Irreversible blindness is one of the leading outcomes of Diabetes Mellitus. This disease is one of the major reasons for blindness in people who are younger than 65 years of age. Also it is a leading cause of a range of problems that can affect the eyes of the individual for example:

• It may lead to a temporary, reversible blurring of the vision or it can cause a permanent loss of eyesight.
• Diabetes Mellitus increases the danger of developing glaucoma and cataract.

Many people suffering from Diabetic Mellitus doesn’t even realize for years that they are suffering from it. They only come to know about it when they experience vision or eye related problems.
Diabetic Eye Disease is a collective name for the various eye diseases that can occur in a person due to Diabetes. The most common being:

1. Diabetic Retinopathy
2. Cataract
3. Glaucoma

Diabetic Retinopathy: This is caused due to swelling and leakage of blood vessel on to retina. It is also caused due to growth of new blood vessel on retina. It usually affects the both eyes and you may not be able to notice any symptoms in the initial stages.

Cataract: It is a clouding that develops in the lens of the eye. If a patient has diabetes the chances of getting cataract at younger age gets high. The most common symptoms are blurred or glared vision.

Glaucoma: Glaucoma occurs when the fluid in the eyes does not drain properly and pressure builds up in the eye. The most common symptoms include headaches, eye aches and pain, watering eyes, blurred vision, loss of vision and halos around lights.

Each of the problems has a specific treatment which can include eye surgery, medications, laser treatment and eye drops administration.

For more information on the same, feel free to call us at 254-634-7805.

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Eyes are the most sensitive part in the body. Any problem or infection in the eyes can lead to severe consequences. Often ignorance leads to darkness. In the case of eyes, this proverb holds value. Any ignorance shown for treatment of eye infections can lead to severe consequences such as squint or permanent loss of sight. In order to avoid these problems, on must adopt a healthy lifestyle and follow proper exercising routine. On must prevent reading in the absence of proper light that severely affects the eyes.

Cataract is one such problem of the eyes that need proper care and treatment. The cataract can form in any three layers of the lens of the eyes. Cataract is usually associated with long term swelling or inflammation in the eyes. The most noticeable symptoms of the cataract are worsening of vision or blurred vision. One can also experience the diming of colors, inability to cope up with bright lights or sunshine, and weakening of the eyesight. One must certainly plan to check with an eye specialist if the vision gets worsened gradually.

Individuals developing cataracts are devoid of sharp vision. As the cataracts grows and develops further in the eyes, it allows less light to enter the eyes and form an image on the retina. The individual’s ability to read, drive, see the faces clearly, sew, cook, or a number of other activities get affected. Often the cataract patients can even see halos formed around the source of lights. Usually the far sight gets more affected than the near sight, yet cataract is harmful for night driving. 

The cataracts can surely be prevented. Proper eyecare, healthy diet schedule, avoiding fatty foods, and exercising regularly are some of the ways in which one can reduce the risk of cataracts. One must wear special sunglasses that actually block the harmful rays from entering the eyes. The sunglasses must always be worn, when one plans to move out in the sun. Children must particularly be sure to use the sunglasses as their eyes are more prone to catch infections.

Thus proper eyecare helps to prevent various infections related to eyes.  

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Eyes are very sensitive part of human body. In event of an accident or trauma, a person may injure his or her eye. Depending on extend of injury, a person need to take appropriate actions. For a deep wound he or she will have to seek immediate medical help to prevent complete loss of vision while for minor bruises a person may just need to take initial medical help and follow simple monitoring procedures. Here we will educate our readers about how to react in different conditions.

Scratched Eye (Corneal Abrasion) – Due to poke in eye or constant rubbing following a small foreign body entering eye a person may get “scratched eye”.  Under such condition, you should not rub your eyes, keep your eye closed and immediately see your doctor.

Penetrating Eye Injury – When a foreign body penetrates your eye, you should immediately rush to seek medical care. You should avoid taking the foreign body out yourself as you may damage the eye. Instead try to cover it with a cup shaped object while rushing to the hospital.

Chemical Burn (Due to fumes or liquid) – Due to acidic or alkaline nature of liquid, your eye can turn red and can swell. If the condition is severe, you should immediately visit your doctor, for minor conditions you can clean your eyes with clean water and should then consult your doctor to find out what more is required to be done.

Eye Swelling – If you are hit by anything hard like a baseball, it is possible that your eye gets swelled up. In such a condition, you should place an ice pack on it and should consult a eye doctor to make sure there are no internal damages.

Traumatic Iritis – Traumatic Iritis is the inflammation of colored part that surrounds Iris. It is caused due to a sudden poke or a blow to the eye and such a condition calls in for immediate medical help.

Orbital Blowout Fractures – It is a condition in which the facial bones surrounding the eyes are fractured. They are cause due to accidents or by getting hit with hard object like baseball bat. Such cases call in for immediate medical help.

For complete Eyecare solutions visit Killeen Eyecare Center.

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The quick development of advanced technology and medical science has proven helpful in many ways. Earlier the diseases which could not be cured can be treated for its root cause so that they don’t occur again. Eye sight problems and diseases related to eye sight are on the rise. Many people, including youngsters suffer from the problem of feeble eye sight. It is not only sad but they also have to wear spectacles all the time. But worry no more, with the introduction of Laser Eye Surgery; one can get rid of his eye related problems. Laser eye surgery helps in getting rid of the spectacles and solving some of the problems related with distorted vision.

The corneal tissue of our eye is responsible for the proper eye vision. It is the strength and power of this tissue which decides for your good or bad vision. In the laser surgery the shape of the cornea is improved and the corneal tissues are burned. The rate of success of laser surgery is very high and many people have taken the advantage of this surgery till date.

As Laser eye surgery is conducted by a surgeon, so choosing a qualified and experienced surgeon to perform the surgery for you is important. The best benefit of choosing the learned surgeons is that they reduce the chances of any failures or any side effects that you may have to follow later. It is better to pay few dollars extra then to suffer from side effects for a life time. You must conduct a thorough research in your city and should consult your surgeon to know his advice on your condition. Laser surgery is not suitable for very young children because their eye tissues are weak. Eye are vital organ of the body and it allows you to see the beautiful world around you so ensure to take healthy diet and perform eye exercises to keep them healthy.

Contact Killeen Eyecare Center for complete eyecare solutions. Book your appointment today at 254-634-7805

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If you cannot achieve sharp vision even with regular eye glasses, contact lenses or intraocular implants, you may be suffering from low vision. This condition can be improved with the help of magnification devices or low vision prescription eyeglasses.

Having low vision is no longer going to hamper those who want to lead a normal lifestyle. You will not have to stay indoors or depend on other people to do your work. The latest devices for low vision correction enable your eyes to function well in the outdoors.

Many people complain of light and glare sensitivity, particularly those with cataract, macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. For greater comfort, you can wear special glare-reducing and blue-blocking lenses in sunny as well as cloudy weather. These are available in yellow, orange, grey and various other shades of amber.

Photochromic glasses can lighten or darken according to the amount of sunlight. Before recommending any option, your low vision specialist or eye doctor will consider the lens colors, blue light absorption capability and percentage of light transmission. Glare-reducing and blue-blocking lenses can be alone or over your glasses in the form of clip-ons, side-fitting styles or prescription sunglasses.

Another advanced alternative that is recommended by eye specialists in extreme cases is use of eyeglass-mounted telescopes for which you will need a prescription from your doctor along with special training. If you are unable to see clearly while driving, watching TV, sporting events or objects at a distance, a small telescope can help in correcting the problem. Provided in many powers and styles, telescopes can be hand held, attached to finger ring, neck cord or mounted in your eyeglasses.

The patients’ hands remain free when the telescope is mounted in an eyeglass frame. These telescopes may be standard and pre-made or customized to particular needs of the patient. Both the eyeglass prescription and telescope can be used when it is mounted in the top of the eyeglass lens.

Nowadays, head-mounted electronic magnifying glasses are also being used for automatic focusing. Canes can also be used to navigate unpaved areas and maintain your balance in case of weak peripheral vision.

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In reality, caring for contact lenses is not as tough as it seems. For proper lens care, disposable contact lenses and one-bottle care systems can be used. This ensures saving of time, money and effort.

To begin with, you must consult your eye doctor for the correct soft contact lenses care regimen. Certain contact lenses are compatible with specific products only and any other products may ruin the lenses or harm your eyes. The following guidelines for handling soft contact lenses can help in preventing eye infections and ensure maximum comfort for you.

• If you are using soft contact lenses, wash your hands to keep away from dirt and germs. Moreover, moisturizing soaps need to be avoided while applying contact lenses. It is also important to wash your hands properly and dry them with lint-free towel.
• Take out one lens and use the recommended solution to clean it. This will remove cosmetics, eye-produced buildup and other particles that affect the comfort level of the lenses. Now, rub the lens in the palm of your hand with the solution.
• Read the package instructions to know how long it takes to rinse the lens and remove the debris impairing your soft contact lenses.
• The next step is to put the lenses in clean lens holder and add fresh solution to it. The disinfecting process is important for killing micro-organisms on the lens.
• The above steps have to be conducted for both lenses in accordance with the specifications on your solution package.

In certain cases, your eye doctor may recommend using protein removal products to handle eye-protein deposits. By replacing your contact lenses within a reasonable time period, you can avoid build-up of excessive protein and discomfort in your eyes. Products for removing protein are available in liquid form and enzymatic cleaner.

Eye drops can also be used during soft contact lenses care. This avoids eye dryness and irritation by lubricating the eyes and rewetting your contact lenses. Some people may also suffer from allergies caused by chemicals in contact lens solutions. At such times, you can just shift to “preservative free” products for soft contact lenses.

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If you are seeing double images, you should not ignore this symptom. Known as Diplopia, this eye problem may be temporary but needs your doctor’s attention for effective treatment. While short term double vision is not a cause for worry, long-lasting double vision needs to be diagnosed and reduced within time.

Causes of Double Vision

• Double vision may be caused due to a head injury, tumor, stroke or brain swelling. If the eye problem comes up suddenly, your eye doctor will examine its symptoms or refer you to a specialist for proper treatment.
• Corneal dystrophies and cone-shaped corneas can also lead to double vision. Such irregularities can be resolved by wearing special contact lenses or using dry eye treatments. In severe cases, surgery may have to be considered.
• Insufficient or poor quality tears make your eyes very dry. As they deteriorate, you may suffer from double vision.
• Undergoing LASIK, PRK or any refractive surgery to remove glasses or contacts may also result in double vision or ghost imaging. Usually, this problem will not last longer than a few weeks or months.
• Cataracts also cause ghost images in one eye when the eye’s natural lens gets clouded and scatters light in different directions.
• Cranial nerve palsies happen due to diabetes, tumor, head injury, meningitis, multiple sclerosis, high blood pressure or blockage in the artery. As a result, you may see double vision.

Treatment of Double Vision

Double vision treatment will vary according to the symptoms and severity of your condition. Some of the main corrective measures include vision therapy, surgery, prism in the glasses, eye drops or other medication. Before taking any treatment, you must go for a comprehensive eye examination.

Sometimes, the conditions leading to double vision are complex and difficult to fix. Fluctuating double vision is caused by certain tumors, strokes and nerve palsies. These are hard to measure accurately and correct completely. In such conditions, you will have to learn the techniques of living with the symptoms of double vision.

Contact Killeen Eyecare Center for complete eyecare solutions. Call today at 254-634-7805 to book your appointment.

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In various industrial and physical activities, protective eyewear is an important part of the job. This is available in the form of prescription and non-prescription safety eye glasses. You can obtain safety eye glasses from an optical professional to gain dual benefits. Apart from corrective vision, such eye glasses protect your eyesight from damage or injury.

There are several aspects of safety eye glasses that differ from conventional eye glasses. Usually, safety eye glasses wrap around your eyes to protect them from flying debris and other harmful objects. Moreover, the material used to make frames and lenses of the eye glasses must withstand a standard level of impact from force. Safety eye glasses are mostly made with polycarbonate impact-resistant lenses. To avoid extreme heat or exposure to UV rays, a SCT cobalt tint can be added to the lens of safety glasses.

While the lenses of prescription safety eye glasses are made from plastic, the frames are usually made with nylon. Additionally, safety eye glasses require the lenses and frame to pass a high mass impact test for durability and resistance to flame and corrosion. By law, certain professions like carpenters, millwrights, machinists, plumbers, laborers and pipe fitters have to wear prescription safety eye glasses. 

By keeping the following pointers in mind, you can surely find the right pair of safety eye glasses.

Safety Standards – To ensure that safety eye glasses are actually protective, look for a code on the frame or lens that indicates that the glasses have passed a safety test.

Materials – Instead of recycled resin, safety eye glasses made from virgin resin polycarbonate are more durable and less prone to distortion.

Fit – A single size may not fit everyone so you must opt for a model that suits your face and features properly. To get best results, choose safety eye glasses with adjustable comfort features like soft nose-pieces, flexible frames, soft-covered arm tips and light weight.

Important for doing stressful work, safety eye glasses should be selected with care. It is a good idea to be cautious and spend a little extra money for getting the right protection for your eyes.

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In comparison to spectacles, most athletes prefer wearing contact lenses for vision correction. This can really help in providing clear vision during competitive activities. On the field, every athlete strives for peak performance and hence, wants to optimize visual skills.

Basically, athletes need to ensure three things for excellent performance:

• Contrast Sensitivity – This allows you to view fine details from a distance.
• Dynamic Visual Acuity – This maintains clarity of vision during slow or fast movement so that you see every obstacle.
• Flexible Focus – As objects move nearer or farther from you, you must be able to keep them in sharp focus.

For sports enthusiasts as well as professional players, contact lenses offer a more natural vision enhancement than eyeglasses. For protection, you can wear sunglasses over them. There are various advantages of sports vision lenses, as listed below:

• While prescription eyeglasses have small, flat lenses and frames, sports vision contact lenses cover the entire eye and provide better peripheral vision.
• Using contact lenses allows athletes to enjoy an unobstructed view of the surroundings and objects coming towards them or other players.
• In contrast to eyeglasses, there is no problem of fogging up of contact lenses. This allows you to play without worrying about the weather, dust, rain, etc.
• A hard hit may break your eyeglasses and lead to serious eye injuries but contact lenses are less prone to damage.
• There is no strain or vision disturbance when you wear sports vision lenses. This is a problem faced by athletes who wear eyeglasses during aggressive playing.

A lot of people use daily disposable contact lenses that can be worn for a game and thrown away after that. For cold weather, athletes and players who keep their eyes open without blinking, GP contact lenses are a good option. Before you choose any sports vision lenses, give thought to the kind of sport you play and its visual requirements.

Even people who play sports in their leisure time or at school may need to consider such lenses and weigh its benefits in comparison to eyeglasses. To get the best advice, you must visit a sports vision specialist or your eye doctor.

Visit Killeen Eyecare Center for all kinds of vision glasses and contact lenses.

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Most people start experiencing visual problems after the age of 50. This is due to degeneration of vision as we grow older. As a result of aging changes, you may face decreased sharpness and focusing power of your eyes.

If you find it difficult to read fine print or view close objects, you may be suffering from presbyopia. This happens when the lens of the eye becomes less flexible and can be corrected with bifocals or reading glasses. With age, the lens of your eye becomes yellow and filters out colors at the blue end of the light spectrum. Hence, you may not be able to differentiate between colors like blue, green and violet.

Another age-related vision change involves the decrease in your ability to adapt to changes in light. On the other hand, you may experience blurred vision while reading glossy materials or viewing shiny floors. This can be corrected by using sunglasses with yellow or antiglare lenses. Dry or itching eyes may also be a sign of eye aging. This happens when the tear glands do not produce adequate tears or the tear duct gets blocked.

For people above the age of 65, eye diseases can become more troublesome and serious. In such cases, your eye specialist may even recommend surgery for vision correction and improvement. Some of the common age-related eye diseases include:

Cataract – This eye disease is caused when the lens of the eye gets cloudy. As a result, your vision becomes blurred and hazy. Symptoms of this condition include dimmed vision, fogging of eyes, sensitivity to light, double vision, spots and change in pupil color. The corrective surgery is highly successful and normally, painless.

Glaucoma – Inside your eyes, there is constant circulation and drainage of fluid. Excessive fluid production or blockage can increase pressure and damage the optic nerve. Special eye drops are available to control early stage glaucoma while advanced stages need surgery. Symptoms include blurred vision, redness and eye pain, lesser side vision and halos around lights.

Macular Degeneration – Responsible for fine acute vision, the macula may degenerate and cause reduced central or straight vision. This is very common among people above the age of 55 years. Symptoms include darkness in center of vision, blurring of words and wavy appearance of straight lines. Treatment involves the use of surgical procedures before it turns into complete blindness.

We at Killeen EyeCare Center provide complete eyecare solutions. We serve Killeen, Fort Hood and Harker Heights area in Central Texas. To seek an appointment, contact us at 254-634-7805

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