Floaters

Floaters are the little shadowy specks, strings, and squiggly things that appear from time to time in your vision. Just about everyone has them at one time or another and they tend to increase with age. While they can be distracting and annoying, they are usually harmless. You will get used to them and stop noticing or they will eventually settle out of your line of vision.

Vitreous is the gel like substance inside your eye. Floaters are thick stringy stands of vitreous. Sometimes vitreous detachment will cause the sudden appearance of many floaters. Vitreous detachment does not cause vision loss.

If the sudden appearance of many floaters is accompanied by flashes of light or loss of peripheral vision, it can mean retinal detachment. Retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss or blindness and should be treated immediately.

For most people floaters do not cause serious vision problems and do not require treatment. In the rare case that floaters are so thick that they impair vision there is a surgical procedure to remove the vitreous and replace it with a salt solution.

To learn more about vision disorders, click here.

Double Vision

A short episode of double vision can be frightening and persistent double vision can be debilitating. Double vision comes in two forms. Your brain may be receiving a different image from each eye (binocular diplopia), or a problem in the structure of the eye can cause a double image to be produced by the eye itself (monocular diplopia).

Binocular diplopia can be caused by head injuries, lazy eye, strabismus, or convergence insufficiency, among many other things. Monocular diplopia is caused by problems such as cataracts, refractive error, or corneal scarring.

To figure out whether your double vision is monocular or binocular diplopia, cover one eye. If the double vision persists when seeing with just one eye it is monocular diplopia. Of course, you'll need to try it with each eye.

For more about eye disorders and correction, visit Dr. Glenn Kawesch's LASIK resource website at www.sandiegolasikdoc.com.

Crossed Eyes

Esotropia, or crossed eyes, most often appears during infancy or early childhood. It is a form of strabismus. Uneven muscle development, injury, eye diseases, brain tumors, eye tumors, and central nervous system disorders, such as cerebral palsy, autism, or Down syndrome, are all possible underlying causes.

Uneven muscle development is often the result of straining to see clearly when a child is very farsighted. An eye patch can sometimes correct uneven muscle development.

Crossed eyes can be a warning sign of serious underlying problems, especially in infants and young children who may not be able to express other symptoms, and should not be ignored. In newborns the eyes sometimes appear crossed, simply because their vision is not very developed.

Glasses can correct crossed eyes in some cases, but in others, surgery may be necessary.

To research more eye disorders, read The LASIK Directory's articles on vision disorders by clicking here.

Burning Eyes

Burning eyes can be one of the most unbearable types of pain to live with. Simple, temporary things can cause the eyes to burn, such as allergies and exposure to irritants. Chronic burning may be caused by personal habits or conditions of the eye.

Computer vision syndrome, which causes burning, can be avoided by changing your habits. Even if you must be in front of the computer all day, short, frequent breaks can do wonders for your eyes. Overexposure to the sun can burn your eyes, and you will not feel the effects until several hours later. UV protective eyewear can help prevent this.

Dry eye syndrome, a common condition of the eye, often results in burning eyes. If burning is accompanied by discharge you may have an eye infection, and you should seek medical attention.

For more information, feel free to contact The LASIK Directory by clicking here.

Blurred Vision

Vision can become blurry for a number of reasons, some temporary, others signifying a decline into blindness. Most people eventually experience a gradually increasing, but steady blurriness with age, due to presbyopia. Other more serious causes include cataracts and macular degeneration.

Most temporary bouts with blurred vision are harmless, but if they are recurring, they may be a warning sign of something more serious. Fatigue and sun exposure can cause temporarily blurred vision which will soon resolve itself. Some medications will blur your vision as well. More serious health problems, such as a brain tumor or undetected stroke can cause fluctuating blurriness.

Dry eye syndrome tends to cause blurriness which is the worst upon waking and gradually improves throughout the day. This is because our eyes are usually just a tiny bit open as we sleep, allowing them to dry out in the night.

If cataracts are the source of your blurry vision, you may want to consider intraocular lens implants as a solution.

Jaundice

Jaundice is the term for your skin and the whites of your eyes turning yellow. This is a result of high levels of bilirubin. Bilirubin is a by-product of old red blood cells. Normally it is filtered out by the liver. Jaundice is common in healthy newborns, but it can be a sign of serious health problems in infants, children, and adults.

Outside of the normal occurrence in newborns, jaundice is a warning sign of liver failure or damage. It can also be caused by blocked bile ducts. Gallstones, all types of hepatitis, malaria, cirrhosis of the liver, and pancreatic cancer are just a few of the medical conditions which can cause jaundice.

If the whites of your eyes turn yellow, you should talk to your eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam. It may be the result of a temporary, minor problem, but it could be a sign of a very serious health problem or eye condition.

For more information on eye disorders and vision correction procedures, click here to contact Jonathan M. Davidorf, M.D. of West Hills, California.

Crusty Eyes

If your eyes get crusty, don't panic. Allergies, infections, and skin conditions can all cause crusty eyes. Allergies are the most common cause and do not normally threaten vision, but the chance of infection should not be overlooked. A bacterial infection will be treated with anti-biotic drops. Viral infections can be more difficult to treat. Ocular herpes is a viral infection that can damage eyesight if left untreated.

You can get temporary relief from crusty eyes by applying a warm, wet washcloth to your eyes. Do not try to scratch the dry stuff off. You will further irritate your eyes and eyelids. If your eyes are crusted shut do not try to force them open. The warm, wet cloth will soften the dried mucus and allow them to open without force.

If you are experiencing other symptoms, such as redness, burning, or itching, talk to your ophthalmologist right away.

For more information on eye disorders or LASIK surgery, feel free to contact Glenn Kawesch at the Kawesch Laser Centers in San Diego, Florida by clicking here.

Bausch & Lomb Recall

Tuesday, March 6, 2007 - Bausch & Lomb announced they would voluntarily recall over 1.5 million bottles of Bausch & Lomb ReNu MultiPlus contact lens solution. Bausch & Lomb decided to recall ReNu MultiPlus because there were reports of the solution appearing discolored from higher-than-normal amounts of iron within the contact lens solution.

While this recall is different from the Bausch & Lomb recall of ReNu with MoistureLoc because there have not been any reported adverse affects, the recall does give contact lens users and Bausch & Lomb consumers to reconsider vision correction procedures like LASIK.

If you wear glasses or contacts, you may be tired of having to replace glasses frames, order new prescriptions, order more contacts, placing and removing contact every night, or cleaning contacts with messy, inconvenient solutions and trays. In addition to this, contact lens solutions are being recalled more frequently. First, Bausch & Lomb recalled ReNu with MoistureLoc after an outbreak of dangerous, fungal eye infections. Now, Bausch & Lomb is recalling ReNu MultiPlus.

Contacts can be bothersome for a variety of reasons. Not only can they be inconvenient to use, travel with, and clean, but if you use solutions like ReNu with MoistureLoc or ReNu MultiPlus, recalls can force you to throw away contact lens solution that you paid for, as well as put you at risk for vision dangers.

If you are tired of dealing with recalls, glasses, or contacts, it might be time to consider LASIK vision correction. With LASIK, you can correct your vision problems in a short procedure at your local ophthalmologists office.

LASIK can give you a life free of contact by correcting your vision. LASIK is quickly becoming one of the most popular and common vision correction techniques. If you would like to see if you are a LASIK candidate, contact a LASIK surgeon near you today to schedule a free LASIK consultation.

If you would like to contact a LASIK surgeon in Oklahoma, click here to visit Oklahoma City LASIK surgeons at Better Vision Ahead.

Multifocal IOLs

When cataracts are removed the natural lens of the eye is replaced with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL). Ideally a multifocal IOL allows cataract patients to have good distance vision and read without the aid of glasses. A recent study compared multifocal IOLs for reading in different lighting conditions.

Three IOLs, the SA40N and the Tecnis ZM001, both made by Advanced Medical Optics (AMO), and the AcrySof ReStor SA60D3 made by Alcon, were used in the study. 60 patients were involved. The Tecnis provided the best reading in low light. In bright lighting the Tecnis and the Acrysof ReStor provided better reading than the SA40N. Of the three, the Tecnis provided reading acuity and speed in the most versatile lighting conditions.

For more information, you can visit the websites of these LASIK surgeons specializing in intraocular lens surgery.

• Berg.Feinfield Vision Correction of Beverly Hills, California.
• Carter Eye Center of Dallas, Texas.
• Khanna Institute of LASIK and Refractive Surgery in Los Angeles, California.