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. 

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.

Is LASIK Better Than Contacts?

A recent study has measured patient satisfaction with LASIK compared to contact lenses for vision correction. The study found that LASIK results in fewer vision problems with night driving both with former contact lens wearers and former glasses wearers. However, complaints about dry eye were common among people who had LASIK as well as those who wore contact lenses or glasses.

The study, led by Francis Price Jr., M.D., gathered patient satisfaction over a three-year period. Patients in the study were between 18 and 60 years of age and included:

• 356 participants who wore contacts only
• 448 participants who wore contacts then had LASIK
• 154 participants who wore glasses and then had LASIK

Participants were asked if they would recommend LASIK or contacts to a friend or family member. The results were as follows:

• 53% of patients who wore contacts agreed that they would recommended contacts
• 87% of patients who wore contacts and then had LASIK agreed that they would recommend LASIK
• 77% of patients who wore glasses and then had LASIK agreed that they would recommend LASIK

Another question asked of the group was whether patients believed LASIK works better than wearing contact lenses; 96% answered that they either “agreed” or “strongly agreed.”

Still another question addressed night vision difficulties. The rate of night driving problems decreased after LASIK for those participants who had previously worn contacts or glasses. “Overall, LASIK improves night driving vision and that was very significant,” said Dr. Price.

If you have been “on the fence” about having LASIK vision correction in Charleston, this new study may help you decide to take the first step toward improved vision. At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, we have performed thousands of LASIK procedures.

Learn more about the risks of LASIK, the benefits of LASIK and whether your eyes are right for LASIK by scheduling a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery. Call 843-856-5275 or visit charlestoncornea.com to schedule your appointment. Or take our free online LASIK Self-Evaluation here.  

Celebrate the Summer Solstice

The summer solstice is Saturday, June 21, 2014 at 6:51am EDT. Hopefully you have plans to enjoy the longest day of the year with family and friends. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, some countries celebrate Midsummer’s Day which occurs near the solstice. Legend has it that the dew on Midsummer’s Day morning has special healing powers to make old people look younger, and Midsummer’s Eve is a time for wishes and magic.

Whether or not you believe in such folklore, this year’s summer solstice may be the perfect time to find out if your wish for better vision could come true. At Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we have helped thousands of people reduce or eliminate their need for glasses and contacts through LASIK vision correction in Charleston. Many of our patients feel as though our LASIK technology truly is “magic” because after just a few short minutes of laser treatment they are already starting to see better. Of course, every patient heals at a different rate, but after a good night’s sleep most LASIK patients are able to see without glasses the next morning.

It’s important to note that even successful LASIK patients may require reading glasses later in life from a condition called presbyopia. This affects most people after age 40 and is caused as the eye lenses become less flexible as we age making it difficult to focus on up-close objects. So, the sooner you have LASIK as an adult, the longer you may be able to enjoy a lens-free life.

If you wish you could say goodbye to glasses or contacts, find out if LASIK might be right for you. Schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery by calling 843-856-5275 or visiting charlestoncornea.com to schedule your appointment online. You can also take our free online LASIK Self-Evaluation anytime, day or night, to find out if you might be in the ballpark for this procedure. 

Give Dad What He Really Wants

Father’s Day is June 15, 2014. Rather than the traditional neck tie or golf accessories, why not give Dad the chance at improved vision? If you know a Dad who wears glasses or contacts, think how much easier his life would be if he could work and play without those hassles. By arranging a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery, you just might set in motion one of the very best Father’s Day gifts ever.

Some people simply aren’t very proactive when it comes to scheduling health appointments for themselves. Your Dad may need a little extra push to schedule that LASIK Consultation. But you can assure him that this is a very simple and pain-free process that is only meant to provide him with information about:

• His overall eye health
• His vision characteristics
• His vision correction options (LASIK may not be right for him)
• His possibilities for 20/20 vision
• LASIK technologies
• LASIK costs
• LASIK financing

You can also assure him that the LASIK Consultation will not include any hard sales tactics. The ultimate decision to proceed with LASIK in Charleston is his choice and his choice alone.

By the way, it also happens to be Men’s Health Week June 9-15, so it’s the perfect time to get Dad thinking about his overall health and well-being. Encourage your Dad to get plenty of sleep, stop smoking, exercise, eat healthy, reduce stress and have preventative check-ups. Included in this wellness checklist may also be that LASIK Consultation mentioned earlier.

If you have a well-deserving Dad in your life that might benefit from improved vision, contact Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery today at 843-856-5275 or charlestoncornea.com to schedule a free LASIK Consultation in Charleston for him. 

Will Glasses Stand the Test of Time?

Popular Mechanics recently published an online article titled “10 Things That Will Disappear in the Next 110 Years.” We thought we would share that list with you:

1. Eyeglasses
2. Video game consoles
3. Postage stamps
4. C batteries
5. Keys
6. Snow tires
7. Telephone poles
8. Band-Aids
9. Wallets  
10. Flathead screwdrivers

The article didn't go into any specifics on why the publication’s editors felt these items would no longer be relevant. However, at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery we can take a guess at one reason why the #1 item on the list might phase out: LASIK vision correction. Charleston LASIK is already helping thousands of people in our area eliminate their need for glasses or contacts. It’s a laser procedure that corrects vision for people who are nearsighted, farsighted or who have astigmatism, but it’s not for everyone. If a patient’s corneas are too thin or if other eye problems exist, an alternative to LASIK may be recommended. The only way to know for sure if LASIK might reduce or eliminate your need for eyeglasses is to schedule a free LASIK Consultation at Charleston Cornea & Refractive Surgery by calling 843-856-5275 or visiting charlestoncornea.com.

It’s possible that no one reading this blog will know for sure if all of these 10 things will be gone in 110 years. But it’s going to be interesting to see what the future holds for all types of technology, including vision correction.