Month: April 2015

As we get older our eyes deteriorate.  Although unpleasant it is not the end of the world.  There are treatments for most age-related eye conditions and early diagnosis helps you to live a normal life.

This post highlights what can be done to help you lead a better life; if you are one of the five million Britons living with an age-related eye condition.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an increasingly common eye problem worldwide.  It causes a fluid build up in your eye putting pressure on the optic nerve.  Overtime, dark spots form on the edge of your vision progressing to a tunnel vision effect.  As the process is gradual it is often not noticed until the onset of the condition is quite severe.

The treatment for glaucoma is to use eye drops that alter fluid production, relieving the pressure on the optic nerve.  As with most treatments, the earlier glaucoma is detected the better.  This is why medical professionals recommend regular eye tests.

Around 500,000 people in the UK suffer with the condition.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is where the macular-the central point of the retina becomes damaged.  This causes a tunnel vision effect and makes reading, watching TV, and identifying features of faces difficult.  There are two types of AMD, wet and dry.

Dry is more common and harder to treat.  Here, the waste product builds up forming deposits that dislodge the macular, while wet AMD causes tiny blood vessels to grow under the retina.  They leak fluid and blood distorting your vision.  Sometimes dry AMD can lead to wet AMD.

Currently, the treatment range for dry AMD is to take vitamins to reduce the progression of the condition and to prevent the onset of wet AMD.

For wet AMD there are treatments available and many in the pipeline.  Often it involves injections into your eye to seal the blood vessels.

Cataracts

Cataracts are a condition where your eye lens becomes cloudy, impairing your vision.  Although the only way to cure cataracts is to have your lens replaced, often you will require glasses for either near or long sightedness.

We have a range of good quality glasses for you.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Like AMD, diabetic retinopathy occurs when blood vessels grow on your retina causing blockages in your vision.  If left untreated, suffers will go blind.  Like wet AMD injections into the eye are necessary to seal the blood vessels.

Once again early detection is key to halting the progress of the condition.

Contact us for your next eye test

To prevent these conditions having a serious impact of your life, schedule your free eye consultation today.  It could make all the difference to your quality of life.  Click here.

University of Ohio Publishes Results of 20 Year Study

Karla Zadnik, professor and dean of the College of Optometry at The Ohio State University and lead author of the study:

“Near work has been thought to be a cause of myopia, or at least a risk factor, for more than 100 years.

“In this large dataset from an ethnically representative sample of children, we found no association.”

This latest research debunks the theory that staring for long periods of a screen, albeit television or computer will lead to myopia.

The study looked at thirteen potential causes of short sightedness, to try and determine which one is most likely to lead to the onset of the condition in children.   The study focused on children aged between six to eleven over a twenty year period.

One of the risk factors they looked at was screen watching of some kind.

The study did find that the biggest way to determine whether or not a child would develop myopia was the level of refractive error at age six.  In a healthy eye, children at this age are slightly long sighted.  When a child has myopia the study suggests that the refractive error will reveal little or no long sightedness.  As the child grows, their eye becomes misshapen and the onset of short sightedness begins.

As well as not being able to see properly without visual aid, myopia suffers are at a greater risk of glaucoma, and retinal detachment.

Myopia Research

Myopia is reaching near epidemic levels throughout the world with an estimated 2.5 billion sufferers.  In China around 90% of teenagers now suffer with the condition.  All the evidence is that the rise in the condition is down to children spending less time outside, although opinion is divided as why this is a factor in the scientific community.

Eye Examinations

With the upsurge in myopia it is important that you and your family have your eyes examined regularly.  (Refer to our eye exam post for scheduling).  This will not only tell you if you require corrective lenses to see, but it can be an early warning sign for problems in the future.

For your child, as well as determining whether or not they suffer with long or short sightedness, our award winning eye test services can determine whether or not they suffer with reading difficulties due to visual stress.

As well as giving you a thorough eye test, we provide a comprehensive product range of spectacles and contact lenses.

So make your appointment today, and address any vision issues you may have.