Most people will at some point in their lives experience vision problems. Age is probably the biggest precipitating factor in common eye problems. Most of the common problems that are associated with vision are actually refractive errors. Refractive errors can take the form of any of several ailments, including farsightedness, nearsightedness, presbyopia and astigmatism. These errors occur as a result of an irregular eye-shape that makes it difficult for images to focus properly on the surface of the retina. There are several ways through which this can happen. The eyeball can be longer or shorter than normal; the lens can become stiff or clouded with age, the shape of the cornea might be irregular and so on. You might be surprised to learn that most people have one or several of these conditions already. That’s why eye problems are so common. Read more »

People over 40 often develop a visual problem known as presbyopia. This condition causes blurry vision and makes it difficult for the person to read small print or see nearby objects clearly. Presbyopia is brought about by the eye lens’ inability to focus accurately when looking at objects that are too close. This makes reading a book, a newspaper, or the computer a challenging task. If you are encountering vision-related problems when reading, please do not panic. There are a variety of good reading glasses on the market that can be purchased either over-the-counter (OTC) or from your optometrist. You can get single vision or bifocal lenses, OTC reading glasses, in different styles and colors. Here’s how to go about purchasing a pair of readers:

1. If you are experiencing problems with your sight and find it difficult to read, then arrange to see your optometrist immediately. One way you can check to see if your sight is deteriorating is when you find that you have to increasingly hold back the newspaper or book further from your face in order to make out the print clearly. Your optometrist will examine you to determine how serious the problem is and recommend the correct readers for you. Read more »

Modern contact lenses are comfortable to wear and more versatile than contacts that were made a decade or so ago. There are different types of contact lenses, each with specific uses and pros and cons. Here are 3 steps to consider before choosing your contacts.

Understand the Different Types of Contacts

There are several types of contacts. It’s important that you understand what each variety does to help you determine which type to choose. There are two main types of contacts: Read more »

Let’s begin this look at eye injuries with a bit of sage advice, and that is to consider every single eye injury as if it were an emergency. Contact an eye doctor immediately afterward and get the issue examined and treated. That is the bottom line on the question of “when to see a doctor”. However, there is also the issue of what to do before you even get to the doctor. Read more »

Often, when we get mysterious itches and swelling of the eye, it can be difficult to tell exactly what is causing it. Some eye abnormalities and conditions don’t start out with painful or noticeable symptoms, and once signs do start to appear, it can be hard to tell exactly what it is.

Seeking the opinion of a doctor can help identify what the trouble is and recommend a treatment to help heal the eye and let the patient resume a normal life more quickly. This can help cut down on time wasted trying treatments and medications that may not have any effect.

Characteristics of Pink Eye

Conjunctivitis, commonly known as “pink eye”, is most often caused by an allergy or infection and is known for causing the white area of your eye to turn red or pink. There is often a discharge of a mucus or pus like substance as well, however, little pain or change in vision is experienced in mild cases. A doctor will most likely prescribe antibiotic eye drops after making a diagnosis of conjunctivitis. “Pink eye” can be spread, as it is an infection, so care must be taken when touching the hands of the infected or handling any towels or wash cloths used when wiping eyes. If the patient or caregiver doesn’t use proper caution, they can spread the infection to themselves and others.

Characteristics of Styes

Chalazia, or a “stye”, is an inflammation or clogging of skin glands on the eyelid that features a tender spot, swelling, and redness in one place on the lid. Sometimes the inflammation can spread to other parts of the lid, resembling cellulitis, but the center of the irritation and tenderness will remain in the eyelid. Warm compresses will usually aid in relieving a stye, and no other treatment will be required. However, if there are any questions or concerns, a doctor will happily examine your eye, determine if it is indeed a stye and decide what the best course of treatment is for your symptoms.

See your Doctor

Conditions like pink eye can develop quickly, often leaving patients wondering what it is, or why it isn’t responding to treatment. By making an appointment with your eye doctor, you can find out exactly what is bothering your eye and get the right treatments to return your eye to perfect health.

Many people believe Glaucoma is a problem of the elderly but the truth is that Glaucoma can affect anyone. Glaucoma can have devastating effects to the vision of the patient if not diagnosed and treated in a timely manner.

The eye is composed of two compartments, with the larger of the two filled with a gel-like substance known as the vitreous humor. This helps the eye maintain its shape and size (roughly that of a ping pong ball) and transmits light to the back wall of the eye. The smaller “front” compartment is likewise filled with a liquid called the aqueous humor. This liquid carries nutrients to the eye and ferries waste away from it.

The aqueous humor flows from behind the iris and through the pupil of the eye filling the front chamber and then back out again through a drainage hole covered in a mesh like material and into a canal. About 90 to 95 percent of people who have glaucoma are experiencing a problem with this drainage system, but as there is no visual blockage or problem, no one knows what causes glaucoma. It could be that the fine mesh covering the drainage area loses the ability to allow proper drainage of this fluid.

Glaucoma generally develops slowly, over time. However, a rare, more acute form of the problem can develop suddenly if the iris closes the drainage canal. This is painful and will require treatment immediately.

A doctor can examine your eye and determine the treatment most suitable to your condition using a specialized instrument called a tonometer, which measures pressure inside the eyeball. Some tonometers will blow a puff of air to determine eye pressure, but others will have to touch the eye to make the same diagnosis.

In order to prevent vision loss from glaucoma, an early diagnosis and treatment is a must. Vision can be preserved if it is caught and treated before too many nerves have been destroyed by the increased pressure in the eye. Usually, treatment will be in the form of eye drops that can reduce the pressure in the eye, though it may be necessary to have surgery to open or repair the drainage canal in the eye.

Although the causes of glaucoma are not completely understood, if it is caught and treated early enough, vision can be protected in many cases.

As we become older, we can develop age related eye problems that can diminish our sight and create a diminished quality of life. Though there are some eye problems that can affect anyone, no matter their age, some of them become more common as we age.

In order to get the best treatment from your doctor and to restore your vision, it is important to be able to understand the signs and symptoms of the vision problem you are experiencing. This could help with your examination and ensure  you receive the right treatment for the right ailment.

Common Ailments

One of the most common problems that comes with age is the loss of the ability to see objects that are close to you, like small print when reading. Normally, this condition, called presbyopia, happens over the course of our lifetime and is often unnoticed until around age 40. This condition is generally remedied by contacts or reading glasses.

Retinal disorders, such as macular degeneration, occlusions, and detachment are also a pretty common malady among older people. The retina, which is a lining of special cells on the back wall of the eye where images are collected, can be greatly affected by these disorders, causing loss of vision. Early treatment by your doctor may be important to protect your vision, and frequent eye exams can help catch these problems before they have the opportunity to develop into a major problem.

Problems with the eyelids can also become common as we age. Not only do the eyelids protect the eyes, but they also help with the distribution of tears and block out light when we blink and sleep. Common problems with the eyelid can include itching or tearing, spasms, and inflammations. Many eyelid problems can be treated with medications, but for others, your doctor may recommend surgery as the best option.

Quality Eye Care

To best meet your needs and help with any possible vision problem you may develop as you grow older, remember to make and keep regular appointments with your eye doctor. Your doctor can help with the early diagnosis and treatment of any problem that could be growing without your knowledge, and help you with the right medications and eye wear.

Protecting your vision is always important, but it is even more so as we begin to age. A trained eye doctor can provide you with the high quality care you need to see clearly throughout your life.

Until now, detecting Parkinson’s and ADHD has been a challenge for doctors in their diagnosing process. With a proven tested method, doctors now use eye movement techniques to detect a variety of medical conditions with great accuracy.

In the early stages of Parkinson’s disease, doctors often struggle with making a diagnosis. However, recent studies have evaluated a test that has been developed over the last 10 years that could significantly change how we view the disease.

Shaking has often been considered the premier telltale sign that an individual has Parkinson’s disease. However, this first sign is thought to take years to display itself after the disease has already taken hold. Researchers’ current thoughts believe that an individual may be experiencing Parkinson’s disease decades before the first signs of debilitating motor symptoms appear.

Eye Tremor Indicators

Every person that has Parkinson’s disease will have a tremor behind their eyes. Knowing this, doctors test the patient while they wear a head device that monitors the movement of their eyes. The eye test requires that they follow a dot on a screen. Analyzing the data, the doctors can search for tremors. The test is also used to reconsider a misdiagnosis.

Doctors and research scientists would like to see this test become part of the tools used to screen patients’ medical conditions to either confirm or negate a diagnosis for Parkinson’s. The eye test is sufficient enough to be used for detecting other movement disorders including ADHD.

Lack of Dopamine

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a devastating nervous system disorder. Over time, because of it degradation, men and women lose their motor skills. PD, like other varieties of motor system diseases, develops because of a lack of dopamine-generating brain cells. Dopamine is known to allow nerve cells to completely and successfully transmit messaging that is used to control the movement of muscles. Without dopamine, the brain tends to scramble its commands, with the subsequent result being impaired muscular function.

The Progression of Parkinson’s

Parkinson’s disease is a progressive, chronic condition that has varying degrees of severity. Generally, Parkinson’s tends to affect individuals over the age of 50, although it has been experienced by younger adults, and in a few rare cases, even children. To date, clinical studies have not been able to identify the root cause for the lack of dopamine-generating cells. Additionally, no standard blood or laboratory test has been developed that can conclusively identify Parkinson’s.

The eye movement technique has provided new quantitative insights in deciphering various aspects of gaze control and attention span that seem to be affected by a variety of disorders including ADHD and Parkinson’s disease. The eye test is inexpensive, and allows the patient to be screened quickly and accurately for a variety of debilitating medical disorders.

Allergy sufferers can experience a reaction to pollen nearly any month of the year. However, there are ways to protect an individual’s eyes by listening to pollen reports, avoiding gardening and wooded areas, and using HEPA filters inside an enclosed environment.

Allergy season can be brutal on individuals that suffer from a reaction to pollen in the air that is released from grass, flowers and trees. Part of the symptoms include red itchy eyes that often sting and burn, whether they are indoors or out. Many individuals that suffer from allergies can experience their symptoms almost year round, with only a few months of relief.

Protect Your Eyes

Generally, seasonal allergies are often triggered by various plant life that naturally releases their pollen into the air. For an allergy sufferer, it is nearly impossible to avoid coming into contact with the pollen. However, there are proactive approaches you can take that will significantly reduce your symptoms to allergies and help to protect your eyes. They include:

• Pollen Reports – You can usually find a pollen report in the newspaper or on the local news. Any Internet weather site will have pollen counts for your specific region. Anytime the pollen count is indicated to be high, you need to restrict all activities you perform outdoors.
• Avoid Outdoor Gardening – By restricting your outdoor gardening and mowing grass, you can diminish your reaction to allergies.
• Avoid Wooded Areas – Staying away from wooded areas, forest, and tall grasses will diminish your exposure to pollen.
• Close All Windows and Doors – Consider using air-conditioning in warmer climate and heated air in the wintertime. Remember that allergens tend to spread pollen through the air that can easily be circulated through the house. By using a proper air-conditioning filter, you can eliminate severe reactions to seasonal pollen. Without changing the filters you might exacerbate your allergic condition.
• Use Only HEPA Filters – Using a HEPA (high efficiency particulate air) filter you can effectively remove nearly all allergens floating around in the interior of your home. Remember when using HEPA filters that it is imperative to keep the windows and doors closed at all times.

Following preventative measures is really just your initial step to control your allergies during the season. It is also important to discuss your allergic reactions with your physician, so he or she can provide medications and effective eye solutions to relieve your symptoms.

Over-the-counter allergy relief medications might also reduce your allergic symptoms to make your contact lenses easier to wear. Often less expensive than traditional medicines, many of these solutions can clear up a mild reaction with minimal irritation. Eye drops that contain decongestants and antihistamines also tend to calm down allergies that affect the eyes.

The new fall trends in women’s eye accessories are available in a variety of sizes and shapes, and frames to fit any modern, conservative, retro, bold or delicate look. Many of the frames are designed for an “all day” look, while others are strictly for going out on the town. New designer labels for the fall season are offered in a variety of colors to match skin tones and hair color as well.

More than just a quality fall trend, eyeglass frames need to fit well in order to be comfortable, right? So say you select the best looking frames for your face but they simply slide off your nose, you will spend more time adjusting the fit instead of enjoying the look. Often times, individuals choose frames that are too wide, and not a good fit for their face shape. The optician might be able to order that specific frame in a smaller (or larger) size. So never settle for an uncomfortable fit.

Many manufacturers have now released a variety of “petite” collections to fit the smaller face. Sometimes the design frame has an uncomfortable nose pad to the specific wearer’s nose, although quite often the pad can be changed as well. Style with durability is in fashion this season, built with top-quality materials that will not bend out of shape or scratch easily.

The eye accessory fashion trends in season this fall include:

A Retro Glam – From dramatic cat eyes to sassy animal prints, these Retro Glam frames have that old flair look with glitzy dazzle that adds its own sense of chic style.

Mod Persuasion – With round frames that represent 1960s modern persuasion, these spicy colors and tortoise look add a certain geek modish style to the frame.

Military Chic – Not for the faint of heart, military chic eyeglass frames provide that edgy look with its studded details and “metallic”. Offering their own level of toughness, these frames work well for the hard rocker look.

Victorian Dandy – Today’s modern man shows off his own sense of style with round plastic or metal frames. Adding a brow-line sophisticated retro look, the Victorian Dandy collection is a must-have for any guy wanting to display their own well-bred classic style.

American Vintage – As a fall back to the 1970s, these idyllic American Vintage style frames have an old charm wood detail that is the envy of anyone that desires a geek chic look.

This year’s fall trend in eyewear is a look back at yesteryear for any individual moving forward into their future. Men and women emulating the old-style look will be chic and in fashion this season.