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Cloudy Vision Could Signal a Cataract

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Over the course of time most people will experience some changes in their eyesight. This is just a normal part of life at any age for some and a side-effect of aging for others. If that vision change involves a “clouding” over of the field of sight, however, it may signal the development of a cataract

The bad news is technically cataracts can form at any age. Although more common in aging, this condition can present at early ages, especially as the result of trauma.

The good news is that cataracts are generally quite treatable. This condition involves a clouding over of the eye’s natural lens. The lens is normally clear, but due to aging or trauma it begins to cloud over, causing a blurring of vision.

Aside from cloudiness, there are a number of other potential symptoms that may signal the development of a cataract. They include a glare, decreased contract, difficulty with night vision and dim or decreased vision. As these symptoms present, it’s possible they may interfere with normal activities, such as driving ,reading or watching television.

If cataracts are detected during a routine eye exam, surgery to correct the issue may be recommended. This procedure is now performed using a laser. It involves an out-patient visit to an eye surgeon and a rather fast procedure that is relatively painless. The surgeon will remove the cloudy natural lens and replace it with a clear artificial lens. The end result is a clearer field of vision and quite often a greatly improved ability to see. Overall recovery time, courtesy of the laser procedure, is typically only a few short days.

Should cloudy vision be a concern, make an appointment with an eye doctor right away. There’s no reason to suffer through as a cataract becomes progressively worse.

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Does LASIK Surgery Really Work?

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Spending a lifetime chained to a pair of glasses or hunting down lost contacts when they run amuck is no fun at all. That’s why so many people are reviewing the options that LASIK surgery can deliver. While it’s not a cure-all for all vision conditions, this relatively quick and painless surgery can help many people see a whole lot more clearly.

What’s Involved?
LASIK surgery is performed using a laser that reshapes the eye for better vision. The typical procedure doesn’t take very long and the results tend to be rather positive. While 20-20 vision cannot be guaranteed in every case, most patients report remarkable results that are pretty much instantaneous.

Recovery from LASIK isn’t long or drawn out either. Since no stitches are used in the procedure, most people go about their daily routines once more within a day or less. Discomfort might be in the picture short-term but pain isn’t generally in the equation.

Who is it Right For?
LASIK surgery cannot fix every vision problem, nor is it right for all people. The best candidates tend to be those over the age of 21 – to ensure growth has stopped – and those without any serious medical conditions. No significant eye changes should have occurred within the 12 months prior to surgery. The types of conditions treatable by LASIK include:

  • Myopia, also known as nearsightedness, with or without astigmatism.
  • Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, with or without astigmatism.
  • Those who were over or under corrected during a previous refractive or cataract surgery may benefit from a procedure known as thin flap LASIK.

Living with vision problems is no fun at all. There are procedures that can help shelve those glasses forever. While LASIK isn’t necessarily for everyone, it can make a huge difference in the lives of those the surgery is deemed suitable for. To learn more about LASIK, be sure to consult with a qualified eye surgeon.

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Have Questions? Feel free to contact us and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Dry Eye Causes and How to Tackle Them

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Living with the itching, burning irritation of dry eyes is no fun when the condition presents periodically, but for those who suffer daily it can be a real nightmare. Fortunately, there are very effective treatments for dry eye, but the key often lies in discovering the cause.

What is Dry Eye?
Dry eye is a condition that develops when the eye’s flow of tears isn’t constant enough to maintain lubrication for proper vision and comfort. It can be a temporary, one-time, situation or the condition can be chronic in some people. For those who face chronic discomfort, finding a remedy that works is critical for maintaining comfort and proper vision.

What Causes Dry Eye?
There are a number of potential causes for dry eye. In some cases, figuring out the cause can lead to an easy cure. Here are just of the top causes:

  • Natural aging – Like it or not, this condition does tend to go along with normal aging. As the body ages, its ability to produce a proper, constant amount of tears might decline.
  • Medications – There are a variety of medications that can cause dry eye as a side effect. If medication is suspected, a change in prescription might do the trick. If the benefits of the medication outweigh the discomfort of dry eye, looking into treatments for dry eye makes sense.
  • Certain diseases – Lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and other conditions can cause dry eye. In these cases, treatment for the disease and the dry eye are both likely in order.
  • Structural problems – Sometimes issues arise with the eyelids themselves that cause dry eye. Fixing the structural issues might address the problem.

If dry eye is a real concern, eye doctors have a host of treatment options at their disposal. From something as simple as eye drops to more involved procedures, such as surgery to repair eyelid defects, there are ways to correct the situation. Consult your eye doctor for advice if dry eye is a persistent concern.

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PRELEX Vision Correction for Near and Far

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LASIK surgery has been a wonderful option for those looking to correct their vision and it still is, but it has its limitations. For those in their 20s and 30s, LASIK can be the perfect vision correction choice because those in this age group often do not yet have the need for reading glasses. LASIK improves vision at a distance but if you need glasses to see up close then LASIK will not offer any improvement. Those who are 40 and over – even with the assistance of LASIK surgery – will still often need reading glasses. In this case, another option for correcting vision is PRELEX vision correction.

What is PRELEX?
PRELEX – or Presbyopic Lens Exchange – utilizes the same techniques that have been perfected for cataract surgery over the years. During PRELEX, a tiny incision is made in the eye through which the eye’s natural lens is removed. An artificial implant is then put in its place. This is a fast, painless, and effective procedure that can be done in an outpatient setting. No sutures are required and you are able to return home the same day after which you can return to your normal activities in just a few days.

The artificial lenses that are options for PRELEX include Tecnis Multifocal, Restor, and Crystalens. Your eye surgeon will work with you to determine the best lens choice for your particular eye shape, prescription needs, and overall eye health.

What is the outcome?
The benefits of PRELEX include:

  • Patients who undergo PRELEX no longer need corrective lenses most near, intermediate, or distance vision tasks.
  • Because the natural lens has been removed and replaced with an artificial lens, the patient who undergoes PRELEX will never develop cataracts – a common condition that occurs with aging.

PRELEX is one of the most effective vision corrective procedures available today, allowing people of all ages with all types of prescriptions to achieve clearer vision and entirely eliminate their dependence on eyeglasses and/or contact lenses.

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Getting Ready for Cataract Surgery

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Cataracts – a clouding of the eye’s natural lens – are a common condition that can develop as the eyes age. The lens is located behind the iris and works to focus light on the retina. When the lens cloud over, vision is compromised and the patient can experience blurriness and often glare from lights. Cataract surgery, however, can restore vision to full clarity with one of the most commonly performed eye procedures today.

How does it work?
Cataract surgery takes less than 20 minutes and is painless and enormously effective. During the surgery, a tiny incision is made and the natural lens is broken up with ultrasound and removed. In its place, an artificial intraocular lens (IOL) is placed in the eye.

The IOL can be customized to address each patient’s specific prescription needs. So cataract surgery can not only offer clearer vision through the replacement of the lens but also address vision needs that existed prior to the development of cataracts.

What to know.
Cataract surgery has been performed on millions of patients and is a safe and relatively routine procedure that has been perfected over the years. The surgery itself is painless and performed on an outpatient basis.

How should you prepare?
First and foremost, your eye doctor will perform a series of tests prior to the procedure to determine the shape and size of your eye so that the proper intraocular lens can be prepared. In preparation for the surgery itself, you may be advised to stop taking certain medications that could potentially cause a higher risk of bleeding. Additionally, you will likely be asked to fast prior to the procedure. Finally, antibiotics eyedrops will be prescribed to support healing following the procedure.

In the end, the result is clearer vision achieved through a fast and easy procedure that continues to help millions of people.

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Have Questions? Feel free to contact us and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

5 Tips for Keeping Your Eyes Healthy

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Eye health is just as important as maintaining the health of any part of our body and we have been taught that regular, ongoing visits to our eye doctor are a part of this maintenance. While this is very true, there are also ways in which we can contribute to our eye health in between visits – some of which you may not have considered to be as important as they are to the eyes.

Tips to keep your eyes healthy:

  • Maintain a healthy weight. Sure, staying at a healthy weight is important for your heart and can lower your risk for heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. But did you know that a healthy weight also works to protect your eyes? Being overweight increases your risk of developing diabetes which in turn increases your risk of developing glaucoma and other diabetes-related eye diseases which can decrease vision.
  • Quit smoking. If you smoke, you have another reason to quit immediately. Smokers are at higher risk for developing optic nerve damage, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration.
  • Wear your sunglasses. UV rays are just as harsh on the eyes as they are on the skin. Protect your eyes with sunglasses that block UV-A and UV-B radiation.
  • Take a rest. Working on the computer or doing any up close detailed work of any kind puts strain on the eyes. Make sure you take a break here and there and allow your eyes to rest. This will avoid eyestrain and keep your eyes healthy.
  • Wash your hands. Keeping your hands clean is just as important for eye health. As we tend to touch our eyes throughout the day, we can easily transmit germs and bacteria that can result in infection. Wash your hands often, especially before and after putting in or taking out contact lenses. And be sure to disinfect your contact lenses as your eye doctor recommends.

Doing your part to keep your eyes healthy is a great way to work in tandem with regular eye doctor appointments to maintain clear and healthy vision for many years to come.

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3 Things to Know About Cataract Surgery

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For those with cataracts, the world is a cloudy place where there are a variety of difficulties on a day-to-day basis. Cataract sufferers experience everything from dim vision to glare, fog, and film—rendering clear sight unattainable and making otherwise normal activities such as driving a tremendous challenge. Cataract surgery is often the most effective means for dealing with this common vision challenge and can correct vision within just a matter of days.

If you are considering cataract surgery, here are a few things to know:

  • How it works. During surgery, the eye will be numbed and a small incision made in the side of the cornea. The surgeon will then insert a tiny instrument through the incision through which high-frequency ultrasound will travel to break up the cloudy lens that has been impacted by the cataract. The lens will then be removed. Following this, an intraocular lens (IOL) implant will be inserted in place of the removed lens. This is made from silicone or acrylic and will become a permanent part of your eye. Light is now able to pass freely and clearly through the lens.
  • What expect following surgery. Cataract surgery is done on an outpatient basis which means that you will be able to go home a few hours following surgery. As with most procedures, recovery differs from person to person but most people report little discomfort and the ability to resume normal activities within a few days. In fact, most patients experience an immediate improvement in their sight. You will follow up with your eye surgeon the day after surgery to ensure that your healing is going as expected.
  • Post-operative possibilities. Some cataract surgery patients experience what is called a secondary cataract—or after cataract—during which the capsule of the eye, the part in which the intraocular lens sits, becomes cloudy itself. If this happens, a secondary procedure is performed. This is a one-minute procedure called a posterior capsulotomy and completely and permanently rectifies this issue.

Cataracts don’t need to continue to compromise your vision. Cataract surgery offers a fast, comfortable method for improving eyesight.

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Should You See a Doctor About Dry Eye?

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Dry eye is a very common condition that plagues thousands of people each year. Since it’s so common, however, not everyone even considers taking a trip to an eye doctor to get it checked out. There are two reasons why this is a potential mistake. First, dry eye can be a symptom of disease. Second, in most cases dry eye is caused by something very benign and it can be treated.

What is dry eye?
Dry eye basically develops when the eye does not receive proper lubrication. This can be caused by an issue with the tear ducts or by a lack of ability for the body to produce tears. In most cases, the cause is pretty minor and the symptoms can be readily treated by an experienced eye doctor.

What are the symptoms of dry eye?
Dry eye can present with a host of symptoms that range from mildly annoying to downright troublesome. Some of the most common symptoms include:

  • Blurred vision
  • Excessive tearing
  • A sensitivity to light
  • A feeling of grittiness in the eyes
  • Itching
  • Redness

Pain is also a possible symptom, and one that should not be ignored. There is no reason to endure pain from dry eye when treatments are available.

What causes dry eye?
There are a host of potential causes for dry eye. They include aging, side effects from medication, structural problems with the eyes, and even diseases, such as arthritis and lupus.

How is dry eye treated?
Eye doctors have a host of treatment options for dry eye at their disposal. These include artificial tear drops and ointments, natural supplements, minor surgical procedures, and more.

Living with dry eye might seem like the thing to do, but it’s not. This is a very common problem that has a variety of treatment options. If you’re concerned with dry eye, check with your eye doctor for assistance.

The Eye Center is the leading refractive practice in South Carolina, providing full service eye care and specializing in Refractive Surgery – Epi-LASIK, Thin Flap LASIK, AST, PRK CK, PRELEX, as well as Corneal Transplant and Cataract Surgery.

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What You Need to Know About LASIK

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Are you considering LASIK eye surgery to improve your vision once and for all? Not sure if you really want to go through with it?

Chances are if you consider a few things about this relatively quick and rather painless procedure, you’re going to find that not doing it makes no sense at all. As long as you’re a qualified candidate for the procedure, there is an incredibly high chance that LASIK will improve your vision with almost no risk.

So, what do you need to know about LASIK? Here are just a few of the most common issues people want to know about before choosing this surgical procedure:

What vision problems can LASIK correct?

LASIK works well for people with near and farsightedness both. It also is effective for correcting astigmatism.

How does LASIK work?

During this laser surgery a doctor will surgically correct the shape of the cornea. In doing so, the procedure will improve the way the eye focuses. The end result is quite often much crisper, clearer vision that is permanent without the need for glasses or contacts. The surgery generally only takes a few minutes for a skilled surgeon to perform.

What’s involved in recovery?

The typical recovery time is generally about a day or two at the most. Since there are no stitches or glue involved, the eye tends to heal rather quickly enabling a very fast return to normal activities. Most patients report little or no pain and only mild discomfort if any at all.

Who makes a good candidate for LASIK?

Anyone who is age 21 or older, is in relatively good health, and hasn’t experienced significant changes in vision over the past year is generally considered a good candidate.

How effective is LASIK?

Guarantees can’t be given, but it’s been shown that 98 percent of LASIK patients enjoy 20/40 or better vision post-surgery. For those with a dependence on glasses or contacts, that is a huge improvement.

To find out more about the possibilities LASIK presents, be sure to consult with your eye doctor or surgeon. He or she will be able to help you explore the option more while determining if you’d made a good candidate for this procedure.

The Eye Center is the leading refractive practice in South Carolina, providing full service eye care and specializing in Refractive Surgery – Epi-LASIK, Thin Flap LASIK, AST, PRK CK, PRELEX, as well as Corneal Transplant and Cataract Surgery.

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Have Questions? Feel free to contact us and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.

Is LASIK Worth the Trouble?

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Saving up money to pay for a surgical procedure that’s considered “voluntary” in many cases might seem like more trouble than it’s worth. If the surgery in question, however, happens to be LASIK to improve personal vision, the effort could very well be worth it. This laser-based surgery can transform lives while enabling people to see clearly without help for the first time in years and for some ever.

LASIK involves the surgical reshaping of the eye’s cornea to adjust focusing. The surgery is appropriate for those with near and farsightedness and also those with astigmatism. Those who undergo it are likely to discover that there’s very little pain or discomfort involved and the improvements to vision are noticeable almost immediately.

While no doctor worth his or her salt will guarantee results, the track record for this type of procedure is a whopping 98 percent of patients enjoying 20/40 vision post-surgery or better. In many cases doctors are able to pull off providing their patients with 20/20 vision without the need for glasses or contacts.

So, is LASIK worth it? If you’re not sure, consider these questions:

  • Do glasses or contacts get in the way of your enjoyment of life?
  • Are you tired of waking in the morning not being able to see?
  • Do you feel like you’re held back because of your vision troubles?
  • Do you spend an inordinate amount of money annually on glasses, contacts, or related items?

If you answered yes to these questions, LASIK might be a great choice for you.

Should you choose to delve into the procedure more, you’ll find that almost anyone age 21 or older in relatively good health can benefit from this procedure. Your eye doctor, however, will be the best to help you decide if you make a good candidate. Should that be the case, you’ll find the actual surgery itself only takes a few minutes and can result in near immediate improvements in vision. Chances are you’ll only have to take a day or two off of work, as well. Recovery from LASIK takes almost no time at all since stitches aren’t part of the procedure.

Ready to learn more about the benefits of LASIK? Be sure to consult with your eye doctor or a qualified eye surgeon.

The Eye Center is the leading refractive practice in South Carolina, providing full service eye care and specializing in Refractive Surgery – Epi-LASIK, Thin Flap LASIK, AST, PRK CK, PRELEX, as well as Corneal Transplant and Cataract Surgery.

 

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Get In Touch With Us
Have Questions? Feel free to contact us and our team will get back to you as soon as possible.