Eye health

Myopia, or Short-sightedness, is a condition in which near objects are seen more clearly than objects which are far away.

The main symptom is blurred distance vision. Short-sighted people often report difficulty distinguishing details on road signs and scoreboards.

Another common symptom is “squinting” the lids together in an attempt to see clearer. This works by narrowing the aperture they are looking through and therefore reducing the size of the blur circle on the retina inside the eye.

Myopia tends to first develop during adolescence as the eye grows to full adult size. Myopia occurs either due to hereditary factors or due to environmental stress and a subsequent spasm of the eye focussing muscles.

Myopia is corrected with either contact lenses or spectacles. Since these lenses are thickest at the edge, new spectacle lens technologies have been developed to produce thinner and lighter lenses.

Astigmatism is an out-of-roundness of one or more surfaces in the eye’s optical system.
An eye with no astigmatism is spherical in shape, like a marble. On the other hand an eye with astigmatism has a distorted shape, slightly like a grape.

In lesser degrees this can cause strain and discomfort after visual concentration; while in higher degrees astigmatism causes images at all distances to be distorted or blurred.

Colour blindness is almost always inherited, although it can be acquired condition as a result of some diseases or injuries.

The abnormality is sex linked, recessive, and carried on the X chromosomes. This means that males need only have their one X chromosome affected to be colour blind while females must carry the condition on both their X chromosomes to be colour blind. If females have it only on one X chromosome they will carry the condition but still have normal colour vision themselves.

As a result, about 8% of males and 0.5% of females have colour vision deficiencies. Almost all colour deficient people do see most colours but they will have difficulty identifying particular ones, confusing certain shades of red and green for example.

As children, few of these people will be aware that they have a colour vision deficiency but the detection of these problems is important, especially when career choices are affected.

At Eyecare Plus Optometrists colour vision testing is a routine part of the eye examinations of every new patient and child.

Dry eye disease affects about 20% of people, and poor eye lubrication increases susceptibility to scratches, infection and possibly vision impairment. A range of effective treatments is available. For information talk to your optometrist Andrew Greer at Eyecare Plus Tamworth.

The health of the retina is very dependent on a good blood supply to the eye. Diabetes compromises this circulation and can cause serious damage to the retina (diabetic retinopathy).
Diabetes needs life-long management to prevent ongoing damage. Early diagnosis, reduction of risk factors and ongoing treatment are very important in preventing complications. Your optometrist is an important member of the health team monitoring diabetic patients.

For more information talk to your optometrist Andrew Greer at Eyecare Plus Tamworth.

A cataract is an opacity or clouding of the lens inside the eye, then distorting the light as it enters. Cataracts are often confused with pterygium but cataracts cannot be seen on the surface of the eye.
Symptoms of cataract may include a gradual painless decrease in clear vision, hazy vision, increased sensitivity to glare, and even double vision.

Special tints or filters can often improve vision and UV protection can help to slow development of this condition.
The eventual “cure” is surgical removal of the lens with cataract and replacement with an artificial lens (intra-ocular lens implant).

Macular Degeneration (MD) is a disease associated with aging that gradually destroys central vision. Central vision occurs at the macula on the retina, at the back of the eye. Because it is the central part of vision, it is needed for seeing objects clearly and for common everyday tasks such as reading and driving.

MD is present in 15% of people between the ages of 70-75 and is now the leading cause of blindness and severe vision loss in Australia. In some cases, MD advances so slowly that people fail to notice the gradual deterioration of their vision. In others, the disease progresses faster and may lead to a permanent loss of central vision.

While there is presently no cure for Macular Degeneration, there are steps that you can take to prevent or slow the progress of the disease. For more information talk to your optometrist Andrew Greer at Eyecare Plus Tamworth.

Some patients comment that they look like cobwebs or threads, and most usually notice floaters when looking at a bright clear background like a ceiling or plain coloured wall.

They can be caused by debris left over from before birth, injury or eye disease. A full eye examination will determine the cause and whether any follow-up is needed. If treatment is needed, there are several options including surgical draining of the eye and destruction of the floating material with a laser. For more information talk to your optometrist Andrew Greer at Eyecare Plus Tamworth.