What Are Bifocal Contact Lenses?

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You’ve heard of bifocal eyeglasses, but did you know you could get that same supportive technology in contact lenses? Bifocal contacts correct both farsightedness and nearsightedness, so there’s no need for segmented eyeglasses that make you feel older than you are. If your vision is changing as you age, bifocal contact lenses can correct the problem discreetly. Your eye doctor in Champaign, IL, can tell you more.

How Do Bifocal Contacts Work?

Bifocal contacts combine two prescriptions onto a single lens. Just as bifocal eyeglasses let you see close up and far away, these contacts do the same. They come in several designs, including:

  • Segmented Contacts
  • Concentric Contacts

Segmented contacts correct near vision at the bottom of the lens and far vision at the top. They’re similar to what most people picture when someone mentions bifocal eyeglasses. Concentric contacts, however, feature a circular design that corrects distance vision in the center and near vision in the outer ring. Both are solid solutions to correct presbyopia — the gradual change in vision most people experience through normal aging.

What Type of Bifocal Contact Lenses Are Available?

Your eye doctor may recommend several types of bifocal contact lenses to correct your vision. You’ll work together to find the one that best fits your needs and lifestyle. These may include:

  • Soft Contacts
  • Rigid, Gas-Permeable Contacts
  • Extended Wear Contacts

Soft contacts are flexible, easy to apply, and comfortable to wear. Rigid contacts are a bit more durable, however, and typically require less cleaning and upkeep. Extended-wear contacts may be worn for days at a time, and they come in both soft and rigid designs. You’ll want to choose the type of bifocal contact lenses that best fits the way you live.

When you’re ready to learn more about bifocal contact lenses in Champaign, IL, Champaign Eye Professionals is here to help. Call today to schedule a consultation.

Two Common Diseases That Impact Vision

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Often, vision problems are easy to treat with a routine eye exam and a prescription for corrective lenses. Some situations, however, require a more in-depth approach. This is especially true when a more serious medical condition is the root of the issue and vision loss is only a symptom. This is why it’s so important to make and keep annual eye appointments. Your eye doctor in Champaign, IL, may be the first medical professional to detect diseases that could impact your vision, including the two most common.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a side-effect of uncontrolled diabetes. It can happen when elevated levels of sugar in your blood damage the blood vessels in your eyes. If gone undetected and left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can lead to glaucoma and total vision loss. Advanced symptoms include:

  • Streaks or floaters in your field of vision
  • Blurred vision
  • Trouble seeing close-up or far away

If you’ve recently been diagnosed with diabetes, or if this disease runs in your family, it’s time to see your vision specialist. Schedule an appointment right away.

Chronic Hypertension

You may recognize chronic hypertension by its more common name — uncontrolled high blood pressure. This disease stresses your blood vessels and may lead to damage in the tiny vessels that supply blood to your eyes. When left untreated, chronic hypertension may cause blood vessels to leak blood or fluid to collect beneath the retina. It may also cause nerve damage, which can lead to total vision loss.

Effective management is the best way to treat chronic hypertension. This means partnering with your primary care physician and your eye doctor to learn how best to control your disease. Simple lifestyle changes may be enough to manage the condition and to prevent further damage to your eyes.

For help with diseases that affect the eyes in Champaign, IL, contact Champaign Eye Professionals to talk with one of our friendly and experienced representatives today.

Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Lasik

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Your eyesight depends greatly on how accurately your cornea refracts light onto your retina. When the cornea becomes compromised, such as from normal aging or disease, things may go out of focus. Your eye doctor in Champaign, IL, refers to this as a refractive error. Eyeglasses or contact lenses can correct most refractive errors, but Lasik actually changes the angle of the cornea, itself, making corrective lenses unnecessary.

What Is Lasik?

During Lasik surgery, your eye specialist uses a laser to reshape the angle of your cornea. Movements of the laser are precise and highly controlled, and they shave off small segments of the cornea, changing its shape and improving its focus.

Lasik surgery is non-invasive and usually brief, taking place in as little as 30 minutes. You’ll receive eyedrops before the procedure that numb your eyes, so you don’t feel any pain. Recovery is usually uneventful, though your eyes may feel a bit gritty or itchy afterward, and it may take one to two months for your vision to stabilize completely.

Is Lasik Permanent?

Lasik is a permanent treatment to correct refractive errors such as myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Once you’ve had the Lasik procedure, there’s usually no need for a second treatment. Your vision may be restored as much as 20/25 or better without the need for corrective lenses.

Why Is Lasik Better Than Eye Glasses?

Lasik isn’t necessarily a better treatment option than eye glasses. Rather, it may be a better choice for patients who don’t want to wear corrective lenses. Roughly 80 percent of patients who elect to have Lasik no longer need to wear glasses or contacts to see better.

If you’re interested in learning more about Lasik surgery in Champaign, IL, call Champaign Eye Professionals to schedule a consultation.

Understanding Your Astigmatism

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There’s a lens at the front of each eye that captures and projects light onto the retina. When all is well with this lens — the cornea — you see clearly. Images are in focus both far away and close up, and you have no need for corrective lenses. However, if this lens becomes misshapen, images may become blurry. This happens because the cornea isn’t refracting light as it should and light isn’t landing on the retina in an exact way. At this point, you have developed a refractive error, such as myopia, hyperopia, or astigmatism. Each will affect how easily you can read, drive, or use your computer at work. While myopia or hyperopia makes it more difficult to see either close-up or far away, astigmatism affects both aspects of your vision. Your eye doctor in Champaign, IL, can diagnose and treat astigmatism.

What Causes Astigmatism?

Several factors may cause your cornea to change shape. These include:

  • Genetic Predisposition
  • Eye Trauma
  • Prior Eye Surgery
  • Diseases of the Eye, Such as Keratoconus

If you’re experiencing problems with vision clarity, you may have astigmatism. Keeping regular appointments with your vision specialist may provide you with early diagnosis and intervention.

How Do I Know if I Have Astigmatism?

If your eyes frequently hurt, or if they feel strained, a refractive error such as astigmatism could be the culprit. Other common symptoms include headaches, blurred vision, and the inability to see images that are close up or far away without squinting. If it feels more difficult to drive, read, or look at the whiteboard in your classroom or at work, it’s time to book an appointment for a routine eye exam.

Treatment for Astigmatism in Champaign, IL

There are several common treatment options to correct astigmatism, including:

  • Prescription Eye Glasses
  • Toric Contact Lenses
  • Rigid Contact Lenses
  • Lasik Surgery
  • Astigmatic Keratotomy (incisions to relax the cornea)

Basically, treatment is aimed at changing the angle at which your cornea refracts light. Your vision specialist will discuss the best options to correct your astigmatism in Champaign, IL. Call Champaign Eye Professionals today to schedule a consultation.

Man holding eyeglasses in front his face

Myopia and Hyperopia Defined  

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If you receive a diagnosis of myopia or hyperopia, there’s no cause for alarm. These are simply technical terms for nearsightedness and farsightedness. Both are very common refractive errors that impact how clearly you’re able to see objects far away and close up. Treatments for myopia and hyperopia are simple and noninvasive. Talk with your eye doctor in Champaign, IL, today if you’re noticing changes in how you view the world around you.

All About Myopia

When you have myopia, this means you can see nearby objects clearly but have trouble focusing on objects far away. Myopia may not affect your ability to read a map or work at a computer, but it can make driving difficult. This condition, and other refractive errors, occur when either the lens or the cornea of your eye become misshapen. As a result, light doesn’t bend and project onto the retina as it should. Images appear blurry instead of clear, and treatment to correct the angle of refraction is needed to bring the world back into focus.

All About Hyperopia

If you suffer from hyperopia, you may have difficulty focusing on objects that are close up, such as words in a book or the television screen in your living room. Distant objects, however, may appear clear and in focus. Hyperopia tends to run in families, and often people are born with this condition.

Treatment Options for Common Refractive Errors

Treatment for myopia and hyperopia in Champaign, IL, begins with a routine eye exam. Champaign Eye Professionals can diagnose and treat common conditions such as these easily by prescribing corrective lenses, contact lenses, or recommending Lasik surgery. Call today to schedule a consultation with one of our experienced and friendly eye professionals.