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Eye Care Tips and Education

Your eyes are two of your best assets! Here at Aloha Laser Vision, we're people of vision. We perform a multitude of eye care services designed specifically to achieve the sharpest vision possible for your eyes. Routine examinations, LASIK eye surgery, cataract surgery, and treatments for glaucoma are our specialties, but we have much more to offer. Dr. Alan Faulkner, board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology is well versed in the most modern eye care techniques. You can count on Aloha Laser Vision, which has a deep commitment to changing lives through improving vision, for all your eye care needs.

• How the Normal Eye Works
• Abnormal Vision
  • Nearsightedness
  • Farsightedness
  • Astigmatism
• Presbyopia: Normal, Age-related Vision Loss 
• Glaucoma
  • Common Types of Glaucoma
  • Glaucoma Treatment
• Recommended Intervals for Eye Exams
• Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and Cataracts
  • Preventing ARMD and Cataracts

How the Normal Eye Works

The first step in eye care is a basic understanding of how a normal eye works. Much like a camera, light rays are focused onto the retina (a light-sensitive membrane located at the back of the eye) by the lens (a thin, transparent part of the eye behind the iris and the pupil). Electrical impulses carry signals along the optic nerve to the brain, where the image is interpreted.

For the eye to focus clearly, the cornea (clear front surface of the eye) and lens work together. The cornea has a fixed shape and its focus cannot be changed, but the lens does change shape to change focus. This is how we change our focus from distant objects to near objects. An eye that does not focus images clearly usually has a cornea that is abnormally shaped. In this case, the cornea is too steep, too flat, or irregularly shaped. For most patients, the laser can correct these corneal problems, which are commonly known as nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.

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Abnormal Vision

There are three primary types of vision problems: nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. Because they are caused by abnormalities in the cornea, Dr. Alan Faulkner can use advanced laser technology to correct the cornea's surface and restore clear vision.

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Nearsightedness

The cause of nearsightedness is a too steep cornea or an eye that is too long. Visual images come to focus in front of the retina, and the image is blurry. Being nearsighted means that objects at a distance will not be in focus, while close vision is clear, unless astigmatism is also present. Nearsightedness is often detected during a school vision screening. Laser treatment corrects nearsightedness by flattening the cornea.

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Farsightedness

Farsightedness occurs when the cornea is too flat or the eye is too small. Visual images come to focus behind the retina. Being farsighted means that objects at a distance are clearly seen, while close objects will not be in focus. Farsightedness easily goes undetected because patients are usually able to compensate for this vision problem until their thirties or forties, when the problem becomes prominently noticeable as distance vision also deteriorates. Laser treatment corrects farsightedness by steepening the cornea.

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Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a common vision problem that occurs when the cornea has an oval shape, with more curvature in one direction than in another. Because light rays are focused differently in the two directions, there are two points of focus instead of one, resulting in blurry images, eye strain, or headaches. Doubled, tilted, or ghost images are not uncommon, especially at night. Slight astigmatisms can be ignored, but high degrees of astigmatism will cause both near and distant objects to be blurry. Laser treatment corrects astigmatism by steepening or flattening the cornea into a spherical shape.

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Presbyopia: Normal, Age-related Vision Loss

As we get older, typically around age 40, it becomes more difficult for the lens of the eye to change shape and achieve clear focus. Presbyopia, a natural part of the aging process, occurs when the lens can no longer change shape. Patients with presbyopia find their vision blurred when looking at near objects and have difficulty switching focus from near objects to distant objects.

To correct vision for presbyopia, a complete eye examination is needed to determine what strength glasses are needed to see well at a distance. For nearsighted patients, removing their glasses may improve the focus of close objects. For other patients, glasses or bifocals will improve close vision. Laser treatment cannot correct for presbyopia because the laser reshapes the cornea, and not the lens. However, many patients elect to have monovision correction, a procedure that corrects one eye for distance vision and the other eye for close vision. The same results can also be achieved by having LASIK in one eye. To find out more information about the options available for treating presbyopia, please contact Aloha Laser Vision.

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Glaucoma

Vision that is lost gradually with few or no symptoms may be the result of glaucoma. The leading cause of blindness in the United States today, glaucoma is actually a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Made up of about 1 million tiny nerve fibers that run from the back of the eye to the brain, the optic nerve carries signals back and forth between your eyes and brain. When a damaged optic nerve loses the ability to carry these signals, vision is lost.

Glaucoma typically affects older people, but the disease can occur at any age. In its early stages, many patients experience no noticeable change in vision, pain, or other symptoms of the disease. The Glaucoma Research Foundation recommends an annual eye examination for adults 60 and over, but why wait until then to protect your good vision when all it takes is a simple eye examination? When detected early, glaucoma can be treated, and vision loss can be prevented.

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Common Types of Glaucoma

Dr. Alan Faulkner has skill and expertise in treating patients for all types of glaucoma, including the two most widespread forms of this eye disease: primary open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. For patients with primary open-angle glaucoma, eye fluid does not drain out of the eye as quickly as it should. For patients with closed-angle glaucoma, the drainage angle closes and prevents nearly all eye fluid from escaping. Pressure builds up and causes pain. Closed-angle glaucoma is an emergency requiring immediate treatment to prevent blindness from occurring.

Glaucoma Treatment

During a routine eye examination at Aloha Laser Vision, Dr. Alan Faulkner thoroughly examines your eyes and takes into account your risk factors for having glaucoma, which include being nearsighted, having a family history of the disease, having had a past eye injury, having diabetes, having a past history of vascular shock, and even your race (African-Americans are six times more likely to develop glaucoma!).

Once glaucoma has been detected, treatment begins with eye drops to relieve built-up pressure in the eye. If the drops are unsuccessful in relieving the pressure, then surgery may be necessary to open up the eye's drainage system in order for the eye fluid to flow more freely.

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Recommended Intervals for Eye Exams

While modern technology is always improving our ability to restore abnormal vision, it remains imperative that patients receive regular ophthalmological care to maintain the health of their eyes.

Recommended intervals for eye exams are:

• Age 20-39: Individuals of African or Asian descent or with a family history of glaucoma should have a medical exam every three to five years. Others can be seen at least once during this period.
• Age 40-64: Every two to four years
• Age 65 or older: every one to two years

With regular eye examinations, patients can experience the life-long benefits that come from having good vision.

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Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and Cataracts

Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and cataracts are two diseases that commonly affect the aging eye. A common risk factor for both diseases is exposure to high levels of ultraviolet (UV) light, something all Hawaii residents experience. Even for those residing outside of Hawaii, the lens of the eye is constantly bombarded by UV light, which is thought to be a contributing factor in ARMD and the formation of cataracts.

Preventing ARMD and Cataracts

Antioxidants and zinc are beneficial in staving off the effects of macular degeneration and cataracts. The first scientific evidence that antioxidants and beta-carotene may slow cataract progression was supplied last year by the National Institute of Health's Age-related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). Other supplements, such as lutein and zeaxanthin, are also believed to provide protection against these two common eye diseases.

At Aloha Laser Vision, we strongly recommend that patients at risk of developing ARMD and/or cataracts eat a balanced diet rich in eye-healthy vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, C, and E, folic acid, selenium, and zinc. These can be found in leafy green vegetables, carrots, citrus fruits, and melons. Also important is to protect your eyes from UV exposure with quality UV protective eyewear. If you are over the age of 50 and suspect you are at high risk for ARMD or cataracts, please contact eye care specialist Dr. Alan Faulkner for a complete exam and consultation.

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