Choosing an Eye Physician

Choosing the right eye physician is an important step in taking good care of the physical health of your eyes. There are a wide variety of options out there for people and it can sometimes be confusing.

Ophthalmologist vs. Optometrist

Many people may not be familiar with the differences between ophthalmologists and optometrists. An optometrist has earned a Doctorate of Optometry degree and works with patients primarily on issues relating to vision, such as correcting refractive errors and other vision related issues. They are licensed to prescribe medications to patients and administer eye exams and checkups.

Ophthalmologists have medical degrees with specialties in vision and ocular care. Like optometrists they also administer eye exams. Ophthalmologists are able to perform eye surgery on the patients to correct a variety of vision disorders, including:

• Refractive errors
  
• Glaucoma
  
• Cataracts
  
• Age-related macular degeneration
  

Ophthalmologists commonly perform LASIK surgery on patients looking to correct vision issues such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. When considering potential ophthalmologists, it is important to choose one who has a great deal of experience performing the type of eye surgery you require and who uses the latest and most advanced technology.

Please contact the LASIK Directory today to find an experienced eye surgeon in your area.

Pets and Cataracts

It is not uncommon for dogs and cats to develop cataracts as they age. Your pet's eye can become white and cloudy just like a human eye due to the aging process. If untreated, cataracts in animals will lead to the same result as cataracts in humans -- blindness.

Untreated cataracts and the associated blindness can greatly reduce your pet's quality of life. In particular, it will make your pet much less active, which may result in other dangerous conditions such as obesity.

Fortunately, it is possible to perform cataract surgery on animals in order to repair their damaged vision. While this surgery is quite expensive, costing several thousand dollars, many pet owners say it is well worth the investment.

Cataract surgery for animals is very similar to the surgery performed on humans, and the same equipment is used on both procedures. During surgery, the proteins clouding the lens of your pet's eye will be removed.

The procedure will be performed under general anesthesia and your pet will need stitches. Other than that, there are no real complications associated with the surgery, and your pet will once again enjoy the gift of sight.

Please contact the LASIK Directory to find an experienced cataract surgeon in your area.

Woman Soliciting Donations for Her Turkey's Cataract Surgery

A woman from Massachusetts is currently seeking donations to help pay for her turkey's cataract surgery. Around Thanksgiving, she and her husband adopted two turkeys from a farm in Rhode Island.

One, a three-year-old turkey named Jerry, suffers from cataracts, which greatly impair his quality of life. Jerry cannot eat without assistance, and he is unable to fly with Penelope, the other turkey purchased by the woman.

The woman has posted an ad on Craigslist in an attempt to raise money for this expensive surgery, which will run approximately $2,600. She is hoping fellow pet lovers will come to her aid so that Jerry can have the life he deserves. The woman runs a farm in Rehoboth, Massachusetts that cares for animals with health problems.

While far less common than human cataract surgery, there have been several instances where other animals have undergone this procedure. Often, it has been successful, helping these animals lead a healthier, happier life. If you are in the giving spirit this holiday season and want to make a difference in the life of a turkey, you can look for this woman's ad on Craigslist to find additional information on how to donate to the cause.

Laser Eye Surgery Turns 21

This month marks the 21^st anniversary of the first ever laser eye surgery procedure. This first procedure, conducted in Germany in 1988, ushered in the start of a revolutionary time period for vision correction surgery.

In the past 21 years, more than 30 million people around the world have benefited from laser eye surgery procedures such as LASIK, PRK, and LASEK. Laser vision correction has been invaluable to many people whose poor vision adversely affected their daily lives.

LASIK is a procedure that uses an excimer laser to reshape your cornea in order to improve your vision. For ideal candidates, it is an excellent option to correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.

Recent advances in LASIK technology have made the procedure more reliable, resulting in a very high satisfaction rate among patients (approximately 95% of LASIK patients are satisfied with their results). Today, custom LASIK procedures using Wavefront technology enable your ophthalmologist to bring your vision very close to 20/20 while eliminating many higher order aberrations such as glare, haloes, and starbursts.

Please contact The LASIK Directory today to find a qualified laser eye surgeon near you.