyesight of 20/20 or better.
If you are experiencing any vision difficulties and would like to learn more about your options, please use the doctor locator at eyes.com to find an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.
Posted in LASIK, Visual Acuity | Comments Off
