What Causes Nearsightedness?

If an eye doctor has diagnosed you with myopia, or nearsightedness in Charleston, this means you have a refractive error that causes distant objects to appear blurry. Nearsighted people can usually see close objects clearly but they may need to wear corrective lenses to see well at a distance.

Nearsightedness can occur for one of two reasons:

• The eyeball is too long
• The cornea is too steep

When either of these conditions are present, light entering the eyes will focus in front of the retina (the back of the eye), instead of directly on the retina, causing blurred distance vision. Myopia can usually be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

After age 21, myopia can be corrected surgically for some patients through LASIK vision correction. Dr. O'Day performs blade-free LASIK in Charleston to alter the shape of your cornea by removing a microscopic amount of tissue so light can focus correctly on the retina. This procedure has been highly effective in helping nearsighted people achieve 20/20 vision.

According to the American Optometric Association, nearsightedness affects almost 30% of the United States population. This vision condition usually develops in children and it may progress into a person’s early 20s. But with today’s advanced LASIK technology in Charleston, achieving clear distance vision can be a reality.

LASIK is not right for everyone. If you are nearsighted and are curious to know if LASIK might work for your eyes, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule a free, no-obligation LASIK Consultation. 

Are You a Good Candidate for LASIK?

If you wear glasses or contact lenses to correct your vision, you may be wondering if LASIK in Charleston could provide you with the clear vison you’ve always wanted.

The truth is, only an experienced ophthalmologist can determine if your eyes are healthy enough for this procedure. Even if you have the same vision prescription as a friend, your eye anatomy may not be suitable for LASIK. Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery offers free, no-obligation, no-risk LASIK Consultations to identify all-laser LASIK candidates in Charleston.

General Guidelines for Good LASIK Candidates

• You have been diagnosed with myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness) or astigmatism
• You are age 18 or older
• Your corneas are thick enough
• You do not have eye disease or eye problems
• Your vision prescription has been stable for at least one year
• You are not pregnant or breastfeeding
• You are overall healthy
• You do not have uncontrolled dry eye syndrome
• You understand the risks of LASIK
• You have realistic expectations for the outcome of surgery
• You want to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses or contacts

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we also offer a free online LASIK Self-Evaluation to help people take the first step toward LASIK.

With our free services, there is never any pressure to have the procedure: the Consultation and Self-Evaluation are simply resources to provide you with solid information about your own eye health so you can make your own informed decision about LASIK.

Sometimes candidates who aren’t good candidates for LASIK can benefit from LASIK alternatives in Charleston, such as photorefractive keratectomy (PRK). Different methods can produce the same end result as LASIK but be safer for certain patients.

To find out if LASIK is right for you, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com. 

Can Eye Exercises Improve Your Vision?

If you have to wear corrective lenses to see clearly, you may be tempted to purchase eye exercise kits or start on an eye exercise regimen in order to reduce your need for glasses or contacts. The truth is that there has been no scientific evidence that eye exercises can improve your vision if you have:

• Nearsightedness: good close-up vision but poor distance vision due to the shape of the cornea
• Farsightedness: good distance vision but poor close-up vision due to the shape of the cornea
• Astigmatism: blurry distance and close-up vision due to the shape of the cornea or lens
• Presbyopia (the need for reading glasses): blurry close-up vision due to the loss of elasticity in the eye lens

There is no scientific research that clearly proves that eye exercises will change the shape of your cornea, the shape of your eye or restore flexibility to the eye lens.

Nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism are caused by a refractive error that can be corrected through laser procedures such as LASIK in Charleston. This process uses a laser to alter the cornea’s shape so light is focused correctly on the back of the retina. Many patients can achieve 20/20 vision with this procedure.

LASIK, however, cannot fully correct presbyopia. Monovision LASIK is one alternative for presbyopia, which corrects one eye for distance vision and one eye for close-up vision.

Before you start an eye exercise program, consult with your eye doctor to make sure this is a safe alternative for vision improvement. If you are looking for a quicker and more effective method of vision correction, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery to schedule a free LASIK Consultation in Charleston to find out if your eyes are right for the procedure. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule an appointment online and take a free online LASIK Self-Evaluation. 

Will School Make You Nearsighted?

Researchers in Germany have uncovered a possible link between spending more years in school and the prevalence and severity of nearsightedness. In the Gutenberg Health Study, they looked at 4,658 Germans ages 35-74 who had myopia (nearsightedness), which causes distant objects to appear blurry while close-up objects are clear. The study did not include participants with cataracts or anyone who had refractive surgery.

The Findings

• 53% of university graduates had myopia
• 39% of high school graduates had myopia
• 24% of participants without a high school education had myopia

The myopia became more severe with each additional year of school.

Don’t Sacrifice Education for Vision

We are not recommending that people drop out of school to possibly protect their vision. Instead, while you are pursuing your education, be aware of your environment and how it is affecting your eyesight. For example, take frequent breaks from your computer and give your eyes a rest.

Another Reason Why Recess is Important

If these findings are valid, it makes sense for students to increase their time outdoors…making recess an important part of the school day (regardless of your level of education).

Already Nearsighted? You Have Options

Of course, people can have myopia regardless of the amount of schooling – you can be born with this condition where your eye is too long or too steep, causing light rays to focus in front of your retina rather than on the surface. If you are already nearsighted, you have options to correct your vision, including LASIKvision correction in Charleston. This quick and virtually painless procedure uses a laser to microscopically reshape the cornea so light will focus on the retina (the back of the eye) and clear vision can be obtained.

To learn more about your own vision characteristics and find out if LASIK technology in Charleston may help you see with 20/20 vision, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery by scheduling your free LASIK Consultation at charlestoncornea.com or by calling 843-856-5275. 

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.

Can Diabetics Have LASIK?

Many people who have diabetes wonder if they can have LASIK to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. There is no singular answer to this question; it depends on many different factors surrounding the patient’s eye health and overall health. Any reputable ophthalmologist will demand to know your medical history and current medical condition and will perform an extensive screening process before recommending LASIK.

      LASIK should not be performed on diabetic patients who have:

• Diabetic Retinopathy, a disease that causes damage to the blood vessels in the retina (back of the eye)
• Uncontrolled blood sugar levels
• Unstable vision prescription

If you are a diabetic, the first step in finding out if it is safe for you to have LASIK is by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery. Board certified ophthalmologist Dr. O'Day will go to great lengths to ensure that your diabetes is controlled enough to support LASIK and allow for proper healing. It is possible for people with well-controlled diabetes to have successful LASIK procedures.

To learn more about diabetes and LASIK in Charleston, schedule a free LASIK Consultation by contacting Charlston Cornea & Refractive Surgery at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com today.

Are You Photo-Happy on Facebook?

A 2013 study out of the UK showed that uploading too many photos of yourself to Facebook, including ‘selfies’, can make people like you less. However, Facebook also made changes in 2013 to its news feed to make room for larger pictures. The fact is that people do like to see photos of their friends, family, co-workers and old school chums on social media. It’s probably the number one reason why so many people flock to Facebook and sites like Instagram (although we can’t scientifically back this statement up).

The question is: Do you like how you look in the photos that you post – or the ones that others post of you? Are your glasses taking center-stage in your photos? Is there always glare coming off your lenses?

While these may seem like insignificant reasons to have a vision correction surgery, consider this: LASIK in Charleston may help you gain moreself-confidence in front of the camera or smart phone lens. Dr. O'Day at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery has helped thousands of patients correct their nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism through LASIK procedures. If you want to find out if you can get rid of your glasses and contacts, Dr. O'Day offers free LASIK Consultations in Charleston to tell you more about the procedure and help you find out if your eyes are right for LASIK.

So, if you don’t want to turn off your friends and family on Facebook, post less photos of yourself. However, we will warn you that after LASIK, your appearance without glasses may have your face showing up on Facebook more often. But we feel it’s worth the risk.

Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery to schedule a free LASIK Consultation at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com. 

How Do You Handle Visual Information Overload?

Have you ever experienced information overload…on your eyes? There is a real condition called Load-Induced Blindness that occurs when you have too much visual information coming at you. A new study showed that when you are faced with a lot of visual data at once, your ability to see critical information is reduced – similar to what happens when there are lower light levels on an image you need to detect.

The study included volunteers with normal vision who completed a sensory memory task involving colors, positions and line orientations on rapidly flashing squares. In high load situations (lots of visual data), participants were only able to accurately spot line orientation in 64% of the images; in low load situations, that percentage went up to 95%. In the high load situations, participants needed 50% more light contrast to increase accuracy.

The bottom line is that too much visual information at one time may cause you to miss important things. Add into the mix that your vision is impaired with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism and you may have an even more difficult time at distinguishing important images during attention-demanding situations (although this was not specifically included in the study).

Having LASIK in Charleston to correct vision problems will not change how your brain processes high loads of visual information, but it may allow you to see without the need for corrective lenses (glasses or contact lenses)…removing one more barrier to seeing clearly. LASIK has changed the lives of many of our patients at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, allowing them to work, play and parent with visual freedom.

To learn more about LASIK technology in Charleston and find out how much LASIK costs, contact Dr. O'Day to schedule a free LASIK Consultation. Call 843-856-5275 or visit our website at charlestoncornea.com today. 

Spring into Allergy Eye Relief

Beautiful springtime weather inevitably brings scratchyeyes, swollen eyes and itchy eyes in Charleston, South Carolina. If you wear contact lenses, it’s virtually impossible to keep them in your eyes when you are constantly rubbing them.

Here are a couple of tips to help you through the allergy season:

• If you’re using eye drops to relieve the discomfort, make sure you take your lenses out first and leave them out for at least ten minutes or you’ll just aggravate the condition.
• If you’re taking antihistamine that can cause dry eye you should check with your ophthalmologist who may advise switching back to glasses for the duration.

If wearing your glasses for the entire springtime season doesn't sound appealing, another option is to have LASIK vision correction. While LASIK won’t prevent you from having eye irritation during the spring, it may allow you to enjoy this season without the need for corrective lenses.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, our advanced LASIK lasers may help to alter the shape of your cornea to correct your nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Many patients can even achieve 20/20 vision after LASIK, allowing them to live life without glasses or contacts.

The only way to know for sure if you are a good candidate for LASIK is by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation in Charleston. Contact us today to schedule your consultation at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com. 

Most people associate the month of February with Valentine’s Day, love, romance, roses and chocolate. But did you know that February is also International Boost Self-Esteem Month? This is a great time to take a moment to think about how you feel about yourself. If you feel negative thoughts creeping in, stop those toxic thoughts and focus on something that is positive in your life. Or you can also take action to improve your current situation.

Sometimes a negative self-image can stem from a physical trait that causes you either physical or mental discomfort. Take, for example, bad vision. Some of the Charleston, South Carolina vision correction patients we see at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery are simply fed up with not being able to see clearly when they wake up in the morning. Some become frustrated because they can’t excel in sports (like water or snow skiing, basketball or football) because their glasses make it too difficult. Others find that the hassles of keeping track of glasses and contacts make their lives too stressful. And some just don’t like the way they look in glasses.

If your poor vision is lowering your self-esteem, LASIK eye surgery in Charleston may be the magic boost you need. LASIK corrects the refractive errors that cause nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Of course, not everyone’s vision problems can be corrected with LASIK. A specially-trained ophthalmologist must examine your eyes to determine if your corneas are thick enough, if you have the right medical history to support LASIK, and more.

LASIK Financing

If this type of self-esteem boost sounds too expensive, research your LASIK financing options. At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we help make LASIK affordable for a variety of budgets.

Don’t let poor vision bring down your self-image. Take the first step in the LASIK process by completing our free online LASIK Self-Evaluation. If you are ready to start the process, contact us at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation in Charleston. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule an appointment online. 

Get Motivated, Get Moving, Get LASIK This February

February is the time for sports fans to really get their game on! The month kicked off with SuperBowl XLVII, and we are now headed into the 2014 Winter Olympics from Feb. 7-23, and the NBA All-Star game on Feb. 16. There is even “Curling is Cool” Day on Feb. 23.

If these events motivate you to get moving, but you feel held back because you have to wear glasses or contact lenses, this might be the extra nudge you need to pursue LASIK vision correction. Having LASIK in Charleston, South Carolina can make outdoor and indoor winter activities much more enjoyable. It’s nearly impossible to wear glasses when you ski, snowboard or play basketball and wearing contact lenses can make your eyes become very dry and irritated.

Even if you aren't ready to tackle the half-pipe or master the perfect slam-dunk, Charleston LASIK may have you enjoying life without lenses. LASIK corrects the vision impairments of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism by correcting the shape of the cornea. These minute corneal corrections can allow light to focus properly on the retina (the back of the eye) to reduce or even eliminate your need for corrective lenses.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, ophthalmologist Dr. O'Day offers LASIK financing to help patients afford to achieve Olympic-style, All-Star vision. Contact us today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation in Charleston by calling 843-856-5275 or visiting charlestoncornea.com. 

Make a “New Year, New Vision” Resolution

Welcome to 2014! We all make resolutions this time of year (to lose weight, stop smoking, get a better job), but despite our good intentions of putting ourselves first, our resolutions often get buried under other responsibilities.

This year, make a conscious effort to move your own happiness up the priority list. Are you tired of the hassles of glasses and/or contact lenses? Do you wish that you could actually see your alarm clock when you first wake up in the morning? If you haven’t looked into LASIK vision correction yet, maybe now is the time to find out if the procedure is right for you.

More than 14 million Americans have had LASIK. That’s an astounding number of people who chose to simplify their lives by correcting the shape of their corneas to minimize or completely correct their nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.

Imagine how much more you could enjoy everything that 2014 has in store if you didn’t have to worry about:

• Losing your contacts
• Breaking your glasses
• Buying cleaning solutions
• Taking your contacts out at night

No ophthalmologist can guarantee you 20/20 vision after LASIK. But if you choose a surgeon who has a great track record of success, uses advanced LASIK technologies and offers a comprehensive evaluation to ensure your eyes are right for the procedure, the odds of great vision are in your favor.

Don’t just assume that awesome vision is unobtainable. Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston today to schedule a free LASIK Consultation and find out if you are a good candidate for LASIK. You can also ask about LASIK financing. Call today at 843-856-5275 or schedule an appointment online at charlestoncornea.com. 

Improve Your Vision for National Family Literacy Month®

The National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) has designated the month of November as National Family Literacy Month®. Having the ability to read with your children can dramatically improve their performance at school as well as their economical, emotional and social development. Family reading time also helps to strengthen the family bond.

At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we work hard to help adults achieve clear vision so it’s easy and fun to read – both to their children and for their own enjoyment. One way we do this is through LASIK vision correction. LASIK can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism by actually changing the shape of the cornea. When the cornea is properly shaped, light coming into the eye will focus correctly on the retina (the back of the eye).

Some patients are able to eliminate their need for glasses and contacts after LASIK. Of course, every patient is different, but think of how much more enjoyable reading would be if you didn’t have to hunt for your glasses or take out your contacts at night when reading before bed.

Not everyone who wears glasses is a good candidate for LASIK. You need an in-depth examination by a trained ophthalmologist to find out for sure. At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we offer free LASIK Consultations to do just that.

The NCFL has created a fundraising challenge called The Big Give for Families Learning to raise money to support family literacy and learning programs. Participants can win a variety of fantastic prizes. Visit the NCFL website to learn more: http://www.famlit.org/.

Make this a National Family Literacy Month to remember. Contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery in Charleston today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation to find out if LASIK is right for you: 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com.

How LASIK Works

You've undoubtedly heard the term LASIK eye surgery, and you may even know someone who has had the procedure done. But do you really know what steps are involved in a LASIK procedure?

Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, commonly referred to as LASIK, is a procedure to treat farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. In these vision conditions, the cornea is shaped so light does not focus properly onto the retina so clear vision is not achieved. LASIK uses a laser to actually reshape the cornea so light does focus properly.

LASIK is not performed on a “whim.” An experienced LASIK surgeon will perform a detailed eye exam to determine your exact vision characteristics and determine if LASIK could help or hinder your vision. This procedure isn't right for everyone; some people have corneas that are too thin to support the procedure…others have pre-existing eye health or medical conditions that will interfere with healing.

LASIK Steps

1. Numbing drops are placed into your eye and a lid speculum keeps the eyelids open.
2. A corneal flap is created using either a hand-held microkeratome surgical tool or a femtosecond laser.
3. Once the flap is created it is gently folded back to give the surgeon access to the underlying corneal tissue.
4. Corneal tissue is removed/reshaped using a computer-controlled excmier laser.
5. The corneal flap is put back into place where it begins to heal without stitches.

The entire process only takes a few minutes per eye and most people report that it is virtually painless.

There is a whole lot more to know about LASIK! If you are curious, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation to get all of the facts about LASIK. 

How LASIK Works

You’ve undoubtedly heard the term LASIK eye surgery, and you may even know someone who has had the procedure done. But do you really know what steps are involved in a LASIK procedure?

Laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, commonly referred to as LASIK, is a procedure to treat farsightedness, nearsightedness and astigmatism. In these vision conditions, the cornea is shaped so light does not focus properly onto the retina so clear vision is not achieved. LASIK uses a laser to actually reshape the cornea so light does focus properly.

LASIK is not performed on a “whim.” An experienced LASIKsurgeon will perform a detailed eye exam to determine your exact vision characteristics and determine if LASIK could help or hinder your vision. This procedure isn’t right for everyone; some people have corneas that are too thin to support the procedure…others have pre-existing eye health or medical conditions that will interfere with healing.

LASIK Steps

• Numbing drops are placed into your eye and a lid speculum keeps the eyelids open.
• A corneal flap is created using either a hand-held microkeratome surgical tool or a femtosecond laser. 
• Once the flap is created it is gently folded back to give the surgeon access to the underlying corneal tissue.
• Corneal tissue is removed/reshaped using a computer-controlled excmier laser.
• The corneal flap is put back into place where it begins to heal without stitches.

The entire process only takes a few minutes per eye and most people report that it is virtually painless.

There is a whole lot more to know about LASIK! If you are curious, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule your free LASIK Consultation to get all of the facts about LASIK. 

Elephant Eyes

 In honor of National Elephant Appreciation Day on September 22, here are some facts about elephant eyes.

• Their eyes are very small, only about 1.5” in diameter
• The location of their eyes on the side of their heads allows for peripheral vision but not depth perception; the trunk creates a large blind spot in their vision
• They have three eyelids: an upper, lower and one that moves vertically for more protection
• Their long eyelashes keep foreign matter out of their eyes
• They have the same visual pigments as humans with red/green color-blindness
• Their range of vision is only about 30 feet - some people might say that elephants are nearsighted!

Because of their poor vision, elephants use their sensitive trunks to navigate. Their poor vision does not hinder their ability to orient themselves, and that’s a good thing since vision correction surgery just isn’t performed on elephants!

It is, however, performed on millions of Americans every year. At Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery, we’ve performed many LASIK vision correction surgeries to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. LASIK in Charleston is considered to be one of the safest medical procedures when performed by an experienced surgeon like Dr. O'Day. Of course, there are risks with any type of surgical procedure, so it’s always advisable to get all of the facts about LASIK before you decide to pursue this popular procedure.

One way to get the facts is by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery. You can find out if your eyes have the right characteristics for LASIK and you can get all of your questions about LASIK answered.

So don’t forget to take a minute to appreciate elephants on September 22 (an elephant wouldn’t forget). And, if you’re stuck wearing glasses or contacts, contact us today to schedule your free LASIK Consultation at charlestoncornea.com or 843-856-5275.

How Long Does LASIK Take?

One minute may not seem like a long time, but here are just a few things you can do in this short timeframe:  

• Get dressed
• Microwave a bag of popcorn
• Take a stretch break at your desk
• Heat a cup of tea
• Clean your computer monitor

·         Correct your vision with LASIK!

It may seem unbelievable, but it’s true that the actual laser vision correction aspect of LASIK only takes approximately one minute for most patients. That’s one minute to reshape your cornea to correct for imperfections that cause nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. That’s one minute toward the possibility of a lens-free life after LASIK.

The entire LASIK process (the amount of time patients are in the LASIK suite) typically takes about 15 minutes per eye. The surgeon uses this time to prepare the eyes for surgery, create the corneal flap, perform the vision correction and replace the flap back into position. Additional pre- and post-surgery time at the office is also suggested to help you relax before and after the surgery and allow the doctor to perform last minute tests, so you should schedule approximately 90 minutes for the entire process.   

Learn more about LASIK by contacting Charleston Cornea and Refractive Surgery at charlestoncornea.com or 843-856-5275. We’re ready to schedule your free LASIK Consultation in Charleston so you can get all of the details about how LASIK might work for you.