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Q. What is Primary Care Optometry?
A. Primary Care
Optometry is the diagnosis and treatment of common non-surgical eye problems;
including (but not limited to)
nearsightedness,
farsightedness,
astigmatism,
presbyopia,
amblyopia,
conjunctivitis (red-eye inflammations), keratitis (corneal
inflammations), dry eye problems, and
glaucoma.
Q. What is nearsightedness?
A. Nearsightedness (or myopia as it is technically called) is
a common vision condition in which a person sees close objects clearly but
cannot see distant objects with the same clarity.
Q. What is farsightedness?
A. Farsightedness (technically called hyperopia) is a vision
condition in which distant objects are usually seen clearly but close objects
are not brought into proper focus.
Q. What is astigmatism?
A. Astigmatism is a common vision condition that
occurs when the front surfaced (cornea) of the eye is slightly irregular in
shape. This slight irregularity can result in vision being blurred at all
distances.
Q. What is presbyopia?
A. Presbyopia is a
vision condition that occurs when the crystalline lens of the eye gradually
loses its ability to bring close objects into clear focus. It usually becomes
noticeable when people reach their early -to mid-fourties and is a natural part
of the aging process.
More About Presbyopia
Q. How are these vision conditions treated?
A. Nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism
and presbyopia are all treated by using eyeglasses, contact lenses, and in some
cases, vision therapy to correct the vision problem. Refractive surgery, a
medical procedure, has become an increasingly prominent method of vision
correction performed by a medical doctor and co-managed by an optometrist.
Q. What is amblyopia?
A. Amblyopia is the unexplained loss or lack of
full development of vision in one eye and is not the result of any identifiable
eye health problem. The cause of amblyopia is usually due to conditions such as
crossed-eyes or a large difference in refractive error between the twoeyes.
Q. How is amblyopia treated?
A. In young children, patching the good eye may
help the amblyopic eye to improve. In older children and adults, other vision
therapy techniques may be used.
Q. What are crossed-eyes?
A. Strabismus, more commonly known as
crossed-eyes, is a vision condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned
with each other. One or both eyes may turn in (esotropia), out (exotropia), up
(hypertropia), or down (hypertropia).
Q. How are crossed-eyes treated?
A. Treatment of crossed-eyes often includes the
use of eyeglasses, prisms, and vision therapy. In extreme cases, surgery may be
required.
Q. What is glaucoma?
A. Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the
internal pressure of the eyeball rises to a point that the optic nerve becomes
damaged. This damage can result in severe vision loss and even blindness.
More About Glaucoma
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