20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity (the clarity or sharpness of vision) measured at a distance of 20 feet. If you have 20/20 vision, you can see clearly at 20 feet what should normally be seen at that distance. If you have 20/100 vision, it means that you must be as close as 20 feet to see what a person with normal vision can see at 100 feet.
20/20 does not necessarily mean perfect vision. 20/20 vision only indicates the sharpness or clarity of vision at a distance. There are other important vision skills, including peripheral awareness or side vision, eye coordination, depth perception, focusing ability and color vision that contribute to your overall visual ability.
A comprehensive eye examination by a doctor of optometry can diagnose those causes, if any, that are affecting your ability to see well. In most cases, your optometrist can prescribe glasses, contact lenses, a vision therapy program , or Laser vision correction that will help improve your vision. If the reduced vision is due to an eye disease, the use of ocular medication or other treatment may be used.
Nearsightedness, or myopia, is a vision condition in which near objects are seen clearly, but distant objects do not come into proper focus.
Nearsightedness occurs if your eyeball is too long or the cornea has too much curvature, so the light entering your eye is not focused correctly.
A sign of nearsightedness is difficulty seeing distant objects like a movie or TV screen or chalkboard. A comprehensive optometric examination will include testing for nearsightedness. Your optometrist can prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses to optically correct nearsightedness by altering the way the light images enter your eyes. You may only need to wear them for certain activities, like watching TV or a movie or driving a car, or they may need to be worn for all activities.
Refractive surgery or laser procedures are also possible treatments for nearsightedness as is orthokeratology. Orthokeratology is a non-invasive procedure that involves the wearing of a series of specially-designed rigid contact lenses to progressively reshape the curvature of the cornea over time.
Presbyopia is a vision condition in which the crystalline lens of your eye loses its flexibility, which makes it difficult for you to focus on close objects.
Presbyopia may seem to occur suddenly, but the actual loss of flexibility takes place over a number of years. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in the early to mid-forties. Presbyopia is a natural part of the aging process of the eye. It is not a disease and it cannot be prevented.
Some signs of presbyopia include the tendency to hold reading materials at arm's length, blurred vision at normal reading distance and eye fatigue along with headaches when doing close work. A comprehensive optometric examination will include testing for presbyopia.
To help you compensate for presbyopia, your optometrist can prescribe reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals or contact lenses.
Farsightedness, or hyperopia, is a vision condition in which distant objects are usually seen clearly, but close ones do not come into proper focus.
Farsightedness occurs if your eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature, so light entering your eye is not focused correctly.
Common vision screenings, often done in schools, are generally ineffective in detecting farsightedness. A comprehensive optometric examination will include testing for farsightedness.
In mild cases of farsightedness, your eyes may be able to compensate without corrective lenses. In other cases, your optometrist can prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses to optically correct farsightedness by altering the way the light enters your eyes. Laser vision correction is also an option to correct for hyperopia.
Astigmatism is a vision condition that occurs when the front surface of your eye, the cornea, is slightly irregular in shape.
This irregular shape prevents light from focusing properly on the back of your eye, the retina. As a result, your vision may be blurred at all distances.
Most people have some degree of astigmatism. A comprehensive optometric examination will include testing to diagnose astigmatism and determine the degree.
Almost all levels of astigmatism can be optically corrected with properly prescribed and fitted eyeglasses and/or contact lenses.
Corneal modification and laser vision correction is also a treatment option for some patients.
A cataract is the clouding of the lens inside the eye. As people become older, this normally crystal clear lens yellows and blocks some of the light passing through it. This condition slowly progresses to the stage where more and more light is blocked and often vision becomes increasingly blurred.
A cataract is NOT a tumor or cancer. It is NOT a growth over the eye, nor is it skin that grows over the eye.
In most cases, a cataract is a natural part of aging. In fact, if they live long enough, every individual will develop a cataract. Some people develop dense cataracts at age sixty, while others remain cataract-free until the age of ninety.
Cataract surgery is usually recommended when patients feel their quality of life has been reduced. There are many people with cataracts and poor vision who feel their enjoyment of life is not at all affected. If driving an automobile is not essential, the patient may choose to stop driving and delay surgery until the cataracts interfere with other activities.
Glaucoma is a common eye disease that can lead to blindness if left untreated. Many people in the early stages of the disease do not notice symptoms until eye damage becomes so severe, it is impossible to repair. Every year, many Americans needlessly go blind because their glaucoma was detected too late. We can easily detect glaucoma through simple eye examinations. Early detection and treatment can prevent debilitating damage. Most glaucoma can be successfully treated with the use of eye drops.
When light rays enter the eye, the pass through the transparent structures (the cornea, the lens and the vitreous) and are focused on two areas of the retina: the macula and the fovea.
The macula is the central part of the retina and is responsible for central or straight-ahead vision. All of the retina, including the macula, contain receptor cells called rods, on which some light rays that enter the eye are focused.
The macula contains an even smaller central area called the fovea. The fovea is responsible for very sharp vision. The fovea differs from the rest of the retina in that it contains a very high concentration of receptor cells called cones. Because of its high concentration of cones, the fovea is the only area capable of 20/20 vision.
Since the cones must have bright light to function normally, the fovea works best in daylight. The rest of the retina, including the macula, functions better in dim illumination (night time) and is not capable of sharp central vision.
Macula Degeneration describes a disease in which a degenerative or aging process affects the macula. It is important to note that if part of the macula is diseased but the fovea is not, vision can remain good even though macular degeneration has begun.
At present, there is no treatment for the dry form of AMD, which accounts for 80-90 percent for all incidences of the disease. Laser therapy is the only proven method for treating the wet form, but can be used only for the remaining 10-20 percent of people who develop AMD.
What is dry eye?
Dry eye known medically as keratoconjunctivitis sicca or keratitis sicca, is a condition where there is a problem with the production of tears.
What are the symptoms of Dry Eye?
Usually eyes feel irritated, scratchy, dry and uncomfortable. Eyes may be red and there may be a burning sensation, or it may feel as if there is something in the eye like grit or an eyelash. Sometimes there may be periods of blurred vision but these normally go away after a short while or on blinking. Sometimes eyes may water too much and often eyes won’t actually feel dry but you may notice that there are no tears when you are upset or when peeling onions.
We can determine which is the best mode of treatment for your particular need and customize a treatment plan for you.