New Contacts May Offer Hope for Children with Myopia

Although LASIK has proven effective in treating myopia (nearsightedness), children—among whom myopia is one of the most common vision problems—are not eligible for LASIK surgery because their eyes have not fully matured.

However, an innovative type of contact lens may slow the progression of myopia in children. The lenses are being developed by a joint team of researchers from the University of Houston’s College of Optometry and the Brien Holden Vision Institute in Sydney, Australia, and are based on eyeglasses that demonstrated the ability to slow the development of nearsightedness in children.

These glasses worked by refocusing the peripheral image onto or in front of the retina to provide clear vision. Standard treatment for correcting nearsightedness without laser surgery typically entails using corrective lenses to refocus the primary visual object backward or forward; researchers found that moving the central visual image onto the retina and leaving the peripheral view behind the retina can cause the eye to elongate, increasing the effects of nearsightedness.

The same principle used in creating the myopia-slowing glasses, which hit the market in 2010, will be used in crafting the contact lenses.

If you would like more information about myopia or are looking for an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory.

Preventing Myopia in Children May be as Simple as Stepping Outside

It has long been thought that spending too much time hunched over books and video games can contribute to myopia, or nearsightedness.

Researchers have looked to areas of East Asia where academics are a focus and society stresses academic competition in children. In cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, 80 to 90 percent of children are nearsighted. There has also been speculation that genetics play a part in this high incidence of myopia.

However, Australian researchers recently announced the results of a study that links myopia not with too much book-reading or genetic tendencies, but with a lack of spending time outside.

By studying children in different areas, researchers found that spending 10 to 14 hours a week outside produced a preventative effect, while spending less time outside produced no effect.

Researchers think that the higher-intensity light outside, which can be hundreds of times brighter than indoors, triggers the release of dopamine, a hormone that slows eye growth and prevents the distorted eye shape associated with myopia. The amount of time spent outside and the intensity of light were important consistencies in the study.

Researchers also found a link between urbanized locations and decreased time spent outside. In Sydney, 3 percent of children of Chinese descent had myopia, while in Singapore, 30 percent of children of Chinese descent had myopia. Though the children in Sydney were documented to read twice as much as the children in Singapore, they spent much more time outdoors.

These findings tie into other recent research that shows a link between some vision problems and a lack of exposure to sunlight.

If you would like more information on myopia or to locate an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory today.

Glaring Night Vision Problems May be Fixed with LASIK

If you wear glasses or contacts, you may have experienced frustrating vision abnormalities, especially at night.

Common night vision difficulties include seeing rings called halos around light sources and problems seeing in bright light, called glare. These conditions are caused when the pupil dilates to take in more light. If you are driving at night and see headlights coming toward you, your already large pupils will take in this bright light and, if you wear contacts or glasses, you are likely to see rings or halos.

If your vision is troubled by rings or halos, you are not alone. A recent industry poll conducted by Needs, Symptoms, Incidence, Global Eye Health Trends (NSIGHT) involved 3,800 people from seven different countries. The poll found that about one-half of contact and glasses wearers experienced glare or halos more than three times a week, and that four-fifths of respondents found the symptoms bothersome. Almost 90% of people polled felt that they had an unsatisfactory solution to their glare and halo problems and wished they had a more effective way of treating these symptoms.

If you suffer from glare and halos and are frustrated with caring for and keeping track of glasses and contacts, LASIK surgery could be an option. Although LASIK does not guarantee perfect vision, it often eliminates the need for glasses or contacts and reduces the instances of night vision difficulties by treating:

· Hyperopia

· Myopia

· Astigmatism

It is important to know, however, that LASIK will not fix your glare and halo problems immediately. During the first few weeks of recovery after the surgery, most patients still experience some glare and halos, even if they didn’t before while wearing glasses or contacts. These symptoms are normal and temporary. After about three weeks, your vision should be problem free.

To learn more about LASIK vision correction and to find an ophthalmologist near you, please contact The LASIK Directory today.

A Closer Look at Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a common vision problem that is thought to affect about one in three people. While not everyone with astigmatism—which is caused by a misshaped cornea—require corrective eyewear, those with more extreme astigmatism can experience blurred vision at all distances in addition to headaches, eye strain and fatigue.

Although many people have irregularly shaped corneas to some extent, a “normal” cornea is rounded with even curves on all sides. In people with pronounced astigmatism, the cornea is shaped more like a football or the back of a spoon.

Astigmatism is thought to be primarily hereditary, but some people can develop astigmatism later in life. Astigmatism often affects people who also experience myopia (nearsightedness) or hyperopia (farsightedness).

There are a number of treatments available for astigmatism. A consultation with an experienced ophthalmologist can determine which option is best suited for your needs.

The most common astigmatism treatments are:

• Corrective eyewear: Glasses or contacts can correct for astigmatism, but prescriptions must be changed to adjust to your evolving astigmatism
• LASIK surgery: In which a laser is used to reshape your cornea; effects are typically permanent, although some patients may require corrective eyewear for natural, age-related vision loss
• PRK surgery: Similar to LASIK, but removes the outer layer of the eye’s surface to adjust the cornea rather than creating a flap to access the cornea

If you would like to learn more about astigmatism correction options, please contact an ophthalmologist near you.

Eye Chart Exams May not Provide Clear Diagnosis in Teens

The National Eye Institute hailed May as Healthy Vision Month, encouraging people to be aware of their eye health and to schedule comprehensive eye exams. These exams include dilating the eye to check for damage on the retina, tonometry tests to detect glaucoma, and the ever familiar eye chart exam, long the standard test for visual acuity.

Each of these exams is valuable in diagnosing vision problems in people of varying ages. Except, perhaps, the eye chart.

How Eye Chart Exams Work

Developed by Dr. Hermann Snellen in 1862, the standard—or Snellen—eye chart tests how sharply patients see the rows of letters on the chart, which grow progressively smaller with each descending row. The smallest row patients are able to read corresponds with their visual acuity.

Eye doctors have relied on this test for years as a tool for detecting:

• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Hyperopia (farsightedness)
• Astigmatism (distortions of the cornea or lens)

Although the test is simple and economical, there are increasing questions as to its viability in helping diagnose certain conditions in teens.

The Problem with Eye Charts and Teens

An intriguing Australian study found that eye chart exams are not good tools for detecting hyperopia and astigmatism in teenagers. The study examined approximately 2,400 teens and discovered that there was a reliable cut-off point for the number of letters a child could read that signaled myopia, but there was no reliable cut-off point that signaled hyperopia or astigmatism.

Children known to have these conditions were able to read up to 57 and 55 letters respectively, but these numbers correspond to a visual acuity score that falls within the normal range. This means that teenagers with astigmatism and hyperopia are passing eye chart exams and may not be getting the treatment they need.

In the spirit of Healthy Vision Month, take extra measures to ensure that everyone in your family is getting proper eye care. While eye chart exams seem to work to detect problems in adults, they may not accurately see problems in your children’s eyes, and it is well worth looking for extra tests to shed light on potential problems.

To find an ophthalmologist near you and to learn more about LASIK vision correction, contact The LASIK Directory today.