Color Perception Problems

Colorblindness is usually hereditary and is present from birth. The inability to see red and green is most common, followed by the inability to see blue and yellow. The ability to see only in shades of gray is rare, but not unheard of. Colorblindness can be problematic in some situations, but it is not a degenerative condition and does not cause vision loss.

Color perception problems which were not present at birth can be caused by medications or conditions of the eye. Cataracts, conditions which affect the optic nerve, and inflammation of the retina are a few eye conditions which can interfere with color perception. It has been theorized that the yellow hue persistent in Vincent Van Gogh's paintings may have been due to a color perception problem caused by disease, medications, or absinthe.

Vitamin C and Refractive Surgery

We all know that Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is essential to good health. It can also significantly improve recovery from refractive surgery. Ophthalmologists recommend taking 1,000mg every day (broken up into two, 500mg doses) for a week prior to and two weeks following PRK to prevent corneal haze. However, the benefits are not limited to PRK.

Vitamin C protects the eye from UV radiation, and can be helpful for those who cannot avoid sun exposure after refractive surgery. It can also protect the eye from UV radiation created by the excimer laser during surgery, preventing DNA damage to the epithelium and reducing the risk of cataracts later in life. Vitamin C protects the tissues of the eye from damage caused by oxygen radicals and metabolites released into the eye during inflammation.

The benefits of Vitamin C for PRK patients can mean the difference between successful vision correction and impaired sight. Patients undergoing LASIK and other refractive surgeries should consider the use of Vitamin C, as well.

Understanding "Best Corrected Vision"

It is easy to get confused when faced with the many terms associated with vision and vision correction. One term that often throws people when first learning about LASIK and other refractive surgery is "best corrected vision."

Best corrected vision is the very best visual acuity that you can achieve with corrective lenses - glasses or contacts.

Prior to surgical vision correction the term might not have been so confusing, but now it is easy to assume that it could mean the best vision you can achieve through surgery, without wearing corrective lenses. For most people, the term may not ever come into play, but for those with very poor vision it is significant.

There is a limit to the amount of vision correction that corrective lenses can provide. There is also a limit to the amount of refractive error which can be corrected with surgery. For those with severe refractive error, a combination of refractive surgery, and then wearing corrective lenses, is the only chance of achieving good visual acuity.

To learn more about surgical and laser vision correction, click here to visit the website for Berg.Feinfield Vision Correction in Los Angeles, California.