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Home » Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

What is nearsightedness?

Nearsightedness, or as medically termed, myopia is a vision condition in which near objects are seen clearly, but as objects are farther away they become blurred. This occurs when the eyeball is too long or the cornea, which is the clear front cover of the eye, has too much curvature. As a result of this, the light entering the eye is not focused properly and distance vision is blurred. Nearsightedness is a very common condition that affects approximately 30 percent of the U.S. population. Research and growing evidence show that nearsightedness is often hereditary and can be caused by the visual stress of too much up close work. Typically, nearsightedness first shows up in school aged children. As the eye continues to grow, it can progress until around the age of 20. A sign of nearsightedness would be having difficulty with the clarity of a movie theatre screen or a whiteboard in the classroom. A comprehensive optometric examination will include testing for nearsightedness. Your optometrist will prescribe you eyeglasses or contact lenses that will alter the way the light images enter your eyes therefore correcting your nearsightedness. You may only need to wear them for certain activities, like driving a car, or watching TV or they may need to be worn all the time. Schedule an exam with any of our optometrists here at Miller Family EyeCare and we will be more than happy to discuss your nearsightedness with you.

What is Farsightedness?

Farsightedness, or as medically termed hyperopia, is a vision condition in which distant objects are usually seen clearly, but close ones do not come into clear focus. Farsightedness occurs if your eyeball is too short or the cornea has too little curvature, so light entering your eye is not focused correctly. Common signs of farsightedness include difficulty in concentrating and maintaining a proper focus on near objects, eye strain, fatigue and/or headaches after close work, aching or burning eyes, irritability or nervousness after sustained concentration. Common vision screenings, often done in schools, are generally ineffective in detecting farsightedness. A comprehensive optometric examination will include testing for farsightedness. In mild cases of farsightedness, your eyes may be able to compensate without corrective lenses. In other cases, your optometrist can prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses to optically correct farsightedness by altering the way the light enters your eyes. Schedule an exam here at Miller Family EyeCare and our optometrists will gladly test you for farsightedness.

What is Astigmatism and can it be corrected?

Astigmatism is a vision condition that causes blurred vision due either to the irregular shape of the cornea, the clear front cover of the eye, or sometimes the curvature of the lens inside the eye. An irregular shaped cornea or lens prevents light from focusing properly on the retina, the light sensitive surface at the back of the eye where vision is focused. As a result, vision becomes blurred at near or far distance. Astigmatism is a very common vision condition. Most people have some degree of astigmatism. Slight amounts of astigmatism usually don’t affect vision and don’t require treatment. However, larger amounts cause distorted or blurred vision, eye discomfort and headaches. Eyeglasses are the primary choice of correction for astigmatism. They will contain a special prescription that is added to compensate for the astigmatism. Miller Family EyeCare would be happy to see you for your exam and make glasses to help correct any astigmatism you may have.

I’m 40-45 years old and have always had near perfect vision, why is everything up close like books and menus now becoming blurry?

This condition is medically termed presbyopia. This visual problem occurs when the crystalline lens of our eye loses its flexibility which makes it difficult to focus on close objects. This may seem to be something that occurs suddenly, but actually the loss of flexibility takes place over a number of years. Presbyopia is a natural process that develops with age…..it cannot be prevented, reversed, avoided, and/or cured, among many other rationalizations we all try and make. Its just gonna happen!! You may notice the onset of this when you find yourself holding material farther away to try and focus clearer. That might work for a little while but not for too long. Presbyopia can be corrected using many different approaches including reading glasses for just correcting the up close vision, bifocals and trifocals which can correct for 2 or 3 respective focal points, or a Progressive Add Lens, otherwise known as a “no-line” lens. The benefit of the progressive lens is that you can focus at many different meridians (points of focus) without having to change glasses or be restricted to just distance and near. They also allow us to “hide” the facts that we might be aging a little bit. Since the side effects of presbyopia continue to change the ability to focus, annual exams and changes in strength of your eyewear are necessary to maintain comfortable vision. Let an optometrist here at Miller Family EyeCare help you achieve that comfortable vision we all look for by scheduling your next eye exam with us.

At what age should I have my child’s vision checked?

It’s generally recommended that a child should have their vision checked before entering school. Between the ages of 3 and 4 usually identifies if there are any visual issues that need to be addressed. This assumes that there are no other signs of any visual problems identified in your child’s behavior. These problems may include frequent headaches, squinting, sitting very close to the television, bumping into things, or even lack of interest in activities that require fine detail (reading or puzzles). Also, if a family history exists that includes a considerable amount of vision correction it is often advocated to have your children’s vision checked as early as 6 months old. If ever any concerns exist, please feel free to call Miller Family EyeCare and we can evaluate the need for a comprehensive vision exam for your child.

I have diabetes and my physician insisted I have an eye exam annually. Why?

Diabetes is a disease that disrupts the body’s ability to use and store sugar which can cause many health problems. One that concerns the eyes is called diabetic retinopathy. This condition can weaken and cause changes in the small blood vessels that nourish the eye’s retina, which is the delicate, light sensitive lining of the back of the eye. These vessels may then begin to leak, swell, or even develop branches off the main vessels. The early stages of diabetic retinopathy may create some blurred vision but may also produce no visual symptoms at all. If the disease progresses untreated you may notice cloudiness of vision along with floaters or blind spots. If left further untreated diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness.