Quality Eye and Vision Care

Leonardo da Vinci once described the possibility of using contact lenses to correct defective vision, back in 1508.  Do you wear contact lenses to correct vision or as a fashion accessory?

The eye care practitioner (ECP) can prescribe contact lenses and eye glasses to correct vision for adults and children.  Contact lenses can be prescribed to some people with particular optical problems or medical conditions.  People who had cataracts removed will find contact lenses preferable since glasses can produce considerable distortion of vision.

Contact lenses are also useful for hiding scars on the surface of the cornea or if suffering from irregular corneas that follow - corneal disease, corneal injury, corneal ulceration or corneal grafting. Lenses are used to correct ocular refractive errors. Ocular refraction refers to the refraction of light on the eye to result in focusing of images upon the retina. Squinting will cause tension and headaches, who needs that?

The ECP or Ophthalmologist will perform a eye examination that checks the following ;

– External appearance
– Eye movement
– Visual acuity
– Visual field
– Color vision
– Presence of a squint
– Abrasions
– Ulcers

A few disorders of the eye can be minor or lead to serious complications unless treated, such as ;

– Congenital defects, squint, cataracts, microphthalmos, retinoblastoma, albinism, abnormal cornea or retina
– Infection, conjunctivitis-severe and trachoma cause damage, corneal infections, perforation, Endopthalmitis, ulceration, eyelash disorders, or transfer from other body infection.
– Impaired blood supply, abnormalities of blood flow to the retina may cause partial/total loss of vision.
– Tumors, malignant melanoma- usually found without symptoms during examination, decreases vision.
– Nutritional disorders, vitamin A deficiency, lead to xerophthlmia or keratamalacia
– Autoimmune disorders, uveitis, common with those affected by ankylosing spondylitis or sarcoidosis.
– Degeneration, Macular degeneration, cataracts
– Other disorders, glaucoma, retinal detachment, ametropia, amblyopia

Vanity and convenience are the most popular reasons for contact lens wear. They are almost undetectable and don’t easily fall off nor mist up. A popular lens is changing one’s eye color or the whole image of the eye such as ones used in popular movies, remember Darth Maul? Most lenses are produced either as;

– Hard, durable, easy care, inexpensive, great for astigmatism but inflexible, difficult to shape to the eyeball.
– Soft, flexible, can harbor bacteria and risk infection, require disinfection, easily damaged, replace frequently.
– Gas Permeable, similar to hard lenses, high optical quality, easy care but allow flow of oxygen and carbon dioxide through cornea.

Importance to eye care with contact lenses must be maintained to prevent problems where the lenses can irritate the eye due to dryness from lack of tear production, development of sensitivity to the eye or lids from the lens cleaning solutions or from altered eye mucus. Symptoms may include ;

– Decreased lens tolerance
– stinging
– increased lens movement
– increased mucus
– red conjuctiva
– natural changes to the eye
– photophobia

Contact lenses are considered a medical device and we only have one pair of eyes. A trained expert can distinguish up to 300K hues! Who doesn’t enjoy viewing a rainbow or breath taking landscape vista? or crossing our eyes for a laugh. Care of our eyes is important and regular visits for eye examinations are highly recommended.

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Article(C)2010 Dame Scribe, all rights reserved. Dame Scribe creates articles and posts online. She creates articles on business skills & development, health, science, technology and society and has a strong passion for writing.