The most common vision disorders requiring corrective contact lenses include:

Hyperopia (Far Sightedness)

People with far sightedness have trouble seeing objects up close. Sewing, reading or using the computer may become difficult causing eye strain and headaches.

Hyperopia or far sightedness occurs as a result of an imperfection in the eye.  When light enters  the eye it focuses behind the retina instead of directly on it  resulting in blurring of the image.
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Myopia (Short Sightedness)

People with short sightedness have trouble seeing objects at a distance. Driving a car may be difficult as the road signs can’t be seen clearly and children at the back of the class may have trouble seeing the chalk board at school.

Myopia occurs when the shape of the eyeball is slightly longer than normal. Light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina instead of directly onto it causing a blurred image.
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Presbyopia (Age Related)

Presbyopia occurs in most people as a result of the aging process. The eyes gradually lose their capacity to see things at close range. This is why you may see people holding a book or newspaper at arms length as it becomes easier to read the further away it is.
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Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea of the eye is oval shaped instead of round or when the lens of the eye is an irregular shape. The result is blurred vision as the light entering the eye cannot focus correctly onto the retina.
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The colors are  Gemstone Green, Brilliant Blue, and Sterling Grey.

These new colors expand the range of the already beautiful color contacts available to enhance the look of your eyes.

Vision correction using eye surgery has become quite common in the past few years with more and more people opting to undergo the procedure in order to reduce or eliminate the need for wearing glasses or contact lenses.

Others may require eye surgery for other problems  including cataracts and glaucoma.

Refractive Surgical Procedures

Refractive surgical procedures are available which correct certain eye problems by changing the focus of the eye.

LASIK Surgery

Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis or LASIK surgery is a procedure that is used to permanently change the shape of the cornea of the eye. It is one of the more popular methods available today. Read more>>>

Epi-LASIK

Epithelial Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (Epi-LASIK) is a procedure that separates the thin top layer of the cornea. It has an advantage over LASIK surgery in that there are no sharp blades involved. Read more>>>

ALK

Automated Lamellar Keratoplasty (ALK) is a procedure used to correct myopia.

PRK

Photorefractive Keractectomy (PRK) is a procedure which involves removing tissue from the eyes using an beam of light.

Cataract

Cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens from the eye. The procedure involves a micro incision and the insertion of an intraocular lens implant. Read more>>>

Glaucoma

The surgical treatment for glaucoma can involve laser or regular surgical techniques which involves making a cut in the eye to relieve the intraocular pressure. Read more>>>

Common causes of eye twitching

Most of us have experienced it; after a long day of working at the computer or hitting the books, one eye or the other starts to twitch.  What causes annoying eye twitching, and what can you do about it?

The vast majority of twitches are caused by a minor spasm in the muscles of the eyelid.  Like most spasms, they are caused by muscle fatigue.  Fatigue in the muscles around the eyelid can be caused by high levels of stress, sleepiness, bright lights, squinting for long periods of time, and eye strain from reading in dim light or looking at a computer screen for long periods of time.

In rare cases, twitches in the eye can be caused by physical, psychological, or neurological problems, such as epilepsy or Tourette’s syndrome.

Treatment for eye twitching
In order to relax these eye muscles and ease the twitching, you can apply a warm or a cool compress to the affected eyes, take a long, soothing bath to ease stress, or use eye drops.  A long nap or a good night’s sleep will often help stop twitching as well.

To avoid eye twitches to begin with, take frequent breaks while reading or working at the computer.  Use these breaks to look off into the distance to change the focus of your eyes.  Ensure that you always have plenty of good light in your work area.

If you suspect that your eye twitches are a result of stress, try taking a brisk walk in your lunch hour, or exercise in place for a few minutes during your reading breaks.  Soothing music, stretches in your chair, and aromatherapy are other ways to combat stress while working or studying.

Severe cases can be treated by medication, Botox injections, or even surgery.

Important
If your eye twitches are violent or do not subside in a reasonable period of time, you should discuss this with your doctor.

What are Styes and What You Can do About Them?

If you are experiencing a painful red swelling on the edge of your eyelid, the chances are that you are the victim of a sty.  Luckily, while styes can be uncomfortable or even outright painful, they are not a danger to your eye or to your eyesight.

Simply put, a sty is a pimple that forms on your eyelid.  Just as pimples are often caused by inflammation of the oil glands around the hair follicles on your skin, styes are caused by inflammation of the glands surrounding the follicles of your eyelashes.  And just like pimples, they usually come to a head, drain, and disappear in just a few days.

Styes can only be passed from person to person through direct contact.  To lower the risk of transmitting a sty, do not share your washcloths or towels with others.

In most cases, styes will disappear quickly without any intervention.  To ease pain and to speed the disappearance of a sty, you can lay a moist, warm compress such as a hot washcloth over the affected eye.  Leave the compress on your eye for ten to fifteen minutes at a time to help it drain more quickly.  Under no circumstances should you attempt to “pop” a sty.

If you wear contact lenses try switching to glasses for the time being to help reduce the inflammation.

If your sty does not disappear within two weeks, or if it is causing irritation by rubbing against your eye, you may need to have it professionally drained.  Consult with your doctor for options.

If you experience this problem frequently, your doctor can also give you an antibacterial ointment that will kill the staphylococcal bacteria before it can inflame the glands of your eyes and form a sty