What Can Be Found in Progressive lens Glasses?

March 11th, 2010  Tagged

Recently, a very eye-catching trend has struck the glasses market, namely, a lot of people are arduous for progressive lens glasses. I am greatly astonished at first, for I have never seen such great and powerful wave of panic buying in the industry. However, after analyzing the facts behind the phenomenon, I am convinced by that progressive lens glasses are really nice. Here are some of the merits that I have detected from those glasses.

Firstly, progressive lens glasses are much powerful and perfect than conventional bifocals and trifocals. This sentence has two meanings. One – those glasses have multiple lens powers and wearers can see clearly of a particular object at any distance. On the contrary, those bifocals and trifocals have only limited lens powers, two or three, and wearers can not see clearly anything beyond the lens powers. Another- with progressive lens glasses, other people can not know whether the wearers have some particular eye problems but they always think they are just accessories of some sort. Nevertheless, others can tell what sort of eye problems the wearers have if they wear bifocals and trifocals.

Second, progressive lens glasses are the deliverers of fashion. As it has been mentioned that progressive lens glasses can be used as accessories, more and more wearers have paid attention to this point, hoping those glasses will make them much more attractive and their personality can be enhanced as a result. Facts have proved that the latest fashion could be found in those glasses. Therefore, those fashion-fascinated wearers have transferred their interests onto progressive lens glasses, for they can enjoy the fashion without disclosing their privacy.

Thirdly, progressive lens glasses are suitable for wearers of any age group. It is true that most wearers of progressive lens glasses are over forty, for those people have presbyopia and other serious eye problems. However, people of other any age group may also have those eye diseases due to different reasons, like family history, etc. And the greatest advantage of progressive lens glasses is to solve those problems perfectly. Therefore, other people can also wear those glasses, however young and old they are. Of course, some surveys have displayed that people of other age groups have their vision bettered through progressive lens glasses.

Fourthly, progressive lens glasses are made up of the latest materials and techniques. With rapid innovation in glasses industry, some special products have made their appearance. Of which, progressive lens glasses are very outstanding. The materials employed in those glasses vary very much, like plastic, glass, polycarbonate, etc. Those materials have benefited wearers a lot, for most of them are upgraded though seemed very traditional and common. One particular example can help explain this. The employment of memory alloy titanium in glasses frames is a great revolution in the industry. This material has overcome many defects in other materials. Still, the techniques in those glasses have also been advanced. The designers and manufacturers have assimilated some other techniques used in other industry, and the result is those glasses are really unique and extraordinary.

What I can know about progressive lens glasses is too limited. But it can also be a good reference for people who want to buy progressive lens glasses. Of course, one is suggested to visit Firmoo.com if he wants to know more detailed information about those glasses.

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New, popular eye drugs put strain on ophthalmologists

March 11th, 2010  Tagged

A new procedure that treats the leading cause of blindness in Canada has become so popular there may not be enough trained doctors to keep up with demand in the future, according to a Queen’s University-led study.
“We have to explore this issue,” said Robert Campbell, an ophthalmologist at the Queen’s School of Medicine and the study’s lead author. “There are ramifications of this huge upswing in a procedure that several years ago we rarely performed.”
The procedure involves monthly injections by specially trained ophthalmologists into the eyes of patients suffering from age-related macular degeneration.
There are now two drugs – Lucentis and Avastin – that improve vision in a significant number of people with age-related macular degeneration.  But there are 13 million people in Ontario and only about 400 ophthalmologists.
With ophthalmologists now devoting a huge amount of extra time to this procedure, overall access to eye care, which is already strained, is coming under even greater pressure.
Data from the Ontario Health Insurance Plan between 2000 and 2008 reveals that between 2005 and November 2007 the rate of intravitreal injections grew eight-fold – from 3.5 to 25.9 injections per 100,000 Ontarians per month. In 2007, 50 per cent of intravitreal injections were performed by just three per cent of Ontario’s ophthalmologists.
“We knew that anecdotally there had been a huge increase in the number of intravitreal injections and this study finally gives us quantitative data,” Dr. Campbell says. “We now know exactly how large the upswing has been to date.”
Dr. Campbell feels that it is likely that all provinces in Canada are experiencing similar increases in the need for these specialized therapies, so trying to make them available across wide geographic areas is another concern.
The study is published in this month’s issue of Archives of Ophthalmology.
The research team includes Queen’s researchers Marlo Whitehead, Sudeep Gill (Providence Care hospital in Kingston), Susan Bronskill and Chaim Bell (University of Toronto), and J. Michael Paterson (McMaster University).

How much should be paid for prescription glasses?

March 10th, 2010  Tagged ,

For most of us, prescription glasses do not mean a small amount of money, especially under this global economic crisis period. No doubt that we want to purchase the pair of prescription glasses with low price but high quality. Is it possible? Actually you can. The following will introduce the price for the frames and lenses which are main parts of glasses and how to purchase your desired pair of prescription glasses.

The price differs greatly for different frames. You can get designer frame at the price of several hundred dollars, and you can also get the pair from online stores for only 20-50 dollars. Of course, for designer prescription glasses, no matter the frames or the lenses are both expensive. Among all the frames, plastic frames are cheapest. And for frames which have special features, their price is usually expensive. For example, frames made of titanium based material are expensive as they can come back to the original shape after being damaged. People taking part in some active sports or working for some high-impact jobs can choose this kind of glasses. Besides, prescription glasses with light weight or corrosion-resistant material are more expensive than normal ones.

The price for lenses with different materials or functions also varies tremendously. Plastic lenses are the ones in lowest price with the feature of light weight and durability but low impact-resistant ability. If you want to get the prescription glasses with scratch-resistant coatings, you have to pay more. And for people with strong prescription, they have to pay more for the slim lenses. Nowadays, polycarbonate lenses are the most commonly used lenses worldwide, especially for people with strong prescription and need to wear glasses for most of the time. They are light in weight, have strong impact-resistant ability and can also provide 99.9% UV protection. And so their price is more expensive than plastic ones. And for people with bifocals or trifocals, the price of the lenses will be even more expensive.

After you learn about these, you may wonder to know how to purchase the most satisfied pair of glasses with low price but high quality among these choices. First, you can visit firmoo online stores to buy glasses from there. Their cost is lower compared with that bought from retail stores. But please make sure to buy from the one with money back offer which can give us more guarantees. Besides, you can also buy prescriptions from “big box” retailers like discount stores in Wal-Mart and warehouse stores. These stores can have lower price as they can buy from manufacturers in large quantity.

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Buy Cheap and Qualified Contacts by Comparing Prices on Price Comparison Websites

March 9th, 2010  Tagged

Contact lenses now are very popular. For teenagers, they help improve self-esteem and for adults, they make them more attractive to members of the opposite sex. Therefore the contact lenses market is big where a lot of retailers and producers make efforts to evaluate contact lenses’ quality and performance so as to catch customers’ eyeballs. However, meanwhile the cost of different contact lenses from different manufactures varies, and the how buy cheap and qualified contact constitutes a main question for them.

The best way should be to search for as much information as possible to sort out the best contacts, however, modern people, unlike big business which relies on information collection to fully exploit the best products, are all too busy to spend time and patience and mental agility to check vast reams of information.

It is fortunate that there is nowadays a kind of website called price comparison website which is specially designed to provide the rather understandable and vivid information of each type of contact, for the buyers’ reference.

For example, if you want to buy Acuvue 2 contact lenses, you can log in the Acuvue 2 price comparison websites, and acquire various prices levied for different services or sort information according to the specific criteria you require.

Therefore, with these websites, a lot of grunt work can be eliminated, saving more time and more possible money for modern people.

But every coin has two sides, the drawback of price comparison websites is that they are not so humanized and most information are provided according to data. Therefore, while checking these websites, you are better to check some consumer review sites, so as to get a more personal touch.

If you want to know more of contacts, just visit http://blog.firmoo.com/contact-lens . You can benefit a lot from such information.

Eye disease linked to weakened brain power in people with diabetes

March 9th, 2010  Tagged

The study looked at 1,066 people with Type 2 diabetes aged between 60 and 75 years old. Participants completed seven tests looking at memory, logic and concentration to establish their level of brain function. Those with retinopathy had worse average scores on most of the individual tests as well as on general cognitive ability compared to those without the condition. The results were independent of age and gender.

Mrs Jie Ding from the University of Edinburgh, who helped lead the research (as part of the Edinburgh Type 2 Diabetes Study), said: “These findings suggest that the severity of diabetic retinopathy is independently associated with cognitive dysfunction in people with Type 2 diabetes aged between 60 and 75 years old. This can mean either that cerebral microvascular disease, as indexed by retinopathy, may lead to cognitive decrements in old age or that poorer cognitive ability makes diabetes management more difficult, and in turn promotes the development of cerebral microvascular disease. It is also possible that a third unidentified factor is causing both diabetic retinopathy and the cognitive changes.

“The 4-year follow-up data of the ET2DS may clarify the temporal relationship of these associations. The seven neuropsychological tests assessed people’s memory for faces, recollection of linear stories, vocabulary, the ability to re-organise a sequence of letters as well as some other cognitive functions.

“The results provide insights into the specific underlying mechanism of cognitive dysfunction in Type 2 diabetes, which is possibly due to a break-down of blood brain barrier (similar to changes in blood-retinal barrier as seen in diabetic retinopathy). From a clinical perspective, cognitive impairment in Type 2 diabetes may therefore be amenable to treatment and preventive strategies targeted at this small vessel disease.”

Dr Iain Frame, Director of Research at Diabetes UK, said: “Retinopathy is an indicator of cerebral microvascular disease, which is when the small blood vessels in the brain are narrowed or blocked off and lead to a reduction in blood supply to the brain tissues. There is already evidence to suggest that cerebral microvascular disease and Type 2 diabetes may exacerbate the effects of aging on cognitive function. This study adds to this body of research as it suggests that diabetic retinopathy is linked to estimated life time cognitive decline in older people with Type 2 diabetes.

“Cognitive decline is the decline of brain functions such as memory, attention, and planning.

“If anyone with diabetes is concerned about their health they should consult their GP or diabetes healthcare professional.”

The study found that participants with moderate to severe retinopathy performed worse in the non-verbal memory, mental flexibility and processing speed tests compared to those with mild or no retinopathy. It also suggested that the male participants with moderate to severe retinopathy may be more prone to cognitive decline in old age.

There are 2.35 million people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the UK and up to 500,000 who have the condition but do not know it. Almost two thirds of the 2.35 million people with Type 2 diabetes develop some degree of retinopathy within 20 years of being diagnosed.

Surgery- the Last Resort for Glaucoma

March 8th, 2010  Tagged

The roots of eye problems vary a lot and some people have lost their vision just because of those problems, among which glaucoma is very common and horrible. Then how to tackle with glaucoma? It is true that there are some methods to treat it. But eye surgery is the only alternative if other methods can not work.

The term glaucoma is a mix of several eye problems that have the same mechanism of destroying eye sight. It will directly destroy optic nerve. The root of this disease is still unclear. But the facts show that people of particular group run much higher risk of getting this problem, such as people who are over 40, people who have such eye history and black people.

Generally, glaucoma can be treated with some medications. However, if those medications can not work, eye surgery is the only method. However, as for eye surgery, there are two types, say laser surgery and traditional surgery.

The eye doctor will not casually use eye surgery, only when there is no better choice. This is because surgery can lead to some complications, such as cataracts.

Here is an introduction to some specific eye surgeries for glaucoma.

For open angle glaucoma, laser trabeculectomy can be used. This process is quick and safe, and receivers can leave the hospital after the surgery. The laser will be used to drain out the fluid and blood in the eyes. On the contrary, trabeculectomy is of traditional type and a hole will be made in the cornea and some time will be used to heal.

A tiny tube will be used to enhance the pressure and drainage of the eyes. Another kind of surgery will use laser to cut off the lesion part. And it will usually lead to some dangers.

No one wants to receiver surgery for glaucoma. But one can try to avoid it. Prevention is the best treatment. Therefore, if one can receive regular examinations, this disease can be avoided or detected early. Glaucoma of early stage can be cured.

More info

What is glaucoma

Study Results of Glaucoma

Researches of Glaucoma

Eating for eyecare

March 8th, 2010  Tagged

For $6 on Saturday, you can get plenty of pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs to eat — not to mention knowledge that for that price you’re also helping many people who need eyeglasses and eye examinations.

“The pancake breakfast is what we do, but it’s not why we do this,’’ said Jim Zeitz, an Elizabethtown Lions Club member and past District Governor of the Lions. “By doing this we’re able to buy eye glasses for the needy and get those who need eye exams the exams.’’

Zeitz said the Elizabethtown Lions Club will use proceeds from the annual pancake breakfast at Elizabethtown High School to provide assistance to 34 community organizations as well. Last year more than 100 pairs of glasses and eye exams were paid for by events such as this one, he said.

“This is one of our signature events,’’ Zeitz said. “The chicken barbecue and the pancake breakfast are our two oldest events.’’

Zeitz expects at least 4,500 pancakes to be made at the event. He said last year about 1,500 tickets were sold and that each plate at the all-you-can-eat event starts with three pancakes.

“The thing with ours is every pancake is fresh off the grill,’’ he said. Five grills are used for the breakfast.

He said there have been as many as 1,800 meals served at the breakfast.

“It’s a real community event,’’ he said.

The breakfast is from 7 a.m.-1 p.m. and drinks, such as orange juice and coffee, also come with the $6 price tag. Children younger than age 5 eat for free.

The Special Characteristics of Trifocals

March 5th, 2010  Tagged

Bifocals are some of the most popular multifocal lenses that some specific wearers tend to select. They can to the greatest extent help wearers see objects clearly. Also, they can help prevent the emergence of some problems. However, sometimes, they are not perfect as people have thought of. As for sufferers of age-related eye problems, as presbyopia, they usually choose bifocals.

In fact, among the family of multifocal lenses, trifocals are very special and outstanding. As their names indicate, there are three prescriptions in each of these lenses. Wearers can use these lenses as they need, no matter where or what to see. As for sufferers of presbyopia, trifocals are very practical and effective. As it has mentioned that there are three prescriptions in each pair of trifocals, there are different diopters that are responsible for long, intermediate and short distance vision.

The structure of trifocals is also very special. The bottom parts are composed of two areas, each of which is responsible for short and intermediate distance vision. Such design is the result of considering of people’s daily habits, such as reading etc.

In the middle part of the lenses is the area that is repossible for intermediate distance vision. It can not correct the vision, but the pictures of the objects can be expanded by the lens. Such lenses are nice for computer users.

Lastly, the top part is responsible for the vision of long distance. Myopia and farsightedness can also be corrected in this part if some prescriptions are made.

Presbyopia, a Latin word, which is related to aging, means sight loss with aging process. Especially for those who are over40 such problem is a very common problem. Some methods, as surgery, are used to deal with it. In the meantime, trifocals are also good alternatives.

Trifocals are combination of three lenses with three prescriptions. Sometimes, wearers can also choose some progressive glasses which include PALs, varifocal lenses, etc.

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Equine Eye Problems Discussed by Veterinarians

March 5th, 2010  Tagged

Ophthalmology in horses was declared such an important topic at the 2009 American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Convention in early December that two Table Topics were held. In one session approximately 175 veterinarians attended, and in the second session about 120 practitioners were in attendance.

The discussion in the first Ophthalmology Table Topic started with a review from Ann Dwyer, DVM, on the AAEP-sponsored Focus on Ophthalmology Meeting that was held in Raleigh, N.C., in October 2009. Dwyer reported the attendance for the Focus meeting was excellent, and the veterinarians attending the meeting found the conference to be very helpful in improving their abilities to diagnosis and treat equine ophthalmic disease.

Amber Labelle, DVM, then gave a brief overview of the suspected causes and mechanisms of equine recurrent uveitis (ERU or moon blindness), including a novel surgical therapy using suprachoroidal cyclosporine A implants.

Dwyer and Labelle agreed ERU is a very frustrating disease to treat. While progress has been made in treatment options and understanding of the pathophysiology and various risk factors of the syndrome, ERU is still a major cause of blindness in horses. Both veterinarians repeatedly emphasized the need for routine eye exams, especially as part of annual or bi-annual wellness exams, careful documentation of all findings, and aggressive therapy for intraocular inflammation.

The conversation then turned to ocular exam findings during pre-purchase examination. The facilitators polled the attendees about the incidence of several findings of uncertain significance, such as single corneal stria (narrow, band-like structure) and focal regions of chorioretinal (a layer in the eye between the retina and sclera that furnishes the blood supply) pigment alteration.

Dwyer and Labelle encouraged all attendees to make dilation of the pupils part of their routine pre-purchase exam, as this allows detection of small and subtle lesions, particularly of the lens, that might be otherwise overlooked.

Prepurchase report protocols and tips on digital photography of the anterior segment of the eye were also covered.

The discussion then turned to cancerous lesions around the eye, and the facilitators gave an update of various medical and surgical methods of treatment. While many cases respond well to early intervention, removal of the eye is sometimes the most appropriate treatment for advanced cancerous lesions. Standing enucleation (removing the eye in a heavily sedated horse using administration of local anesthetics to numb the entire surgical area) was covered, as this technique is being used by more and more veterinarians to decrease the need for general anesthesia. All the veterinarians attending agreed that small lesions are easier to treat than larger lesions, and that early detection is very important in obtaining a successful outcome.

In the second Ophthalmology Table Topic at AAEP Carol Clark, DVM, Dipl. ACVIM, and Labelle facilitated discussion. The Table Topic started with an overview about the possible causes of ERU and continued with the possible role of Leptospira bacteria in the pathogenesis of ERU. Different antibiotic therapy strategies as well as topical and systemic medical treatments were covered. Labelle again discussed the use of suprachoroidal cyclosporine A implants to control or decrease future outbreaks of ERU.

The different clinical appearances of ERU in North America versus Northern Europe was also reviewed. Again the need for early detection of the disease and the importance of regular eye examinations for all horses was emphasized.

The remainder of the session focused on different kinds of corneal disease, primarily corneal ulcers and stromal abscesses. The different classes of topical antibiotics and antifungals were briefly reviewed, and recommendations for treating both simple and complicated corneal ulcers were made.

Stromal abscesses, a particularly frustrating form of corneal disease, was also addressed. Clark explained the value of culture and cytologic examination of cells from the surface of the eye in making the correct diagnosis and implementing the most appropriate treatment early in the course of the disease.

Corneal topography to check Keratoconus

March 4th, 2010  Tagged

When there are some disorders or diseases on our eyes, the cornea shape will change. So doctor uses corneal topography to map the cornea to check Keratoconus and other progressive eye diseases. And it is proved corneal topography is one of the best way to test the cornea and diagnosis of eye diseases. The following will give some introduction on how to use corneal topography to check Keratoconus.

For people with healthy cornea, the cornea in the corneal topography is smooth and flat, and there is a 90 degree axes perpendicular in the cornea. And if there is any irregularities, that means there are some problems with the cornea. For example, irregular astigmatisms can be diagnosed if there is steepening or irregular shaping of the axes. When doctors use corneal topography to check Keratoconus, they can make a judgment from “Inferior Steepening”. For people who have corneal astigmatism, their shape of the cornea is like a football, while for normal ones, it should be round and smooth.

In addition, Keratoconus has some similarities with Pellucid Marginal Degeneration (PMD) from the corneal topography, which may cause people some confusion about them. Dr. Schalaeppi discovered PMD in 1957. Known as the peripheral form of Keratoconus, PMD means a lobster claw pattern by breaking down of the cornea. So we can see PMD and Keratoconus are in the same family and not easy to distinguish them. However, PMD still has its own specific feature. You can distinguish PMD from the steepening, which is from the outer margin of the cornea heading inwards, like pinching the center. And the signs of PMD are as following: Compared with Keratoconus, people can not feel pain with PMD. However, they can feel their visual distortions. In addition, there is no vascularization of the cornea and no scarring. And there is lobster claw formation with PMD.

Just as other eye diseases, the regular test at the eye doctor is critical for Keratoconus. Therefore, visit your eye doctor at a regular time and have a baseline corneal topography. The corneal topography can tell you if you are far away or bothered from Keratoconus. If you are unlucky to have this kind of eye disease, the test can help you to treat or stop the progression of Keratoconus in time, and finally to help you to have a good treating result. So please don’t forget to visit your eye doctor and have your eyes checked at a regular time.

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Intacs corneal implants for myopia and keratoconus

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