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Eyes: Glasses & Contacts
What are some
of my choices for contacts? Although
the standard "hard lens" introduced in the 1950's are
still around, technology and materials developed have
made these lenses virtually obsolete. Fewer than 0.5
percent of lens wearers own them. Two types of
contacts are fitted today ---- soft and rigid gas
permeable, also known as RGP's. Soft contact lenses,
first introduced over 20 years ago, are made from
flexibility, water-absorbent plastics -- in fact,
these contacts are anywhere from 30 to 80 percent
water. Some soft lenses are designed to be thrown away
daily, weekly, or every other week depending on your
eye care professional's instructions. Others can be
used for up to a year. Many people enjoy the comfort
of soft contact lenses. They're easy to insert, in fit
comfortably and securely. RGP lenses are made of
special, firmer plastics that are suited for the
passage of oxygen and other gases. These lenses are
very durable and typically last longer than soft
lenses. RGP lenses offer crisp vision and are often
preferred by people with high degrees of astigmatism.
While they make take a little longer to get used to,
regular wearers find them to be comfortable and the
visual acuity outstanding.
What's the
difference between daily wear, and extended wear
lenses? Daily wear contact lenses
are designated to be removed each day for cleaning,
and should be taken out before you sleep or nap.
Extended wear lenses can be worn continuously for up
to seven days before they are removed for cleaning.
Extended wear lenses can also be prescribed to be
removed each day for cleaning and slept in
occasionally when special circumstances arise. Eye
care professionals consider many variables in deciding
between daily wear and extended wear lenses for each
person's needs.
What are
Disposable Lenses, Frequent and Planned Replacement
Lenses? A growing number of people
now wear disposable soft lenses, which can be worn for
either a single day, or up to seven, depending on the
wear schedule prescribed by your eye care
professional. Disposable lenses are usually prescribed
in multi-packs, providing several weeks supply at a
time. Frequent and planned replacement lenses are
lenses that are replaced on a planned schedule, most
often every two weeks, monthly or quarterly.
Technology
Advances in Eye Care Examinations The
autorefractor provides the doctor with a starting
point on the eyeglass prescription and a detailed
analysis on the shape of the front of the eye. The
glaucoma test is a machine that blows a puff of air in
your eye to determine your eye's internal pressure.
The test is helpful in detecting glaucoma. Dilation of
the eye is a procedure that allows the doctor to
temporarily open the pupil in order to view the back
of the eye. This procedure is helpful in evaluating
for glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetes, retinal
detachment and many other diseases. Visual Field
testing is a sophisticated computerized instrument
which allows the doctor to test the sensitivity of the
retina and optic nerve. This is valuable in assisting
the early detection of many eye diseases including
glaucoma, optic neuritis, macular degeneration and
some neurologic lesions.
How to prepare
for an Eye Exam You need
to do more than just make an appointment for an eye
exam. You also need to gather information that will
help your optometrist assess your eye health and
vision, and provide you with good vision for your
varied lifestyle. Write down your answers to these
questions and give the information to your optometrist
when you go for your exam.
What chronic health conditions, such as high blood
pressure, diabetes or allergies do you or any close
family members have? Your eyes can be affected by your
general health. What eye health problems, like
glaucoma, run in your family? What prescription and
non-prescription medications are you taking? Drugs
sometimes can affect your eyes and vision. How do you
use your eyes are work? Make note of the tasks that
you do, how long and how often you do them, the
distance between your eyes and each task, and details
about your work environment. Such information helps
the optometrist determine the exact prescription and
any special lens design needed to give you sharp,
comfortable vision on the job. What are your hobbies
and sports? Your optometrist can help you decide
whether or not you need a special pair of glasses or
eye safety equipment for your hobby or sport. What
problems are you having with your eyes? Some symptoms
are blurred vision, difficulty changing focus from far
to near and visa versa, squinting, double vision,
seeing floaters or flashes of light, headaches,
difficult seeing at night or in dim light, burning or
itching or tired eyes.
Baby Boomers
Battling Bi-Focals If you
are on the far side of 40, you are probably finding
that reading the phone book or newspaper is suddenly a
chore. Welcome to middle age, and presbyopia.
Presbyopia, the farsightedness that is inevitable with
aging, is caused by the gradual hardening of the lens
of the eye. It becomes less able to change shape,
preventing us from focusing on close objects. Most
people become aware of deteriorating lose vision in
their mid-40s. Many people turn to inexpensive reading
glasses, but it's important to have regular eye exams.
Prescription lenses and bifocals allow a close-up
correction giving the best possible vision for both
close and far. If you are bothered by the telltale
line that marks the bifocal, you may opt for contact
lenses. An increasingly popular option is called
monovision. You wear a contact with a close-up
correction in one eye and if necessary, a contact for
distance correction in the other. Your brain gradually
learns to adapt, and you see reasonably well thought
out your range of vision. The close-up contact
generally goes in the non-dominant eye. Most people
adapt to this type of len correction in a week or 10
days even if they have never worn contacts before.
Even people with astigmatism can be successful with
monovision, often using rigid gas-permesble contacts
instead of soft contacts for more reliable correction.
While true bifocal contacts are available, most people
adapt to them less successfully than to monovision
Bifocal contacts are difficult to fit, and they don't
work for everyone. They are very expensive and work in
less that 50 percent of the people who try them.
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