What is Visual Acuity Test, its Need, Diagnosis & Treatments

Do you suspect the credibility of your vision or your kid’s vision? Read on to know what eye tests you can undergo to clear your doubts?

Visual Acuity Test

A visual acuity test is an eye test designed to test your vision accuracy. It checks your ability to see letters from a distance. It will assess if you can clearly see shape and details from a specific distance or not.

Your color vision, peripheral vision, and depth vision can also be tested if required. A licensed optician will conduct the test. Experts recommend getting kids tested regularly. Early detection is growing years can lessen the severity of the issue.

Your test results will come in the form of a fraction. That is the comparison of your vision to an average person. Understand better by reading the parameters as mentioned below:

What does 20/20 vision mean?

This time you would not regret being called an “average.” This test result means what an average person can see in an eye chart from 20 feet away; you can see the same thing from 20 feet of distance. Which means, you have good vision.

What does 20/10 vision mean?

If 20/10 is the result of your vision test, congratulation! You are amongst the 1% of the population with superior vision. What an average person can see from 10 feet, you can see the same thing from 20 feet away.

Just a caution here that our vision changes with age. Next year your vision can deteriorate, and you might not always find yourself in the 20/20 or 20/10 category.

What does 20/30 vision mean?

Now, this is not good news. 20/30 vision means you need to be 20 feet away from the same object which an ordinary person can see from 30 feet away.

What does 20/40 vision mean?

It means you need to be 20 feet away from an object to see it correctly, which most people can see from even 40 feet away.

No need to panic with 20/30 or 20/40 results. However, you must consult an eye doctor if you are facing:

• Difficulty in vision
• Blurry vision
• Headaches
• Dry eyes
• Any other discomfortin your eyes

If you have 20/30 or 20/40 vision, you can still get a driving license and do your daily chores smoothly, you probably just need to wear glasses or contact lenses. You also have an option to get your vision corrected.

There are several treatments and gadgets available which can support and enhance your vision.

1. Eye Glasses

Eyeglasses can be your friend if you need them occasionally. They are ideal for people who might find it challenging to read a menu or movie subtitles but can do their regular activities without any hassle. Glasses are easy to put on and remove. They are a style statement nowadays. They are the easiest way to correct your vision.

2. Contact Lenses

If you need to wear glasses all the time, contact lenses can be your go-to solution. You can put them on in the morning and remove it before sleeping only. It would be best if you are careful with their care to prevent any eye infection. Put them on with clean hands and disinfect them regularly. There are also use and throw lenses, and lenses you can keep on and change occasionally. Your eye doctor will be able to recommend the best option for you and instruct you on how to use them.

3. LASIK Eye Surgery

Light travels through the image of an object to your retina. The clarity of any object or its appearance depends upon the uniform movement of light through your eye. LASIK eye surgery shapes your eyes to obtain that objective to sharpen the image. It is a safe and convenient procedure to correct vision problems.

If you’re facing vision problems, it’s best to see your eye doctor soon and get the best advice on how to correct your vision related problems. Don’t delay! Call the eye experts of Insight Vision Center to get your eyes tested and get appropriate treatment.

Blepharoplasty or Eyelid Surgery | Everything You Need to Know

If you are encountering droopy eyelids that come with age, making you look older, you might wonder if an elective blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, is right for you.

Research has shown that about 6% of eyelid surgery patients are between the ages of 30 to 39, while 42% are between 40 and 54.

In your late 30s or early 40s, your eyelids start to lose elasticity and begin to stretch, resulting in excess folds of skin hanging down over the edge of the upper eyelids.

What is Blepharoplasty?

It is a cosmetic eye surgery requiring the removal of excess skin, muscle, and fat from eyelids. The usual blepharoplasty before and after scenario consists of revived sagging upper eyelids and under-eye bags, an increase in your field of vision due to the repositioning of fat, tightened muscles, and tendon support.

In upper blepharoplasty surgery, the surgeon creates an incision for the convenient removal of skin and fat. Later, a thin stitch allows for the creation of an eyelid crease.

Lower eyelid surgery involves incision of the skin directly below the lash line or inside of the eyelid. You can choose to combine this with laser resurfacing of the eyelid skin for further reduction of lines and incision.

Why is Blepharoplasty done?

A fat eyelid leads to an aged face, puffiness, loss of confidence, and even hampers the field of vision. People prefer blepharoplasty to get excess skin and fat removed for eyelid reduction, improve their vision, and lift their facial appearance.

The Procedure

After using a numbing agent for your eyelids, your surgeon will cater to the upper eyelids first. They will create a small cut to remove excess skin, muscle, and fat as required.

In the case of lower lid blepharoplasty, your surgeon will incise either the inside of the eyelid or underneath the lower eyelashes to reduce cut marks.

Risks Involved

While the typical risks from surgeries such as bleeding, bruising, and infection apply here, too, there are a few other dangers associated with blepharoplasty. For instance, you may experience blurry vision, damage due to excessive sun exposure, dry eyes, difficulty closing your eyes, or muscle damage.

Recovery

The recovery time for blepharoplasty may vary according to your case. Initially, your vision will be blurry. It occurs due to a thick antibiotic ointment used to protect eyes from drying. You have to continue using it for one week, four times a day, on the inside of the eye and the wounds.

Next, use ice packs 24-48 hours after the surgery while resting to reduce the swelling. After 48 hours, you can apply warm compresses to promote faster healing.

For a speedy eyelid surgery recovery, avoid strenuous activities, exercises, and eye makeup for at least seven days post-surgery. However, you do need to move, so walk at a gentle pace.

Who are the suitable candidates for Blepharoplasty?

If you are interested in blepharoplasty strictly for cosmetic purposes, then it is only fair to keep your expectations realistic. You need to understand that eyelid reduction will not eliminate dark circles or wrinkles.

The ideal candidate for an eye lift is healthy and does not bear possible surgical risk factors such as dry eye problems, thyroid eye disease, and diabetes. Because smokers are at an increased risk of surgical complications due to their slower healing capacity, they should quit smoking several weeks before the surgery.

Ideally, people who are thirty-five or older go for eyelid reduction surgery. But if droopy eyelids run in your family, you may get the surgery performed earlier too.

We hope this article helped you gain more clarity about blepharoplasty, to make an informed decision for yourself.

Strabismus Surgery: Essential Aftercare Instructions

Like all medical operations, strabismus surgery, too, carries the ability to induce complexities. Although minimizing these risks is possible during or after surgery if the patient ensures to take some crucial steps. In case of a complication, it is vital to recognize it and then move on to managing it effectively to prevent further harm.

Minor risks of strabismus surgery include bleeding under the conjunctiva, abrasion of the cornea, or inflammation. To simply put it, if the condition of the strabismus case is highly complicated, it is going to be that much difficult to control the deviation of your eye. Our visual system is extremely complex due to the involvement of the brain. Thus, solely repositioning the relevant muscles cannot resolve all the problems.

Why is Strabismus Surgery needed?

Strabismus eye surgery corrects the eyes which don’t align properly. It is performed on the muscles of the eye to restore normal binocular vision. People with strabismus have an eye that consistently points in a different direction. Strabismus may alternate between eyes or come and go in-between. In some cases, special glasses, patches, or injections could be enough.

Immediately after Strabismus surgery

Eye muscle surgery typically lasts between thirty minutes and two hours. By the time your anesthesia wears out, and you wake up, your doctor keeps a check to make sure there are no after-effects. After surgery, few patients are undertaken for suture adjustment if need be.

What to expect post-surgery?

It is most likely that you will see blood surrounding the surgical area and experience some soreness. That is entirely normal, and the redness, as well as any damage that has happened to the blood vessels, will fade in two to three weeks.

Strabismus surgery patients tend to struggle with temporary dual visibility following the operation. That happens because your brain is getting used to the change in the position of your eyes. Your vision will get back to normal over the coming weeks.

The first indicator to recognize the success of the treatment is the noticeable improvement in your eye alignment. You will have to wait four to six weeks for more lasting results. In some cases, your surgeon will recommend using customized eyeglasses with special lenses to help fine-tune the working of both your eyes.

At-Home Care

You can expect to resume your everyday activities promptly after your strabismus eye surgery. In fact, if your body’s recovery is fast enough, you can even begin to move about your basic tasks within a few hours. The only thing to keep in mind is that you shouldn’t be experiencing discomfort due to any movement.

There are a few instructions you need to strictly adhere to including, keeping soaps and shampoos away from your eyes, avoiding swimming for a week, using ice packs, and attending follow-up appointments.

When to call your doctor?

Your doctor will share a detailed account of your post-surgical care. But you should call your doctor without any further delay if you encounter any symptom out od the usual. Below is a list of signs you should look out for:

• An infection, pus or discharge around the eye
• Sudden bleeding in the eye
• An unexpected change in vision even after a considerable time post-surgery
• Too much pain that the prescribed painkiller is unable to cure increased light-sensitivity, leading to the inability to open the eye in well-lit rooms.

Thorough research before any surgery is essential to avoid any misconceptions and regrets later on. To help you make an informed decision, we have collected additional details about the operation. Please refer to this helpful feature – What is Strabismus?