Almost everyone who has seen an Optometrist recently has had to endure the excruciating agony of a “gentle puff of air” to their eyes. But why?! Purpose: A screening test for glaucoma Measures the pressure inside your eyeball Increased pressure inside the eye can lead to glaucoma Technical term for the air puff is Non-Contact Tonometry FAQ:Q: […]
COLOUR BLINDNESS
Most people have heard of Rods and Cones in our eyes Cones are for color and Rods are for night vision There are 3 kinds of Cones: red, green, and blue Cones don’t actually sense color, they sense wavelengths of light and these are translated by the brain in to colors Its actually very rare for a person to be color “blind” […]
PINK EYE
What is it? – Pink eye (aka Viral Conjunctivitis) is a Viral infection of the thin outer covering of your eyeball – Symptoms include: redness, burning, watering, puffy/swollen eyelids (all can last 1-2 weeks) What causes Pink Eye? – It is most common during cold/flu season, usually a result of people touching their eyes after coughing or sneezing FAQ […]
EYE FLOATERS
What are floaters? – There is a gel that takes up most of the space inside the eye called the Vitreous – The little dots or squiggly lines we see when looking at something bright (ex. a white wall) are areas of the vitreous that are slightly thicker thus casting shadows on the retina – Mostly […]
WHY DO MY EYES ITCH?
Allergie – most obvious answer, but not necessarily most common – signs: swollen/puffy eyelids, watery eyes, bumps under eyelids (seen by your doctor), diffuse and more intense itch Blepharitis (blepharo- = eyelids, -itis= inflammation) – so, inflammation/irritation of eyelids, very common – could be due to mild bacterial infection or blockage of glands at the base […]
WHY DO MY EYES TWITCH?
There are multiple known factors that can contribute, including: – stress – lack of sleep or change in sleeping pattern – low calcium levels or other electrolyte imbalances – fatigue – dry eyes – caffeine – alcohol The medical term for eyelid twitching is Myokemia Treatment for eyelid twitching usually involves resolving the above factors. In […]
NEARSIGHTEDNESS
The medical term for being near-sighted is Myopia The term near-sighted is used simply because myopes are able to see close objects more clearly than distant objects The most common reason for myopia is an increase in axial length (front to back) of the eye during childhood and teenage years Most commonly due to genetics and environmental factors (near work, spending […]
