We need to do everything we can to protect our eyesight. It is crucial that we guard our eyesight with the resources we have available. Prevention and education are key factors to maintaining healthy eyesight. Visiting the eye doctor regularly, recognizing risk factors, and preventative eye care will help lengthen eyesight; rather than prematurely shorten it. This is my evaluation of the importance of an eye exam through my first hand experience, focusing specifically on glaucoma tests during eye exams, and how tests contribute to long-term vision.
Glaucoma is thought of as a disease that only afflicts senior citizens. The same stereotype the pegs the elderly as people who wear huge wrap around black sunglasses, pants pulled up higher than seem comfortable, white shoes with black socks, who retirement in Florida, and who also frequently visit doctors.
Over the years I have had my fair share of doctor visits. Thankfully, none of the visits were major or life threatening, just minor reasons to see the doctor; eye exams, allergies, and tubes in my ears. I have had glasses since 6th grade, resulting in many eye exams. I would sit in the chair, look at the letters on the wall and they would adjust the lens in the machine to get the right combination. They would say “Which one looks better? This, or this?” then the optician would pause and say again “This, or this?” It took a lot of patience on his or her part because sometimes it was really hard to tell which one did look better. During these exams, it was normal for the optician to administer the glaucoma “puff test”. I found out later, while researching about glaucoma, that the “puff test” is officially known as a tonometry test.
According to www.glaucoma.org, a tonometry test i...
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....org states at the beginning “everyone is at risk.” This is an all encompassing statement that all people should be taking regular eye exams with tonometry tests. , granted the list that follows points out some ethnic groups who are more susceptible.
In conclusion, there are a lot of people who could develop glaucoma and have not had the “puff test.” I used my personal experience as an example against the people who have the potential to develop glaucoma. This analysis allowed me weigh my current situation against what damage could have been done. I wish people would be more active in their eye health. People need to stop putting off what can be done today. If you want to take care of your vision and be able to see until your old, old enough to wear pants too high with white shoe and black socks. You should go see your ophthalmologists today and get a “puff test”.
The TearLAb device allows the practitioner to monitor and supervise the tear film’s osmolarity, which is an important factor correlated with dry eye. In normal patients tear osmolarity is low and very similar to blood osmolarity (290 milliosmoles per litter). This indicates that tears are in proper homeostasis. On the other hand, dry eye patients have elevated (> 316 mOsm/L) and unstable tear osmolarity which can vary both over time and between eyes.[4]. This test is simple and quick to perform which can be easily delegated to a consultant or a technician
Optometrists have accepted vision therapy, which is a medical treatment for optical muscle disabilities, as a feasible treatment used for eye related problems; claiming the treatment can strengthen vision and give the patient the opportunity to understand visuals quicker and clearer (Press). Vision therapy originated in the 1950s and over the past 25 years, has gained popularity, mainly because of new technological innovations in the field of treatment. Generally, vision therapy is prescribed as a measure mainly for people between the ages of 3 and 18. With the results from a comprehensive series of eye tests, the optometrist can work with the patient using special instruments—prisms, filters, occluders, and eye lenses—and strengthen the eye muscles, thus improving sight. According to optometrists in favor of vision therapy, these methods of treatment using these instruments function as safer routes to repair eye disabilities. Although vision therapy can yield favorable results, the practice as a treatment for innate eye disabilities has been in hot debate lately; as it can exceed $8000 and insurance companies do not cover the treatment. For decades, insurance companies have refused to accept vision therapy as a legitimate method for repairing eyesight (Boink). Concomitant with lack of insurance, the cost for a full treatment can exceed $8000, and doctors cannot guarantee a successful outcome. Recently, parents of children with eye related disabilities, such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and strabismus (cross-eye), and doctors have attempted to cooperate with public schools to allow families access to school-funded doctors to practice vision therapy. With a tight budget, most schools cannot afford to supply vision therapy, and a...
Vision loss from glaucoma is permanent but can be prevented with early detection and treatment. Since the symptoms of the disease are usually unnoticeable, regular eye examination are important especially for persons over the age of 35 and those in high risk group.
In the editorial cartoon, Our Eyes Secure Your Safety, is dealing with giving up rights and freedoms. The cartoonist has presented the perspective that rejecting collectivism can be ineffective, which is shown by people walking around surrounded by video surveillance. The author uses irony of large eyes in the sky with big bold letters that states the quote our eyes secure individuals' safety to show the ideas presented on portraying negative notion on the subject of which is surrendering our rights and freedoms for more collective security; he/she also stresses the idea of individualism. The individualist view of a society without high government involvement was furthermore illustrated in the source by the idea of all the eyes, gloominess
My interest in the career of optometry stems from my first experience in the optometry office to receive my first pair of glasses when I was in middle school. I distinctly remember the moment when my optometrist slipped my new glasses over my eyes for the first time. Suddenly, everything in the room came into sharp, clear focus. I knew that the glasses would help me see the board in school, but I was astonished to find that I could see small details about the room, as it had never before occurred to me that I should have been able to see these details. I was also surprised that I was even able to see the expressions on the faces of people who were standing far away from me. It was one of the most incredible, freeing, and empowering moments of my life. As I walked out of the optometry office, I felt
According to Baily and Hall, while visual impairment early in life is associated with inherited congenital disorders, abnormal fetal devepment, and problems associated with premature birth, most eye conditions are associated with aging. They claim that over 70% of the visually impaired population in the United States is over 65. Age related maculopathy, also called macular degeneration, or AMD, impairs the center of vision in older individuals. The macula is the region in the back of the retina that surrounds and includes the fovea (Goldstein 1999). It is important to understand that when this degeneration progresses enough, the condition constitutes blindness because the foveal area is what is used to focus on something. Most cases do not progress this far, but between five and 20% do. Allikments and Shroyer claim that 11 million people in the United States alone suffer some degree of this impairment, with 75% of those individuals being 75 or older. Seven percent of this older age group reportedly suffer advanced forms. Freidman reports the disease as most common in developed countries.
Optometry involves of a combination of intricate practical skills and academia allowing the improvement of an individual’s vision as an outcome changing their quality of life. I would feel privileged to gain the opportunity to study Optometry enabling me to improve the ocular health and vision of others as it would be a valuable contribution to the society.
Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the United States. It tends to run in families and currently affects about 3 million Americans. Although the illness is five times more common in African-Americans than in Caucasians after age 40, the risk of glaucoma goes up with age for people of ethnic backgrounds. Chronic glaucoma, which affects 1 percent to 2 percent of Americans older than 40, is much more common than acute glaucoma.
Have you ever known somebody who was injured in a car accident? What do you think his attitude about seat belts was after they saved his life? If you knew that a seat belt would save your life, you would buckle up! It took years of legislation and public awareness campaigns to make seat belt use mandatory. Now a new topic regarding public safety is coming to light: people are dying or becoming seriously injured in seemingly minor accidents on bicycles when the rider's head strikes the concrete. When the head is unprotected "the brain continues to move in a forward motion while the skull stops moving" (Macyko1), causing trauma. What is needed is a way to protect the brain "by absorbing the energy from the impact, buying extra time for the brain to slow down" (Macyko1). Bicycle riders need to wear helmets to protect their brains from injury, yet unfortunately the public is simply not aware of this need and many people will continue to die or be seriously injured unless something is done. Bicycle helmets save lives and should be required by Arizona State law for riders of all ages.
Robert, a 65 year-old male, has trouble reading fine detail, especially out of his central vision. He complains that his vision is blurred and that it is harder to see while operating a motor vehicle. In addition, sometimes objects appear wavy or crooked, which impairs his vision. His worst symptoms were that he occasionally lost the ability to distinguish between the features of familiar faces and he had a localized blind spot. Robert is not alone; many people suffer from symptoms related to loss and distortion of the visual field. He suffers from macular degeneration, the leading cause of decreased vision loss in the United States, especially for people over the age of 50 (Philippi, 2000).
“The Aravind Eye Care System has dramatically improved the quality, volume and efficiency of eye care delivery in India and inspired health workers everywhere.” (Brilliant, L & Brilliant, G. (2007)) The workflow of doctors are set high, they perform over 200,000 surgeries per year. Keeping the waiting time between each operation very small and steady, resulting in many more patients becoming operated on. “The second core principle is excellence in execution of ensuring a high level of efficiency in providing the treatment, including outpatient services and surgeries.” (Tikoo, R. Financial Express). The gap between each operation was so precise and consistent; it solely helped improve the efficiency of the hospital. “By the time the first operation was finished, the second patient already had a microscope focused on their eye. Dr. Aravind then moved straight to table no.2 without any interlude.” (Manikutty, S & Vohra, N
Optometry is unique when compared to a field such as general medicine; as a field, optometry is relatively new to many people. The importance of optometry has moved beyond simply helping patients see better, to maintaining the health of the eye and working to screen for many other health conditions. Because its importance is becoming more understood and well known to the general public, the number of patients seeking treatment is growing drastically. As stated above this drastic growth is not only increasing the number of patients but also the number of places optometry is being practiced as well as changing the demographics of the patients being see...
Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue. Often times I find myself looking up on a clear day, pondering over that question? Why isn’t it green, or red or pink for even that matter. Every day, the human eye blinks more than 23,00 times. The human eye is a complicated organ that performs one of the most important tasks for our body. There are many questions about the eye however. What function do they perform? What happens if we don’t take care of them? How exactly do they work together to help us form images? Exactly how far can they human eye see?
The Eye is the organ of sight. Eyes enable people to perform daily tasks and to learn about the world that surrounds them. Sight, or vision, is a rapidly occurring process that involves continuous interaction between the eye, the nervous system, and the brain. When someone looks at an object, what he/she is really seeing is the light that the object reflects, or gives off.