eye care frequently asked questions

Congratulations! Examination of your visual status indicates that your eyes are emmetropic. Emmetropia means perfect eyesight at 20 feet and beyond. Occasionally, an emmetropic eye may still require reading glasses and/or special lenses to improve eye coordination. Since the refractive status of all healthy eyes changes naturally with time, emmetropia is generally a temporary status for most. Please follow my recommendations for follow-up so that we can continue to monitor your visual status.

85-90% of all eyeglass prescriptions contain some correction for astigmatism. The eye, like a camera, has an outer curved lens, the cornea, to focus light. Most commonly, astigmatism occurs when this front surface has more than one curvature, rather than a perfect round shape. With astigmatism, the shape of the cornea is asymmetrical, or "egg" shaped, rather than uniformly round. As a result, an astigmatic eye requires a special two-power lens to focus light evenly. Uncorrected astigmatism may cause blurred and distorted vision.


Astigmatism causes annoying symptoms of eyestrain such as headaches, eye fatigue, sensitivity to light, loss of
visual achievement and poor visual concentration. It is expected that first correction or large changes in correction of astigmatism may cause objects or straight lines to appear tilted or distorted. This perception of distortion will decrease steadily with time. As with most prescriptions, it is common for the degree of astigmatism to change naturally over time. Eyeglasses and/or special astigmatic (toric) contact lenses are available to correct astigmatism.

The medical term for nearsightedness is myopia. When you are nearsighted, your distance vision is blurred. Close range vision is generally clear at some near distance without correction, thus the term "nearsighted." As with most refractive errors, nearsightedness is simply caused by the shape of the eye. In this case, the eye is longer front to back, or has a steeper curve to the front lens of the eye, the cornea. Genetic, environmental or functional factors can also play a role in the development of nearsightedness.

Nearsightedness is generally corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Low amounts of nearsightedness can also be corrected by reshaping the cornea with special rigid contact lenses worn during sleep. For adults, refractive surgery such as LASIK, or lens replacements, are additional options.

The medical term for farsightedness is hyperopia. As with most refractive errors, farsightedness is commonly caused by the shape of the eye. Farsighted eyes are generally shorter from front to back or because the front curvature of the eye is flatter than normal. A farsighted eye must use the focusing system to keep distance vision clear, and even greater focusing effort to maintain clear close-range vision. Clarity and comfort of vision for the farsighted person depends on their degree of farsightedness and the efficiency of their focusing system.

In general, farsighted eyes always see better at far distance than at closer distances. Farsighted adults gradually see less clearly at all distances due to a natural and expected decline in the eyes focusing ability over time. Farsightedness is generally corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Refractive surgery techniques such as LASIK, or lens replacements are occasional treatment options for adults. The potential ability for the farsighted adult patient to see clearly at all distances, after refractive surgery, should be thoroughly discussed.

Presbyopia is a normal decline in close-range focusing ability of our eyes with time. Presbyopia seems to present close-range issues suddenly, but actually it does not. Our eyes have maximum focusing ability in our teens, about 50% at age 40, and we gradually decline to a fixed non-variable focus around the age of 70. The average person requires a different prescription for distance vs. reading around the age of 42. Most people falsely think that muscles inside the eye weaken over time causing this gradual loss of close-range focus.

To the contrary, presbyopia is a loss of elasticity of the focusing lens inside the eye. It is important to understand that wearing eyeglasses or contact lenses will not weaken or change your future visual status in any way and are available to satisfactorily remedy this unavoidable visual condition. Refractive surgery (LASIK) will not correct presbyopia. Surgery can only provide a one focus solution per eye and cannot provide both eyes corrected for distance and both eyes corrected for close-range.

Your examination revealed a significantly different correction between your right and left eyes. Large differences in power between the two eyes may cause symptoms of discomfort, double vision, poor depth perception or blurred vision. Anisometropia may also cause your eyeglass lenses to have different thickness. In most cases, your brain will adjust to these differences. Occasionally, contact lenses or refractive surgery may be helpful if you cannot adapt to your eyeglasses.

Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not aligned in the same direction. In your case, one of your eyes turns out while your other eye is used for seeing. In some cases, the eyes may alternate turning out. This condition is called exotropia. If the eyes are not aligned, the brain must ignore, or suppress, the information from one eye or double vision would result.


In most cases, strabismus is caused by the faulty control of the external eye muscles that move the eyes. It may be caused by more serious factors such as trauma, diabetes, or brain lesions. Treatment of this condition may vary depending on age, severity and cause. Treatment may include glasses, prism lenses, eye muscle exercises (vision therapy) or surgery.

You have been diagnosed with an eye condition called amblyopia, sometimes referred to as lazy eye. Amblyopia is the result of an eye and the brain not working properly together. For various reasons, the brain has difficulty coordinating the information from the two eyes. The most common reasons are differences in prescription between the two eyes, strabismus (the eyes not pointing in the same direction), or the congenital inability to see out of one eye. Over time, the brain suppresses or ignores much of the information from one of the eyes. Once this occurs, the effected eye cannot achieve a normal level of vision, even with the most accurate prescription. The successful treatment of amblyopia is highly dependent on the age of the patient.


A young child has a better prognosis for recovering normal vision. Treatment generally includes eyeglasses, patching or occluding the normal eye to force the lazy eye to work, and vision therapy. As a general rule, amblyopia treatment has little benefit after the visual system matures. The point in time at which this occurs is highly variable from six months to twelve years of age.

To most people the term 20/20 means perfect vision. This is not totally true. The top number of the acuity fraction designates the simulated distance your eyes are tested at, always calibrated for 20 feet. The bottom number of the fraction designates the size letter you can see at the testing distance. 20/20 vision simply means an eye can identify a size 20 target at a 20-foot distance. Someone with 20/100 vision can see a size 100 target at 20 feet.

20/20 is more of an average of normal vision instead of perfect vision. Some perfectly healthy eyes do not achieve 20/20 vision while others see better than 20/20. A measurement of vision by this method simply measures clarity alone per eye. It is not uncommon for a person to require a prescription when effortless vision is not maintained due to subtle visual errors, differences between eyes, or binocular imbalances. In summary, there is more to seeing clearly than just 20/20!

Frequent changes in your child's vision may occur during the learning years. He or she may not realize a problem exists because a child assumes everyone can see the way he or she does.

Vision problems can affect your child's ability to learn since 80% of what children learn comes through vision. Problems may range from seeing a blurred chalkboard to reading difficulties and poor concentration stemming from poor eye movement, focusing and coordination. Many of these problems are not always obvious.

To give your child good vision for learning, have his or her eyes examined at the beginning of each school year. The most rapid time of changes in vision occurs during a child's growth years. Do not neglect your child's most precious sense, his or her vision.

When your eyes are working under stress or not functioning with optimum performance, it can significantly reduce your productivity at work or your enjoyment of leisure activities. The following points are recommendations for maintaining optimum visual performance.

Be alert for symptoms of vision problems or visual stress including frequent headaches, tired or burning eyes, blurred or difficult distance vision, difficulty parking, difficulty reading small print, difficulty with computer tasks and decreased interest in driving at night or doing close work.

Wear proper safety eyewear when performing hazardous tasks like handling power tools, chemicals and playing racquet sports. Provide adequate lighting in your work environment. Take rest breaks from visually demanding tasks.

Wear proper sunglasses when outdoors and include ultraviolet radiation protection in all eyewear. Schedule a comprehensive eye exam every 12-18 months to help ensure continued health and performance of your most precious gift, your eyesight.

Your eyes, like other parts of your body, change as you grow older. Eye health disorders are more common in our mature years. These changes can't be prevented but you can typically compensate for changes with proper treatment. Annual comprehensive vision and eye health examinations are highly recommended to help ensure optimum performance. The following points are recommendations for maintaining optimum visual performance.

Increase your light level. The need for light doubles every twelve years of our lifetime. Move light closer to you and use a higher watt bulb. Limit night driving. Keep both sides of a windshield and headlights clean. Avoid tinted windshields. Side vision and reaction time may reduce with age. Keep this in mind while driving or walking near traffic.

Use your eyes as much as you want. Don't worry, they won't wear out from too much use. Take frequent breaks from intense concentration.

Many medications and health conditions can affect your eyes. Be sure to inform me of all your medications and health conditions at your eye examination.

Have the right glasses for the task. One prescription may not provide all your vision needs. We highly recommend the inclusion of ultraviolet protection in all eyewear.

Unwanted reflections and glare are common problems that cause discomfort and poor vision in many conditions including computer use and night driving. Modern anti-reflection lenses eliminate virtually all reflected light from indoor lighting, streetlights, headlights, TV, and computer screens. It is estimated that this coating allows 8% more light to reach your eye, as a result of this decrease in reflected light. In addition, anti-reflection lenses look better. Your lenses are virtually invisible to others, giving them a cosmetic advantage.


Your lenses are manufactured utilizing the highest quality anti-reflection materials available. Anti-reflection coated lenses require special care. My staff will be happy to assist you in choosing the proper lens cleaning materials for your new eyewear.

Polarized lenses are designed to eliminate blinding glare reflected from flat surfaces. Glare is 10 times brighter than the light around it. Glare is everywhere! Reflections off cars, water, snow, and the sun especially in early morning and late afternoon. Regular sunglasses do cannot help protect someone from glare. Only polarized sunglasses block glare.

Prescription polarized lenses are fashioned from thin films of polarizing materials laminated between clear or tinted lenses. Polarized lenses improve safety by reducing glare from shiny horizontal surfaces such as highways, water, or snow. In addition, they enhance the vision experience, and as a result, are ideally suited for active outdoor use.

Polycarbonate lenses meet industrial standards for impact resistance far better than any other lens material. This special lens material is thinner and lighter than conventional glass or plastic lenses, and block 99% of all harmful ultraviolet radiation. Polycarbonate lenses may scratch easier than conventional plastic lenses and require a special scratch resistant protective coating and special care. Polycarbonate lenses are highly recommended for all active lifestyles, and where workplace safety is a concern. In addition, polycarbonate is the lens of choice for all children.

Visual hygiene rules are recommended for your child. These rules should be followed when your child is engaged in all school-related activities and during all close work. These rules include; attention to posture (sitting upright without tilting the head); holding close-range material at elbow to middle knuckle distance; grasping a pencil/pen with three fingers; and proper paper tilt and adequate lighting for all close-range tasks. Please inquire if you have additional questions.

If Yogi Bera played golf, he might have said, "You can't hit it if you can't see it." This saying is true of most sports, and golf is no exception. Whether an active participant or a spectator, the importance of good vision, in contributing to your success and enjoyment of golf, cannot be overemphasized.

Clarity, or seeing clearly, is one of many visual skills needed to succeed in golf. However; many eye-related skills affect the efficiency and accuracy of your responses. Hand-eye coordination, binocular (two-eye) coordination, the ability to judge depth quickly, clarity of vision at the ball, as well as at far distance. All of these complex processes must function in perfect synchrony.

The following tips may be helpful: Maintain an optimum distance visual prescription. Wear proper tinted lenses on bright days. Include ultraviolet protection in your spectacle eyewear. Special golf bifocals are available when necessary. Lightweight spectacle lenses are available for your comfort. Anti-reflection and polarized lenses reduce glare. And, keep your head down and your eye on the ball!

The many applications of computer technology are revolutionizing the workplace. Unfortunately, health complaints associated with computer use are on the increase and most are related to the eyes and vision. The most common complaints of computer operators include blurred vision, headache, burning, fatigue, and doubling of vision. For those wearing conventional bifocals, neck, shoulder and back pain are common.

Helpful Tips to Improve Comfort & Efficiency: Special computer lens coatings designed specifically for VDT use are available to maximize light transmission. Anti-reflection lens coatings are available to reduce the annoying reflections of glare on the monitor screen. Alternate eyewear and contact lens options specifically designed for computer use. As a precaution, all prescription eyewear should contain an ultraviolet protective lens coating. Adjustable chairs can become a vision aid by enabling you to sit at the proper angle, distance and height from the VDT screen. Place reference material at the same distance from the eyes as the VDT screen and as close to the screen as possible to avoid having to change focus when looking from one to the other. VDT screen brightness should be three or four times greater than general room light. Minimize reflected glare on the VDT screen so that windows and other sources of bright light are not behind you. To relieve near fatigue, look at distance now and then. If possible, the workplace should have incandescent lighting instead of fluorescent lighting.