Focus on Your Ocular Well-Being during Healthy Vision Month

May is Healthy Vision Month, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) are encouraging individuals and organizations to make vision health a priority.

In an effort to prompt more Americans to consider the value of sight, the NEI released what are perhaps some jarring statistics regarding the nation’s overall ocular health:

• Some 14 million Americans are currently visually impaired due to eye diseases and disorders
• More than 4 million adults over the age of 40 have eye complications related to diabetes
• More than 2 million adults over 40 have glaucoma
• Nearly 2 million adults over 40 have age-related macular degeneration

Millions more suffer from correctable eye conditions including:

• Astigmatism (blurry vision caused by an irregular cornea shape)
• Hyperopia (farsightedness)
• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Presbyopia (age-related loss of near vision)

According to a 2009 NEI study, the prevalence of nearsightedness alone has increased 66 percent in the past 30 years.

And while a study conducted by NEI’s National Eye Health Education Program and the Lions Club International revealed that a vast majority of participants believe loss of eyesight would have an “extreme” impact on their daily lives, more than 25 percent said their last eye exam was at least two years prior. Another 9 percent said they never had an eye exam.

The best way to detect a vision problem at the earliest and most treatable stage is with a comprehensive dilated eye exam. A dilated eye exam can reveal common, correctable refractive conditions as well as eye diseases that have few early warning signs; early detection of risk factors for these conditions can lead to early and vision-saving treatment.

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

Software Helps Aging Eyes Operate Cell Phones

These days, a cell phone is a requisite for functioning in society, but for people with aging eyes, operating them can be difficult. Presbyopia and cataracts can make reading the tiny screen on the phone difficult. Even after cataract surgery, people with monofocal IOLs can still have difficulty reading the screen Now, a small British start-up has developed a solution that can help people with diminished vision to read and operate their cell phones. Although newer smartphones solve this problem with larger screens, many people in the target demographic prefer to use their older phones because they use them mostly for routine tasks.

The solution is called C-CallerID, software that identifies common callers with an easily-readable graphic, either a one or two-letter abbreviation or a visual icon that can be selected from the company's database. The software was originally developed as an app by the company's founder. His wife was having trouble using her phone after cataract surgery and complained about having to fumble for her glasses or ask friends to read her phone for her. The company unveiled the software this week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It's available for use on many brands of mobile phones, including Motorola, Nokia, Sony, Samsung, and LG. It is currently being advertised for use in Britain, and may also be available in other areas.

Although age can dramatically impact the quality of your vision, it doesn't have to impact the quality of your life. To learn more about coping with declining vision, please contact an ophthalmologist to learn more about vision solutions.

Reading Speeds Tell Us about Adaptation to Multifocal IOLs

One of the most interesting things about the multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs) used in cataract surgery and presbyopia surgery is how the brain learns to select the proper image from among the multiple images these lenses cast on the retina.

Multifocal lenses allow you to see objects at different distances by having a number of focus zones, each dedicated to a particular task, some focusing on close objects, others on far objects, and often balanced for both bright and low-light conditions. Although this solution ensures that for most objects there will always be a focal zone that focuses light from the object you're looking at onto the retina. However, it also means that there will be a number of unfocused images of the same object on the retina at the same time. Your mind just learns to sort them out, the sort of visual trick it already does every day, although not everyone adapts well to the new visual system. One question people have about the process is "How long does it take for the brain to adapt?"

Recent research suggest that it may take 18 months or longer for the brain to fully adjust to using the lenses. Although people get full visual acuity (on average 20/40 vision) by 6 months after surgery, it does not mean that their eyes and brains are fully adapted at this point. Instead, it seems that their eyes are continuing to adjust. A recent study looking at 25 patients who received either the Tecnis or Acrysof ReSTOR at 6, 12, and 18 months after bilateral implantation of the IOLs. The study looked at visual acuity and reading time. Although visual acuity showed no significant deviation over the follow-up period, reading speed continued to increase over the entire follow-up period, which indicated to researchers that patients' brains were continuing to adapt to the novel visual system over the entire study period.

If you are considering a multifocal IOL for correction of presbyopia or during cataract surgery, you should talk about the adaptation period for IOLs with your ophthalmologist. Please call or email us today to contact a local ophthalmologist experienced in cataract surgery.

Are Reading Glasses the Only Option?

Aging brings many different types of physical changes. One that often frustrates people is the development of presbyopia. Most people wouldn’t recognize the name of the condition but know the symptoms of not being able to focus well on objects close to you or read small print.

The occurrence of presbyopia typically begins at about age 40 and is generally believed to stem from a thickening and loss of flexibility of the lens of your eye. What you notice as the process begins is that you experience blurred vision when reading, working close up, or at the computer. Holding reading material at arm’s length may allow you to focus but provides only a temporary solution.

At your annual eye exam, your ophthalmologist will likely give you a prescription for bifocals or recommend reading glasses. Bi-focal lenses are a solution that is difficult for some people to adjust to, and reading glasses can be an inconvenience.

Glasses aren’t the only option, however. There are a couple of refractive surgical procedures that deal with the effects of presbyopia and can leave you free of corrective lenses. One such option is monovision LASIK. In this unique type of LASIK, one eye is corrected for near vision while the other eye is corrected for distance vision. It won’t take long for your brain to correct itself so you properly again.

You may also want to consider conductive keratoplasty (CK). CK is a minimally invasive refractive surgery procedure that uses radio waves to create more curvature in the cornea to improve near vision. CK is a great option for patients who may not be good LASIK candidates.

Another option is Clear Lens Exchange (CLE), in which the natural lens is removed and replaced with an advanced intraocular lens that can give you good close and distance vision.

The good news is that if you are struggling with the effects of presbyopia, there are other options available to you aside from wearing corrective lenses. To research those options and locate an experienced LASIK surgeon in your area, please contact The Lasik Directory.

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CK Gives Near Vision Hope for Patients over 45

Conductive Keratoplasty (CK) is a treatment that is offered to patients who suffer from hyperopia (farsightedness) or presbyopia, a condition in which the eye loses its ability to focus, making it difficult to see objects up close. There are patients who may suffer from both forms of vision disorders, as well.

CK is a treatment primarily available to patients over the age of 45. Whether or not a person has developed hyperopia, the onset of presbyopia often causes them to seek relief from the worsening near vision that is associated with aging.

Conductive Keratoplasty uses mild heat from radio waves to reduce the size of the connective tissue in the periphery of the cornea. The procedure steepens the cornea giving the patient better near and far vision. While CK is an option for patients who are farsighted or suffering from presbyopia, it is not an option for people who are nearsighted.

To help determine if CK correction is a good choice, you can have a trial monovision correction using a contact lens. The test is conducted by your eye surgeon and uses contact lenses to correct one eye for near vision and the other for far vision. In some cases, a simpler test can be conducted by holding a test lens in front of your non-dominant eye to ensure your distance vision remains sharp.

Evaluating which procedure is best for your eyes starts with finding an experience CK vision correction surgeon. The LASIK Directory works with CK surgeons coast to coast. Please contact us today to find an experienced CK surgeon in your area.

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Many Baby-Boomers Opt for Lens Implants over Reading Glasses

The baby-boomer generation has benefitted greatly from recent advances in eye surgery technology. As a result, many baby-boomers have been able to get rid of their reading glasses once and for all.

Improvements in lens implant technology have led to a 40% increase worldwide for intraocular lens (IOL) implants to treat presbyopia. IOLs are plastic lens implants that are used to replace your eye's damaged natural lens. While IOLs are most commonly used for the treatment of cataracts, they have recently become a popular treatment option for people experiencing problems with their distance vision. By opting for a lens transplant for presbyopia, patients also eliminate the need for a cataracts procedure down the road.

The procedure only takes about a half hour to complete. Your ophthalmologist will apply a local anesthesia before making a small incision in your eye. He will then use ultrasound to break up and remove your natural lens before inserting the implant in its place.

As you age, your eye's crystalline lens begins to stiffen, leading to a degeneration of your eyesight. Changes in the curvature of your lens also contribute to the vision loss experienced with aging. Presbyopia may also be a precursor to cataracts. Therefore, by treating your presbyopia with a lens implant, you are eliminating your risk of developing cataracts in the future.

You can use the links at the bottom of this page to find a qualified ophthalmologist in your area.