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Vision
Library
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Comprehensive Vision Examination |
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Refraction |
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Tonometry |
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Refractive Surgery or Lasik Vision Disorders |
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Vision
Disorders
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Hyperopia (farsightednes) |
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Myopia (nearsightedness) |
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Astigmatism |
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Presbyopia |
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Amblyopia |
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Computer Vision Syndrome |
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Double Vision |
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Cataracts |
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Spots and Floaters |
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Keratoconus (conical cornea) |
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Eye
Diseases
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Blepharitis |
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Conjunctivitis |
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Glaucoma |
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Age Related Macular Degeneration |
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Styes |
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Diabetes and the Eyes |
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Dry Eye |
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Descriptions
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| A comprehensive examination consists of a thorough case history including any physical problems and medications that you are taking in addition to eye medications and problems. Through the use of some very sophisticated diagnostic equipment the doctor is able to determine the shape of the cornea and your glasses requirement. You will also have a glaucoma test, and the doctor will examine the inside of your eye for retinal holes, tears, and detachments. Following this, the doctor will discuss with you the results of the eye examination and make recommendations for you. |
| A refraction is a test to determine the best eyeglasses or contact lenses to correct a refractive error (myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism). |
| Tonometry is a procedure for the measurement of the fluid pressure inside the eye (intraocular pressure). It is one of the tests for glaucoma. |
| Refractive Laser Surgery or Lasik (Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis ) is an advanced laser procedure used to reshape the central cornea, thereby decreasing or eliminating myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The refractive surgeon uses an automated microkeratome to shave off a thin, hinged layer of the cornea. This flap is then lifted like a hinged door and the exposed surface is reshaped using the excimer laser. After altering the corneal curvature, the flap is replaced and adheres without stitches. |
| Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is a disorder where distant objects are usually seen clearly but close ones do not come into proper focus and are blurred. This occurs when the eyeball is too short or the cornea is too flat, and light rays entering the eye focus behind the retina rather than directly on it. |
| Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a disorder where near objects are usually seen clearly, but distant ones do not come into proper focus and are blurred. There are a number of reasons for this optical condition. The eyeball may be too long, causing the image to be focused short of the retina at the back of the eye, or the focusing lenses of the eye are too strong. |
| Astigmatism is a vision condition that occurs when the front surface of your eye, the cornea, is slightly irregular in shape. This irregular shape prevents light from focusing properly on the back of your eye, the retina. As a result, your vision may be blurred at all distances. |
| A person with prebyopia has difficulty focusing on close objects. It is similar to hyperopia but the underlying cause is different. In presbyopia, the lens, an elastic structure that changes shape to focus on objects at various distances, becomes less flexible and the eye muscles that support the lens and allow it to accommodate have weakened. Pesbyopia develops over several years as the lens looses its ability to expand as a person ages. The result is that while distant objects are seen clearly, close objects are blurred because the lens cannot resume the shape that it needs to bring them into focus. |
| Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is poor vision in an eye that did not develop normal sight during early childhood. When one eye develops good vision while the other does not, the eye with poorer vision is called amblyopic. |
| Computer vision syndrome is the combination of eye and vision problems related to near work that are experienced during or related to computer use. Its symptoms include eyestrain, dry or burning eyes, blurred vision, headaches, double vision, distorted color vision, and neck and backaches. |
| Double vision is caused when the two eyes do not align, or work together. The overall encompassing term for this is strabismus. There are many forms of strabismus, many causes and some effective treatments. Exotropia refers to strabismus when an eye turns outward and esotropia is when an eye crosses. Hypertropia is when an eye turns up and hypotropia when an eye turns down. The strabismus can be constant or intermittent and can occur in combinations such and hyper-esotropia, or hypo-exotropia. |
| A cataract is cloudiness in the usually clear lens of the eye. Common cataract symptoms include poor night vision, sensitivity to light, a painless blurring of vision and a fading or yellowing of colors. Cataracts may develop slowly, over a period of years, and may not be immediately apparent if the cloudiness is not near the center of the lens. Cataracts are most commonly caused by aging, but may be related to family history, eye injury, eye surgery or some medications, and long-term exposure to light. |
| Spots, often called floaters, are small, semi-transparent or cloudy specks of particles within the vitreous, the clear, jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of your eyes. They appear as specks of various shapes and sizes, threadlike strands or cobwebs. Since they are within your eyes, they move as your eyes move and seem to dart away when you try to look at them directly. Spots are often caused by small flecks of protein or other matter trapped during the formation of your eyes before birth. They can also result from deterioration of the vitreous fluid, due to aging, or from certain eye diseases or injuries. |
| Kerataconus is a non-inflammatory eye condition in which the normally round cornea progressively thins causing a cone-like bulge to develop. This results in significant visual impairment. The cornea is responsible for refracting most of the light coming into the eye. Therefore, abnormalities of the cornea severely affect the way we see the world. |
| Blepharitis is a chronic inflammation of the eyelids. A common problem in both children and adults, blepharitis causes swelling, itching, and irritation of the eyelids. There are two types of blepharitis: seborrheic and staphylococcus (staph). Seborrheic blepharitis is associated with dandruff of the scalp and may be part of an overall skin disease (seborrhea) which also affects the chest, back, and behind the ears. Staph blepharitis is characterized by matted, hard crusts around the eyelashes. The crusts may make opening the eyes in the morning difficult. |
| Conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye, is an infection of the conjuctiva, (the outer-most layer of the eye that covers the sclera, or white part of the eye). The three most common types of conjunctivitis are: viral, allergic, and bacterial. Each requires different treatments. With the exception of the allergic type, conjunctivitis is typically contagious. |
| Glaucoma is a disease characterized by increased pressure within the eyeball. If not diagnosed and treated, glaucoma may lead to optic nerve damage, loss of visual field, gradual vision impairment, and sometimes blindness. |
| Macular degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina's central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail. Macular degeneration is an incurable eye disease and it is the leading cause of blindness for those aged 55 and older in the United States, affecting more than 10 million Americans. Risk factors include hypertension, heredity, smoking, poor diet, and diabetes. |
| A sty is a small abscess of the glands in the eyelids (near the root of an eyelash) which can occur externally and internally. This abscess is generally localized staphylococcal infection and you may get more than one sty at a time or several in succession. The symptoms of a sty are redness, swelling, and pain in a localized area of the eye. An external sty may be noted when there is a tender nodule present below the lid margin; an internal sty may not have a visible nodule. |
| Diabetes can affect sight by causing cataracts, glaucoma, and most importantly, damage to blood vessels inside the eye, a condition known as diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy is a complication of diabetes that is caused by changes in the blood vessels of the retina. When blood vessels in the retina are damaged, they may leak blood and grow fragile, brush-like branches and scar tissue. This can blur or distort the vision images that the retina sends to the brain. Diabetic eye disease is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. People with untreated diabetes are said to be 25 times more at risk for blindness than the general population. The longer a person has had diabetes, the higher the risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. Fortunately, with regular, proper eye care and treatment when necessary, the incidence of severe vision loss has been greatly reduced. |
| Dry eye syndrome is one of the most common problems treated by eye physicians. Over ten million Americans suffer from dry eyes. It is usually caused by a problem with the quality of the tear film that lubricates the eyes. |
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© 2008 MARIN OPTOMETRIC
GROUP
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