With all the youth-oriented product marketing these days, it is easy to get the impression that contact lenses are more fashionable for young people, leaving the assumption that the older or ‘more mature’ are better-suited for bifocals and the like.
Fortunately, that notion doesn’t hold water. It is true that as we age eyesight issues can become more complicated, but improvements have been made in contact lens technology over the past several years that have increased the opportunity for older adults to switch from glasses.
The most common eye condition encountered as we age is presbyopia, the difficulty of focusing at varied distances. In years past, prescription bifocal eyeglasses achieved correction. But nowadays contact lenses have been developed and manufactured to tackle presbyopia, with bifocal and multifocal lenses coming onto the market. There are also lenses made from hydrophilic (water-containing) materials for dry eyes, which can occur as we get older. Many lenses feature tinting and orientation marks, making handling easier and aids locating dropped or lost contacts. There are both rigid and soft styles that can be worn, depending on the type, for daily or extended wear. There are even disposable brands for more convenience.
Another inducement to switch to contacts is that older individuals today are generally more active than their parents were at the same age. An active lifestyle is enhanced by contacts as eyeglasses tend to be awkward and frames constantly interfere with peripheral vision. Along with healthy pursuits, contacts add to a youthful appearance and sense of vitality.
Once you have made the choice to explore the option of wearing contacts, a consultation with an eye doctor is essential. A full eye examination is needed to help determine the type and design of contact best suited to you. Health issues that may factor into your eligibility to wear lenses have to be dealt with; so you must be prepared to discuss any allergies, medications, and conditions in your history. An eye care professional should become a partner in fitting your lenses and monitoring the adjustment process, answering questions and giving you the support needed during this transition. They are also there to give you the ongoing care needed to maintain comfortable wear.
So, this notion that contacts are only for 20 and 30-somethings is as old-fashioned as telephone booths. Fortunately, in today’s health-conscious world youthful vigor can be found in many individuals other than the young. There is no reason to rule out getting contact lenses simply because you are ‘more mature’.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Smoking, Eye Health and Contacts
We have all heard or seen the surgeon general’s warning about smoking: it causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, and may complicate pregnancy. But fewer people know that it also plays a significant, negative role in eye health.
Recent studies have pointed to smoking as a contributor to age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in persons 65 and older. Smokers also have a three-times greater risk of developing cataracts.
The chemicals in cigarette smoke get into the bloodstream, cause clots, and shrink blood vessels. The retina uses a major supply of blood to help us see clearly. When the retinal receptors lack a proper flow of blood, damage occurs that directly affects eyesight. This constriction of blood vessels also raises inner eye pressure, resulting in glaucoma and deterioration of the optic nerve.
Other eye disorders attributed to smoking include uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye and Graves’ ophthalmopathy, a thyroid-related disease that disrupts muscle control of the eye. Smoking worsens diabetic retinopathy, blood vessel damage associated with abnormal sugar levels and spikes the number of free radicals, molecules in the body that alter healthy cells. This changes the ability to absorb proper nutrients and vitamins—including those necessary for eye health.
Contact lens wearers who also smoke exacerbate conditions of dry eye and cornea irritation, increasing the chances of infection. Achieving comfort becomes more difficult, and smokers have to resort to additional dietary nutrients, supplements, or medicated drops to increase eye moisture. Quitting the habit gives you the opportunity to see if your dry eyes improve to the point where you can do away with those ‘artificial tears’ and other lubricants.
Second hand smoke has over 250 toxic compounds that are left behind in the air for eyes to be exposed to. In addition to the obvious irritation, second hand smoke gets into the bloodstream just as pervasively as puffing from a lit cigarette.
Quitting smoking reduces the risks of developing eye disease, but once you are diagnosed with macular degeneration or optic nerve damage it is irreversible. The key is to give up smoking while eyes are relatively healthy with no major disorders present; risk factors continue to decline the longer you stay away from cigarettes.
Snuffing out the habit sooner rather than later is a winning health strategy. Not only will you breathe easier and enjoy your activities more, but you will also give yourself a great chance of keeping good vision along with a better quality of life.
Recent studies have pointed to smoking as a contributor to age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in persons 65 and older. Smokers also have a three-times greater risk of developing cataracts.
The chemicals in cigarette smoke get into the bloodstream, cause clots, and shrink blood vessels. The retina uses a major supply of blood to help us see clearly. When the retinal receptors lack a proper flow of blood, damage occurs that directly affects eyesight. This constriction of blood vessels also raises inner eye pressure, resulting in glaucoma and deterioration of the optic nerve.
Other eye disorders attributed to smoking include uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye and Graves’ ophthalmopathy, a thyroid-related disease that disrupts muscle control of the eye. Smoking worsens diabetic retinopathy, blood vessel damage associated with abnormal sugar levels and spikes the number of free radicals, molecules in the body that alter healthy cells. This changes the ability to absorb proper nutrients and vitamins—including those necessary for eye health.
Contact lens wearers who also smoke exacerbate conditions of dry eye and cornea irritation, increasing the chances of infection. Achieving comfort becomes more difficult, and smokers have to resort to additional dietary nutrients, supplements, or medicated drops to increase eye moisture. Quitting the habit gives you the opportunity to see if your dry eyes improve to the point where you can do away with those ‘artificial tears’ and other lubricants.
Second hand smoke has over 250 toxic compounds that are left behind in the air for eyes to be exposed to. In addition to the obvious irritation, second hand smoke gets into the bloodstream just as pervasively as puffing from a lit cigarette.
Quitting smoking reduces the risks of developing eye disease, but once you are diagnosed with macular degeneration or optic nerve damage it is irreversible. The key is to give up smoking while eyes are relatively healthy with no major disorders present; risk factors continue to decline the longer you stay away from cigarettes.
Snuffing out the habit sooner rather than later is a winning health strategy. Not only will you breathe easier and enjoy your activities more, but you will also give yourself a great chance of keeping good vision along with a better quality of life.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Getting Used to Monovision
Monovision is the contact lens technique for presbyopia that involves fitting a corrective lens for distance on a patient’s dominant eye* and a near-vision one on the other. As with bifocal or multifocal lenses, it is an option that allows the same pair of contacts to be used whether one is driving or reading a book.
On the surface, this method may seem odd and one questions how clear vision can be achieved with the eyes working at different powers.
So, how does monovision work?
As we look into the distance, our dominant eye commands the brain’s attention as vision information is transferred. The non-dominant eye still works, of course, but the dominant eye is in the ‘driver’s seat’. Even though the non-dominant eye is corrected for near vision, it does not interfere with the ‘communication’ going on between the brain and the distance eye. In successful applications, the brain learns to adapt to the two extremes, minimizing any overwhelming dizzying sensation following an adjustment period. Monovision also works if the dominant eye sees distance clearly with no aid, leaving the non-dominant one to be corrected for close sight. The technique is more successful with contacts than with eyeglasses since glasses sit away from the eyes. By their design, contacts are more attuned to natural eye function.
Monovision provides effective correction for presbyopes in nearly 75% of cases; but because the method is a compromise, there are some issues that have to be dealt with. Diminished depth perception is a result of the technique, as well as possible mild headaches until one becomes used to the differing lens powers. There is also the possibility of having less distinct sharpness when viewing distance. In successful instances, the period of adaptation is approximately one to three weeks.
Contact lens applied monovision does not permanently alter eyesight, unlike refractive surgery that incorporates the technique. Contacts can be removed if a trial is not successful and vision will return to what it was before the therapy.
If you are presbyopic and want to depend less on reading glasses, then ask your eye care provider about monovision to determine if you would be a good candidate.
*Much like being right or left-handed, eyes are similarly coordinated. The dominant eye focuses for distance while the non-dominant eye handles near vision. A simple test to determine which eye is dominant involves keeping both eyes open as you raise your right arm to point at an object in the distance (approximately 20 feet away or more). Focus on the object as you continue to point and cover first your left eye and then the right. In one of these instances, your pointing finger will seem to shift to one side. Your dominant eye is the one that does not cause the shift. Your eye doctor can confirm which eye is dominant.
On the surface, this method may seem odd and one questions how clear vision can be achieved with the eyes working at different powers.
So, how does monovision work?
As we look into the distance, our dominant eye commands the brain’s attention as vision information is transferred. The non-dominant eye still works, of course, but the dominant eye is in the ‘driver’s seat’. Even though the non-dominant eye is corrected for near vision, it does not interfere with the ‘communication’ going on between the brain and the distance eye. In successful applications, the brain learns to adapt to the two extremes, minimizing any overwhelming dizzying sensation following an adjustment period. Monovision also works if the dominant eye sees distance clearly with no aid, leaving the non-dominant one to be corrected for close sight. The technique is more successful with contacts than with eyeglasses since glasses sit away from the eyes. By their design, contacts are more attuned to natural eye function.
Monovision provides effective correction for presbyopes in nearly 75% of cases; but because the method is a compromise, there are some issues that have to be dealt with. Diminished depth perception is a result of the technique, as well as possible mild headaches until one becomes used to the differing lens powers. There is also the possibility of having less distinct sharpness when viewing distance. In successful instances, the period of adaptation is approximately one to three weeks.
Contact lens applied monovision does not permanently alter eyesight, unlike refractive surgery that incorporates the technique. Contacts can be removed if a trial is not successful and vision will return to what it was before the therapy.
If you are presbyopic and want to depend less on reading glasses, then ask your eye care provider about monovision to determine if you would be a good candidate.
*Much like being right or left-handed, eyes are similarly coordinated. The dominant eye focuses for distance while the non-dominant eye handles near vision. A simple test to determine which eye is dominant involves keeping both eyes open as you raise your right arm to point at an object in the distance (approximately 20 feet away or more). Focus on the object as you continue to point and cover first your left eye and then the right. In one of these instances, your pointing finger will seem to shift to one side. Your dominant eye is the one that does not cause the shift. Your eye doctor can confirm which eye is dominant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
