Eye Conditions

Nearsightedness occurs when the cornea is too curved or the eye is too long. This causes light to focus in front of the retina, resulting in blurry distance vision. This is a common condition that affects nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. It typically appears between the ages of eight and 12 years old, usually before the age of 20. As the body grows, the condition often worsens. It typically stabilizes in adulthood. The primary cause is heredity.

Symptoms of Myopia

• Blurry distance vision

Treatment

Prescription glasses and contact lenses are the most common treatments. However, there are a number of surgical vision correction procedures that can reduce or eliminate myopia.

Farsightedness occurs when the cornea is too flat in relation to the length of the eye. This causes light to focus at a point beyond the retina, resulting in blurry close vision and occasionally blurry distance vision too. Usually this condition is undetected until later in life because the young eye is able to compensate for the hyperopia by contracting the internal lens of the eye. The primary cause is heredity.

Symptoms of Hyperopia

• Objects in the distance appear clearly
• Blurry close vision
• Occasionally, blurry distance vision

Treatment

Prescription glasses and contact lenses are the most common treatments. However, there are a number of surgical vision correction procedures that can reduce or eliminate hyperopia.

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped like a football (more curved in one direction than the other) and often occurs in combination with myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). This causes light to focus in more than one point on the retina, resulting in blurry and distorted vision. Causes can include heredity, corneal scars and keratoconus.

Symptoms of Astigmatism

• Blurry, distorted vision at all distances

Treatment

Prescription glasses and contact lenses are the most common treatments. However, there are a number of surgical vision correction procedures that can reduce or eliminate astigmatism.

Our eyes contain a crystalline lens that helps us focus on objects that are near and far away, a process is called accommodation. This clear lens is very flexible, becoming thicker while focusing on distant objects and thinner while focusing on objects that are up close. As we age, the lens becomes less flexible. This makes focusing on close objects more difficult, resulting in the need to wear reading glasses. The medical term for this condition is presbyopia.

Symptoms of Presbyopia

• Blurry close vision that starts after age 40
• Difficulty adjusting focus when switching from near to distance vision
• Eye fatigue along with headaches when doing close work

Treatment

Reading glasses and contact lenses are the most common treatments. Some patients experience success with LASIK to create monovision. This allows them to see distance clearly in one eye and close-up clearly with the other eye.

Is there Corrective Eye Surgery for Youthful Vision?

As we age, so do our eyes. After time, we may find that it is harder to see while driving at night or suddenly find ourselves needing glasses to read the newspaper. These are gradual changes that occur as a result of the effects that aging has on the natural lens of the eye. This affects the ability of the eye to focus on near objects, a condition known as presbyopia. Although presbyopia cannot be prevented, our Western Slope Lasik Center, conveniently located in the 20/20 office, can offer corrective eye surgery treatments performed by Dr. Lawrence Spivack to address the blurred vision caused by presbyopia and help patients restore the clear vision of their youth.

Monovision Option

In an effort to delay the need for reading glasses, some patients with presbyopia consider monovision treatment here at 20/20 EyeCare. Monovision allows the eyes to work with the visual portion of the brain. While the eyes work together, the dominant distance eye captures most distance vision. The other eye, the dominant reading eye, captures closer vision. Most people have different prescription requirements in each eye for this very reason.

Which Eye Is Your Dominant Distance Eye? Outstretch your arms, overlap your hands (palms out, fingers up, thumb to thumb) and make a small open triangle with your hands. Look around the room and find an object across the room to focus on (e.g., a light switch). Place the visual object in the center of the triangle. While keeping your arms steady, close your right eye. Did the object disappear or stay in the center of your triangle? Try again by closing just your left eye. Your dominant distance eye is the eye that held the object in the center of your triangle.

After Monovision Treatment: Although monovision allows individuals to do most normal tasks at a close distance, they may still need to wear reading glasses for prolonged work or for reading very small print. They may also find it is more comfortable to drive at night with a pair of glasses.