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LASIK is a laser vision corrective surgery. LASIK stands for Laser-Assisted in situ Keratomileusis. It is by far the most popular laser surgery procedure today. A thin hinged flap of tissue is cut horizontally into the cornea using a device called a microkeratome. The flap is then carefully lifted and folded back. Next laser energy is directed, by a computer program, to remove corneal tissue and to reshape it. The flap is then replaced and acts as a bandage on the eye. There is very little discomfort after the surgery and vision is usually clear hours after the procedure.

Macular degeneration is a degeneration of the central area of your retina, called the macula. This part of our retina is responsible for fine details. It can be hereditary, and usually begins in your 60’s or later. You will first start noticing blurry vision, fluctuation of vision, and distortion of letters and shapes. You will eventually lose your central vision, but not your peripheral vision. It will not cause total blindness. There are two types of Macular Degeneration; dry and wet. The dry type is less severe and more common. There is no treatment for it. The wet type is worse. New blood vessels form in the macular area that usually leak blood. This type of macular degeneration can be treated by laser or some newer intraocular injections.

The natural lens inside of your eye is able to change shape to help you focus up close. As the years come and go the lens begins to harden and focusing up close becomes more difficult. This usually happens around the age of forty. You will hear people say that their arms aren’t long enough because they have to hold the reading material out farther. Ben Franklin invented the bifocal lens by putting two lenses together. The top part of the lens is for seeing at distance and the bottom part of the lens is for seeing up close. It is two lenses in one. Bifocals come in many different shapes and sizes. The most common types are flat top bifocals and no-line bifocals. The flat top bifocal looks like the letter D turned on it’s side, with the flat side up. The newest type of bifocals are the no-line or invisible bifocals. A person looking at your glasses can not tell that you are wearing bifocals because all of the bifocal edges have been blended into the lens. When getting your new glasses, be sure and ask our technicians about the latest in bifocal designs.

Lazy eye or more properly called Amblyopia, means that the central vision in one eye does not properly develop. It affects 2-3 percent of the population. Functionally the amblyopic eye has the capacity to see, but the brain turns off the eye because the vision is so blurry. The brain chooses to use the other stronger eye. The main causes of amblyopia are a strong uncorrected refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) or strabismus. Strabismus means that the eyes are not properly aligned and do not work together as a team, such as one eye turning in or out constantly. Amblyopia usually develops before the age of six. This is another reason to schedule yearly eye exams for your children at Eyeworks.

Cataracts are a cloudiness or opaqueness of the natural lens inside the human eye. The lens is normally clear, but as we age the lens yellows and gets cloudy or opaque. Other things like an eye injury, certain diseases, or even some medications can cause cataracts to form earlier in our life. Cataracts are surgically removed in an out patient procedure, and vision is restored. Yearly eye examinations can determine if you have cataracts.

Visual acuity is a measurement of how well you are seeing. Normal vision is 20/20. If you have 20/100 vision it means you could see an object at 20 feet, that a normal eye could see at 100 feet. The bigger the bottom number the worse your vision is. The top number is the test distance.

Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the normal fluid pressure inside the eye slowly rises. This causes damage to the internal structures of the eye and eventual blindness, if not diagnosed and treated. Glaucoma is a slow process that virtually has no signs or symptoms. Most individuals with glaucoma have no idea that they have a problem. Regular eye examinations that check the intraocular pressure are your best defense against one of the leading causes of blindness in the USA.

Farsighted means seeing better far away than up close. Also known as hyperopia.

Nearsighted is when the eyes can see close-up, but not far away. Also known as Myopia.

Astigmatism is caused by an irregular shape of the cornea, the clear tissue on the front of the eye. The cornea can basically have two different shapes. It can be shaped like a basketball, in other words completely spherical. If that is the case then you don’t have astigmatism. If the cornea has an irregular shape, like a football, then you have astigmatism. Looking at a football there are two different shapes or curves that are 90 degrees apart. Since there are two curves, when the light rays hit the cornea, it causes the light to come to a focus at two different points. Your eyeglasses or contact lenses must have two different curvatures to bring the light rays back to a single focus.