Visiting a qualified eye care professional for a routine eye examination is crucial to ensuring the long-term health of the eyes. The high-costs of eye examinations can often leave a strain on the families’ finances if one of the vision insurance plans isn’t in place. And the cost-effective plans are easy to arrange and cover everyone in the immediate family

Amblyopia

An amblyopic eye often referred to as a lazy eye, in which the eye has reduced vision. Often there is no known reason.

Astigmatism

This is explained as an error of refraction, which prevents light from coming to a point of focus on the retina. Usually caused when the cornea (FRONT SURFACE) of the eye is shaped like a rugby ball whereas it should be like a football. Results in blurred vision.

Cataract

The partial or complete loss of transparency of the lens. The eyes internal lens becomes misty which prevents light from reaching the back of the eye and therefore interrupts vision.

Cerebral visual impairment or Cortical visual impairment (CVI)

Visual difficulty caused by damage to the visual cortex or visual pathways, the connection to the brain and the ‘vision’ part of the brain is damaged. Can be associated with the learning disability or acquired through brain damage.

Coloboma

This is normally a developmental defect of the iris (and other parts of the eye) which makes the pupil look keyhole shaped.

Corneal Opacities

Loss of transparency of the cornea (the front surface of the eye). Corneal opacity occurs when the cornea becomes scarred. This stops light from passing through the cornea to the retina and may cause the cornea to appear white or clouded over, resulting in impairment of vision.

Glaucoma

An eye disease associated with increased pressure within the eye,which can cause damage to the retina initially often causing loss of peripheral vision. Eye pressure may be tested during an eye examination often using a machine, which fires a puff of air against the eye and records the internal eye pressure. A test of the visual fields is also normally carried out. It is important to have a regular eye test by a qualified optician, especially if there is a family history of glaucoma.

Hypermetropia (farsighted or longsighted)

Inability to focus on near objects which will appear blurred. Usually corrected by prescription spectacles.

Kerataconus

Occurs when the cornea thins causing the central part of the cornea to bulge forwards in the shape of a cone.

Microphthalmus

The underdevelopment of the eyes, the eyeball is abnormally small and often deeply set in the orbit.

Monocular vision

Consequence of either having vision in one eye only or of a long standing squint.

Myopia

Inability to focus on distant objects which will appear blurred. Usually corrected by prescription glasses or contact lenses.

Nystagmus

Involuntary repetitive movement of the eyes. Caused by poor vision or by muscle defects.

Presbyopia

The inability to focus on close objects such as reading material,caused by the hardening of the internal lens making it difficult for the lens to reshape (increase power) when trying to focus close up. Known as loss of accommodation, usually occurs after the age of 40. First signs are pushing away reading matter to focus clearly. Can be corrected with reading glasses

Presbyopia

The loss of central vision. Central vision is used in tasks like reading and facial recognition.

Peripheral vision

The loss of peripheral vision will give problems with tasks like mobility and in identifying movement and the approach of people and objects.

Strabismus

This is another name for a squint. It refers to eyes that are not straight.

Explanation of Optical Terms

Plastic lenses – Lenses made of a plastic resin material sometimes known as CR39.

Polycarbonate lenses – Tougher than traditional plastic lenses made of a polycarbonate material,often used in rimless spectacles, less likely to break. Used in Safety eyewear.

Hi index Lenses – Plastic lenses made of a denser resin enabling the lenses to be thinner and lighter than traditional plastic lenses. There are differing degrees shown by their index number, ie A standard lens has a
index number of 1.52. Hi index lenses start from 1.6 1.67 1.7.

Bifocal lenses – Lenses that incorporate the distance and reading prescriptions in one lens. The top part of the lens is for distance vision the lower part for reading vision. There is a dividing line between the two. There are many different types of bifocals with different sizes and shapes of reading segments

Multifocal Lenses – Lenses which gradually change power as you look down the lens from distance to reading. Commonly known as Varifocal lenses. There are many different lenses such as Varilux and Progressive Graduate.

Cataract is the clouding of the lens of the eyes. It affects vision. A thin lining of cloudy natural lens is removed from the eye because it blocks the passage of light. This is how a cataract surgery is done. Cataract surgery is a harmless procedure. Every year, there are more than 1.6 Americans who undergo this treatment to repair their vision. More than half of the American population have cataract or may have been through a cataract surgery by the age of 80. Some people believe that when one eye has cataract, the other eye will definitely be next. This is a myth. Cataract doesn’t spread. It can occur in either or both eyes though.

Before a cataract surgery, a patient will go through an eye examination to determine the correct power of the intraocular lens that the eye needs. It is important for the patient to mention if he is presently under some medication. The doctor will advise whether or not to continue the said medications. There are really some medications which cause problems during a cataract surgery. An example of this medicine is Flomax, which is taken by men with enlarged prostates. The patient is then given an option on what to choose over single vision intraocular lens or presbyopia-correcting intraocular lens. The patient’s choice is usually dependent on some factors such as his lifestyle and ability to pay the total cost.

On the day of the surgery itself, there is a list of things to do such skipping breakfast and avoiding intake of liquids. An eye drop to dilate pupils and sedative are given prior to the actual procedure. Topical anesthesia is also given in order for the patient not to feel the pain. After the areas around the eyes were completely cleansed and after a sterile covering is put into place, at least a small cut is done into the eye to enable the surgeon to remove the cloudy lens. There are two methods to remove the cloudy lens. One is through sonically breaking up the cataract then extracted out of the eye. The other one is through mechanically breaking up the cataract into small pieces then removed from the eye through a small incision. After this, a plastic or silicon intraocular lens will replace the natural lens that was taken off the eye.

After the operation, a protective shield is placed on the eye. Then the patient is usually sent home after few minutes in the recovery room. Surgeons advise patients to apply eye drops for a number of times in a day. This goes on for few weeks depending on the surgeon’s advice. Just like any other medical procedure, there are dos and don’ts patients are given to ensure effectiveness of the operation.

The price of a cataract surgery is around $3,000, exclusive of health insurance. Fortunately, HMOs, Medicare and other health insurances cover this specific surgery. It is indeed pricey however, the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery reports 98% of the patients believe it is highly recommended since it simply worked for them.

John had never been so thankful that he had vision insurance than when he found out that he was going to need surgery for a rare and hard to treat eye condition. He had noticed that he was having more and more trouble reading road signs when he was driving and he was suffering from frequent headaches when he decided that he should see an eye specialist who was able to diagnose the problem. The treatment he needed involved a very delicate surgery that if successful would restore most of his previous sight and would leave him in good condition. He went over his vision insurance plan and was delighted with the excellent coverage it provided him so he made arrangements to have the surgery performed as soon as he could get it scheduled. John was lucky that his employer offered such complete treatment options through his employee sponsored benefit package. Three of the more serious conditions that affect our eyes are much more easily treated when discovered early through routine eye examinations. These three conditions are:

1. Macular Degeneration – This is one of the more serious diseases of the eye that can occur and to date there is no cure for it. This condition usually affects older people so senior citizens are the most at risk group of people. Although it is not curable an eye physician can manage the advancement of the deterioration of the eye so that the damage to eye sight is at least slowed down. Macular Degeneration attacks the macula that is located in the back of the eye and one of the first symptoms to be aware of is blurring which makes it hard to read and recognize people even from a short distance.

2. Glaucoma – This is a disease of the eye that can truly be helped if discovered at an early stage. In fact, a routine testing of existing eye pressure when a person is having an eye examination will reveal if Glaucoma has started to develop. There are several medicines in the form of eye drops that if used faithfully and regularly can slow the progress of the damage to the eye. Many times laser surgery is used to burn a little pinhole in the iris so that the pressure that builds up due to the presence of Glaucoma can be relieved. This process preserves the eyesight and is virtually painless when a local is administered directly to the eye before the surgery.

3. Cataracts – This is a very common eye condition where a film develops over the lens of the eye and causes a person to experience blurred sight. This clouding of the eye usually takes several years to develop and can be spotted during a routine eye exam when a doctor examines your eyes. Treatment consists of cataract surgery during which time an eye surgeon skillfully removes the film that covers the lens of the eye and in a matter of a few weeks when the inflammation is gone the person can see much better once again.