Do Contact Lenses Make Your Vision Worse?

Whether you are a new user of eyeglasses or have worn glasses your entire life, you may be considering switching to corrective contact lenses. Contact lenses offer comfort in many different ways, and also have an advantage from an aesthetic point of view. No matter what your motivation is, you may be considering contact lenses as an option if you have been diagnosed with or suffer from any of the following conditions:
• Myopia (nearsightedness)
• Hyperopia (farsightedness)
• Astigmatism (distorted vision)
• Presbyopia (need for bifocals)

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Choosing contact lenses or Glasses

Most eyewear professionals will tell you there are seven basic types of face shapes. While we know everyone is unique, knowing which of the seven shapes is closest to your particular facial features is helpful to determine which frame style will best compliment your features. A round face is one with few angles or sharp curves. As the general rule with eyeglass frames is that they should contrast the face shape, a person with a round face will look best in narrow, angular frames. A person with a square face, on the other hand, will look best in round frames, while an oblong face would be complimented by frames that are thick from top to bottom so as to make the face seem shorter. If one’s face is like a base-up triangle, frames that are wider at the bottom will look best and vice-versa for a base down triangular face.

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How to Choice Color Contacts Lenses

If you need corrective lenses and you want color contacts, be understanding if your eye doctor advises that eyeglasses may be the best option for the time being. Once in a while an eye care practitioner may feel that a teen isn’t ready for contact lenses. Or contacts may not be right for someone’s particular prescription or lifestyle. Even if contact lenses are not the best option for you now, they may be in a year or so.
When visiting an eye doctor for a contact lens fitting, be ready to spend at least an hour or more at the eye care practitioner’s office. A contact lens fitting is usually performed as part of a complete eye exam, so there will likely be a series of tests for all kinds of things, including depth perception, near and distance vision, and glaucoma. Although a healthy teen who doesn’t need vision correction may see this visit as unnecessary, it is very important when placing something into your eye, like color contacts, that an exam be done beforehand.

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How to Make Laser Eye Protection

The laser operator should be properly trained and should always have the correct laser safety glasses available to the patient. The laser room should be clean and the laser safety sign should be on the outside of the door. These same questions should come into play weather its Botox or Liposuction. You want to find out about the training and how many previous treatments has the doctor or tech performed. You don’t want to be the first. If you are the first, then make sure you at least get a very large discount. The cosmetic field is vast and diverse with many sites that are willing to take your hard earned money, remember that you can never be to safe around laser and do your homework before you commit.

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Treatment in Florida by Low Vision Specialists

Age-related macular degeneration is common among people who have reached the age of fifty and beyond, and is a weakening of the macula, part of the eye’s retina. As it progresses, those who suffer from it start to lose their central vision; peripheral vision may remain, but objects directly in front become blurry and out-of-focus. Your Florida low vision eye doctor cannot cure this condition once it has begun, but low vision treatments are available that can stop it from progressing further.

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The Changes of Contact Lenses Over the Last Twenty Years

Contact lenses, like eyeglasses or refractive surgery, can correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.While some people enjoy the fashion statement of eyeglasses, others prefer their appearance without them. Contact lenses can achieve this without irreversible surgery. Contact lenses can also provide a full field of unobstructed vision, which is good for participation in sports.
Contact lenses have been around for more than 100 years. During that time, many advancements have been made that allow just about everyone to wear contact lenses. If you were told in the past that you couldn’twear contact lenses, odds are that’s not true today. There are more convenient and healthy contact lens options than ever.

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New Contac Lens Coupons Code

World's Largest Contact Lens Store®,The Highest Quality Contact Lenses - We maintain the world's largest inventory of contact lenses-almost 10 million. No one is more likely to have your contact lens brand in stock and ready to ship. You'll get the same contact lenses your eye care professional prescribed, but at discount prices and delivered to your door. We offer all of the major brands like Acuvue 2, Biomedics, Focus, Freshlook, O2 Optix, Proclear, PureVision, and SofLens, as well as specialty lenses such as toric contact lenses, colored contacts, and bifocal lenses. New Coupon Code: Save339 . $40-$80 rebates on all the top brands at 1800CONTACTS.com! Don't have your prescription? Actually you do, it's on your contact lens box.

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Computer and Vision care

Computer Vision Syndrome is characterized by chronic eye-strain, occasional blurring of vision, dryness or burning sensation in the eyes, increased sensitivity to light, head-ache and neck, shoulder or back pain.
When we work on a computer screen, our eyes and muscles undergo some physical and physiological changes. Our blinking rate- a mechanism used to keep the eyes evenly moist drastically reduces as we are so engrossed in the screen and kind of “forget” to blink. This causes the tear film on our eyes to break and dry up sooner and induce a burning and gritty sensation eventually leading to red swollen eyes. Since the distance between our eyes and the computer screen is usually very less, our eyes have to exert extra effort and “accommodate” so as to focus on the object on the screen.

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Eye Surgery and PRK Laser

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) laser eye surgery has been existent for over 12 years and is considered to be quite a safe procedure. It is the forerunner of the Lasik procedure. There is no concrete evidence to suggest that PRK laser eye surgery harms the vision or eyes of a patient in the long run. The procedure is used less, unlike Laser and Lasik treatment.
About the Procedure:
If a patient has an unusually thin cornea or sometimes, a large pupil, a surgeon might recommend PRK laser eye surgery for the patient. Lasik and Laser treatment are considered complicated under these conditions.

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The Signal before Vision Problems

People have always thought that, vision problems is “quietly” to come straight wait until the objects found at the fuzzy, have vision problems. In fact, vision problems the incidence of myopia is a signal, a warning, here tell you that attention.

Vision problems occurred mainly in the higher grades of primary school or secondary school students. They read a long time, the handwriting will overlap, rise again before the objects are not clear feeling. Some people in long-term perspective vision for the future will shift to the foreground object, or looking after the recent long-distance move objects, will present a brief ambiguous phenomenon. These are caused by fatigue from the eyes, a long time to occur vision problems. In addition, some children will be repeated in a variety of inflammation, although the vision of these children can reach 1.0 or above, in fact, has “played” a prelude to the vision problems.

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What Type of Contact Lenses Are Right For Your Eyes?

Contact lenses are thin discs that when placed over the cornea of the eye serve to act as a substitute for eyeglasses. The conditions that are corrected by contact lenses are the same as the conditions corrected by eyeglasses and include the following:
• Astigmatism (distorted vision)• Myopia (nearsightedness)• Hyperopia (farsightedness)• Presbyopia (need for bifocals)
Just like no two sets of fingerprints are identical, no two pairs of eyes are exactly alike either. Because of this, there are different types of lenses for different types of eyes. Read below to find out which type of contact lens is right for you.

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Eye Exams Without Dilation - The Optomap Retinal Exam

The optomap Retinal Exam provides a panoramic view of the back of a person's eye (the retina). The view provided by the optomap displays up to 80% of the retina without dilating the patient's eyes.
How Does the Optomap Work
The patient places their eye to be photographed up to the instrument and the doctor's assistant positions the patient for a photograph and takes the picture. The optomap captures its image in only 1/4 of a second. The photographer takes two photos and evaluates the images. If the images look good the same thing is repeated on the second eye. The image captured allows the doctor to view up to 80% of the retinal fundus at one time. The image may be magnified or manipulated for a better view. Written notes can accompany the image file should it need to be emailed to the patient or another doctor. Different wavelengths of laser light used to take the image can be filtered allowing different layers of the retina to be evaluated.
Why is This Better Than Dilation
The optomap is not necessarily better than dilation. The optomap Retinal Exam is a great tool to use in addition to dilation or when a patient can't, or does not want to be dilated.
In some cases the view provided by the optomap is superior to that of pupil dilation. For example, a patient that is very light sensitive will often refuse to have their pupils dilated because of the pain they experience due to the bright lights. The dilated view afforded the doctor of a very photosensitive patient is often poor because it is difficult for the patient to keep their eyes open or to look in the appropriate direction. The optomap captures an image with a brief flash that even light sensitive patients do not object to, allowing the to doctor view the results without discomfort to the patient. The optomap allows for a more comfortable retinal exam. The optomap can be used as a retinal health screening tool, allowing the doctor to focus the dilated retinal exam on areas that require a better view or further investigation.
When comparing the doctor's view of your eye through an undilated pupil, with an instrument called a direct ophthalmoscope, approximately 10% of the retinal fundus is viewable. However, to attain this view requires a cooperative patient with good fixation. A wider view is achieved, through a dilated pupils, with an instrument that is worn on the doctor's head called a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope (BIO). To attain this wider view, requires a cooperative patient, with good fixation and 20 minutes to allow the drops to dilate the pupils. The patient's eyes will remain dilated for 4 to 6 hours and they may experience some blurriness during that time. By having the patient look in different directions, while the doctor readjusts his or her light and a lens that they hold in their hand, the view given by the binocular indirect ophthalmoscope can be increased to almost 100% of the retinal fundus. One of the biggest advantages of a dilated retinal fundus exam with a binocular indirect ophthalmoscope is that it allows the doctor to see the fundus in 3D or a "stereo view". A good retinal camera will allow the examiner to see about 30% of the back of a patient's eye at one time. By taking numerous images and piecing them together up to 60% of the fundus is viewable with a retinal camera.
For Whom is the Optomap Recommended
The short answer is almost everyone is a good candidate for the optomap Retinal Exam. We find, however, that some of the best candidates for the optomap are those patients that can't or don't want to be dilated, children, anyone with a history of retinal problems and people that are light sensitive.
It is in the best interest of your ocular health to have a retinal eye health evaluation during your yearly eye exam that is more comprehensive than a traditional, undilated eye exam. Both the the optomap Retinal Exam and a dilated eye exam meet that standard.
© 2008 -- Total Eye Care

Know Your Lasik Eye Surgery Techniques

There are many different types of LASIK eye surgery techniques such as corneal incisions, flap procedures and photoablation. These procedures are used to correct astigmatism and nearsightedness. If you are considering LASIK eye surgery, it is good to know the differences between the various types.
Corneal LASIK Eye Surgery Procedures
A corneal incision procedure or keratotomy is used in situations where the cornea is misshapen, which interferes with optical refraction. If you have poor refraction, you will suffer from poor eyesight. LASIK eye surgery reshapes the cornea to improve vision.
There are basically three types of procedures included in the corneal incision family:
If you suffer from astigmatism, a procedure called astigmatic keratotomy (AK) may be used. In this procedure the LASIK Surgeon cuts and then smooths bulges in the cornea in order to allow improved refraction.
If you have a mild case of myopia (nearsightedness), the LASIK eye surgery procedure keratotomy (RK) may be used. In this technique the surgeon surrounds the cornea with an arrangement of outward incisions which will result in the cornea flattening.
Although Hexagonal keratotomy (HA) used to be used to correct farsightedness, unwanted side affected have caused surgeons to nearly eliminate its use entirely.
Flap LASIK Eye Surgery Procedures
The origin of LASIK gets it’s name from a flap procedure called Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis, whereby the surgeon cuts a flap in the eye and uses an excimer laser to remove any material that might cause the patient's vision issues.
In Epi-LASIK surgery the surgeon cut does not go deeper than the epithelium. This procedure typically involves a shorter recovery period an can be less painful.
In Lasek surgery, the surgeon cuts a flap in the epithelium and then loosens the flap with alcohol, which can be more painful and cause a longer recovery time.
Keratoplasty is the eye LASIK surgery used for those with myopia or hyperopia, but it isn’t used that much any more.
Photoablation LASIK Eye Surgery Procedures
The most common photoablation LASIK eye surgery procedure is photoreactive keratectomy (PRK). In this procedure, the surgeon uses UV radiation to remove tissue from the eye. The eye is then reshaped using an excimer laser. This procedure is typically used to treat astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness.

Laser Eye Protection - It's Not Just All Fun and Games

With gas prices at record highs, with foreclosure rates at an all time high and with the stock market stagnant, our economy seems to be at an all time low.
However, The cosmetic industry is booming. Laser hair removal, Botox, and Liposuction seem to not have been affected by the economic slowdown. It seems that no matter how tight money is, vanity is what is running people bottom line. It seems like just about every doctor including family practice doc's are getting on the cosmetic bandwagon. The question is weather it is ultimately good for the patient. Yes, the more doctors that offer these procedures, the price is most likely to come down. But what about the safety of the treatments? In all laser treatments it is going to be regulated on a state level. Some states have very strict laser laws and others have none.
The laser operator should be properly trained and should always have the correct laser safety glasses available to the patient. The laser room should be clean and the laser safety sign should be on the outside of the door. These same questions should come into play weather its Botox or Liposuction. You want to find out about the training and how many previous treatments has the doctor or tech performed. You don't want to be the first. If you are the first, then make sure you at least get a very large discount. The cosmetic field is vast and diverse with many sites that are willing to take your hard earned money, remember that you can never be to safe around laser and do your homework before you commit.

PRK Laser Eye Surgery - Safe and Effective Procedure

Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) laser eye surgery has been existent for over 12 years and is considered to be quite a safe procedure. It is the forerunner of the Lasik procedure. There is no concrete evidence to suggest that PRK laser eye surgery harms the vision or eyes of a patient in the long run. The procedure is used less, unlike Laser and Lasik treatment.
About the Procedure:
If a patient has an unusually thin cornea or sometimes, a large pupil, a surgeon might recommend PRK laser eye surgery for the patient. Lasik and Laser treatment are considered complicated under these conditions.
Preparations:
The eye area of the patient is cleaned and the eyelid is held intact, using a metal ring. Anesthetic drops that are administered ensure that the eyes are numb. This prevents discomfort when the laser is used. In other laser eye treatments, the eye's shape is reformed, beneath the surface of cornea. But in PRK procedure, the cornea is reshaped by removing thin layer of cells, with a laser examiner, from the eye's surface. The epithelium tends to naturally grow back and side effects are less.
Downside:
Unlike newer and advanced laser eye surgeries, PRK laser eye surgery needs a longer recovery time. The patients, after the surgical procedure, experience greater discomfort and greater pain. The vision can be blurred and hazy in the patients of PRK, for nearly two months. The complete result of the surgery is apparent only after a few months.
Risks Involved:
Like all other surgeries, this surgery has a few risks involved. They are:
• Dry eyes:
This is a common side effect and eye drops are used for lubricating the eyes and staying away from infections.
• Poorer night vision:
The daytime vision of a patient will improve after PRK and this will help the patients to carry out their daily routine, without the help of contact lenses and glasses. Night vision sometimes will be poorer than that of the vision that existed before surgery. This ensues in the patients- seeing halo or glare around the lights. Driving in night is not advised for a few months and glasses become necessary for driving during the night time.
Conclusion:
Results have proven that more than 80% of people who choose this procedure do not use corrective lenses or glasses. This is exciting news for people with defective eyesight that needs to be rectified. PRK surgery has many advantages and is reputed as a safe procedure with an impressive success rate.

Vision Insurance: Your Child's Vision and Preparing for Unforeseen Problems

Today, 1 in 4 children has an undiagnosed vision problem. Although, the chances of developing a vision problem are greater if there is a history of eyesight problems in your family, many children with no such family history encounter a troublesome vision issue.
Television is not the only culprit responsible for the deterioration of your child’s eyesight. Children are now spending an alarming amount of time in front of the computer screen. Optometrists warn that heavy computer usage is known to increase your chances of developing blurry and double vision.
Loss of vision is not to be taken lightly and the individuals who are most affected are children. A child’s untreated vision problem can lead to learning and behavioral problems. Teachers and parents often struggle trying to understand why a child is not doing well in school or why they are acting out in the classroom and at home. Many times the simple explanation is that the child cannot read the blackboard or even the pages in front of them. This frustrating situation can easily spiral out of control if not attended to.
Currently in several Canadian provinces, coverage for eye exams has been implemented. Provincial coverage differs, but most terms specify that eye exams are only covered once every two years and only if your child is under the age of 10. There are many healthcare specialists who believe this to be inadequate. It is impossible to gage when a child’s vision will begin to deteriorate, if at all, but factors such as heredity and increased exposure to computer and television screens may speed up the process. In order to properly monitor the health of your children’s eyes, it may be wise to plan a vision check-up more often than every two years. Unfortunately, visiting an optometrist every year can cost you as much as $150 for every eye examination if your province does not provide coverage. In order to fill the gaps left by provincial health coverage, it may be sensible to purchase health insurance for your children.
Without an employer health insurance plan, parents might want to consider supplemental vision insurance through a plan such as Flexcare offered by Manulife Financial which allows you to individually customize your coverage. Plans such as DentalPlus Basic or Enhanced allot you a specified amount of money towards vision-related services, or additional add-on vision insurance coverage.
In many cases, children are unaware that their eyesight is deteriorating. The untreated eye problem can result in learning and behavioral problems that negatively affect a child’s life. With proper attention to vision care, including regular check-ups, unforeseen problems can be avoided.

Vision Service Plan Insurance - Covers the Necessities of Sight

At some point in everybody’s life there is going to be a need for corrective lens of some sort, whether they be glasses or contacts. As such it’s a good idea to look into and buy vision service plan insurance. Of course if this is provided for by the company you work for so much the better. Vision service plan insurance will generally cover the necessities of eye care leaving the cost of cosmetic enhancements up to the consumer to pay out of pocket.
Going online to find out about the nitty gritty of a vision service plan insurance policy and what they stereotypically provide is an easily facilitated task that any individual no matter how computer “challenged” they deem themselves to be. As with any type of insurance the cost of the plan depends on what type of coverage is sought after. The more you cover the more you will pay.
Most plans provide for an eye exam per year as well as lenses and frames for glasses or a set of contacts. Some plans can be set up with more coverage and a series of co payments. Coverage of getting glasses usually encompasses the following:
1. Prescribing. The eye exam and resulting prescription are done.
2. Frame selection. Help is given in choosing frames.
3. Accuracy of lenses. Once the lenses have been made and placed in the glasses making sure they have been done to specifications.
4. Fitting. At the time of pickup making sure that the glasses are adjusted in keeping with the individual’s facial structure, this ensures proper vision.
5. Adjustments. This takes care of any subsequent need for adjustment due to general wear and tear.
Getting contacts usually entails the eye exam, prescription and then trying on and testing the new pair of contacts. Oftentimes the ophthalmologist suggests testing a new set of contacts out for a week or two before ordering a new set. Most vision service insurance policies cover the aspects of contacts that are visually necessary but as mentioned previously leave the cost for cosmetic embellishments-such as colors-up to the patient.

Vision Insurance is Something You Need to Look Into

Have you looked into your medical insurance policy lately? Does it cover such things as; Lasik eye surgery, glasses or catastrophic eye problems? Most medical policies do not have these coverages. Even the best medical coverage policies do not always cover such things. Perhaps you need to look into vision insurance and see if you can get the coverage you may need in case of problems with your eyes.
Of course you will need to talk to an expert insurance and it is best to talk with someone before such issues with your vision arise. One eye insurance policy I looked into had a monthly membership fee which was nominal and low deductibles too. I asked my insurance person about this and she told me she had even a better plan that what I had found searching on the Internet, which tells me that shopping around makes a lot of sense.
First, review your current medical policy, then study what is available on the Internet a little and then once you have a pretty good handle on it write down a list of serious questions to ask and get the answers you need from an insurance expert.
Sometimes employer medical plans include such things, but not always and for us self-employed folks well we are clearly on our own when it comes to such things, but we must not forget our eyes.
Running a business blind is truly visionless indeed. I certainly hope this article is of interest and that is has propelled thought. The goal is simple; to help you in your quest to be the best in 2007. I thank you for reading my many articles on diverse subjects, which interest you.

Vision Insurance - How To Choose Eye Insurance Plans

Vision insurance can be very important to the many of us who have vision problems. Without it we would incur mounting vision care expenses that we would never see an end to. This is why our companies, school districts, colleges, and associations offer eye insurance to offset the cost of caring for our eyes. But what would happen if you didn’t have a vision insurance plan?
Some wonder all of the time whether or not they need vision insurance benefits and, surprisingly enough, some of the people who wonder such things are people who have vision problems. Yet a cause for such questions may be due to the fact these particular people have had bad experiences with vision insurance providers who have still slapped them with huge bills.
Something like that can easily make a patient wonder if they really need the insurance. Truth is, the bill may have been larger had there not been vision insurance in place. You do not want to have to pay an arm and a leg for your examination, contacts or glasses, or even surgical procedures. As simple as a couple of these sounds, they are very expensive.
First and foremost, keep in mind that vision insurance benefits are a supplement to health insurance. If you do not have an occupation or affiliation that will allow you to acquire insurance, you may want to consider purchasing insurance on your own to take care of your medical needs. Yet the selection aspect can be puzzling to some since there are different kinds of vision insurance available.
Among those insurances available are a discount vision plan and a vision benefits package. The discount vision plan provides you with vision care at a discounted rate that is fixed after an annual membership fee or premium (usually $0-$12) are met. There may also be a deductible (usually $0-$35) involved that must be met before full benefits are received.
The vision benefits package usually involves the same aspects as the discount vision plan, but also requires a co-pay (usually $10-$15) each time the patient needs to access eye care services. Obviously eye insurance is very affordable and can save you a bundle. If you must purchase vision insurance on your own, the primary companies you can do this through are Spectera, VSP, EyeMed, Davis Vision, and AlwaysCare.
No matter the type of insurance you choose, you are going to notice that vision insurance costs are less than if you had no insurance at all. You do not want to be put in financial straights because of an emergency you could not control.
Your eyes are an important part of your life and without your eyes it is more difficult to function in this seeing world and you do not want to hamper that functionality due to the fact you cannot afford the costs associated with eye care. That is why vision insurance is available at affordable rates to keep you from having to choose between your money and your eyes.

Vision Insurance Plan - How To Choose Eye Insurance Plans

If you are among the estimated 50% of American who wear prescription contact lenses or eye glasses, a vision insurance plan can help you with the costs. A good vision plan can help you pay for your eye exam, contacts and glasses. Some employers offer a benefit package or discount plan to their employees, but you can also find one and pay for it yourself. In the long run, it can be well worth the cost.
What is an Eye Insurance Plan?
An eye insurance plan is not like regular health insurance. It is a wellness benefit that either provides a discounted rate for vision services such as eye exams, contacts and glasses or it helps offset the costs of these services. You can get vision insurance in one of two different types:
Vision Benefits Package
Vision Discount Plan
A vision benefits package is much like insurance coverage in that is covers vision services. Sometimes you may be required to pay a co-payment at the time of the service or purchase of your contacts or glasses. Your benefits package pays the balance.
A vision discount plan is different from a vision benefits package in that you pay for the full services, but it is at a lower, discounted rate that has been agreed upon by the network provider. Through a discount plan, you are given a list of network providers who have agreed to charge the discounted prices per the plan. Often, there are also specific eye care services that are included in the plan so review prospective plans to make sure that the one you choose meets your needs.
Benefits of a Vision Insurance Plan
Eye insurance plans can be very beneficial, particularly if you have vision problems. You can save money on vision services and even eye glasses and contacts. An eye insurance plan can offset the sometimes substantial costs of vision care. Eye glasses alone can cost more than $200, but with a vision plan you can cut that cost by 50% or more.
You can get individual plans or plans that cover the entire family. They can be particularly helpful in saving money if you cover your children as they can sometimes go through several pair of eye glasses in a year.
Choosing the Right Vision Plan
If you think that a vision insurance company could have some benefits to offer, it is important that you find the right plan for your needs. Carefully review the benefits that are offered, what is covered, how often you can get an eye exam and how many pair of eye glasses or contact lenses you can get within a year or a six month period.
You can conduct an online search for vision insurance plans or even find a site that allows you to compare different companies by their benefits. You also want to make sure that you vision plan falls within your budget. It does you no good and you won't save much if you go broke paying for the plan.