What Now? What You Need to Do After Cataract Surgery

If you think surgery marks the finish line, think again. After the procedure, there are a lot more things to keep in mind. Among these are things that you have to do to help yourself have a faster recovery. The following are a few pointers that you have to keep in mind after the operation:

Take a rest.

Regardless of the body part involved, resting is essential after every operation. Rest helps your body to relax and promote healing. Give yourself a break; do not force yourself to function the way you do during normal days.

Take the medication.

Those medicines are given to you for a purpose. Never forget to take them because they will help in the healing process. For instance, those eye drops are important to keep your eyes in good condition. Make sure to use them as much and as often as necessary.

Take care of your eyes.

If you need to go out, make sure that your eyes are shielded as they are still very sensitive. Dust and other irritants are your number one enemies. Never, ever go out without the eye protection provided by the doctor a day after the surgery. Furthermore, refrain from doing strenuous activities.

Surgery has just saved your eyes by giving them new life. It's only right that you be careful and not waste that opportunity. Help yourself recover and relish the gift of sight.

What to Remember Post-Laser Cataract Surgery

The high success rate of laser surgery for cataract removal is one of the reasons many people are signing up for it. Though they do not doubt the effectiveness and safety of laser surgery, patients still have reservations about any discomfort or pain they may experience after the outpatient procedure. Professional eye doctors put their clients' minds at ease by listing down what they can expect after laser cataract surgery.

A feeling of dizziness is common after surgery because local anesthesia and other medications to help the patient relax is typically used. Gritty or burning sensations in the eye is likewise normal in the first several hours following the operation. Such minor discomforts are expected to be resolved a day after. Whatever happens, do not put pressure on the eye or eyes that underwent the procedure.

The patient is advised to have someone accompany him since driving is not allowed 24 hours after the operation. The patient can engage in walking, television watching or reading; although it is better if the eyes are rested upon reaching the house. Immediately after surgery, the client may stay at the recovery area to rest and receive post-op instructions.

The patient will have to wear a lightweight eye shield to protect the eyes from injury. Eye drops and other medications to prevent severe inflammation will be prescribed by the eye doctor. It is also important to take note of follow-up appointments to ensure quick recovery.  

Trust Walk: In Real Life, It's Not So Fun

As the name implies, Trust Walk is an activity that aims to build trust between pairs or groups of people. In its simplest form, it works by blindfolding one of the participants and having him weave through obstacles under instructions from his seeing partner. When successful, it brings people much closer to each other, but otherwise it just causes injuries and animosity between partners.

One of the lessons taught by the Trust Walk is that your eyesight is very important. If you don't have any practice moving around blind, you're going to be bumping into stuff. Whether you build any trust or not during the game is up in the air, but surely you're going to come out relieved that you can actually see.

In life, people are usually only given a single pair of eyes to work with, and they are therefore something to treasure and take care of. Even when your eyesight goes blurry, there's still a chance that a skilled surgeon can do something for you; what's important is that you don't leave things to chance and always be on the lookout for any problems.

If you want, you can look at Trust Walk as “bonding and learning through trauma”. You may not be building any trust with every fall you take, but at least you're learning to appreciate your eyes more. It may just be a game, but it gives you a glimpse of how difficult it is to live without the sense of sight.

Battling Blindness: How to Avoid Getting Trapped in a World of Darkness

Some argue that the eyes are the windows to one's soul, but nobody disputes the fact that they are a person's windows to the world. The eyes give people their sense of sight; through these organs, humans are able to appreciate the beauty of creation. Unfortunately, not everyone gets through life with a 20/20 vision.

The lack of visual perception or total blindness is a condition that plunges individuals into a world of darkness. This condition stems from physiological or neurological factors, which range from genetic defects to willful actions such as deliberate attacks against the eyes through gouging, for instance. Age can also affect the performance of the eyes.

When you fail to see things as clearly as you did before, you can rush to the nearest eye center to have your eyes checked. Once specialists find out that you are suffering from eye problems, they may suggest that you take corrective measures such as wearing eyeglasses or undergoing laser treatment to rid yourself of your dilemma. Eye implantation can also be done on those who were born or became blind.

Blindness may not be inevitable, but it does not mean that you can take chances. If you want to preserve your sight to see what the future holds for you, then start by eating food rich with vitamin A and reducing the hours you spend watching television or browsing the Internet, as these are known to cause strain to the eyes.

From Radial Scalpels to LASIK: The Evolution of Eye Surgery

The subject of eye surgery can be a little uncomfortable for some, especially since the thought of cutting open the organ of sight is enough to make people cringe. Yet the positive and lasting benefits of such a medical procedure generally far outweigh the risks involved. Medical science has indeed gone a long way, with high-precision lasers taking the place of knives.

In the past, eye surgery was typically performed with a microkeratome, which is a diamond knife that rotates carefully around the retina and allows surgeons to slice off a part of the corneal flap. Once a portion of the corneal flap has been cut and exposed, surgeons can then make incisions on the inner cornea. While countless patients have benefited from traditional eye surgery, the incisions made using a microkeratome can be irregularly shaped and may later affect vision.

During the 1980s, researchers discovered a way to make accurate eye incisions using a safe and focused laser apparatus. This technique doesn't result in excessive thermal damage and allows for more precise cuts. The procedure, dubbed Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis, corrects the refractive power of the eyes and treats such problems as myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). Some who have undergone a LASIK treatment reportedly don't need to wear glasses.

Understanding the Link Between Diabetes and Eye Problems

Extensive studies over the years have uncovered the various ways by which people with a genetic predisposition may avoid or mitigate the debilitating effects of this disease. Yet with one-third of the U.S. population suffering from obesity, a high incidence of diabetes among both adults and children remains ever likely. Aside from kidney failure, coma, cardiovascular complications, and even death, diabetes is often linked to the loss of sight.

The proper term for eyesight loss due to diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. Essentially, diabetes weakens the structure of the blood vessels in the retina, causing them to rupture. Once the blood vessels break, the eyesight degenerates until one goes completely blind. Diabetic retinopathy occurs in up to 80% of diabetics who have lived with this ailment for 10 or more years.

Despite how serious and crippling diabetic retinopathy may sound, patients suffering from this condition can enjoy some reprieve in the form of laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis or LASIK. This refractive procedure corrects corneal curvature, seals ruptured blood vessels, and prevents the progression of retinopathy by limiting the growth of irregular blood vessels. In any case, diabetics must regularly consult their doctors and alert their physicians about signs of blurry vision so that retinopathy can be detected and treated as early as possible.

Clouds in Your Eyes: Something About Cataracts

There's a song that goes: “And I see clouds in your eyes, dangerous clouds in your eyes.” In the song, the persona may be talking about deceit or veiled feelings, but in reality these words are a bit more grim. It's true that those clouds in your eyes are dangerous, but that's because they can render you blind someday.

Cataracts are a clouding of the lens of the eye that unsurprisingly leads to sight deterioration. Statistically, it is the most common cause of blindness. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, and the causes can be anything from radiation to age, and even skin diseases.

Don't start panicking, though; cataracts are easily treatable with surgery. A good 90 percent of patients receive good results after a cataract surgery so, to quote the popular young adult series the Hunger Games, the odds are ever in your favor. Don't fall into the trap of complacency, though, because not all doctors and eye centers have the necessary qualifications to remove a cataract.

If ever you do need to have a cataract removed, make sure to look for reliable and experienced professionals in established facilities. Don't leave everything to chance and risk the possibility of becoming totally blind. The best eye specialists will tell you that there's really no appeal to having clouds in your eyes, figurative or otherwise.

Looking Into Reality: How Important Are Your Eyes?

The prospect of losing even just one sense in the body is a terrible concept. After all, you need all of your senses to do your job and function at a basic level. Imagine, then, losing your sense of sight; what would it be like to live in permanent darkness?

People who have been blind for a long time would probably answer that it's hard, but it's something that you get used to. Just look at Master Chef Season 3 winner Christine Ha, and you'll know that the blind are not as disabled as people assume. Blind people can cook, work, and succeed too; it's just that there are a few challenges that they have to work with.

Blindness is something that can be caused by any number of things. Accidents and diseases are the two most common culprits, leaving about 39 million blind and 285 million vision-impaired worldwide. That's 285 million going around straining to complete simple things like reading or walking around, which is a sad thought.

The good news is that there are surgeries, treatments, supplements, and other vision enhancers that help to curb the number of vision loss cases. You just have to find reliable doctors and centers that know exactly what to do. That being said, prevention remains to be the best cure. In other words, you should never take your eyesight for granted.

Restoring Clear Vision with Cataract Surgery

Cataracts are the most common cause of blindness and affect more than half of Americans aged 65 and above. While aging is the primary cause of cataract formation, there are other reasons why protein build up in the eye's lens and impair vision.

Blunt trauma, radiation from UV light and microwave, smoking, and drug use increase the chances of adults to develop cataracts. Some prescribed medications also put individuals at higher risk. Babies born with cataract or those who get them as children inherit genetic components that provide less protection to the lens. Likewise, skin diseases such as eczema may spread to the lens and wreak havoc due to similarities between skin and lens compositions.

Clouding, or the whitening of lens fibers, blocks light from completely passing through the lens from the pupil to the retina and results in partial blindness that afflicts many cataract patients. If unattended, buildup in the lens will result in total blindness. The good news is that surgery is possible in all stages of cataract and more than 90 percent of patients report better eyesight after the procedure.

There are several surgical techniques that could be used in treating cataract, but all of them involve the extraction of the clouded lens and the implantation of clear artificial intraocular lens, usually made of silicone or acrylic. Some of these lenses do not just restore clarity but also correct vision impairment, eliminating the need to wear eyeglasses or contact lenses post surgery.

Vision Enhancement: From Magnifiers to Laser Eye Surgery

The ability of the eye to translate the light it receives into meaningful images – the phenomenon called “seeing” – deteriorates as people age. Nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism are three of the most common vision-related conditions, all of which demonstrate the vulnerability of the sense of sight to aging.

Although people from the ancient Egyptian and Roman civilizations knew how to use lenses to magnify objects and even writings they cannot see clearly, people at the time accepted the natural and inevitable fact that their vision would decline with time. This was true until eyeglasses were invented in Italy at around the year 1284. The first glass contact lens was developed much later in 1887, while its first plastic version was not introduced until 1939.

Some people may find both glasses and contact lenses bothersome due to the nature of their work, their lifestyle, a lack of budget, or simply personal preference. It's a good thing, then, that many improvements have been made, not just on the devices themselves but also in finding other means to maintain good eyesight or to improve deteriorating ones. This includes the use of laser in performing eye surgery. A process that traces its roots to 1982, laser eye surgery owes its beginning to the Excimer laser, a tool originally used in the IBM laboratories to etch silicone in computer chips, but was found to have the ability to cut through human tissue as well.

Eye Surgery: Why You Don't Have to Be Afraid of It

Eye doctors always advise people to seek proper eye care regularly. Regardless of whether you experience symptoms of eye problems or not, you have to pay a visit to the nearby eye specialist to ensure that your eyes are in optimum condition. This is also to make sure that potential problems are addressed immediately and prevented from worsening.

However, there are cases when medical attention is sought too late and the problem can no longer be remedied through simpler means. If you ever find yourself in such a situation, then your best option to rid yourself of the problem is an eye surgery. There is nothing to worry about, though. Although “surgery” sounds like a big, intimidating word, you don't have to be afraid of it.

Nowadays, state of the art facilities are no longer beyond the reach of local eye centers. This eliminates the need for you to drive for miles to get to the large hospitals, just so that you can undergo safe eye surgery. Thanks to the wonders of technology and the rigorous training of eye specialists, local eye centers near you can now offer the same quality of services without the inconvenience. Apart from proximity, you're assured that you will be given the best eye care possible.

Preserve the Health of Your Eyes to See Michigan's Beauty

To live in Michigan is to live in a state of visual splendor, literally. With hundreds of lighthouses and thousands of inland lakes, the state is home to plenty of spectacular views. The longer you get to know the area, the higher the chance that you will discover more to love and admire in the form of breathtaking sceneries and structures. What happens, then, when you cease to see your beautiful surroundings in all its glory? What will you do when your sight becomes blurry?

If this happens to you, it's safe to assume that there's probably something wrong with your eyes. Don't wait until your symptoms get worse; it's highly advisable that you consult an eye doctor as soon as possible. These eye care professionals will be able to give you an accurate diagnosis and prevent the problem from escalating into something more serious, such as cataract and glaucoma. It could be that all you need to fix your blurry eyesight is a prescription for corrective eye glasses, something that an eye doctor can easily provide.

Most people tend to shrug off little problems because they don't believe these merit immediate medical attention. While they may be correct in their assumption, it's also true that neglect will often cause minor concerns to worsen. Do not wait until you can barely see anything before you take action. Protect your eyes and continue seeing Michigan's beauty by visiting a Michigan eye center and consulting with an expert.

Taking Care of Your Vision: How to Spot a Good Eye Doctor

Whether you have healthy eyes or have been suffering from an eye affliction for sometime, it is recommended that you visit an optometrist or opthalmologist to be on the safe side. When looking for an eye doctor, it's advisable to ask for a recommendation from your physician, family members, and/or friends. Better yet, choose an upstanding member of medical organizations in your area.

Aside from a license and a good reputation, you can spot an excellent eye doctor by asking about credentials and experience. Naturally, you will have to look for an opthalmologist who specializes in treating your particular eye problem (like cataracts, for instance). To help ease your mind, you can do a little background check to find out the success rate of your chosen doctor's surgeries.

After the first visit, it is important to re-assess your impression of the medical professional. Do not go back if you did not feel comfortable with the consultation techniques he used or if you felt like he was not meticulous at all. At the same time, the doctor should have been able to clearly answer every concern you have about your eyes without raising false hopes. His attitude and professionalism (e.g. keeping the appointment and showing up on time) should likewise be considered as you make your final decision. 

Clarifying the Difference Between an Optometrist and Opthalmologist

There is still some confusion on the difference between an optometrist and an opthalmologist in terms of specialization, procedures they can perform, and so on. Here is a quick comparison: An optometrist is not a physician but has medical background and training to perform routine vision exams. He can also prescribe medication for conditions related to the eye and can do diagnosis and treatment. An opthalmologist, on the other hand, is a medical doctor who can diagnose and treat eye problems, as well as perform surgery. In short, opthalmologists are in charge of total eye care and can do an invasive operation unlike an optometrist.

If you're wondering which one to consult for a particular eye problem, it actually depends on your preference. You should see an optometrist when you need to have your eyes tested for contact lenses and glasses. For routine checkup and eye care, he is likewise the medical professional to look for.

You can opt for an opthalmologist for the abovementioned procedures and then some. If you need to go under the knife for problematic eyes, the opthalmologist has specialized training for it. An opthalmologist is likewise the better choice in case of an existing eye condition like cataract, glaucoma, or macular degeneration.

Help Your Ophthalmologist, Take care of Your Eyes

The value of your eyes cannot be overstated enough. Millions of Americans are either legally blind or are visually impaired. Some are born with any one kind of visual impairment, and most get eye problems as they grow older. Some contract eye diseases or get into accidents. Keeping your eyes healthy is just one way of keeping the numbers down.

Eat a Proper Diet

By eating a proper diet, and making sure you eat your daily recommended intake of Vitamin A, you take care of your retina which performs the basic optical processing. It is also important to keep hydrated by drinking lots of fluids

Protect the Eyes

Your pair of eyes are complex but very sensitive organs. Sometimes, the protection that the eyelids and the eyelashes give aren't enough to keep the eyes from harm. Particles in the air, such as wind-blown dust and other particles are small enough to damage your eyes, it is also not a good idea to stare directly at the sun because direct exposure to UV rays is harmful to the eyes.

Rest

Don't forget to rest your eyes especially when they feel strained. Resting every ten minutes or so in between reading or playing video games is a great way to keep you eyes refreshed.  

Seeing the World with New “Eyes”: LASIK Surgery

For people who wear glasses or contacts, the first thing they do in the morning is to look for whatever eye wear they need in order to see the world. Playing sports, doing chores, and other physical activities are also harder because eyeglasses can fog up or slip when you sweat, take a tumble, or leap. Contact lenses are itchy and hard to put on, plus they're very pricey! So if you're tired of all these inconveniences, then maybe you should consider LASIK surgery.

LASIK surgery is fast and painless. It may be expensive at first, but you save money in the long run since it's meant to be a permanent solution. With LASIK, you wouldn't need to buy new pairs of eyeglasses or contact lenses anymore. Anesthesia is applied to numb the eyes before surgery so you need not worry about the pain. After ten to thirty minutes of painless surgery where you are fully conscious, you'll be seeing the world quite clearer than you ever did.

The procedure may seem daunting because it involves cutting through and reshaping your cornea, but it does help you see better. If you're thinking about getting LASIK done, then find a reputable eye doctor who will perform the surgery. It's no small thing, indeed, to see the world crystal clear, or to wake up and finally be able to see your own toes when you sit up.

When You Can Hardly See, All the More You'll Need to Look For the Right Kind of Eye Doctor

If a fastball accidentally hits your eye, what kind of eye doctor will you go to, an ophthalmologist or an optometrist? If you answered the latter, then you are in big trouble, like striking out with bases loaded in the ninth inning. Although those two share similar functions and responsibilities, they differ in responsibilities. Ophthalmologists specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of eye diseases and injuries, while optometrists examine eyes for defects, problems, and impairments, and prescribe corrective lenses and other kinds of treatments.

Ophthalmologists are physicians that offer complete eye care services, such as eye exams, eye care for conditions like chemical burns, iritis, and glaucoma. They also perform surgery for cataracts, trauma, crossed eyes, glaucoma, and other problems. Ocular complications from diseases, such as diabetes and arthritis, can be diagnosed and treated. They are also licensed to do plastic surgery for smoothing out wrinkles and drooping eyelids.

Meanwhile, optometrists, as Doctors of Optometry, offer eye exams and prescribe eyeglasses and contact lenses. They also have the skills to diagnose conditions, such as cataracts, macular degeneration, and conjunctivitis, and participate in operative care for surgical patients. In effect, ophthalmologists and optometrists aren't competing with each other. In fact, they work hand in hand to take care of their eye patients. 

Caring for Your Vision: Different Types of Eye Professionals You Should Know About

When you say “I should see an eye doctor”, a wise guy might retort “So, is it an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or optician that you need?”. The professional you need will depend on your vision problem or needs. To help yourself to the right eye specialist, as well as deal with smart alecks, here are some information to straighten things out.

Ophthalmologists

Take note that ophthalmologists are physicians, which means they went to medical school. They provide total eye care from vision assessments to surgical treatments. They may also have specialties such as pediatric ophthalmology and reconstructive eye surgery.

Optometrists

Optometrists are medical professionals, but are not physicians in the UK and some other countries, but are doctors of Optometry in Canada and the US. They finished a degree in Optometry and serve as primary health care providers. If all you require is an eye exam or new eyeglasses, you can drop by an optometrist's office. Ophthalmologists and optometrists can work together to care for patients.

Optician

An optician is mainly in charge of adjusting, repairing, and checking eye products like eyeglasses and contact lenses. They usually finish a 2-year associate degree or receive formal training from accredited institutions. Opticians fill the prescription of your ophthalmologist or optometrist for certain eye wear or lenses.

Choosing the right eye professional matters. Each has a task and specific role in rendering eye care. Therefore, rather than simply looking for an “eye doctor”, think whether it's an ophthalmologist, optometrist, or optician you need.

LASIK Eye Surgery: Basic Info about the Procedure

For a person to see clearly, the cornea and the lens must refract (or bend, in simpler terms) light rays so they focus on the retina, the layer of light-sensing cells that occupy the back portion of the eye. The retina is what converts the light rays into impulses that are sent to the brain, where they are identified as images. If the cornea and lens don't focus light into the retina properly, the image you see will be blurry. This inability of the cornea and the lens to do their job is called refractive error.

Refractive errors are usually caused by an imperfectly shaped cornea, lens, or eyeball. Examples of refractive errors are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. For these eye conditions, LASIK eye surgery offers a viable solution.

LASIK is short for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis. In a LASIK procedure, a low-powered laser is used to reshape a patient's cornea to improve the way the eye focuses light rays into the retina. Only ophthalmologists can perform this type of eye procedure. Ask your medical doctor for a referral to a licensed ophthalmologist who performs LASIK.

LASIK is an outpatient procedure, which means you can go home directly after the ophthalmologist performs the procedure on you. Healing is relatively fast, but you may want to take a couple of weeks from work after the surgery to allow your eyes to heal properly.

Why You Should Get Lasik Surgery: Things to Keep in Mind

How many times have you woken up to find that you've crushed your glasses or, worse, slept with your contact lens on because you were dead tired the previous night? Then it's time to get rid of those annoying contraptions and muster up some courage to undergo Lasik surgery.

Lasik is a shortened name for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, a procedure that treats common eye problems like myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The procedure basically reshapes the cornea and on average only takes around 15 minutes to perform. Here are some reasons why Lasik surgery is a good idea:

No more glasses or contact lenses

After the surgery, you may never need to wear glasses or contact lenses again. You don't even have to keep spending for new lenses every six months or so. If done correctly, Lasik may be all you'll need to see clearly for a long time.

No more constant headaches

Eye muscle imbalance and refractive errors may be symptoms of underlying conditions such as myopia or astigmatism. Lasik corrects these underlying causes and thereby helps relieve eye strain that can lead to headaches. With Lasik, you'll never have to wake up to another eye-related headache ever again.

Get your old self back

Your looks change whenever you wear glasses. You'll either look fashionably nerdy or just plain grumpy with glasses on. With effective lasik surgery, you may soon ditch cumbersome corrective glasses or even contact lenses entirely.