Posts Tagged → presbyopia
Drugstore reading glasses…helpful or harmful?
If you are over 40, you may have noticed that reading has started to become more difficult. Small print is blurry, and you have to hold the material at arms length in order to see clearly. This is a classic sign of aging, called presbyopia, and is easily treated through the use of corrective lenses.
If you’ve had good eyesight up to this point, you may decide to try a pair of over-the-counter (OTC) reading glasses that can be found in many retail stores. This is a cheaper alternative to purchasing prescription lenses, but how effective are drugstore reading glasses, and can they be harmful?
Generally, OTC reading glasses, which are essentially magnifying glasses of varying strengths, can be just as effective as prescription lenses, and won’t harm your eyes, but the wrong pair can cause eyestrain. If you suspect you need reading glasses, schedule a comprehensive eye exam. In addition to checking for eye diseases and ailments, your optometrist will determine how severe your problem is, and whether OTC glasses are an appropriate option. If your eyes are otherwise healthy, you are probably a good candidate, but make sure to ask your eye doctor to recommend the proper strength.
Here are some things to consider when deciding between prescription and drugstore reading glasses:
Drugstore reading glasses are essentially one-size-fits-all. They have the same magnification in each lens, which can be a problem if, like many people, you need a different strength for each eye. Also, the optical center, which should line up perfectly with the center of your pupil, is usually centered within each lens, which may be bad if it doesn’t correspond with the shape of your face.
OTC reading glasses are not the same as glasses used to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Again, they are meant to be used for a specific activity at a set distance, so if you have more severe refractive errors, you’re better off with a pair of prescription lenses.
Finally, check your OTC glasses for defects such as waves or bubbles in the lenses, which can distort vision and cause eyestrain.
For tips on selecting a pair of OTC reading glasses, go to: http://www.ehow.com/how_6119635_buy-over-counter-reading-glasses.html
Reading glasses are meant to prevent eyestrain, so if they allow you to read without headaches, they are beneficial. If you can’t find glasses that work well and fit properly, you may have to give in and buy a customized pair.
Dr. Ronald J. Martin of VisionHealth Optometry focuses on quality eye care services to family members of all ages. Services include eye exams, contact lens fittings, retinal photography, pre- and post-operative care, and glasses frames and lens selection. Dr. Martin’s office is located at 1440 Medical Center Dr. Suite2, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. He can be reached at 707-206-0290 or email him at questions@vision-health.com. Visit VisionHealth Optometry online at http://www.vision-health.com.
Dr. Martin is a member of the California Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the Redwood Empire Optometric Society, and the Optometry Alumni Association of the University of California.
Can Someone with Astigmatism and Presbyopia Wear Contact Lenses?
You went through the hard contact lenses in the 1970s trying to correct your astigmatism and you could not wear those things another day. They sat for years in your medicine cabinet, didn’t they?
Before I answer your question, I need to give you a few factoids.
Contact lenses have been around for more than 100 years. Yes, I said more than 100 years. Many changes have occurred with them since then. Perhaps after you failed with your hard contacts you were told you couldn’t wear contacts at all. Maybe you had to quit wearing your contacts when you got older and your eyes went through a change. Now you have your bifocal glasses and you feel like you are stuck with them.
Here’s another interesting fact. Among Americans who need vision correction there are around 20 percent wearing contacts. You have heard that they correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism, but what if you now have all three? Don’t think your only choice is surgery or eye glasses. Times have changed and so have contact lenses.
Even a few years ago you might have been told that contact lenses for astigmatism, called “toric” contacts did not come in disposable, frequent replacement, multifocal or colored varieties. Those statements are no longer true. If you don’t have a very complex prescription, you can get all the things you need to see clearly.
The first correction is to your astigmatism. Fitting for them, whether you choose toric soft lenses or toric gas permeable lenses, will take longer for your eye care practitioner’s time and he needs to have even more expertise than just for fitting regular contacts.
The next major correction will be correcting both astigmatism and presbyopia. The kind of lens for this is the rigid GP lens even though there are some soft toric brands. Chances are they wouldn’t be what you need.
If you have astigmatism and are interested in wearing contact lenses, visit an eye care practitioner who is comfortable fitting toric lenses to see if they meet your needs and work best for you.
Dr. Ronald J. Martin of VisionHealth Optometry focuses on quality eye care services to family members of all ages. Services include eye exams, contact lens fittings, retinal photography, pre- and post-operative care, and glasses frames and lens selection. Dr. Martin’s office is located at 1440 Medical Center Dr. Suite2, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. He can be reached at 707-206-0290 or email him at questions@vision-health.com. Visit VisionHealth Optometry online at http://www.vision-health.com.
Dr. Martin is a member of the California Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the Redwood Empire Optometric Society, and the Optometry Alumni Association of the University of California.
Contact Lenses Today
Did you try contact lenses years ago and give up after being frustrated? You might want to reexamine your information.
Contact lenses today are of two types: soft lenses that are made from water-containing plastics and GP, “oxygen permeable” rigid contact lenses.
There are different kinds of wear cycles. Daily wear contacts have to be removed nightly, cleaned and stored properly. Extended wear lenses are safe for wear overnight. Some lenses are continuous wear and can be worn for up to 30 days.
Contacts can also be described by how often you throw the old pair away and replace them with new ones.
Daily disposables are discarded nightly, requiring no care, cleaning or case. Other replacement intervals of time include weekly, bi-weekly, monthly and quarterly. All of these are classified as disposable. Non-disposable lenses need to be replaced once a year but this kind usually are unusual or difficult-to manufacture prescriptions.
These days contacts come in various designs for different vision problems. Spherical ones correct nearsightedness or farsightedness and are indicated by a minus or a plus on your prescription. Bifocal contact lenses are like multi-focal eyeglasses in that they use different optical zones to correct the age-related, decreased ability to see both near and far, known as presbyopia. Do you have an astigmatism? There are contacts for it that correct either nearsightedness or farsightedness.
Tired of your eye color? Many lenses come in colors that enhance or even change your natural eye color along with making the corrections you need. There are even special effect lenses that are for fun or theatrical and film productions. Prosthetic lenses are colored ones that can cosmetically mask eye disfigurement. Many contact lenses come with an embedded UV inhibitor as well.
So what are the right lenses for you?
Your contacts need to do three things: properly fit your cornea, give you clear vision and provide any of the “extra” benefits you want, such as color, disposable or multiple powers.
There are more than tens of thousands of combinations of size, shape and power. For this reason they are a prescription item and must be fitted by a skilled professional. This will ensure a comfortable fit and great vision. Only an eye care practitioner can evaluate your eyes to tell which lens is right for you while taking into account your special needs, such as dry eyes, color requests or overnight wear.
Dr. Ronald J. Martin of VisionHealth Optometry focuses on quality eye care services to family members of all ages. Services include eye exams, contact lens fittings, retinal photography, pre- and post-operative care, and glasses frames and lens selection. Dr. Martin’s office is located at 1440 Medical Center Dr. Suite2, Rohnert Park, CA 94928. He can be reached at 707-206-0290 or email him at questions@vision-health.com. Visit VisionHealth Optometry online at http://www.vision-health.com.
Dr. Martin is a member of the California Optometric Association, the American Optometric Association, the Redwood Empire Optometric Society, and the Optometry Alumni Association of the University of California.
