Treatment Of Vision Disorders In The Greater Boston Area
Many people worldwide suffer from visual disorders, these visual impairments could have detrimental effects if left untreated. Here at North Suburban Eye Associates, we are able to diagnose and treat the following vision disorders.
Presbyopia
What Is Presbyopia?
Presbyopia is a condition that typically becomes noticeable for most people around age 45. In children and young adults, the lens inside the eye can easily focus on distant and near objects. With age, the lens loses its ability to focus adequately.
Although presbyopia is not completely understood, it is thought that the lens and its supporting structures lose the ability to make the lens longer during close vision effort. To compensate, affected individuals usually find that holding reading material further away makes the image clearer. Ultimately, aids such as reading glasses are typically needed by the mid-forties.
How Is Presbyopia Treated?
Besides glasses, presbyopia can be dealt with in a number of ways. Options include: monovision and multifocal contact lenses, monovision laser vision correction, and new presbyopia correcting implant lenses.
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Myopia (Nearsightedness)
What Is Myopia (Nearsightedness)?
Nearsighted individuals typically have problems seeing well at a distance and are forced to wear glasses or contact lenses. The nearsighted eye is usually longer than a normal eye, and its cornea may also be steeper. Therefore, when light passes through the cornea and lens, it is focused in front of the retina. This will make distant images appear blurred.
How Is Nearsightedness Treated?
There are several refractive surgery solutions available to correct nearly all levels of nearsightedness.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
What Is Hyperopia (Farsightedness)?
Farsighted individuals typically develop problems reading up close before the age of 40. The farsighted eye is usually slightly shorter than a normal eye and may have a flatter cornea. Thus, the light of distant objects focuses behind the retina unless the natural lens can compensate fully. Near objects require even greater focusing power to be seen clearly and therefore, blur more easily.
How Is Farsightedness Treated?
LASIK, Refractive Lens Exchange and Contact lenses are a few of the options available to correct farsightedness.
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Astigmatism
What Is Astigmatism?
Asymmetric steepening of the cornea or natural lens causes light to be focused unevenly, which is the main optical problem in astigmatism. To individuals with uncorrected astigmatism, images may look blurry or shadowed. Astigmatism can accompany any form of refractive error and is very common.
How Is Astigmatism Treated?
Astigmatism can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, corneal relaxing incisions, laser vision correction, and special implant lenses.
Who is at Higher Risk of Developing Eye and Vision Problems?
A family history of any eye disease, such as glaucoma or cataracts, increases the risk of these conditions getting passed down. Additional factors that can contribute to a higher risk of eye or vision problems include having diabetes or hypertension. The mere act of aging also presents risks for various eye problems to develop. Seeing your eye doctor early and as often as recommended provides you with ample opportunity to stay abreast of your eye health. As needed, your ophthalmologist can develop an appropriate schedule to monitor your eye health or provide treatment to manage an existing condition that may be affecting or threatening your vision.
What’s the Difference Between Astigmatism, Myopia, and Hyperopia?
Astigmatism, Myopia, and Hyperopia are different types of refractive errors. Refractive errors cause vision at one or more distances to be blurry or distorted to some degree. A refractive error, caused by abnormal curvature at the front of the eye, affects how light passes through to the retina. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that passes light signals through the optic nerve to the brain.
- Astigmatism occurs when the curve of the cornea creates two different focal points of light.
- Myopia, known as nearsightedness, may occur when the eyeball's axis is too long. This causes the image of a distant object to land in front of the retina, causing it to appear out of focus.
- Hyperopia, the opposite of myopia, is known as farsightedness, It occurs when the image of a distant object lands behind the retina because the axis of the eye is too short. Farsightedness causes close objects to appear out of focus.
How is Astigmatism Corrected?
Astigmatism is a very common refractive error. It is usually "corrected" by wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses that are customized to the most appropriate magnification for your condition. For longer-lasting correction, you might consider having LASIK. This procedure corrects vision by reshaping the cornea using precision laser technology.
Will I Outgrow My Astigmatism?
The only time that we might see a reversal of astigmatism is in very young children. Some babies are born with this condition, and it may resolve during their early years. Astigmatism that remains after about age five is considered permanent. If you are diagnosed with astigmatism as an adult, the condition is not likely to go away.
How Do I Know I Have Presbyopia?
Presbyopia is usually an age-related condition. It mimics farsightedness in that objects that are up close appear out of focus. You might recognize presbyopia sometime after age forty when the flexibility of the eyes' lens decreases and it becomes more difficult to read labels and print in books or magazines. Having presbyopia, you might also notice that your eyes get fatigued more quickly or that you experience headaches more frequently. If you experience these symptoms, contact our office to schedule a comprehensive eye exam. Presbyopia is easily addressed with eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Who is Prone to Hyperopia?
Hyperopia is often diagnosed in childhood and it relates to the curve of the cornea or the length of the axis of the eyes. While no specific gene has been isolated as a contributing cause of hyperopia, studies do suggest that this common vision problem is more likely to develop among direct relatives. If a child has a parent or sibling with hyperopia, their chances of having it, too, are higher.
Schedule Your Consultation Today!
If you are interested in learning more about any of these visual disorders or the treatment options we offer for them, do not hesitate to schedule a consultation at an office near you! Call 781-245-5200 or click here to fill out and send us an email contact form. Our accomplished doctors look forward to serving you.