What is dry eye disease?
Dry eye disease is when the surface of the eye lacks adequate lubrication and moisture. Symptoms include redness, burning, light sensitivity, and even watery eyes. The underlying causes include extensive computer use, aging, medications, smoking, and eyelid disorders. A suitable treatment regimen is tailored based on the type of dry eye a patient has. Treatments include good lid hygiene, lubricating drops and gels, punctal plugs, meibomian gland expression, and IPL therapy.
Am I a candidate for laser vision correction?
LASIK and PRK are the two most common laser correction procedures. They correct refractive errors such as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism by reshaping the cornea to refocus light directly onto the retina.
Can I wear contact lenses?
There are a variety of contact lenses available today that can correct almost any refractive error. They are available in spherical, toric (to correct astigmatism), and multifocal (to correct for distance and near vision as the eye ages). Lens modalities include daily, two-week, and monthly disposable as well as gas permeable hard lenses. Specialty contact lenses are available to correct even the most challenging prescriptions.
What is the difference between bifocal and progressive eyeglass lenses?
Bifocals are lenses that offer a distance and a near prescription separated by a visible line. A trifocal has an additional visible line which creates another zone for mid-range vision. A progressive lens or "no line" lens offers a smooth, progressive change from distance to near and includes all the ranges in between. They mimic the more natural vision the eye was accustomed to prior to the onset of presbyopia.
What is progressive myopia?
Myopia or nearsightedness is a common condition where the eye can see clearly at near lengths but is blurry when looking at things in the distance. Progressive myopia is a rapid change in the amount of nearsightedness each year due to an increase in the axial length of the eye. It can result in the need for increasingly stronger prescriptions, retinal detachments, glaucoma, cataracts, and macular degeneration. Although not fully understood, there are genetic factors as well as environmental factors such as increased rigor of work, more time spent on electronic devices, and less time spent outdoors. Treatments include more frequent breaks when doing work that involves looking at a screen or reading and writing, spending more time outdoors, wearing specialty glasses, using myopia-controlling soft contact lenses, and orthokeratology (using gas permeable contact lenses).
