What Does It Mean To Be Nearsighted Or Farsighted?

Time to explore two of the most common refractive errors: myopia and hyperopia!

Normally, Light Is Focused Directly Onto The Retina

Before we delve into what it means to be nearsighted or farsighted, let’s first talk about how a normal eye functions. Vision occurs when light enters the eye and, working together, the cornea and the lens refract light to focus onto a point at the very back of the eye called the retina. The retina converts this light into electrical impulses and sends them to your brain. Your brain then produces an image.



When there are imperfections in the eye that prevent light from being focused perfectly on the retina, a refractive error occurs.

The Way The Eye Is Shaped Can Determine Vision

Myopia

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, affects nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. It occurs when light is focused in front of the retina, instead of directly on it. This happens when the cornea is too curved or the eyeball is too long.

People who are nearsighted have an easy time reading, working on the computer and doing other close work. They struggle seeing when driving, reading a whiteboard at school, watching a movie or trying to identify faces from far away.

Hyperopia

When an eyeball is too short or the cornea isn’t curved enough, farsightedness–or hyperopia–is the result. This causes light to be focused behind the retina, making a farsighted person able to see far away but not close up. Only around 10 percent of Americans have hyperopia, making it much less widespread than myopia.

Those who are farsighted can easily read an eye chart, but may have trouble reading the text book right in front of them. Consequently, farsightedness is often missed in simple vision screenings performed at school. For your next eye exam, come in and get your eyes checked by an eye care professional. We’ll not only ascertain your visual acuity but we will also assure that every aspect of your vision health is taken care of.

Everyone Deserves To Have Good Vision

If you have frequent headaches or eyestrain, you may have a problem with your vision. If you already have glasses or contacts and experience similar symptoms, you may just need your prescription updated. So whether you’re coming in for some new frames, renewing your prescription, or suspect that something in your vision might be off, we’d love to see you in our office. It’s our philosophy that everyone deserves to have good vision!

We love being the eye care professionals you trust!

Top image by Flickr user Harry Metcalfe used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Source: Nearsighted Or Farsighted in Houston, TX

Online Vision Tests Can’t Match Your Eye Doctor

You can do just about anything online nowadays. Whether you’re buying new clothes or earning a degree, if you have an internet connection, you can accomplish it online!

But what about your regular eye exams? Is an online test sufficient enough for that?

Put simply, the answer is no!

Online Eye Exams Aren’t All What They Seem

Several online services offer the opportunity to take an eye test from the comfort of your own home. Using a series of lines, shapes and letters, they claim to provide an assessment of your vision in as little as 30 minutes. Many of these services even offer to have your test results verified by an optometrist who can then issue an eyeglass prescription.

Although online vision tests may seem convenient, they only measure visual acuity and refractive error. Some branch out and test for other vision problems such as color blindness and light sensitivity, but none have the ability to focus on what’s most important—your eye health. A comprehensive eye exam from your optometrist is the only way to identify signs for serious vision problems such as cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.

Self-Examination Poses Certain Risks

Conducting a vision test without the aid of a qualified optometrist poses certain risks.

Undiagnosed Vision Problems

If vision problems such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and glaucoma exist, they will remain undiagnosed. Other overall health conditions can even present symptoms in the eyes. In fact, blurred vision is often one of the first warning signs of diabetes. If you are experiencing drastic changes in your vision, make an appointment with your optometrist.

For more information about what we learn during a comprehensive eye exam, watch the video below!

Incorrect Prescription

Even though some services have their vision test results verified by an optometrist, without an eye care professional present while you take the online test, it’s difficult to ensure that the test is administered properly in the first place. Inaccurate test results may lead to receiving an incorrect prescription.

Cost

Online tests aren’t usually covered by vision insurance. If you do have insurance, your co-pay is likely less expensive than the fees associated with online vision services.

We Care About Your Vision AND Overall Health

We value our patients’ time and understand why the convenience of online vision tests may be alluring—but we also value your health! We want to ensure that you’re not only seeing clearly, but that you’re on the path to whole-body health as well. If you have any questions about the benefits of an in-office exam in our practice, let us know!

At our practice, your health is our priority. We love our patients!

The content on this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

Source: Online Your Eye Doctor

Preparing For Your Child’s First Eye Exam

From the moment your baby is born, they are constantly growing and developing—and so is their vision!

Schedule Your Child’s First Visit Early!

The American Academy of Optometry recommends babies receive their first comprehensive visual assessment at six months of age. Having your child’s eyes examined so early will ensure their visual development is on track and can help identify any problems that may be present.

Your child’s optometrist or pediatrician may suggest you schedule their visit before their six month mark if they show certain risk factors including:

• prematurity, low birth weight, or low oxygen levels at birth
• family history of visual problems such congenital cataracts, retinoblastoma, or metabolic or genetic disease
• strabismus or crossed eyes

If you believe your child has any of these risk factors, talk with your optometrist about when you should schedule their first eye exam.

What Happens During Their Visit?

By the time your child is six months old, their sight should be fairly well developed in terms of their ability to focus, see color, and judge depth. It will continue to progress as they get older, but assessing their vision at this stage ensures their vision is clear and healthy so they can hit important developmental milestones such as building fine motor skills.

Check out the video below to get a glimpse at how your baby sees the world!

When examining your infant’s eyes, we look for:

• Pupil response—Evaluating the eye’s pupil responds appropriately to light exposure.
• Fixation and following—This includes testing eye tracking skills and evaluating their ability to fixate on objects presented to them.
• Preferential looking—This method allows us to measure visual acuity without the need of a traditional eye chart.

Your child’s first visit isn’t just a time to examine their vision—it’s an excellent opportunity for parents to ask questions as well! We’re happy to provide any information you need, whether you’re curious about your baby’s developing eyes or you’d like to learn about ways to stimulate their vision as they grow.

We’re Here For Your Family Every Step Of The Way

Welcoming a new member of your family into the world brings a wealth of joy and a host of questions to go along with it. If you are curious about anything we’ve mentioned or have additional questions about your baby’s vision, let us know! We are committed to providing you with the information you need to give your child a happy and healthy start in life.

Thank you for being a part of our practice family!

Source : Preparing For Your Child’s First Eye Exam

What Does It Mean To Be Nearsighted Or Farsighted?

Time to explore two of the most common refractive errors: myopia and hyperopia!

Normally, Light Is Focused Directly Onto The Retina

Before we delve into what it means to be nearsighted or farsighted, let’s first talk about how a normal eye functions. Vision occurs when light enters the eye and, working together, the cornea and the lens refract light to focus onto a point at the very back of the eye called the retina. The retina converts this light into electrical impulses and sends them to your brain. Your brain then produces an image.

When there are imperfections in the eye that prevent light from being focused perfectly on the retina, a refractive error occurs.

The Way The Eye Is Shaped Can Determine Vision

Myopia

Myopia, commonly known as nearsightedness, affects nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. It occurs when light is focused in front of the retina, instead of directly on it. This happens when the cornea is too curved or the eyeball is too long.

People who are nearsighted have an easy time reading, working on the computer and doing other close work. They struggle seeing when driving, reading a whiteboard at school, watching a movie or trying to identify faces from far away.

Hyperopia

When an eyeball is too short or the cornea isn’t curved enough, farsightedness–or hyperopia–is the result. This causes light to be focused behind the retina, making a farsighted person able to see far away but not close up. Only around 10 percent of Americans have hyperopia, making it much less widespread than myopia.

Those who are farsighted can easily read an eye chart, but may have trouble reading the text book right in front of them. Consequently, farsightedness is often missed in simple vision screenings performed at school. For your next eye exam, come in and get your eyes checked by an eye care professional. We’ll not only ascertain your visual acuity but we will also assure that every aspect of your vision health is taken care of.

Everyone Deserves To Have Good Vision

If you have frequent headaches or eyestrain, you may have a problem with your vision. If you already have glasses or contacts and experience similar symptoms, you may just need your prescription updated. So whether you’re coming in for some new frames, renewing your prescription, or suspect that something in your vision might be off, we’d love to see you in our office. It’s our philosophy that everyone deserves to have good vision!

We love being the eye care professionals you trust!

Source : What Does It Mean To Be Nearsighted Or Farsighted?

Nobody wears hard contact lenses anymore in Bunker Hill and Houston TX Area!

Nobody wears hard contact lenses anymore....right? Whoa there horsey! While many patients and the general public think that hard lenses are a thing of the past, this is definitely not the case. Hard lenses in their new form, rigid gas permeable contact lenses, are still a viable alternative for many types of vision corrections. They are terrific for those that want the sharpest vision possible, those that have astigmatism, those that have irregular corneas, post Lasik and refractive surgery patients, and those that want to actually improve their vision through corneal molding or Orthokeratology.

It is true that it takes a little more time to adjust to rigid gas permeable contacts lenses. When they are fitted correctly, the adjustment is very short and the lenses become very comfortable after adaptation. There are many other advantages to rigid gas permeable contact lenses. They last a long time. The average life span of a rigid gas permeable lens is about two years. In addition, if the lenses develop some scratches on the surface, these scratches can be polished out. The lenses are less subject to prescription changes than are soft lenses. Unlike soft lenses that correct astigmatism, the blinking of the eyes does not generally affect the clarity of the vision with "gas perms". Gas perms are also terrific for multifocal applications. It is also possible to adjust the fitting characteristics of "gas perms". This is becoming a "lost art". Doctors that are comfortable with adjusting "gas perms" can make the edges thinner, add power, loosen the lenses, make the lenses smaller, etc. No way is this possible with soft lenses. 

It is very common in our office to modify rigid gas permeable lenses to fine turn both the vision and the fitting characteristics of the lenses. This allows us to adjust the lenses to the finest fitting possible.

So, are rigid gas permeable contacts (gas perms) the best lenses for all patients? I would definitely say "Maybe!". Each case is different, but "gas perms" are an excellent alternative for those patients that could best benefit from their unique characteristics.

Be sure to ask your eye doctor if "gas perms" would be a good choice for you. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at (832) 317-6665

Source: http://visionsource-westview.com/contact/

Choosing Eyeglasses That Fit Your Lifestyle in Bunker Hill and Houston TX Area

About Eyeglasses

Choosing the right eyeglasses often depends on individual traits such as hair color, face size and even the type of vision correction you need.

If you have an unusually wide face, for example, you may need to shop around for extra-large eyeglass frames. On the other hand, smaller faces may require a petite frame size.

Unusually strong corrections also can make lenses look thick or distorted when eyeglass frames are oversized.

Choosing Eyeglasses That Fit Your Lifestyle

Besides complementing your looks, eyeglasses also need to suit your lifestyle.

For example, a rough-and-tumble teenager who engages in all manner of outdoor activities will have far different needs for eyeglasses than an office worker who spends hours at a desk.

Active people also may need to consider extra eye protection such as sports or safety goggles. For those who love fashion, designer eyeglasses with embellishments such as crystals and logos are a fun option.

If you have reached your 40s, you will need to consider different eyeglass options for correcting near vision problems caused by presbyopia such as:

• Progressive lenses
• Bifocals or trifocals
• Occupational lenses
• Reading glasses
• Computer glasses

In some cases, you may need different pairs of eyeglasses depending on whether you are driving down the highway or sitting indoors in front of a computer screen.

Your eye doctor or optician can advise you about the right fit for you, as well as discuss coatings and tints that can help you see your best in different circumstances such as low lighting at dusk.

Source: Best Eyeglasses in Houston TX

Best laser eye surgery options for correcting astigmatism in Bunker Hill and Houston TX Area

Sick of your glasses? If you suffer from astigmatism, you may be surprised to know that most eyes have it. This simply means that the front of the eye is a little more curved in one contour than the other. It is easily corrected with glasses (and less easily so with contact lenses) but what about laser eye surgery? What are your best options for getting rid of your astigmatism and your glasses?

The condition can be corrected as part of a treatment for short- or long-sightedness, whether that is a corneal procedure (LASIK or SMILE) or a lens replacement procedure.

LASIK and SMILE

If you’re under 50, both LASIK and SMILE provide very accurate correction for mild to moderate incidences of the condition.  Higher degrees (above 4 dioptres) can also be corrected, but there may be some residual astigmatism after your procedure. That said, we often correct eyes with a lot of astigmatism and there is no significant residual error after surgery.  Both LASIK and SMILE correct up to 10 dioptres of short-sightedness (myopia) including your astigmatism.  LASIK also corrects long-sightedness (hyperopia) up to about 4 dioptres.  Both procedures use a laser in different ways to change the shape of your cornea. They have been shown to have excellent safety profiles and are very accurate within their range. 

What about lens replacement?

If you’re over 50, chances are you wear reading glasses or multifocals. Or you may take off your distance glasses to read. Either way, there is a difference between your correction for distance and near. Laser eye surgery aims to provide the maximum independence from glasses, although it doesn’t guarantee that you won’t need them for some tasks. Although it is possible to have LASIK or SMILE if you are over 50, it is increasingly common to have lens replacement surgery. This is exactly like cataract surgery, only without the cataract.  It is corrected as part of this lens replacement procedure, either through corneal incisions or more commonly through the use of a toric intraocular lens (IOL).  Toric IOLs are specially shaped to correct it. The trouble with them until fairly recently, was that if they were not precisely placed, they didn’t provide crisp vision.  Accurate placement is now much more likely due to the technology used during the surgical work up and the procedure itself. Special iris-recognition tracking systems allow the toric IOL to be placed in precisely the right position to correct the condition and free you from dependence on glasses. 

How do I give myself the best chance of success with correcting it?

Choosing a reputable surgeon greatly enhances your chances of success. There is no substitute for experience.  Someone who is also a corneal specialist will also mean that should any complications arise, as they sometimes do, they can be managed with confidence.  The right technology plays a big role where in comes to correcting the condition.  Ask your surgeon about their success rates with toric IOLs.  It is certainly true in our practice that the more sophisticated the technology for measuring the eye prior to surgery, the better the outcome.

Our experienced eye doctors offer comprehensive vision examinations at our Houston optometry office and specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of a wide array of eye diseases, conditions, and problems. We use advanced diagnostic technology and vision correction products and are committed to improving the quality of life of persons in the Houston community through enhanced vision. Give yourself the gift of clear vision – schedule an appointment with your eye care provider today.

Source: Best laser eye surgery in Bunker Hill