Nearsightedness

Myopia occurs when the cornea is too curved or the eye is too long. This causes light to focus in front of the retina, resulting in blurry distance vision.

Myopia is a very common condition that affects nearly 30 percent of the U.S. population. It normally starts to appear between the ages of eight and 12 years old, and almost always before the age of 20. As the body grows, the condition often worsens. It typically stabilizes in adulthood.

Diagnosing myopia:
Many times, myopia is diagnosed during school screenings. Sometimes parents notice that their children are having difficulty seeing street signs or the television. Dr. Hyder can conduct a refractive evaluation to determine whether your eyes focus light rays exactly on the retina at distance and near. A visual acuity test will determine your ability to see sharply and clearly at all distances. Dr. Hyder will also check your eye coordination and muscle control, as well as your eyes` ability to change focus. All of these are important factors in how your eyes see.

Treatment of myopia:
Glasses and contact lenses are used by many for the temporary treatment of myopia. However, there are a number of vision correction procedures that can surgically reduce or eliminate myopia.

Farsightedness

Hyperopia occurs when the cornea is too flat in relation to the length of the eye. This causes light to focus at a point beyond the retina, resulting in blurry close vision and occasionally blurry distance vision as well. Usually this condition is undetected until later in life because the young eye is able to compensate for the hyperopia by contracting the internal lens of the eye.

Diagnosing hyperopia:
Many people are not diagnosed with hyperopia without a complete eye exam. School screenings typically do not detect this condition because they test only for distance vision. Dr. Hyder can conduct a refractive evaluation to determine whether your eyes focus light rays exactly on the retina at distance and near. A visual acuity test will determine your ability to see sharply and clearly at all distances. Dr. Hyder will also check your eye coordination and muscle control, as well as your eyes ability to change focus. All of these are important factors in how your eyes see.

Treatment of hyperopia:
Glasses and contact lenses are used by many for the temporary treatment of hyperopia. However, there are a number of vision correction procedures that can surgically reduce or eliminate hyperopia.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea is shaped like a football (more curved in one direction than the other) and often occurs in combination with myopia (nearsightedness) and hyperopia (farsightedness). This causes light to focus in more than one point on the retina, resulting in blurry and distorted vision.

Diagnosing astigmatism:
Dr. Hyder can conduct a refractive evaluation to determine whether your eyes focus light rays exactly on the retina at distance and near. A visual acuity test will determine your ability to see sharply and clearly at all distances. Your eye doctor will also check your eye coordination and muscle control, as well as your eyes` ability to change focus. All of these are important factors in how your eyes see.

Treatment of astigmatism:
Glasses and contact lenses are used by many for the temporary treatment of astigmatism. However, there are a number of vision correction procedures that can surgically reduce or eliminate astigmatism.

Uveitis

Uveitis (pronounced you-vee-EYE-tis) is inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of your eye. The eye is shaped much like a tennis ball, with three different layers of tissue surrounding a central gel-filled cavity.

The innermost layer is the retina, which senses light and helps to send images to your brain. The middle layer between the sclera and retina is called the uvea. The outermost layer is the sclera, the strong white wall of the eye.

What is the importance of the uvea?
The uvea contains many blood vessels, the veins and arteries that carry blood flow to the eye. Since it nourishes many important parts of the eye (such as the retina), inflammation of the uvea can damage your sight.

What are the symptoms of uveitis? Symptoms of uveitis include:

• Light sensitivity
• Blurring of vision
• Pain - Redness of the eye

Uveitis may come on suddenly with redness and pain, or sometimes with a painless blurring of your vision.

A case of simple "red eye" may in fact be a serious problem of uveitis. If you eye becomes red or painful, and doesn`t clear up quickly, you should be examined and treated by an ophthalmologist.

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