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questions and answer to all things eye-related!“I had LASIK five years ago and I haven’t been keeping up with my annual check-ups.  Do I really need to see an eye doctor for my eye health?” –Sue via Email

Most patients that have LASIK or PRK do so because of nearsightedness and/or astigmatism.  A nearsighted eye is elongated front to back, and while refractive surgeries such as LASIK can compensate for an eye being elongated, that patient would still be susceptible to the same increased risks of retinal disease as a nearsighted patient who never had refractive surgery.  I tell patients that LASIK won’t shrink the eye length, but rather will act as glasses or contact lenses do, correcting for the nearsightedness by changing the way light focuses at the back of the eye.  Nearsighted eyes are susceptible to a variety of eye diseases more than eyes that are not nearsighted.   For those eyes with large amounts of nearsightedness (or eyes that had large amounts of nearsightedness prior to refractive surgery) we recommend yearly dilated eye exams to check on the health of the retinas.  Yearly eye and vision examinations also allow our eye doctors to check for other eye diseases including diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, dry eyes, and hypertensive retinopathy.

“Why do my eyes hurt at the end of the work day?  I work at a computer and worry that I may be ruining my eyes doing so.” Peggy via Email

Contrary to what your mother may have told you, too much computer (or too many video games!) is probably not going to cause any long-term damage.  However, the focusing system of the eye has to work harder than necessary the patient is not wearing proper vision correction.  If a patient works all day at a computer wearing their distance glasses or contact lenses, their focus is far away, whereas the computer is about 1-2 feet away from your eyes.  If you wear the same glasses to drive as you use at the computer, your eye muscles are entirely responsible for pulling your focus forward to where the screen is.  This can cause eye fatigue, contribute to the symptoms of computer vision syndrome, and cause headaches.  There are several options to prevent this problem.  If you are only mildly nearsighted, you may be able to remove your glasses and take advantage of your own eyes’ natural focus.  If you have a significant amount of nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism, you may need to wear glasses specifically for use at the computer.  Single vision lenses (lenses with one power) are great for those jobs that are mainly focusing at the computer screen.  For jobs that require reading (i.e. printouts and books) as well as computer use, Shamir Office lenses are a great choice to relax your focus, and help make your eyes stop hurting!

“Your welcome form asks if eye disease runs in my family.  I’m only thirty years old, and cataracts and glaucoma run on my father’s side.  Do I have to worry about those things now?” –John via email

Cataracts are caused by a variety of things, including ultraviolet light exposure, blood sugar fluctuation, systemic steroid use, and yes, age.  If you live long enough, you will likely get cataracts.  However, when you get them is variable.  Some people will get cataracts in their 50’s, others in their 90’s.  You can prevent cataracts by wearing sun protection your whole life.  Risk factors for early cataracts include skin tone (patients with lighter skin tones are more susceptible to early onset cataracts) and ultraviolet exposure.  Here in Thornton, Colorado, we get plenty of ultraviolet light because of our great weather and altitude.  Sunglasses, even as a child or as a young adult, will help maintain better eye health down the road.  Sun protection is a must for our patients!  Glaucoma is often associated with aging, though glaucoma can occur at any age.  It is often easier to diagnose later in life when its symptoms and signs are more pronounced.  Diagnosing glaucoma early is important to prevent it from affecting vision.  If glaucoma runs in your family, you already have a risk factor and it is important to have your eye pressures, optic nerves, and if necessary, your side vision assessed each year.  Prevention is the key to healthy eyes and great vision!

Ready to schedule your annual eye check-up?

Ready to schedule your annual eye check-up?