Is LASIK Right for High Astigmatism?

Astigmatism exists when an irregularly shaped cornea or lens in the eye causes blurry vision.  High astigmatism is a more severe form, and cause reading problems, headaches and other difficulties. 

High astigmatism can be corrected with glasses, contacts or with LASIK surgery.  As the degree to astigmatism gets higher, the choices in contact lenses gets slimmer.  According to the specialists at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Mount Pleasant, SC, some people just don’t like wearing contact lenses or don’t find satisfactory improvement in their vision with toric lenses for astigmatism. Others may have eyes that are too small for surgery or contacts.

Each person needs to decide the right method for them.  Most patients with high astigmatisms try different options for correction before finding the one just right for them.  Eventually, many people get tired of dealing with glasses and contact lenses and turn to LASIK for their high astigmatism.

For extremely high astigmatism, LASIK may be a very suitable option. LASIK surgery attempts to permanently correct cornea abnormalities. High astigmatic patients will often see improvement in their vision, but may still need to wear contact lenses or glasses to achieve the desired results for vision correction. Although some patients may experience trouble with night vision and sensitivity to light after LASIK, the majority of patients do great.

Only your eye doctor can tell you if you’re a good candidate for LASIK.  The people at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Mount Pleasant, SC are experts at LASIK surgery and will exam you to determine your suitability for LASIK corrective surgery. Give them a call.  They are happy to help.

5 Reasons Your Dog Wants You to Have LASIK

Your “best friend” wants you to have LASIK in Charleson.

If you are nearsighted, farsighted or have astigmatism, here are the reasons why:

1. No waiting around to go on walks while you search for your glasses.
2. No tripping over him in the middle of the night because you can’t see without your glasses.
3. No dropping your contact lenses in his water dish.
4. No getting in trouble for chewing up your expensive prescription sunglasses.
5. No mistaking him for the cat because – well – they are the same size...

After a successful LASIK procedure, you might achieve 20/20 vision. That means vision without glasses to play, wrestle, cuddle and walk your dog...every day and every night.

Make your dog happy. Schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery today to find out if your eye anatomy and eye health is right for LASIK. If Dr. O'Day gives you the green light and you choose to proceed with the procedure, your pooch will be happier than a poodle in a peanut butter factory. 

Sport Eye Injuries and Cataracts

At Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery, we encourage our patients to maintain an active lifestyle, and participation in sports is a great way to do that. However, it is also extremely important that people of all ages protect their eyes while playing sports in order to minimize the chance of a sports-related eye injury in Charleston. It is estimated that 90% of sports-related eye injuries can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. 

According to past statistics from the Coalition to Prevent Sports Eye Injuries, there have been as many as 600,000 eye injuries each year related to sports and recreation. The group considers the following sports to be high-to-moderate risk of eye injury (some may surprise you):

• Fishing
• Golf
• Basketball
• Baseball
• Softball
• Lacrosse
• Hockey
• Tennis
• Soccer
• Volleyball
• Water Polo
• Football
• Air Rifle
• BB Gun
• Paintball
• Boxing
• Martial Arts
• Cricket
• Squash
• Racquetball
• Fencing
• Badminton

It is estimated that 90% of sports-related eye injuries, such as blunt trauma, penetration injuries and more, can be prevented by wearing protective eyewear. If you wear prescription glasses to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, your regular glasses will not provide adequate protection. Polycarbonate lenses can provide the right protection during sports, which means that you will have to wear contact lenses in order to see well. 

If you cannot wear contact lenses, or if you simply don’t like wearing them, you may be risking your eyesight by not having the ability to wear the right polycarbonate lenses. LASIK vision correction is one option to help improve your natural vision and give you the visual freedom to participate in sports more safely.

So, whether you play leisurely rounds of golf, fast-action basketball or any type of sport, protect your eyes. And if you are interested in learning more about LASIK in Charleston, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule a free LASIK Consultation.

Alcohol’s Effects on Night Vision

We all know that alcohol impairs judgment and coordination and slows reaction time.

But here is yet another reason to cut back on your alcohol consumption: A study coming out of the University of Grenada has shown that overconsumption can also adversely affect your night vision. The study examined 67 subjects who had consumed various quantities of wine. The researchers used a “halometer” visual test to determine the level of night vision disturbances and optical image quality. What they found was that the greater the breath alcohol content level, the greater the visual disturbance.

Why Alcohol Affects Vision

Alcohol disturbs the tear film that covers the surface of the eye. The ethanol (intoxicating agent) present in alcoholic drinks disturbs the outer tear film layer, causing the aqueous part of the tear to evaporate. When tear film is disturbed, the image quality that forms on the retina is also negatively affected, leading to the presence of halos and other visual disturbances in night vision.

Pre-existing Vision Conditions

Now add into the equation a pre-existing vision condition, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. If your vision is already impaired due to a refractive error and you consume alcohol, the tear film disturbance combined with poor choices (such as not wearing glasses or contacts) can lead to disastrous consequences for yourself and others. LASIK vision correction in Charleston can correct these types of refractive errors, but even having 20/20 vision will not reduce the negative effects of alcohol on your vision.

In the past, some LASIK patients also complained of night vision problems after their procedure; however, today’s LASIK technology has effectively reduced this type of complication of LASIK. To learn more about Charleston LASIK and find out if you might be a good candidate for the procedure, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com. And whether or not you have LASIK, please never drink and drive.