Steve Mower - December 2018
Common Eye Problems - with Actual Definitions, Helpful Tips, and Stupid Stuff from the Editor- (You can complain to him HERE!)
Like a lot of technical and medical jargon, the words used for common eye problems can sound like terrible life threatening diseases. While there are some eye conditions that are worse than others, these common problems can usually be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses or Refractive Surgery(Lasik).
Please get an eye exam every year or two. Even if you don't feel you need glasses, your eye HEALTH is important.
HYPEROPIA -
Commonly known as Farsightedness, Hyperopia is a condition in which objects that are far away are seen clearly, but near objects do not come into proper focus. Hyperopia happens when your eyeball is too short or your cornea has too little curvature.
Symptoms of hyperopia include difficulty in focusing on near objects, eye fatigue, and possibly headaches. Hyperopia is usually corrected with reading glasses or computer or task glasses. (just reading, but a bit further away).
TIPS: Whether you use reading glasses or not, you can do several simple things to help reduce eye fatigue for up close work.
1. Use proper lighting. A good light source on your reading material can help your eyes tremendously. More light-better reading.
2. Computer users can benefit by having an additional light source in the room instead of viewing their monitors in a darkened room. Anti-glare monitors help a lot too.
3. Shift your focus. Every few minutes, shift your focus to something further away. This habit can allow your eyes to maintain their elasticity.
MYOPIA-
Commonly referred to as Nearsightedness, Myopia is basically the opposite of Hyperopia. Objects that are near are seen clearly and objects that are far away are not seen clearly. In this case your eyeball is too long or your cornea has too much curvature. Heredity is believed to be a major reason people suffer from Myopia, but there is evidence that too much close work can contribute to this problem.
ASTIGMATISM-
Possibly the worst word invented to describe a minor problem, Astigmatism is a visual condition that occurs when your eye is not perfectly round in all areas or all axis. While Hyperopia and Myopia describe eyeballs that are too long or too short, Astigmatism takes it a step further. Picture an eyeball as a perfectly round object, elongate it and you get a football(an American one, anyway) and you get Myopia- shorten it and you get Hyperopia! Astigmatism is when a football of some size rams sideways into your eyeball! OUCH!!
So, if you have astigmatism it simply means that you have an irregularly shaped eye or cornea. It does not mean that you have something awful attached to you.(Occasionally, its good to check for that sort of thing too.)
PRESBYOPIA
Presbyopia is a condition of the eyes which includes difficulty focusing on near objects AND far objects. The condition of Astigmatism may or may not play a part in this condition.
Presbyopia is a natural part of the human aging process. It typically becomes noticeable when you hit the mid 40's and it is not a disease. It is a common eye problem that is easily corrected with bifocals or progressive (no-line) lenses or in some cases, contact lenses.
For more information about common eye problems visit the National Eye Institute's website www.nei.nih.gov/
Computer Vision Syndrome
With the advent of computer use comes COMPUTER VISION SYNDROME!! AHHH!
If you sit in front of a computer screen for extended periods of time you may have experienced loss of focus and or head aches and eye strain. This is due to a couple of factors. One is glare from computer screens. The second factor is that focusing on a fixed point in front of you for a long period of time causes your eyes to lose the ability to accommodate with that distance.
CVS can be dealt with by getting computer reading glasses or computer bifocals. The addition of an AR coating, or anti-reflective coating, on your lenses pulls more light through the lenses to you eyes reducing reflections and glare.
TIP: Every so often, like every 10 minutes or so, shift your focus from your computer screen to something far away. It's like exercising your eyeballs!
Blue Light Problems
Related to CVS, some folks are experiencing problems like dizziness and head aches while using blue light emitting hand held devices like cell phones and tablets.
Read more about blue light and Mojo BluBlock!
How Eyeglasses Work
Here is a great video produced by Andrew Bastawrous and Clare Gilbert for ed.ted.com about common eye problems and how glasses work.
Original video here with the full lesson.
|
Steve Mower is a licensed dispensing Optician and creator of Mojo BluBlock Tints. Steve has over 30 years experience in the optical field. He has been a optical retail manager and has consulted on progressive lens development. Steve has been offering unique reading glasses solutions on-line since 2010. Steve is a member of Opticians Association of Virginia and Opticians Association of America. |
