Glasses That Improve Vision - Lens Treatment

Glasses That Improve Vision

Photochromic. Photochromic lenses are chemically treated so that they automatically adjust to brightness. They get sunglass-dark in direct sunlight and clear in a dimly lit room. They can screen out up to 85 percent of light at their darkest and 10 percent to 15 percent at their lightest.

Glasses That Improve Vision

Some cautions about photochromic lenses: These lenses require UV light to change color, so they won't get dark while you're driving unless the sun is shining on your face through an open window. You may need to keep a pair of sunglasses in the car. Plastic don't change color as quickly or get as dark as treated glass lenses. And neither type of lens changes color as quickly or gets as dark in high temperatures.

Can Glasses Correct Vision

Can Glasses Correct Vision

About 6 out of 10 Americans wear some kind of corrective lenses. And the runaway favorite is eyeglasses. About 8 out of 10 Americans with a prescription for vision correction choose eyeglasses.
 

Can Glasses Correct Vision

The variety of eyeglasses to choose from can seem staggering. Thousands of frame styles and hundreds of lens designs are on the market. And you can buy them from your eye doctor, small optical shops, department stores, discount centers, nationwide optical chains or on the Internet. Eyeglass lenses are made of glass or plastic. Nearly 9 out of 10 eyeglass wearers choose plastic. Once you select the material, you'll be asked to make other eyeglass choices, many of them related to your lifestyle. Your eye doctor can make recommendations if you take a few minutes to discuss the kinds of things you need to be able to do with your glasses. Here are some common lens choices you may need to consider.

Lasik Vision Correction Surgery

Lasik Vision Correction Surgery

If you need to sharpen your vision, you have many options to choose from among eyeglasses, contact lenses or the increasingly popular refractive surgery (sometimes referred to as laser vision surgery). A wide variety of lens treatments and eyeglass frames are available - from lightweights for comfort and style to sturdy goggles for playing contact sports. Contact lenses come in rigid and soft styles, which allows you to select a pair that suits your lifestyle and the sensitivity of your eyes. If you prefer not having to deal with corrective lenses at all, you may choose to have your vision corrected surgically. Two surgical options that are especially popular are LASIK and PRK. These acronyms will be explained, along with details of each procedure, in future posts.
 

Lasik Vision Correction Surgery

You and your eye doctor can decide which of these options is best for you. You'll certainly want to take your individual needs into consideration. If your lifestyle or health keeps you from being especially active, glasses may be your best choice. If you're on the go a lot or don't like the look and feel of glasses, you may prefer contacts or the more permanent solution of surgery. Your choices may narrow once you understand a bit about how corrective lenses function and the key differences among the various options.

Improve Your Eyesight Without Glasses

Improve Your Eyesight Without Glasses

Slit-lamp examination
 
A slit lamp allows the doctor to see the structures at the front of your eye under magnification. The microscope is called a slit lamp because it uses an intense line of light - a slit - to provide oblique illumination of the cornea, iris and lens and of the anterior chamber. The slits allow the doctor to view these structures in cross section and detect any small abnormalities.
 

Improve Your Eyesight Without Glasses

When examining corneal problems, your doctor may use fluorescein dye. This dye spreads across your eyes and appears bright yellow when hit with a blue light (screened through a blue filter). This causes tiny cuts, scrapes, tears, foreign material or infections on your cornea to stand out.

Questions During Eye Exam

Questions During Eye Exam

If you're seeing a new eye doctor or you have never had an eye exam before, expect someone on the medical staff to ask about your eyes and your medical history. Here is a sampling of the questions:

Questions During Eye Exam

• Are you having any eye problems now?
• Have you had any eye problems in years past?

How Often To Have Eye Exam

How Often To Have Eye Exam

How frequently you need an eye exam depends on several factors, including your age, health and risk of developing eye problems. The American Academy of Ophthalmology makes the following recommendations.
 
Children and adolescents

How Often To Have Eye Exam

 
Children should have their vision tested and be screened for eye disease by a pediatrician, an ophthalmologist or other trained screener. The exams should be done at the following intervals: 

Getting An Eye Exam

Getting An Eye Exam

A periodic eye exam is one of the best ways to protect your vision. That's because it's so important to detect eye problems at the earliest stage possible. Several serious eye disorders are capable of doing irreparable damage before they cause any symptoms. If you wait for vision problems to show up seeing an eye doctor, you may be waiting too long.

Getting An Eye Exam

A regular exam with an eye specialist helps you:

• Detect eye disease when it's most treatable and before irreparable damage has occurred
• Correct or adapt to vision changes brought on by natural aging
• Reduce eyestrain, fatigue and stress in your daily activities 
• Rest assured that you're seeing as well as you can