×

Information About Eye Health

Did you know your eyes are the window to your health?

Eyeland provides you with the most experienced and qualified doctors.
Eye Health

OR CALL 800-553-5090

100% Satisfaction

Every member of your family, young and old can benefit from routine eye examinations.
Below is a list of some common eye problems and information in regard to detection and prevention.

The Human Eye

Because sight is such a valuable sense, it’s important to be informed and know how to properly care for your eyes. Knowledge and routine eye exams will help preserve your eyes for life.

Prevention in a Blink
With eyes it rings true: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
  • Wellness Appointment: Your eyes should have a comprehensive exam at least once yearly.
  • Prevent Health Issues: Sunglasses and glasses with 100% UV protection can help you reduce the chances of developing eye conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration.
  • Investigate Symptoms: Eye problems are commonly the source of frequent headaches and if this is your symptom, consider an eye exam.
  • Proper Cleaning: If contact solution isn’t available to clean your contact lenses, the oral swish is not an option. Bacteria and viruses from your mouth could rapidly infect to your eyes.
Protection in a Blink
Want to treat your eyes kindly? Here’s how:
  • When doing yard work, carpentry or mechanics, playing sports or riding a motorcylce, wear plastic safety glasses.
  • Endless hours in front of a computer screen, strains your eyes so give them a “blinking break” by looking across the room, refocus, blink and then resume work.
  • Use artificial tears -- not products the soothe redness -- if your eyes are dry and irritated.

Ordinary Vision Issues

Knowledge is power -- especially when dealing with health issues concerning your eyes. Understanding how the eye works can help give perspective to your condition, although nothing beats asking your eye-care provider during your annual eye exam.

Exams, diagnosis, treatments and management of diseases or disorder of the visual system is done by an optometrist, who is a state-licensed healthcare professional. If you have any questions about your eye exam or the process of eye care, ask your Independent Doctor of Optometry.

The optometrist typically will provide:
Myopia (aka being nearsighted)

Presbyopia (The worsening of vision with regard to age is usually due to presbyopia, in which your lenses begin to thicken and lose their ability to bend and focus properly.)

Hyperopia (aka being farsighted)

Astigmatism (An irregular curvature of the cornea. Astigmatism can be corrected easily with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery.)


Our glossary is a handy reference for these terms and other ocular definitions.

image

Diabetic retinopathy: A disease of the retina caused by high blood sugar. High blood sugar can damage tiny blood vessels in the retina. As the condition suggests, diabetics are at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. The danger is that there are no symptoms and if blurred vision occurs, it’s a sign the disease has already progessressed to where it’s too late for vision reversal. If caught in time, modern diabetic retinopathy treatment options can slow or halt disease progression. This disease makes a perfect case for the crucial nature of scheduling your annual eye exam.

  • Anyone with diabetes is at risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.
  • If you catch diabetic retinopathy in time, modern diabetic retinopathy treatment options can slow or halt its progression.
  • Once vision damage has occurred, the damage cannot be reversed.
image

A cataract: The blurring and distorting of your vision when your lens clouds over from a protein build-up which keeps light rays from passing through the lens.

Cataracts can easily be prevented or stopped from progression with proper and regular eye care. Being observant of small changes or the loss of color and clarity can be the gradual symptoms of cataracts. Your eye doctor should be contacted if you notice any such visual changes.* If required, cataract surgery has a high-rate of success, fortunately.

  • More than half of all Americans older than 65 have cataracts.
  • Cataracts are the leading cause of eye problems in men and women older than 65.
  • Cataract surgery is one of the most common and successful medical procedures in the world.
image

Glaucoma: The increase in fluid pressure inside your eye. With enough pressure, and no treatment, the optic nerve -- which sends the images your eyes see to your brain -- can be seriously damaged. With no early glaucoma symptoms or pain involved, most people with glaucoma are unaware of their condition which is why regular exams are key. To prevent or halt glaucoma, schedule an eye exam today.

  • Left untreated, glaucoma can cause permanent blindness.
  • Glaucoma is primarily inherited, so check your family eye health history.
  • Glaucoma is more frequently found in African-Americans and anyone older than 40.
image

Retinal detachment: When your retina pulls away from the tissue along the inner wall of the eye., causing the retina to malfunction. If not addressed immediately, it can have devastating consequences on your vision, so early diagnosis is vital. Once detachment is discovered, there are several options to correct it, but only if it's detected early.

  • People who have diabetes and are nearsighted are more prone to retinal detachment.
  • If not treated within two to three days, retinal detachment can lead to severe damage to your vision.
  • No pain is associated with retinal detachment. Symptoms include seeing flashes of light or floaters and darkening of peripheral vision.
image

Macular Degeneration: Age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, is the degeneration of the center of the retina, otherwise known as the macula. If this part of the retina is damaged, it can affect your central vision and your ability to see color and fine detail. AMD can be hereditary, and smokers are at a higher risk for developing this condition. Fortunately, AMD can often be detected in a routine eye exam, so don't forget to schedule an annual eye exam.

  • The first sign of age-related macular degeneration, or AMD, usually is a perceived distortion in the appearance of straight lines.
  • AMD is the leading cause of severe vision loss in people older than 60.
  • There is no cure for AMD, but it is often treated with vitamins, laser therapy, and vision aids.
image

Ocular Hypertension: Any situation in which pressure in the eye is higher than normal. It isn't a disease, but people with ocular hypertension should be observed more closely for the onset of glaucoma. Proper and regular vision care is essential to preventing or halting eye problems, so schedule an eye exam* to check for any problems before they become too serious to correct.

Pressure in the eye is measured using an instrument called a tonometer. Ten out of every 100 people older than 40 will have ocular hypertension—but only one of those 10 people will develop glaucoma.

Common Eye Conditions

From dry eyes to floaters to the strain of staring at a computer all day, there is a host of common eye conditions that itch, burn, or just irritate us.

  • Dry Eye. Dry eye is a chronic condition that affects millions of people worldwide. Dry eyes are usually the main reason people visit an eye doctor.
  • Eye Floaters. Floaters are tiny cloudy spots in your vision caused by light hitting specs of tissue inside your eye that then create shadows. Floaters usually aren't dangerous; but if you experience a sudden increase in eye floaters, consider having your eyes examined as soon as possible.
  • Computer Vision Syndrome. Computer vision syndrome is the number-one workplace complaint. There's no evidence that computer vision syndrome causes long-term damage to the eyes, but it can cause eye-strain and discomfort. Computer vision syndrome symptoms might include blurred vision; headaches; and dry, red eyes.
image

Vision repair surgery can correct eye problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Procedures such as lasik eye surgery, or LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis), PRK (photorefractive keratectomy), and LASEK (laser epithelial keratomileusis) reshape the cornea and have given millions of people the chance to see better without corrective lenses. To learn if you are a candidate for such procedures, ask your doctor, who will also describe the risks.

  • More than 17 million people have had corrective eye surgery.
  • Seventy percent of LASIK patients said they were amazed they could see so well after the surgery.
  • LASIK surgery can cost anywhere between $900 and $1,800 per eye.

Medical advances have provided exciting new treatments for eye conditions including glaucoma, retinopathies, macular degeneration and cataracts. However no disorder can be treated without early detection. Annual eye examinations are vital for monitoring the health of your eyes, but they may also detect the onset of other underlying health conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, circulatory disorders, and some neurological disorders.

For school-age children, good grades depend on good vision. Your child should begin receiving annual eye examinations no later than age 5. In the very early stage of your child's development, detection of amblyopia (or lazy eye) is essential in correcting the problem for your child's future visual health.

Contact lens wearers must be vigilant regarding abnormal changes in the eye, which are not always readily apparent. Contact lenses can hinder the natural absorption of oxygen in the eye. This can lead to corneal ulcers or neo-vascularization; a condition in which new, deficient blood vessels begin to grow into the cornea to supply the deprived tissue with oxygen. These vessels can extend across the pupil area of the cornea and impair your vision. It is imperative for contact lens wearers to visit their eyecare professional to have their eye structures, as well as the anatomy and physiology carefully monitored.

Every member of your family, young and old, can benefit from routine eye examinations.

Eyeland Optometric Group

Eyeland Optometric Group provides more than just your eyeglass prescription. Our Optometrists can diagnose and treat all manner of ocular surface and anterior segment disorders. This includes corneal foreign body removal and management of all forms of keratitis, commonly known as "pink eye." We also prescribe medications for many other ocular conditions. If we detect a problem we feel requires surgical consultation, we work closely with the surgeon and assume post-surgical care of our patients as soon as possible.

CLIENT TESTIMONIALS

See what current Eyeland Optical Customers have to say about our services!

We have been purchasing our eyewear from Eyeland Optical for over fifteen years and we continue to return for their great service, good quality and low prices.

Bill and Carol

Shamokin Dam, PA Eyeland

The kind staff cared enough to help me and the optometrist made time for me even though I didn’t have an appointment. I can and will recommend Eyeland to others.

Edna

Shamokin Dam, PA Eyeland

Your optometrist was welcoming and took the time to answer all of my questions. Once a frame was selected I was advised that I could have my new glasses on the same day. To my wild amazement, I had my new glasses within 15 minutes!

Mike

Whitehall, PA Eyeland

I could have done without my contacts and wore my eyeglasses, but Eyeland handled my order so quickly. In just a few days I had my new, special-order contacts lenses. You people are the best!

Anthony

Hazleton, PA Eyeland