Welcome to Marin Eye Care

Marin Eye Care: Routine Eye Care

Routine Eye Care

Basic eye care can go far to protect eyes on a day-to-day basis. Disease prevention begins in childhood. Ideally, children's eyes should be checked periodically by their health-care practitioners, with the first thorough examination by the time the child enters school. Children who have hereditary or congenital problems such as "lazy eye" might need earlier and more frequent monitoring.

From adolescence through adulthood, barring any problems, eyes should be examined every five years, not merely to check for vision changes, but for early detection of diseases such as glaucoma. People with impaired vision should be followed at intervals recommended by their eye-care practitioners. If a change in vision is noticed between regularly scheduled visits, more frequent examinations may be required.

Eye-care practitioners include ophthalmologists, optometrists and opticians. Ophthalmologists are physicians and surgeons who specialize in the diagnosis and treatment of eye disease. They also perform vision tests and prescribe glasses and contact lenses.

Optometrists are state-licensed professionals who examine for visual defects and prescribe glasses and contact lenses. Optometrists can diagnose eye diseases, and in some states are licensed to prescribe medicines and manage certain eye diseases, but they do not perform surgery. Opticians fill prescriptions for eyeglasses, and in some states are licensed to fill prescriptions for contact lenses as well.

The most common vision defects that require corrective lenses are myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), and astigmatism. As the name suggests, a nearsighted person can see close-up objects clearly, while those at a distance become less distinct. Farsightedness is the opposite condition and may result in blurriness at all distances. In both conditions light does not focus properly on the retina. In myopia, the eyeball is elongated and light focuses in front of the retina. In hyperopia, the eyeball is shortened and light focuses at a point in back of the retina. Astigmatism is caused by an irregularity in the shape of the cornea that causes light to focus in different planes. Corrective lenses reduce the multiple images and refocus them to the retina.

Eyeglass frames can also play a role in eye safety. Well-fitted frames should neither pinch the bridge of the nose nor lietoo heavily behind the ears. Thicker lenses require heavier frames. The ideal color for tinted lenses is gray because it is the most neutral in the color spectrum, letting most colors appear in their natural hue. Green and brown are considered next best. Darkly tinted lenses should be limited to outdoor use because they can severely limit visibility indoors.