Treatment Not seeing clearly
Examination and treatment
Few eyes are perfect, which is why many people have refractive errors. With a refractive error, the eye itself cannot refract the incoming light well enough to accurately and sharply focus the image of an object on the retina. Most refractive errors develop in childhood and can worsen afterwards, but sometimes also improve.
In order to know whether there is a refractive error, it is important to perform a thorough eye test/glasses examination. In our practice, such an examination is performed, with or without the use of drops that dilate the pupils in order to better visualize the refractive effect of the eye’s own lens.
We distinguish the following types of refractive errors:
- myopia
- farsightedness
- stigmatism (clouded or distorted vision)
- presbyopia
Treatment
If you want to get the image sharply on the retina in the event of a refractive or refractive error, you need a refractive correction. There are various options for this.
A. Glasses
The oldest and easiest way to correct refractive errors is glasses. To correct myopia, glasses are fitted with negative lenses (“minus lenses”); in case of farsightedness, the glasses are fitted with positive lenses (“plus lenses”). To correct additional astigmatism, the lenses can also be provided with a so-called cylinder correction. If there is a refractive error for distance and presbyopia at the same time, glasses are available with lenses for distance correction, with an extra reading portion ground in them. There are also glasses where this reading part is invisible and where, in addition to reading strength, there are also transition strengths for the distances between “far” and “near”: the so-called “multifocal type”. After the consultation, you will receive the result from us in a clearly formulated “refraction report” on which the measured values and glasses advice are stated. With this you can possibly go to the optician so that he can continue to measure and make the glasses with you based on our measurement.
B. Contact lenses
A second option consists of contact lenses, which are placed on the cornea. The 2 most commonly used types of contact lenses are:
- hard oxygen-permeable lenses: these are small and therefore hard lenses with a long lifespan;
- soft lenses: these lenses are somewhat larger in diameter and they are more flexible and softer because they absorb water. The flexibility improves wearing comfort. A disadvantage of soft lenses is that there is an increased risk of infection, especially when these lenses are worn continuously day and night. In any case, keeping it clean and replacing it on time is always very important.
There are also contact lenses with cylinder correction and contact lenses with additional reading power correction. You can use the refraction report that you receive from us to further determine and fit the desired contact lens together with the optician/contact lens specialist.
C. Laser or surgery
The third option for correcting refractive errors is laser treatment or surgery. With a laser, the cornea of the eye (as if it were a spectacle lens or contact lens) can be ground to the correct strength. During surgery, an artificial lens is placed in the eye, before or instead of the natural lens.
In our clinic we measure for your possible purchase of glasses and/or and we prescribe contact lenses. For a cosmetic laser treatment or an operation as described above, we refer you.
