Serious Eye Conditions Growing in Young People

According to Medical News Today, a recent survey of optometrists has shown that the number of young people being diagnosed with serious eye conditions such as dry eye and blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids) is growing. Many of these doctors were also concerned that certain sight-stealing vision conditions may be developing at a younger age:

• Glaucoma
• Cataracts
• Age-related macular degeneration

This phenomenon of deteriorating eye health may be due to any number of reasons, including:

• Diabetes
• Poor nutrition
• Increased usage of computer, tablet or smart phone screens
• Smoking
• Lack of sunglasses
• Improper contact lens usage

It’s important to note that even if you have your vision corrected through a procedure such as LASIK in Charleston, and even if you achieve 20/20 vision after the procedure, it is still possible to develop serious eye conditions. Regular eye exams are vital to the overall health of your eyes because they can detect any“silent” problems that are developing so treatment options can be explored.

If you are experiencing any changes in your vision or would like to learn more about ways to protect and preserve your eyesight, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule an eye exam. Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery also offers free LASIK Consultations to help patients reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contacts. 

LASIK Reality Show?

Reality shows: Whether you love them or hate them, they have definitely taken over television programming. There are too many makeovers and lifestyle shows to list, but shows like the Biggest Loser, Undercover Boss, Love It or List It and Intervention tend to feature how less-than-ideal situations can be improved.

Wouldn’t it be interesting to have a LASIK Makeover reality show? Here is the pitch:

“24-year-old Joe has worn glasses and contacts since childhood. An avid outdoorsman, he finds it impossible to really pursue his adventurous side due to his vision limitations. After LASIK at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, Joe takes off on a journey worthy of a spin-off TV show…skydiving, rock climbing, extreme kayaking. Now Joe’s possibilities are limitless…thanks to LASIK.”

A LASIK Makeover reality show probably wouldn’t impress TV executives, but Dr. O'Day's happy LASIK patients at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery might beg to differ. Even if you aren't considering LASIK in Charleston to climb Mount Everest, improving your vision to 20/20 can still be a life-changing event.

Of course, not everyone who wears glasses or contacts is a good candidate for LASIK. If you have poor eye health or if your corneas are too thin, a different vision correction procedure might be safer. The only way to know for sure is to schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Dr. O'Day won’t approve you for LASIK unless he is 100% sure your eyes are right for the procedure. 

Start on your own LASIK Makeover reality…schedule your free LASIK Consultation today by calling 843-856-5275 or going online at charlestoncornea.com. 

Celebrities and LASIK

According to Ranker.com, there is a long list of famous people that have had LASIK vision correction, including:

• Brad Pitt
• Brooke Shields
• Nicole Kidman
• Reese Witherspoon
• John Goodman
• Jeremy London
• Dennis Quaid
• Lisa Ling
• Michael Bolton
• Barry Manilow
• Jessica Simpson
• Carlos Santana
• “Weird Al’ Yankovic

·      And more…

      At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, we would never recommend a person have LASIK just because a certain celebrity has done it. This is not a decision you should enter into lightly, and you should only pursue it with a highly qualified and trained ophthalmologist. In fact, not every person is a good candidate for LASIK. Dr. O'Day performs a comprehensive LASIK exam in Charleston to assess every potential LASIK patient’s corneal thickness, overall eye health and medical condition before giving the green light for LASIK. The process begins with a free LASIK Consultation where you can learn more about your eye anatomy and ask questions about the procedure, the LASIK technology that will be used and the surgeon’s track record of success.

If you want to pursue a life with the possibility of lens-free vision like so many celebrities have, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today to arrange your free LASIK Consultation. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule your appointment online anytime. We can’t promise you’ll end up on the big screen, but you may be able to watch your favorite celebrities without the hassles of glasses or contacts!

Choose Sunglasses Wisely

One of the top benefits that LASIK vision correction provides is the opportunity to wear any type of sunglasses you want. Patients who achieve 20/20 vision after LASIK are usually excited to get rid of their expensive prescription sunglasses and start choosing a variety of fashionable sunglasses off-the-rack.

While most people know that it’s important to wear sunscreen with a high SPF to protect their skin from sun damage, few worry about UV protection in their sunglasses. The fact is that UV radiation can lead to serious eye problems, including cancer, cataracts, macular degeneration, painful sunburns of the cornea (photokeratitis) and damage to the eye lens and other parts of the eye. You should wear sunglasses any time you are outdoors – even in the shade, even in winter, even if you wear contact lenses that block UV rays.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, we not only help people achieve better vision through our advanced LASIK technologies in Charleston, we also want our patients to keep their eye health a priority after LASIK. When choosing sunglasses after LASIK, it’s important to look for UV protection details on the labels and choose shades that provide 100% UVA and UVB protection. The color and darkness of the lenses has no impact on the amount of protection. Frames that wrap around and cover the sides of the eyes are also beneficial in protecting your eyes from harmful rays. 

This subject is so important that scientists in Brazil have developed and installed a free self-serve sunglass UV testing kiosk in San Carlos so people can test how well their sunglasses block UV rays. In a test of 800 users of the kiosk, 20% found their sunglasses provided inadequate protection. If you are unsure about your own sunglasses, talk to your optician, optometrist or ophthalmologist or invest in a new pair of sunglasses that meet the right requirements.

To find out if you might benefit from LASIK and have the opportunity to choose any sunglasses you want, take the free online LASIK Self-Evaluation at charlestoncornea.com. Then call Dr. O'Day at 843-856-5275 to schedule your free LASIK Consultation. 

Get More Enjoyment from 3D Movies

Movies, televisions and even theme park rides in 3D really help to bring the action to life. Of course, in order to get the full effect of 3D experiences, the viewer must wear special 3D glasses. In fact, if you view a 3D movie without the glasses, the blurry image on the screen can be very uncomfortable on your eyes.

     If you currently wear regular eyeglasses for nearsightedness (myopia) in Charleston to see distant objects clearly, going to a 3D movie can be a real hassle. You have the options of:

• Wearing 3D glasses over your regular eyeglasses (this is also uncomfortable)
• Wearing contact lenses instead of your regular eyeglasses (although not everyone can wear contacts)
• Purchasing special 3D clip on glasses that you wear over your regular eyeglasses to watch 3D movies (you have to remember to bring them with you)
• Watching the alternate 2D version of movies instead of the 3D version (and miss out on some special effects) 
• Having LASIK vision correction to possibly correct your myopia and eliminate your need for glasses 

Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery has performed thousands of LASIK procedures on myopic patients. While not all of them have been fans of 3D movies, they all wanted to find out what life could be like if they didn’t have to wear glasses or contacts. Most of them didn’t enter into the decision to have LASIK lightly. They researched the LASIK process in Charleston. Then they learned if their eyes were right for LASIK (through a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery) and interviewed Dr.O' Dayextensively to make sure he had the best experience, the best LASIK technologies and best “chair-side” manner. 

There are a lot of 3D movies coming out in spring/summer 2014: How to Train Your Dragon 2, Transformers: Age of Extinction; Maleficent, Godzilla, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Guardians of the Galaxy and more. If you would like to have a more enjoyable 3D summer, find out if Charleston LASIK vision correction is right for you. Call Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com.

“Bionic Eye” Becomes Reality

If you remember television shows from the 1970s, you’re sure to remember The Six Million Dollar Man. Actor Lee Majors played Col. Steve Austin, an astronaut severely injured in a crash who was later rebuilt with bionic implants in his right arm, legs and left eye. The “bionic man” had super strength, speed and vision. Viewers of this series undoubtedly fantasized about how it would feel to be like the bionic man.

Approximately 40 years later, technology has made the “bionic eye” a reality for patients with the degenerative eye disease retinitis pigmentosa. This disease slowly causes damage to the retina (the back of the eye) and eventually leads to almost complete blindness. The Food and Drug Administration has approved an artificial retina procedure being dubbed as a “bionic eye.” The system uses a tiny camera and transmitter in special eyeglasses to transmit impulses to the retina’s healthy cells to allow for limited restored vision.

Researchers continue to develop new technologies to restore or improve eyesight. Good vision is often taken for granted; but even when people have less serious vision conditions that require them to wear glasses or contacts (nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism) they are often on the lookout for new methods of vision improvement.

LASIK vision correction is one such method that can truly change the lives of people who wear glasses or contacts. LASIK has been around since 1996 and over 14 million Americans have undergone this popular surgical process. The LASIK process works by slightly altering the shape of the cornea with an excimer laser so light will focus properly on the retina at the back of the eye. When light focuses properly, clear vision can be obtained.

Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery offers LASIK. He is dedicated to providing patients with detailed information about the LASIK procedure the risks of LASIK and what results may be achieved for each unique patient.

Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery can’t give you bionic vision; however, Dr. O'Day can analyze your eye characteristics and overall health to determine LASIK might be right for you. Call 843-856-5275 to schedule your free LASIK Consultation or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule your appointment online.

Prepare Your Eyes for a Special Event

Weddings…reunions…barbecues…vacations…

Special events abound during the spring and summer months. Many people take measures to look their very best for special events – they go to the hairdresser, buy new clothing, maybe even lose weight. If you have a special event coming up, and don’t want to have to hassle with glasses or contacts, you may choose to add LASIK to your To Do list.

The good news is that most people can be back to their normal activities – and seeing with more clarity – the day after their LASIK procedure. It is advised that you not wait until the last minute to schedule your appointment. Some people simply aren’t good candidates for LASIK because of their overall eye health, the fact that their corneas are too thin or other health reasons.  It’s important to schedule a LASIK evaluation well in advance of your special event just in case a different type of vision correction procedure like PRK is warranted. Some LASIK alternative procedures require more recovery time even though they can provide similar vision outcomes overall.

LASIK is an investment in you. The procedure has helped millions of Americans have the visual freedom to live a lens-free life. Find out if LASIK can give you the same freedom.

Get your eyesight in tip-top shape for your next special event. Contact Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery to schedule a free LASIK Consultation at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com.