Buying Disposable Contact Lenses

There is an optical ailment that is prevalent among Americans. This abnormality is called presbyopia. More than one in four people suffer from some form of it. Presbyopia is an ailment when a person cannot view objects at a close distance. Instead they have to hold the object an arms length away to bring it into focus. This condition worsens with age and can develop in anyone. Presbyopia is a condition that results from the reduction in the eye's flexibility. Similar to astigmatism, it is also because the shape of the eye becomes relative rigid and cannot adjust to accommodate clear sight at various distances. Although people who are approaching retirement age often suffer from this problem, it can occur in people who are only in their 40's. Other symptoms related to this problem include an inability to focus, squinting and headaches.

The symptoms set in gradually and is not noticeable to the person. But there are a number of early signs that may suggest you have presbyopia. One of the most clear signals that you are at the onset of presbyopia is that you will begin to hold reading material a little further than you had been used to. Of course, this is an obvious example of discovering you have visual problems. There are a variety of other symptoms that may seem innocuous or unrelated at first; but are, in actual fact, sure signs of optical issues.

The first of them is usually headaches. Most people don't consider that it is due to eye problems.The fact is that straining to read items often causes headaches and a sense of tiredness. Additional symptoms include headaches that happen after completing tasks like writing and knitting. A person will squint and focus extremely hard on the task at hand and yet may not notice the strain. During the process they are too focused to realize the onset of the headache. But once they've completed the task, they feel the onset of the pain.

Here is a quick test to confirm that it is an issue related to sight. When you are at the pharmacy, try a pair of non-prescription glasses. Start reading something. Now, if you do not encounter any of you problems, then it is very probably that you have presbyopia.

Once you have been diagnosed with this problem there is no course of treatment to completely return your eyes to their original healthy state. It is just a result of aging. And, that is normal. There is no way to halt it without halting the aging process itself.

In order to ensure your vision remains at a functional level, try a pair of reading glasses or contact lenses. Another way of correcting presbyopia is a more permanent way. It involves surgery that is conducted with lasers. This surgery is called LASIK surgery.

However, there is no certain method of avoiding presbyopia. It is important to see your optician as soon as you feel your vision starting to worsen so he or she can prescribe a pair of contacts that will enable you to see clearly again

Dry Eyes

Choosing Colored Contact Lenses

There are colored lenses that correct the vision and give a different color to your eyes.

The next step is to buy the right lens. In this category there are mainly three different kinds of lenses available. These are visibility tints lenses, opaque color tints and light filtering tints.

While choosing lenses you must consider your complexion as well as the color of your eyes. So, for those who are fair the right colors are blue, light green and violet, and if your complexion is rather dark settle for something bright and reflective.

If you have a reddish tinge to your skin or hair, what will look good on you is light brown. Green or gray are your colors if you have clear blue eyes.

However, visiting the eyes specialist is a must for those who have a vision problem so that the right kind of lenses could be chosen for you. Moreover, it is important that you take medical advise on whether or not you should wear contact lenses at all. Most of the time there aren't any problems wearing contact lenses but this additional precaution ensure that possible complications are detected beforehand.

Eye Tests

Glaucoma - Important Information

When someone is diagnosed with glaucoma it can be a very difficult time in their lives.  A diagnosis of glaucoma often times leads to many questions and concerns about the disease, not only from that individual but his or her family and friends.  Please take the time to review this information to help familiarize yourself about the disease.
  
Glaucoma: A Brief Overview
Glaucoma is not a single disease rather it is a group of diseases that gradually steal ones sight without warning and often times without any prior symptoms.  The loss of vision occurs due to damaging of the optic nerve.  There are many forms of glaucoma however two are most prominent, the first, primary open angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common form of glaucoma.  Next is a slightly more rare form known as Angle Closure Glaucoma, although rare much more dangerous and fast acting than POAG.  Glaucoma is a chronic non-curable disease and it must be treated for life.

Number of Cases
It is estimated that at least 3 million Americans have glaucoma but only half of those know that they have it.  Glaucoma accounts for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the U.S., approximately 120,000 people are blind due to glaucoma.  Roughly 2% of the population ages 40 – 50 have elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) which is the symptom that leads to glaucoma, the rate is even higher in individuals over the age of 70 where the percentage climbs to 8%.  African-Americans between the ages of 45 – 65 are 14 to 17 times more likely to develop glaucoma than a Caucasian in the same group.  Estimates are in the range of 65 million suspected cases worldwide.

Treatment Options
Glaucoma may be treated two possible ways; most often times with medication in the form of eye drop or surgery and in some cases both.  Both the eye drops and surgeries work by reducing the amount of pressure on the eye caused by excess fluid.  Glaucoma medications must be taken daily to control the pressure in the eye.  Other forms of treatment include:

• Medications 
• Laser Surgery
• Filtering Microsurgery
• Alternative Medicine
• Medical Marijuana 
• Nitric Oxide Synthase 

Note: Speak to your personal physician if you think one of these possible treatments is for you or if you have any questions.

Advances in Research
Their have been many advances in research to help understand and treat glaucoma’s effects.  New drugs are constantly being developed and better surgeries are being performed all in the effort to help the world cope with this problem.  Recent advances have found that a drug used for Parkinson’s disease named memantine can also be used to help treat some effects of glaucoma.  The drug Memantine is able to bind itself to cells of the optic nerve and help protect them from any further damage.  Another form of treatment advancement is a new type of surgery.  This procedure is known as Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) and was approved by the FDA in March 2001.  All these advancements are making it possible to better diagnose the disease and help those that already have it.  Without donations for research funding from generous donors we would be at a significant loss of information regarding this disease.      

Understanding Glaucoma

One of the most common causes of blindness for people aged over forty years is glaucoma and it affects around one in fifty people in this age group. People are often unaware that they even have this condition as they may not suffer from any obvious symptoms. Nonetheless, it is important that it is detected early to avoid severe deterioration of sight.

The eye is separated into anterior and posterior chambers by the lens and by a muscle, called the ciliary muscle, which supports it. There is also a structure called the ciliary body which manufactures a fluid called aqueous humor that fills the anterior chamber. This needs to be continuously drained and, when glaucoma is present, this does not happen. This causes pressure in the eyeball to rise, thus causing problems with sight.

There are three major types of glaucoma and they are as follows:
1. Angle closure glaucoma
2. Open angle glaucoma, and
3. Narrow angle glaucoma

The angle is where the iris meets the cornea. It is also where the fluid drains from the eye.

In angle closure glaucoma, the angle gets blocked. Fluid continues to be made but is unable to drain. Because of this, the pressure in the eye builds up to a level which is harmful.

With open angle glaucoma, the angle stays open but fluid builds up when the structure at the back of the angle becomes blocked.
Narrow angle glaucoma is a condition where the iris and the lens touch, trapping fluid. The iris bulges forward, effectively closing off the drainage angle and causing acute glaucoma.

Other types of glaucoma include:
1. Congenital glaucoma
2. Pigmentary glaucoma, and
3. Secondary glaucoma

Congenital glaucoma is rare and affects infants. These children are normally diagnosed by the age of one and are usually born with a defect in the drainage system of the eye.

Pigmentary glaucoma is also rare and happens when the pigment from the iris blocks the drainage system. The system is eventually damaged because of the inflammation caused by this condition.

Secondary glaucoma is normally caused by injury, infection, tumor, inflammation or and enlarged cataract. Any of these conditions can lead to secondary glaucoma.

Often, people with glaucoma don’t even realize that they have a problem as there are no obvious symptoms. The eyesight deteriorates so gradually that it is often unnoticed. The only real way of knowing that glaucoma is present is by a physical examination of the eye by a doctor or optometrist who may be able to see the problem by examining the eye with an ophthalmoscope.

An optometrist may notice if there are any areas of blindness in the part of the eye that is not used for detailed vision. This is the area affected with glaucoma initially. The area of the eye used for detailed vision is not affected at first and this is why people don’t notice the onset of glaucoma for some time.

Treatment usually consists of drops that are placed in the eye three or four times daily to improve the rate of fluid drainage. Sometimes, surgery may be required to create a new outlet for the fluid. Treatment does not always work and, in some cases, the person may become progressively blind no matter what treatment is used. Once sight has been lost, it cannot be restored, so early diagnosis and treatment are essential.

Dealing with Strabismus

There are many eye issues out there. Some are familiar like astigmatism, and near- or far-sightedness. Strabismus is an eye problem as well and is more commonly known as cross-eyed or lazy eye. Strabismus can be either of those problems and they can be healed without the use of artificial lenses like glasses or contacts.

Simply put, Strabismus is the inability of both eyes working together to focus on an object. To see things clearly, both eyes need to focus on the object. This process takes a lot of mental focus and can be straining if one tries too hard. The eyes need to work together to get the distance correct and look at an object at the same time.

If we lose concentration, the eyes will actually do their own thing. One eye may be focused and the other is off in its own world refusing to participate. We call it cross-eyed when one eye is focused and the other is turned out or slightly up or down. Lazy eye is when one eye takes longer to catch up to the other one.

When you are stressed, the eye muscles tense up and become strained. When the eye muscles are too tense, they may pull the eye in whatever direction they feel like. Sometimes Strabismus is more of an unconscious problem. Problems between the thoughts and feelings inside may cause one eye to look away. The left eye is the feeling side and the right eye is the thinking side. Depending on which eye is the lazy one, you may be able to figure out the inner conflict.

Children and adults who are diagnosed with Strabismus often also have symptoms of ADHD. These people have the hardest time finding stability and fight for attention between two people. These thought patterns can cause the person to feel out of control which will only worsen the problem.

One way to solve the Strabismus problem is to relax. Figure out what the inner conflict is all about and take steps to make peace. Relax and take time out for yourself, is the best cure for any vision ailment.

Naturally Better Vision

Of the five physical senses, vision is the most dominant sense. Yet, many people need corrective-lenses to see clearly and is now considered normal.  There, however are ways to have better vision naturally without the use of any artificial means and complicated procedures like surgery.

Blink Regularly:
Blinking cleanses and lubricates the eyes. When there is no tension, your eyes blink 10-12 times every minute, or about once every 5 seconds. But people who do not see clearly tend to stare and unconsciously hold their eyes open, which causes strain as well as the feeling of dry and tired eyes. Consciously remind yourself to blink every 3-5 seconds. The more you blink the better it is for your eyes.

Use your Peripheral Vision
At the same time that you are focusing on one object, images are also coming into your eyes from your peripheral awareness – from the left and the right, and from the front of and behind what you are directly looking at.  Unfortunately, people with poor vision have trained their minds to so intently focus on just one thing that they block out their peripheral awareness. This “putting on of blinders” breeds mental fatigue and a tense style of concentration.

Keep your Eyes Moving and Change your Focus
Staring is the most common bad habit in regards to poor vision. Normally, the eye moves slightly 50-60 times every single second, constantly changing what it is looking at. This subtle movement is essential for clear vision; you can unlock tension in your visual system by remembering to change your focus frequently. This encourages your eyes to become more relaxed.

Avoid Daydreaming
The word daydreaming is used to mean any mental activity, whether or not it involves images, that captures a person’s focus while their eyes are open. If you close your eyes and imagine looking at a distant scene, your eyes respond to that, and change their focus, as they would if they were actually looking at that distant scene.
So, if you’re driving down the road and you’re thinking about something else, your eyes are caught in a dilemma, what should they be seeing? On the one hand, they are trying to bring the road into focus and on the other hand, are trying to focus on what’s in your mind. This causes you to stare, creates visual tension and sends mixed messages to your brain.

Look with the “Eyes of a Child”
Engage in your world as a child would as if you are seeing everything for the first time.

Apply these tips consciously and regularly and you’ll find that not only will your eyes start to feel more relaxed but your seeing will become clearer.

Vision Correction

Vision correction technology has advanced over the last number of years with laser eye surgery, lasik, and lens transplants being a few of the options available.

Becoming a popular form of vision correction is laser eye surgery and lasik.

With the amazing advances in lasers and eye corrective technology, there is no doubt, why this type of procedure is the number one corrective eye surgery today.

Laser eye surgery is a safe and a successful form of vision correction.

Another option for vision correction is a lens transplant.  This surgery is becoming more popular as an alternative to laser surgery.  As there are many people who feel uncomfortable with the idea of laser surgery.  Therefore, this is a great alternative for those people.  A lens transplant is a simple surgery and just as successful as laser surgery.  You have the opportunity to have the lens of your eye taken out and replaced with a lens that has the vision qualities you require.

Corrective lenses and frames are of course the most popular type of vision correction.  Corrective lenses are a very affordable and effective way to compensate for your vision impairment no matter what type of impairment you may possess.  Glasses and contact lenses are now covered in a large variety of insurance companies which makes this form of vision correction that much more affordable.  There are also many great styles and fashions when it comes to the frames of your glasses.  This makes wearing corrective lenses that much easier if you are feeling uncomfortable wearing glasses.

With all the great types of vision corrective surgeries and alternatives, there are great opportunities to improve your sight.  No matter what type of eye impairment you have, it can be corrected!

Computer Eye Strain Eye Exercises