Good News for Aging Eyes - Monovision and Blended Vision

As we age, the tiny muscles in our eyes which control the lens start to become weaker. At the same time, the lens itself starts to stiffen and be less adjustable. These two developments combine to create a vision problem known as presbyopia.

When we start to need reading glasses after the age of 40 or so, we may still be able to see quite well at far distances. Eventually though, this will become impaired too, as the lens continues to stiffen and the muscles continue to weaken. It?s a slow process that creeps up on us.

What is Monovision?

Normally our two eyes work together, but we can learn to separate them, and use one eye for close-up vision and the other one for far vision.

It?s like a drummer, who learns to play one rhythm with his feet on the pedals, and a different rhythm, a cross-rhythm, with his sticks.

About 100 years ago, an experiment was done by a man who made some glasses which turned everything upside down. He wore these for a week or so and found that after 3 or 4 days, everything looked normal and he was able to walk around without any mishaps. When he took them off, everything looked upside down! So he had to re-learn to see normally.

Our human brains are remarkable for what they can learn. Most of us have a dominant eye. In monovision, this eye is adjusted to see far distances, and the other eye adjusted to see close-up. Our brain can learn in about 6 or 8 weeks to adjust.

Three Ways to Achieve Monovision

Monovision can be done using:
? Contact lenses
? Refractory surgery such as LASIK (blended vision)
? An implanted intraocular lens

Whichever way it?s done, the brain learns to see in this new way. There?s a compromise involved too, as for most people who have monovision, their visual clarity isn?t perfect at either close or far distances. But it?s workable, and for some people, especially those who live active lifestyles, it?s a good solution.

Who is a good candidate?

Your eye surgeon will discuss the monovision option with you to see if you?d be a good candidate. If certain things are central to your lifestyle, you?d probably not want to have monovision:
? Any activities requiring very sharp distance vision
? Any activities requiring precise close-up vision
? A great deal of night driving

And if you want to have extremely sharp vision, monovision wouldn?t be a good choice for you.

Blended Vision

This is a type of monovision done with laser surgery for people with presbyopia. The non-dominant eye is made a bit nearsighted so it can see well up close, and the other eye is left as the distance eye. Our brain blends these two streams of information together smoothly and we aren?t aware of seeing differently from each eye.

Take a Test Run

Most eye surgeons will offer a pair of trial contact lenses so you can test blended vision before making the commitment to any laser surgery. If you find that you can?t adjust comfortably, you can return to using reading glasses.

For more information on monovision and blended vision, click here to visit the website of a LASIK surgeon in Los Angeles, California who specializes in monovision and blended vision correction for presbyopia.

Eye Exercises Proven Effective for Rebuilding Vision

While it's true that very few eye doctors offer instruction in natural eye exercises that can dramatically improve your vision, you should know that eye exercises are PROVEN to rebuild vision.

Natural vision therapy is recognized by:

1) American Optometric Association

2) Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences

3) Dictionary of Occupational Titles of the Employment and Training Administration

4) U.S. Public Health Service

5) Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration

6) National Center for Health Statistics

7) Bureau for Labor Statistics

8) Department of Health and Human Services

9) Association of Academic Health Centers

PLUS, 43 U.S. states recognize vision training in their occupational definitions of optometry, AND natural vision correction is recognized by many other agencies, associations, notable experts, and organizations.

Here's what leading experts in eye care say about natural vision correction:

"The American Optometric Association affirms its longstanding position that vision therapy is an effective therapeutic modality in the treatment of physiological dysfunctions of the vision system." -American Optometric Association, 1985

An article published in the American Journal of Optometry & Physiological Optics summarized that "the literature provides a solid base of research supporting vision therapy as an effective treatment mode for accommodative deficiencies. Vision therapy procedures have been shown to improve accommodative function effectively and to eliminate or reduce associated symptoms." -Rouse, 1987

"Symptoms were totally eliminated in 53% of the patients, reduced in 43% and remained the same in only 4%. Therefore ... an overall success rate of 96%. There is an impressive and increasing body of evidence attesting to the trainability of accommodative function." (From a study of 96 patients with some type of accommodative dysfunction who had completed a vision therapy program.) - Irwin B. Suchoff, O.D., and Timothy G. Petito, O.D. (1986) Journal of the American Optometric Association.

William has worn glasses for the last 20 years. Fed-up with his dependency on glasses and worried about the risks associated with eye surgery, he is presently using eye exercises to improve his vision. You can follow his progress at his blog - http://improvingmyeyesight.com/blog

How We Can Easily Correct Sagging Eyelids To Preserve Vision

Heavy eye lids may have looked sultry and sexy on long-gone film sirens like Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck but in today's society, heavy eye lids may mean that impaired vision is in your future.

Gravity plays a large role regarding the condition of your eye lids. Like the muscles in the body that elongate due inactivity and lack of exercise, your forehead and eye brows muscles can elongate, too, then move downward into the muscles surrounding the eyes.

This very quiet elongation means that one day you will notice that the distance between your eye brows and eye lashes have diminished and those once youthful eye lids look creased and lined.

Crows' feet are another indicator that your eye brows and forehead are in need of attention. Crows' feet can be lines and they can also be folds that develop at the corner of the eye affecting the peripheral vision. Left untreated, you may consciously or unconsciously begin to lift your forehead when you are speaking resulting in deep horizontal forehead lines. You might also realize that you are experiencing eye strain, tiredness and even headaches from this increased activity.

Poor muscle tone and lack of ligament support that begins in the forehead will pushes downward into the brows and the results affect the eye lids as they pool onto the lashes resulting in impaired vision. This is caused by inactivity in the upper portion of the face.

Some people who have sagging eye lids, commonly called dermatochalasis by the medical community, will immediately elect to have surgery; some may even try Botox or other modalities recommended by their physician; however, there is another avenue that will produce remarkable results without anything invasive.

Rather than electing to have a brow lift or upper eye lid surgery or both, many savvy consumers are rethinking surgery and considering specialized facial exercise to correct this malady that usually affects most everyone over the age 50.

Just as exercise trims a thick waistline, slims inner and outer thighs and strengthens the abs, specific exercises can indeed lift sagging upper eyes, eye brows and more.

The forehead muscle is called the frontalis muscle. It is a vertical muscle that originates in the hairline. When it loses its tone and elasticity, it elongates by pushing into the eye brow muscles which then weakens the upper eye lids.

Your frontalis muscle can regain strength through isometric contraction exercise and this action lifts the forehead and the eye brows. By frequently exercising the muscles around the eyes and the forehead muscle horizontal lines will soften, the eye lids will open and the impaired vision? Well, in just a few weeks, your eye lids will lift and your eyes will look brighter. Try it! What do you have to lose ? just saggy eye lids that make you look tired.

Rather than opting for temporary measures such as surgery and injections that may detrimentally alter the face, exercise will increase the distance between the eye brows and the eye lashes giving the user a lifted look. Your eyes will feel and look brighter and healthier without any risk, pain or recovery. Exercise works!

Top 7 Tips To Treat Eye Conditions Using Vision Therapy

Unfortunately, few people have ever heard of vision therapy. It is the best kept secret in eye care. The few people who know anything about it think it is the Bates Method. But Bates is outdated. This method only focus on the eye muscles. Today, we know, in addition, vision therapy works by retraining the way the brain processes visual imagery. It is more like visual biofeedback than vision callisthenics. Using today?s methods, we get better, more permanent results than Bates did. Today?s vision therapy helps treat many vision-impairing eye conditions. Here are some of the tips you can consider to treat your eye conditions.

1. Traumatic Brain Injury

Some people who sustain head injuries in auto or other accidents largely recover, except that they experience blurred or double vision. They are often told they have to live with it, but vision therapy can often help them see better.

2. Athletic Performance

Keep your eye on the ball is standard advice in baseball, basketball, tennis, volleyball and many other sports. The problem is that sometimes even world-class athletes can?t do it well enough to remain competitive. With the help of vision therapy, they can. In a study, vision therapy was conducted on a group of professional tennis players. Lights were flashed at them and time how long it takes them to respond. At first it may take them one-tenth a second. But after a while, they start responding in one one-hundredth of a second, ten times faster. The difference between a tenth and a hundredth of a second may not sound like much, but when you are playing a professional tennis, it is the difference between seeing the ball leave your opponent?s racquet and not seeing it until it is already on your side of the court.

3. Balance

Good vision is critical for good balance because vision, our dominant sense, provides the brain with a great deal of information about the body?s position. A group of 20 male and female students were tested on their balance and then trained them in Eyerobics, a visual-skills training program that uses vision therapy exercises to improve depth perception, peripheral vision, reaction time and spatial judgement. After Eyerobics training, the researchers retested the participant?s balance and found significant improvement.

4. Crossed Eyes, Lazy Eyes And Binocular Disorder

In addition to causing cosmetic problems ? the eyes look funny ? these disorders interfere with reading and close-focus work and may lead to blindness of the weaker eye. They are also surprisingly common. According to a report in the Journal of the American Optometric Association, about 5 percent of schoolchildren have strabismic eyes, and up to 8 percent have some degree of amblyopia. Each year in United States, the National Society to Prevent Blindness estimates 127,000 new diagnoses of amblyopia. Six months of vision therapy produces substantial, long-lasting improvements of these conditions in about 75 percent of cases.

5. Learning Disabilities

Many children diagnosed with learning disabilities or dyslexia does not really have them. They often have learning-related vision problems, and vision therapy can help them ? if they are diagnosed and treated by a behavioural optometrist. Unfortunately, many are not. In a study, with three children, two age eight and one ten, who had severe problems with reading. One had been diagnosed as dyslexic. After two months of vision therapy, the children?s reading abilities improved dramatically

6. Focusing Problems

Normal eyes hold objects in focus and automatically refocus when they shift from one object to another that is closer or farther away. People with focusing problems cannot do this, and their constant struggle to keep their eyes focused leads to chronic eyes stress that often causes headaches, fatigue, double or blurry vision and a burning sensation in the eyes. In a study, 96 people with focusing problems were treated with vision therapy. Fifty-three percent were cured. Symptoms were significantly reduced, though not eliminated, in 43 percent. Only 4 percent showed no benefit.

7. Jerking Eye

This condition interferes with smooth eye movement, causing the eyes to jerk from point to point. It impairs reading ability and anything else that requires fluid eye movements. Vision therapy usually can cure ocular-motor problems.

What To Do With Dry Eye After Lasik

Lasik eye surgery is for people who are nearsighted or farsighted and have astigmatism. This surgery changes the curvature of the cornea, which is the outermost part of the eye. This allows the person to see without the need for glasses or contacts.

Most people have no trouble with their vision correction surgery. Less than 1% of people who have this type of surgery done actually experience any side effects. It is done on an outpatient basis and most people can return to work and to their usual activities the day after surgery. As with any surgery, there is always the risk of side effects. One of the possible Lasik complications is having chronic dry eyes after Lasik surgery. This is the most common complaint of patients who have had eye surgery. The reason for this is that vision correction surgery reduces the amount of lubrication that a patients eyes normally receive.

Dry eye problems can run the spectrum from less serious to more serious. A patient can experience itching, redness, and even pain after vision correction surgery. For some the problem is minor and can be solved with artificial teardrops or other types of drops or topical treatments for the eyes. Other people find that taking flax seed oil caplets helps, and that using a humidifier in their home also relieves that dry, scratchy feeling. For many patients, their eyes return to their normal or near normal lubrication levels in the weeks and months following their eye surgery.

If the dry eye problem is more serious, a tiny plug can be inserted that prevents tears from going to the nose and therefore allows for more lubrication in the eye. This plug can be removed in the future if the dry eye problem is resolved.

The best way to avoid any Lasik complications or side effects is to choose your ophthalmologist wisely. Make sure that they have the proper credentials and have done a large number of successful vision correction surgeries. Do not be swayed by discount offers on Lasik that seem too good to be true. You should always have a consultation with your surgeon prior to having any kind of surgery. A good surgeon will be able to tell you if you are a good candidate for this type of surgery, and will let you know if you would not benefit from Lasik. An experienced ophthalmologist will also be able to help you if you do experience dry eyes after Lasik surgery, they will be able to help you deal with the problem and lessen your discomfort until the problem is resolved. To get quality vision correction surgery, you need to be willing to pay a competitive price for it and do your homework when choosing a doctor.

Bob Hett offers great tips and advice regarding all aspects of Lasik Eye Surgery
Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.eyesurgeryreview.info

Refractive Eye Surgery - Is LASIK the Best Option?

Refractive surgery is a general term referring to the collection of many different surgical procedures, all with the key intent to fix the refractive error of the eye. Refractive surgery is the preferred treatment for rectifying a variety of vision impairments. Its popularity is owing to the fact that it produces efficacious and predictable vision improvement without any major side effects.

Essentially speaking, refractive surgery is any eye surgery employed to improve visual acuity and decrease dependency on glasses or contact lenses. The refractive surgery field encompasses operative procedures for all types of refractive errors, be it myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism or presbyopia. The most common procedure is to use lasers to reshape the corneal tissue.

Laser Assisted In-Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) is the most commonly performed refractive surgery procedure. Especially recommended for treating nearsightedness, it consists of cutting a flap in the cornea in order to carve the tissue underneath and give it the desired shape. The eye surgeon may either use a microkeratome (a precision surgical instrument) or a laser to cut a flap of the corneal tissue. Then onwards, the underneath tissue is reshaped with the aid of the excimer laser (a high-precision ultraviolet chemical laser).

Other refractive surgery procedures include Laser Assisted Sub-Epithelium Keratomileusis (LASEK), EPI-LASIK, Photorefractive keratectomy (PRK), Radial keratotomy (RK) and arcuate keratotomy (AK), among others. Cataract extraction and intraocular lens implants may also be considered as types of refractive surgeries, since the key intent is to extract the lens with a refractive error and replace it with a new lens that provides clear and improved vision.

As of now, LASIK is a clear winner among the available eye corrective surgical procedures. All the above listed refractive surgery procedures have potential complications. However, LASIK has a minimal complication rate of a mere 5%. With the technology in hand and with proper pre-operative examination, your laser eye surgery would go as smooth as a walk in the park.

The LASIK Surgeons Directory will help you find a LASIK surgeon. Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news and information about LASIK and refractive surgery at Your Lasik Information.

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights rese

Laser Eye Surgery Risks: Flap Dislocation After LASIK

Though it is the most prevalent of laser eye surgeries, LASIK has its share of complications. The post-operative complication rate is estimated from 3% to 6%. LASIK eye surgery involves cutting a flap of the corneal tissue with a hinge being left at one end of the flap. The flap is then folded back to reveal the stroma, the middle section of the cornea. After reshaping the corneal tissue with the aid of a high precision laser, typically the excimer laser, the flap is repositioned so as to remain in place by natural adhesion until it heals completely.

The LASIK procedure entails certain flap complications. Among the post-operative flap complications, a slipped flap is one of the most common. The corneal flap created during the operation may inadvertently detach from the rest of the cornea. It is imperative that the patient goes home and sleeps after surgery so as to let the flap heal, since the chances of flap dislocation are the greatest immediately after the surgery.

Other types of flap complications include folds in flaps and undesired epithelial in-growth. Post-operative folds in flap typically necessitate repositioning of the flap. Flap related problems are relatively common when it comes to LASIK complications. But they rarely lead to a permanent visual acuity loss. Moreover, the occurrence of flap complications decreases with increased surgeon experience. An expert LASIK surgeon, wielding superlative equipment, is far less likely to commit an error during the surgery.

Since LASIK entails the removal of a part of the corneal tissue, the cornea becomes thinner as a result of the procedure. Myopic shifts at extreme altitudes have been attributable to this thinning of the corneal surface. LASIK technology has advanced in leaps and bounds, with much advanced and risk free procedures available today. Owing to this, the chances of flap complications are rather minuscule. Moreover, there isn't a large body of conclusive evidence so as to assert the chances of any long-term flap complications due to LASIK.

In summary, LASIK is a viable and safe procedure when it comes to correcting a variety of refractive errors. Furthermore, whatever small flap complications may arise can be rectified with ease.

Finding a LASIK surgery that you are confident about will be able to give you more information about the risks of laser eye surgery.

The LASIK Surgeons Directory - find a LASIK surgery. Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news and views about risks of laser eye surgery at Your Lasik Information.

This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Your-LASIK.info

How To Wash Your Eyes After LASIK Surgery

LASIK is an efficient and fairly innocuous procedure. It is capable of treating several refractive errors, such as myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. The procedure itself entails virtually no pain and provides rapid recovery. Though the vision will be blurry immediately after surgery, visual acuity will be restored within a few days. However, it takes about 3 to 6 months for the refraction to stabilize. It is imperative that you carry out a scrupulous postoperative regime in order to boost the recovery process and avoid unnecessary complications.

Avoid rubbing your eyes for at least the first week after LASIK surgery. The corneal flap cut out during the surgery requires substantial time to heal. Unnecessary rubbing may inadvertently aggravate the wound. You should also take extreme caution to avoid soap, hair spray or shaving lotion from entering your eyes. The eye surgeon will typically provide you with a postoperative kit, which may include a set of eye shields/goggles. Wear them while you are sleeping, at least for the first three nights after surgery.

For at least a week after LASIK, prevent water from entering your eyes, since water hinders the natural clotting mechanism, and therefore might delay the healing process of the cornea. You must also cancel any swimming plans for a minimum of 10 days following LASIK. You must not wear eye makeup for at least one week after LASIK.

Contact sports are to be avoided for at least a week or so following surgery. Furthermore, it is advised that you wear some kind of protection gear for your eyes for a period of a month, even after resuming exercise and other sporting activities. Bright sunlight may lead to scarring, and therefore, sunglasses are recommended on bright days until the cornea heals.

To summarize, though you will able to resume your usual lifestyle within a week or so after LASIK surgery, it is crucial that you protect your eyes to prevent injury or infection. And since the corneal flap does not heal instantly after surgery, you must prevent washing your eyes for at least a few days after surgery.

If you find a LASIK surgery that you are confident with, you will be able to get more information about post LASIK complications.

The LASIK Surgeons Directory - find a LASIK surgery. Nicola Kennedy provides news and views and answers the question How Do I Wash My Eyes After LASIK? at Your Lasik Information.

What Are The Eye Conditions That Lasik Helps To Correct?

There are four general eye conditions that are treatable with the Lasik procedure. Some people mistakenly believe that Lasik can be used to treat all forms of vision problems and all degrees of short sightedness or far sightedness and this is not true. Even the conditions which are treatable with Lasik must fall within a certain range to qualify for the laser treatment.

Lasik was primarily designed to help those patients with mild to moderate vision problems. Patients with severe vision problems may be helped with Lasix but their eyesight may still remain poor enough to require glasses. Although most patients who undergo Lasik never need to wear glasses or contacts again, this isn?t the case for everyone.

Lasik is mainly used to treat the eye conditions of myopia which is also known as nearsightedness, hyperopia which is also known as farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia if you choose to use the monovision method of correction.

Myopia

Myopia is also called nearsightedness, and is a condition where you can see objects close up much clearer than objects at a distance. This is generally caused by a eye that is longer than normal and the light rays therefore focus in front of the retina rather than on it.

Hyperopia

Hyperopia is called farsightedness and is the opposite of myopia. Objects that are at a distance are clearer than objects that are up close and this is because light rays focus behind the retina instead of on it.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a common condition which results in blurry vision which results from an unusual shaped eyeball. Instead of being round, the eye is more of an oval shape and this causes the light rays to focus on two points instead of one. In addition, those with the condition of astigmatism often have myopia or hyperopia as well. When Lasik is used in a case like this, both conditions can be treated at once.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is a common eye condition that normally occurs with aging and strikes people in between the age of forty to fifty. It is the result of the eye lens losing its elasticity. This causes objects to become blurry the closer they become. This condition is usually corrected with reading glasses. Lasik cannot correct presbyopia in itself but Lasik can compensate for the condition through a procedure know as monovision. One eye is corrected to see far away and the other is corrected to see up close so the brain is tricked into seeing clearly.

Lasik has helped many people with the above conditions to be able to give up wearing glasses and contact lenses and restore clear vision. Only your eye doctor will be able to determine if Lasik is appropriate for your situation.

Peter Rankin is a staff writer at Vision Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Fitness Digest.

Overcoming Eye Phobia For Lasik Surgery

If you wear glasses or contact lenses, it could be that you are completely bored of putting them on every morning. It could be that you have started with another accessory ? a chain round your neck for your glasses as you are in the habit of constantly misplacing them. The worst of all is when you are fed up of ?wearing your eyes? to see anything ! if you are in agreement with one or more of the statements mentioned here, it is high time that you tried an option which takes care of most of your problems. Do away with glasses or contact lenses. Go for Lasik surgery ? a brand new technology which can repair your eyes surgically. There are many whose vision was restored to the 20/20 level. There are more who have had even better results.

But the sheer thought of a doctor focusing a laser beam into the eye and blinding it permanently is surely a scary thought. But getting properly educated on Lasik Surgery could eliminate many of the fears. One of the proven ways to overcome this phobia is to watch a Lasik surgery done on someone else. If this also does not help, contact your eye doctor who can refer you to a clinical psychologist, who can help.

Most doctors allow prospective patients to sit and watch a Lasik surgery done to another patient. Either it is video taped which you can watch or you may like to sit and watch the procedure live, of course with the patients? consent. Once you experience the simplicity, painlessness and the convenience of the whole surgical process, you may feel comforted. More over, you may ask the patient questions like, what it felt when the surgery was in progress, how it feels now or any other questions you may have.

Information is power. So true in this case. The more information you gather, the more you learn about the pros and cons of lasik surgery the more equipped you are to face the surgical procedure, when it happens to you. Intensive and extensive knowledge about lasik surgery can put you at ease and prepare you to face the situation. Watching it happen to others is a wonderful way to learn. With eyes open all the time, the procedure is carried out ? yet you cant see a thing because your head and eyes are kept fixed in one position. If this is scary news to you, watch it happen to some one else. It will put you at ease.

In case witnessing a surgery done on some one else is not quite your cup of tea, you can try getting a psychological counseling. Professional psychologists can cure any phobia. Some try it with hypnosis, some with visual aids to get the fear out of your system. And they do this pretty fast. If you think a good psychologist is expensive, you could try another method to overcome fear. Try meditation.

Meditation helps in soothing and calming the mind and body. It can help you lose weight, give you relief from stress and anxieties and help you overcome phobias. Once you know enough about lasik surgery, you could do some research on meditation and see how meditation helps in soothing battered nerves. ?Meditation for Dummies? is a good book which teaches you a lot about mediation, the techniques and also what you can expect from it.

While all these are good ways to get fear out of your system, it could well be that you need a combination of several of these. Only you can tell, what is good for you to get over your phobias. But if you overcome your phobias and get the surgery done, you will be the one who will have the last smile. Because you would have got a better quality of life post-surgery.

The most important thing to remember is that if you don?t get over your fear you will be wearing glasses for ever (and keep on losing them also). Hopefully this should give you the right motivation to go ahead and kill that fear bug inside you.

Peter Rankin is a staff writer at Vision Digest and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including Wellness Digest.