Educational Info About Your Eyes

in Portsmouth & Seacoast,
New Hampshire

There are Five Types of Refractive Errors:

Myopia, astigmatism and hyperopia are related to the actual shape of the eye - meaning that one is born with these conditions. Cataracts and presbyopia are generally age-related refractive errors.

1. Myopia – or nearsightedness, is the ability to clearly see objects up close, but not those at a distance. Myopic patients generally have an eye that is too long, or a cornea that is too steeply curved. This causes light to focus in front of the retina, rather than directly upon it.

2. Astigmatism – is a vision condition that occurs when the cornea (the front of your eye) is slightly irregular in shape. This irregular shape prevents light from focusing properly on the retina, or the back of your eye, and causes multiple points of light. As a result, your vision may be blurred at all distances. People with severe astigmatism will usually have blurred or distorted vision, while those with mild astigmatism may experience headaches, eye strain, fatigue or blurred vision at certain distances. Most people have some degree of astigmatism.

3. Hyperopia – or farsightedness, is the ability to clearly see objects at a distance, but not those up close. This condition occurs when the eye is too short or the cornea is too flat, causing light to focus behind the retina. People with farsightedness can often see objects that are farther away with much more clarity than objects that are up close.

4. Cataracts – A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts are related to aging. Cataracts are very common in older people. By 75 years old, more than half of all Americans either have a cataract or have had cataract surgery. A cataract can occur in either or both eyes. It cannot spread from one eye to the other. If a cataract develops to the point that it affects your daily activities, an eye surgeon may recommend surgery. During the surgery, the eye's natural lens is removed and usually replaced with an intraocular lens (IOL). There are several types of lenses available, including AcrySof Toric IOL, Crystalens, and ReSTOR.

5. Presbyopia – is the gradual loss of the eye's ability to focus actively on nearby objects. It is a natural part of aging that usually begins to affect people after age 40. For most people, presbyopia becomes apparent when they need to hold print at arm's length in order to read it.

There are many different corrective eye surgery procedures and solutions for all of these vision problems. Clear Advantage Vision Correction Center offers the most advanced procedures to correct refractive errors including:

• Bladeless LASIK

• LASIK

• Zyoptix Customized LASIK

• PRK

• Cataract Surgery

• AcrySof Toric IOL

• Crystalens®

• ReSTOR®

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