FAQs about effective eye care

Effective eye care starts with regular eye examinations for the whole family. The earlier your eye care specialist picks up signs of visual impairment or potentially blinding eye conditions, the greater the chance of successful treatment. This is especially important in the case of young children and the elderly. The major eye diseases among people 40 years and older are age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Here are a few common and not so common questions related to eye care:

Question: How often should I have my eyes examined?
Answer: Annual eye examinations are recommended for all age groups but diabetics and those with a family history of retinal detachments, glaucoma or macular degeneration need more frequent examinations.

Question: At what age should my children have their eyes examined?
Answer: Babies at birth and by six to 24 months. Toddlers’ eyes should be checked at three years old and older children before they start school. Thereafter examinations should be annually.

Question: What is defined as normal vision?
Answer: In normal vision two separate images from two eyes are successfully combined into one image in the brain and the combined picture that appears is three-dimensional (3-D). Depth perception is an important aspect of normal, healthy vision because it makes it possible to visually judge relative distances between objects and aids accurate movement in three-dimensional space.

Question: What is binocular vision impairment?
Answer: It refers to conditions where the eyes are misaligned, do not aim in the same direction and do not work together as a coordinated team. Depth perception is also impaired. Examples of this condition include: amblyopia (or lazy eye), a common cause of vision loss in one eye among children and young adults, wandering eye, wall-eye, crossed-eyes (strabismus, exotropia, esotropia), poor depth perception, blurred vision, convergency insufficiency, etc. Unfortunately, some binocular disabilities are not easily detected by untrained observers and that is why early comprehensive eye examinations are so important for children.

Question: What is vision therapy?
Answer: Vision therapy (orthoptics, vision training, visual training and behavioural optometry) is a medically accepted and proven practice that has been quite successful in rehabilitating binocular vision impairments. A progressive series of therapeutic procedures are used to help and teach children and adults skills such as eye teaming, depth perception, tracking and hand-eye coordination.

Question: What should I know about cataracts?
Answer: Cataracts are a major cause of blurred vision and sometimes even loss of vision. Cataract removal surgery can, however, improve and restore vision. Prevention is possible by avoiding smoking and by protecting your eyes from prolonged exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Question: What should I know about glaucoma?
Answer: It’s a condition where fluid pressure builds up inside the eye and eventually causes permanent blindness if left untreated. Early detection and timely treatment is crucial to stop the damage.

Question: What should I know about macular degeneration?
Answer: Macular degeneration affects your central vision and your ability to see colour and fine detail. It occurs most often in people over 60 years of age (age-related macular degeneration − AMD) and less frequently as a hereditary form in children and teenagers (juvenile macular degeneration). A healthy diet, exercise and avoiding smoking can reduce the risks. Treatment with zinc and antioxidants in people over 50 may reduce the risk and progression to advanced AMD.

Question: What should I know about retinopathy?
Answer: Central serous retinopathy is a disorder in which blood vessels underlying the retina (back surface inside the eyeball) leak and the retinal pigment epithelium (tissue) starts detaching. Diabetic retinopathy is caused by high blood sugar levels, often found in people with diabetes. Retinal detachment includes symptoms such as seeing flashes of light or floaters and a darkening of peripheral vision and needs immediate attention to prevent loss of sight.

Question: What are LASIK and PRK?
Answer: LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) and PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy) are surgical procedures that use a cool (non-thermal) beam of light to gently change the shape of the cornea (surface of the eye) to help correct myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (far-sightedness) and astigmatism (irregularly curved cornea) to improve vision.

Question: What more can you do to keep your eyes healthy?
Answer: Ask your eye care specialist about computer vision syndrome, spectacle and contact lens options and eye care nutrition; vitamins and nutrients to keep eyes healthy and disease-free.

 

Sources

Common eye health issues. Retrieved from: http://www.pearlevision.com/pv-us/eye-care-essentials/common-issues-eye-health-conditions
Everyday vision care for healthy, happy eyes. Retrieved from: http://www.pearlevision.com/pv-us/eye-care-essentials/everyday-eye-care
LASIK and PRK: frequently asked questions. Retrieved from: http://www.allaboutvision.com/faq/lasik_prk.htm
Taking care of the health of your aging eyes. Retrieved from: http://www.pearlevision.com/pv-us/eye-care-essentials/senior-eye-care
The stereo vision project. Retrieved from: http://www.vision3d.com/eyecare/
Vision Health Initiative (VHI): Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Retrieved from: http://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/faq.htm