Your health and your senses are very important, and this is even more true when it comes to your eyes. Most people don’t realize how important their eyesight is until it begins to fail. Thankfully, you can reduce your eye problems through regular visits to an Eye Care Center in St Paul MN, and the use of any corrective lenses or other possible procedures. It must be noted that getting an eye exam or a new eyeglass prescription is much more involved than it used to be. This is because the eye doctor needs to test for more than simple visual acuity.
Some of the first tests the eye doctor performs are used to determine nearsightedness and farsightedness. People are often confused with these terms. Farsighted vision is when you can see distant objects very well, but have difficulty with seeing items that are close, such as reading. Nearsighted vision is just the opposite. However, this is just the beginning, because every person will have different degrees of visual acuity. In severe cases, one might need some correction in both near and far vision. This is the reason for bifocal lenses. They can correct for both distant vision concerns while still making it possible to read a book. The only drawback is the extra time required to acclimate your eyes to the variations in the lens areas.
One of the most important tests the eye care center in St paul MN, will perform is the test for glaucoma. Glaucoma is actually a group of eye problems that can affect almost anyone. These conditions eventually lead to damage of the optic nerve. The nerve damage is generally caused by pressure within the eyeball itself. While you can’t prevent this disease, it is possible to reduce the resultant loss of vision. The main treatments are designed to reduce the pressure inside the eye. They usually start with special eye drops and progress to pills if the drops don’t work. Other possible treatments include the use of lasers or surgery.
Because glaucoma treatments are more effective when the problem is diagnosed early it is important for all adults to have regular eye exams and to have at least one full exam before the age of forty. Loss of vision is a difficult problem for most people to deal with. Make sure you take care of yours with regular eye exams and proper eye wear.
