Laser Eye Surgery At Visualase
Why Is My Vision Blurred?
Normally the image of a distant object is focused onto the retina at the back of the eye by the cornea and the lens. The retina, in turn, converts this image into electrical impulses which the optic nerve transmits to the brain. There are four main causes of blurred vision:
Myopia (short-sightedness)
This means that you can see clearly close up but you may find that distance objects are blurred. In this case there will be a minus sign (-) in the ‘sphere’ part of your prescription. You will probably need to wear your glasses all the time or for many everyday activities including driving, watching TV or sports.
Hyperopia (long-sightedness)
This means that close-up objects (and sometimes distance objects) may be out of focus. In this case there will be a plus sign (+) in the ‘sphere’ part of your prescription. You may need glasses for reading, using a computer, driving, watching TV or sports.
Astigmatism
This occurs when the curvature of your eye is not perfectly round. In this case there will be numbers recorded in the ‘cylinder’ and ‘axis’ parts of your prescription. Your vision could be blurred at all distances and, depending on the amount of astigmatism, you may need to wear your glasses all the time.
Presbyopia
This occurs when the natural lenses inside your eyes lose some of their flexibility so that it becomes difficult to focus on close-up objects. Presbyopia is a result of the eye’s ageing process and it affects everyone from their mid-40’s onwards. In this case there will be a figure in the ‘near’ or ‘intermediate’ part of your prescription and you will probably need glasses for reading. Although laser treatment cannot correct presbyopia, allowances can be made for it by focusing one eye for distance vision and the other eye for near vision. This is known as monovision.
Three ways to improve eyesight
For many years the only way people could correct their vision was to wear spectacles. However, wearers complain of being able to see the frame, discomfort of the daily wear and that their lenses steam up. Over the last forty years contact lenses have become popular but wearers have their own problems to deal with. There is the daily routine of inserting, removing and cleaning the lenses, check-ups and collections. In addition, both spectacles and contact lenses can break or wear out incurring costs for replacements.
More recently laser eye correction has been a major innovation in sight correction. Millions of people worldwide have now undergone laser eye correction and are enjoying the benefits. You too could say goodbye to your glasses and contact lenses.
