10 Things you should know about your Eyes

1. LASIK surgery has improved. With the introduction of wavefront technology and intralase visual outcomes have improved. People with large pupils, astigmatism and hyperopia have been successfully treated.
2. New extended wear contact lenses have been developed that are made out of silicone hydrogel material and they have been approved for up to 30 days of continuous wear. We have two 30 day lenses available at the office as trials, CIBA Night and Day and Bausch and Lomb's Purevision.
3. Color contact lenses come in a wide variety of colors from Autumn Radiance to Amethyst to Caribbean Aqua and are available in 2 week or 1 day disposables.
4. Presbyopia, the aging change of the eyes that makes it difficult to read at near (especially in dim light) affects everyone. Most people experience symptoms around the age of 43 to 45 or when your arms are just too short!
5. Progressive lens technology has improved! The no-line bifocals have wider reading corridors and less peripheral distortion. There are also new styles developed especially for smaller frame sizes.
6. Sun or Ultraviolet (U.V.) protection is important for the eye. It helps slow down the aging process of your eyes and improves your eye comfort. A good pair of sunglasses or U.V. protective coating on your lenses will protect you well.
7. For people greater than 60 years old macular degeneration or age related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss. Smoking is the number one risk factor for progression of the disease. If you have AMD and you smoke you should quit. There are new treatments available and show some promise for the most advanced types of AMD (wet AMD).
8. Glaucoma represents a group of diseases that are fairly uncommon but are sight-threatening. The clinical presentation and symptoms are very different for the different types of glaucoma and the majority of glaucomas have no symptoms until irreversible damage to the vision has been done. You need to have an eye exam to detect glaucoma.
9. If you live long enough you will most likely develop cataracts. The natural lens inside our eyes grow for our entire life and the layers that go on later in life are less clear and can lead to blurred and yellowed vision. Trauma, certain medications and some systemic diseases can cause cataracts.
10. Diabetes manifests itself in the eye as diabetic retinopathy. The blood vessels in the eye become leaky and can become blocked which lead to a sight threatening condition.