In the past, eyeglass lenses were made exclusively of glass; today, however, most lenses are made of plastic. Plastic lenses are lighter, do not break as easily as glass lenses, and can be treated with a filter to keep out ultraviolet light, which can be damaging to the eyes. However, glass lenses are more resistant to scratches than plastic ones. Eye problems, in general, tend to get overlooked in a crowd of broader health issues such as heart disease and cancer.
The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped “window” at the front of the eye. Disease, infection, injury, and other things can hurt the cornea. Treatments for corneal problems can be simple. You may just need to change your eyeglass prescription and use eye drops. Professional who makes and adjusts optical aids, e.g., eyeglass (Also called spectacles) lenses, from refraction prescriptions supplied by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Contact lenses are worn directly on the cornea of the eye. Like eyeglasses, contact lenses help to correct refractive errors and perform this function by adding or subtracting focusing power to the eye's cornea and lens.
As we grow older, eyesight isn't what it used to be. Fortunately, eyeglasses or contact lenses can fix most garden-variety vision problems. With age comes the development of cataracts or clouding of the eye’s natural lens. Intraocular lenses (IOLs) traditionally have been used to replace the eye’s natural lens after its removal during cataract surgery. However, with the traditional IOLs, most patients still needed to wear glasses for reading and using the computer. This, however, may be changing. The eyeglasses also help blind patients with macular degeneration. Astigmatism also can be treated by the use of cylindrical lenses (eyeglasses or contact lenses).
National Institutes of Health (NIH) study has found that six percent, or 14 million, are visually impaired. Of these, more than 11 million have uncorrected visual impairment, such as nearsightedness. They need eyeglasses or contact lenses to improve their vision. This study found that most people who have a visual impairment could achieve good vision with proper eyeglasses or contact lenses. Eyeglasses are an intervention to improve a manifestation of aging, i.e. degenerating eyesight, and glasses pose few (if any) risks to physical health.
People who have more than one vision problem often need glasses with multifocal lenses. Corrective artificial lens implants give people who don't want to bother with eyeglasses or manual insertion of contact lenses another option to consider. Glasses correct refractive errors by adding or subtracting focusing power to the cornea and lens. The power needed to focus images directly on the retina is measured in diopters. This measurement is also your eyeglass prescription.
Monovision is a corrective technique used to treat people with presbyopia. The intent is for the person to use one eye for distance viewing and one eye for near viewing. Having each eye configured for different focusing distances can reduce or eliminate the need for eyeglasses or contact lenses.
Projected average employment growth reflects the steady demand for corrective lenses and eyeglass frames that are in fashion. Eyeglass guards or goggles also have been used to prevent sports eye injury. Sunglasses are a visual aid, variously termed spectacles or glasses, which feature lenses that are colored or darkened to screen out strong light from the eyes.
Optical scientists at The University of Arizona have developed new switchable, flat, liquid crystal diffractive lenses that can adaptively change their focusing power. Its great news for anyone with imperfect vision, for it opens the way for next-generation "smart" eyeglasses -- glasses with built-in automatic focus. Eyeglass lenses will know where to focus just like your auto-focusing camera does.
Every time you go out into the sun, your eyes can take a hit from UV-B rays. The good news is it's never too late to start protecting your eyes, because the lens change is probably from an accumulated dose over the years. Inexpensive, plastic sunglasses are good absorbers of UV-B. That's why everyone needs to get into the habit of protecting their eyes.
Correcting nursing home residents' poor vision not only boosts quality of life, it may lower risks for depression, U.S. researchers report.
A team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham studied 78 nursing home residents, 55 and older, who received eyeglasses one week after having an eye exam and 64 residents who received eyeglasses or contact lenses two months after an eye check-up. The residents' vision-related quality-of-life and depressive symptoms were assessed at the start of the study and again two months later.
"This study implies that there are significant, short-term quality-of-life and psychological benefits to providing the most basic of eye care services -- namely, spectacle correction -- to older adults residing in nursing homes," the researchers concluded.” These findings underscore the need for a systematic evaluation of the factors underlying the pervasive unavailability of eye care to nursing home residents in the United States so that steps can be taken to improve delivery and eye care utilization."
Risk:
Injuries related to wearing glasses sent an estimated 27,000 people to the emergency department. Sports-related eyeglass injuries were more common in children 17 and younger. But the researchers say that such injuries could be avoided if people would wear protective eyewear during activities that put them at high risk of eye injury.
Researchers at the Columbus Children's Research Institute (CCRI), at Columbus Children's Hospital, say that among children ages 2 to 9, falling was the leading cause of eyeglass-related injuries (55 percent).The study also found that boys and girls were equally likely to suffer eyeglass-related injuries, at 53 percent and 47 percent of incidents, respectively.
A seminal study conducted by Lord, Dayhew & Howland (2002) found that multifocal glasses in individuals aged 63-90 impair depth perception and edge-contrast sensitivity and multifocal lenses were observed to double the risk of falling. If we are to adequately address this risk in falls prevention programs it is crucial to understand the process of adaptation to multifocal lenses. They documented that the new use of bifocals in able-bodied individuals can play a contributing factor in gait with the potential to increase the risk of falling, even in a relatively young set of subjects.
Data from a national survey suggest that an estimated 60 million American adults are at high risk of vision loss, according to a report published in this year issue of Archives of Ophthalmology, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. Of those adults, one in 12 cannot afford eyeglasses when needed, and about one-half do not get dilated eye examinations on a yearly basis.
Eyeglasses or contact lenses care and tips to select proper one:
* Don’t pull off your eyeglasses and buff them with a shirt tail. Shirts, paper towels and tissues aren’t meant for cleaning eyewear. While the fabric may feel smooth as silk to you, it can be as abrasive as sandpaper to the glass in your spectacles. That way you’ll avoid microscopic scratches that can blur your glasses and your vision. One great way to avoid that is to use an anti-fog cloth (Anti-Fog Cloth) on the lenses. The cloth leaves an invisible coating on the lenses that prevent water from condensing and fogging up your eyesight.
* Long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation in sunlight is linked to eye disease. UVB radiation is considered more dangerous to the eyes and skin than UVA radiation. Dark glasses are needed to block the visible light from the sun. For children, however, the glasses should be shatterproof to prevent eye injury in case of an accident.
* Polycarbonate is a high-impact resistant plastic that offers ultraviolet protection and can be made in prescription or non-prescription lenses. These lenses are 10 times more impact resistant than other plastics. In comparison, regular eyeglasses have only 5 percent of the impact resistance of polycarbonate lenses.
* Many eye care professionals strongly recommend glasses with an anti-reflective (AR) coating. This ultra-thin film, made from zircon and silicon, reduces internal reflections in the lenses. Unlike sunglasses or self-darkening lenses, which block some light, AR-coated glasses actually transmit more light—about 8 percent more. This improves vision at night and helps distinguish fine details during the day. Highway patrol troopers have reported better night and day vision and reduced nighttime glare with AR-coated lenses. These lenses may help you, too.
* Diabetics patients should wait until their blood sugar is under control for at least one month to allow vision to stabilize before being measured for eyeglasses.
* Nickel is a metal found in many everyday items — from coins to belt buckles, and from jewelry to eyeglass frames. Having an allergic reaction to nickel (nickel allergy) is common. Watch out and buy only hypoallergenic, stainless steel, solid gold, sterling silver or plastic jewelry, eyeglass frames.
* Gather essential supplies, and be sure to keep a copy of your eyeglass prescription, list of medications and their dosage, and other important papers to take with you if you have to leave your home.
* With more than 3.2 million people each year suffering from preventable forms of blindness, it's critical for everyone to be vigilant in getting regular eye exams and to do all they can to protect the health of their eyes -- both now and in the future.
* Don't blow off exams. A potential concern is that buying lenses elsewhere might encourage you to avoid your eye doctor and skip regular check-ups. "It's important to keep up with eye care when wearing contact lenses because of problems that could develop," said Gregory Good, professor of clinical optometry at Ohio State University.
* Don't experiment on your own. Switch lenses using a doctor's guidance. "There is a lot of art that goes into fitting eyeglasses or contact lenses and getting the right lens," Good said. Besides, your doctor probably has trial lenses, so you may be able to experiment with different lenses free.
* According to Tisch, the eyeglass guide may encourage consumers to think of their glasses as more than just a means of correcting their vision, but as a way to enhance and protect their vision. Additional visual comfort depends on the units themselves. If possible, check out the equipment prior to purchase. Look for units that are easy to read and have large letters (for better spatial integration).
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