图像来自 macrovector 在 Freepik 上

作为患者,了解这三家眼科诊所各自的角色和服务至关重要。
专业人士会帮助您获得所需的特定眼科护理,知道该问哪些问题,并与您合作。
与您的医疗保健提供者一起确定适合您的合适解决方案。.

验光师

验光师会进行眼科检查,以评估您的眼睛整体健康状况,并为您开具隐形眼镜、眼镜或低视力辅助设备的处方。验光师会进行多项检查,包括视力(您远近视力如何)、辨色能力、深度知觉、视网膜健康状况、眼压等等。验光师可能会使用散瞳眼药水,以帮助检测青光眼、白内障、黄斑变性等眼部疾病。.

眼科医生

眼科医生是专门从事眼部健康及相关疾病的医学博士。眼科医生需接受研究生培训,才能具备治疗眼部疾病的资质,包括药物治疗和手术治疗。眼科医生为常见的眼部问题(例如白内障)提供手术解决方案,并监测青光眼等眼部疾病,同时还能进行激光矫正手术。.

眼镜店

验光师负责验配、调整和配发处方眼镜和非处方眼镜。他们不进行眼科检查,也不开处方,但可以协助您配镜、调整眼镜以及订购新的/更换的隐形眼镜。.

拍摄者 nrd不飞溅

Having an annual eye exam is a great way to not only take care of your eyes but your overall health as well. Eye exams can detect early signs of conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your next visit!

What to think about:

  • Have I noticed any eye problems such as blurry vision, flashes of light, floaters, redness, or double vision?
  • Are my daily activities being affected by my vision?
  • How do I take care of my contact lenses or glasses
  • Have I had any surgeries or injuries in my eyes that I could let the doctor know about?
  • Any family history of eye conditions such as glaucoma?

What to bring:

  • Your current glasses or contact lenses even if you have multiple pairs for different tasks
  • A list of your medications/supplements you are taking
  • Have someone who can drive you home or a method of transportation ready for if you have your eyes dilated. This happens often in yearly eye exams and can make you sensitive to light and have blurry near vision (~4-6 hours)
  • Vision and health insurance information

Questions to ask:

  • Differences between contacts and glasses for you and how this compares to surgery options as well?
  • If anything has changed in my ocular health since the last visit?
  • What any symptoms you may have mean and what you can do to prevent them from getting worse or resolve?
  • When should I return for my next visit?

photo credit: drtavel.com

Cosmetic contact lenses or colored contact lenses may seem harmless but can lead to severe eye problems or loss of vision if not fit by an eye specialist. You need to have a prescription for contact lenses as they are deemed medical devices by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Non- prescription contacts can create problems due to issues such as poor fitting or unclean packing/creation.

When contact lenses not specifically fitted and sized for your eyes are worn, the cornea may be scratched, potentially leading to the following:

  • Painful corneal abrasion
  • Decreased vision
  • Redness, soreness, itching
  • 对光敏感
  • Allergic reactions
  • Corneal ulcers

Eye infections are also very common in non-prescribed contact lenses and may lead to the following:

  • Persistent eye pain
  • Decreased vision
  • 对光敏感
  • Discharge from the eye (this could be green/yellowish mucus like or more watery)

Discussing your options and proper contact lenses hygiene with an eye care professional, having the
proper measurements of your eyes taken, and getting a valid prescription is an easy way to avoid these
potentially life changing complications.

图片来源:iris.ca

对于近视、远视、散光或老花眼,屈光手术可以帮助减少或消除对眼镜/隐形眼镜的需求,并改善视力。. 优秀候选人包括:

  • 屈光不正稳定的患者
  • 角膜厚而健康,且整体眼部健康状况良好的患者
  • 生活方式/期望与他们选择的手术相匹配的患者

如果符合以下情况,候选人可能选择有限或应避免接受屈光手术:

  • 角膜薄
  • 严重干眼症
  • 高度近视、远视或散光
  • 角膜瘢痕
  • 白内障
  • 既往眼部感染史或当前眼部感染
  • 糖尿病
  • 青光眼

屈光眼科手术的预期效果

手术前, 您的验光师将:

  • 讨论不同类型屈光性眼科手术的选择方案和预期效果
  • 测试你的视力
  • 测量角膜的表面积和厚度
  • 仔细检查是否存在其他可能使治疗复杂化或阻碍治疗成功的情况。

手术期间, 您的医生将:

  • 滴入麻醉眼药水
  • 在眼睑周围植入装置以防止眨眼
  • 让患者盯着目标灯看,以防止其移动。
  • 不同类型的手术中,咔哒声、持续时间和其他细节可能有所不同。

手术后, , 你会:

  • 用透明眼罩保护眼睛,让眼睛在几天内愈合。
  • 使用眼药水可以缓解眼干,促进愈合。
  • 暂时出现不同程度的刺痛/灼烧感。

务必与您的眼科医生讨论各种屈光手术方案,以及它们是否适合您。这些方案包括:LASIK、PRK、ICL、LRI、SMILE 等。.

photo credit: Unsplash/pawelskor

Your visual field refers to the area in which you can see objects in all directions as you focus on a single central point. This test of your peripheral vision is simple, painless, and vital in diagnosing and tracking the progress of health conditions.

Are there different types of Visual Fields?

Confrontational Visual Field Test: The patient looks at an object in front of them with one eye covered. While looking at this object the patient will be asked how many fingers they see the doctor holding up in the patient’s periphery.

photo credit: morancore.utah.edu

Automated static perimetry test: The patient looks in the center of a bowl-shaped instrument called a perimeter. Lenses are placed in front of the patient’s tested eye while the other is covered with an eye patch. While looking at the center target, several flashes of light will appear in the patient’s periphery at which point they will use a clicker to indicate when they see them.

photo credit: healthjade.net

Kinetic visual field test: Similar to above but now moving light targets are used instead of blinking lights.

Who needs a Visual Field Test?

Visual fields can be helpful in diagnosing, treatment plans for, and monitoring various conditions such
as:

  • 青光眼
  • Multiple sclerosis
  • Thyroid eye disease
  • Strokes
  • Finding blind spots (scotomas)
  • 糖尿病
  • 高血压

Depending on your situation you may be recommended to take a visual field test again in a few weeks, a
few months, or a year.

Blepharitis is when you have inflammation of your eyelids. Sometimes the cause is from skin conditions
such as dandruff or rosacea while other times the cause could be from overpopulation of bacteria or
even parasitic mites called demodex.

Image from: https://www.allaboutvision.com

Some signs or symptoms you may be experiencing include:

  • Red, swollen eyes
  • A gritty or burning sensation in your eyes
  • Excessive tearing or itching
  • Dry eyes or crusted eyelashes
  • Increased sensitivity to light
  • Dandruff-like scales on the eyelashes
  • Blocked eyelid glands
  • Eyelashes may fall out of be misdirected inwards causing damage to the cornea
  • Increased risk of infection

So what can you do?

With so many varying signs and possible causes it is important to have a comprehensive eye exam in
order to determine the type of blepharitis you may have. Once determined a specified treatment plan
can be made to manage the condition. Luckily, in many cases taking care of your eyelid hygiene,
whether in office or at home, is a simple enough method in keeping the symptoms of blepharitis at bay
and from affecting your daily life. It is important to remember that this will likely be a long term plan.
Treatments in office or at home may help jump start your recovery, but proper hygiene must be
maintained overtime, or the symptoms of blepharitis may return.

At-home ocular hygiene tips:

  • Frequently wash your the scalp and face
  • Warm compresses to help soften crust and help unclog oil glands present in eyelids
  • Use artificial tears (often helpful when placed in the fridge to bring down inflammation)
  • Limit or stop using eye makeup during treatment, as it makes lid hygiene more difficult.
  • Nutrition changes/supplements such as omega-3s

More severe cases may warrant in-office treatments:

Photo credit: Eye Health Shop, 2023

  • Intense Pulsed Light therapy, involving the application of bright red light pulses to your eyelids
  • BlephEx®, which involves cleaning your eyelid margins with microblepharoexfoliation.
  • Lipiflow or other dry eye focused treatments may be used concurrently
  • Depending on your case antibiotics or steroids or tea tree oil products may be prescribed
  • Products may be available in office to complement treatment, such as BIHOCL or eyelid scrubs
图片来源:healthjade.net

几乎每个人都会过度使用电子屏幕,因此出现与电子产品相关的眼疲劳和酸胀症状非常普遍;这种情况被称为电脑视觉综合征(CVS)或数码眼疲劳。顾名思义,长时间阅读或盯着电子设备屏幕会导致眼睛疲劳。电脑视觉综合征的一些常见症状包括眼疲劳、头痛、眼睛干涩、颈部疼痛以及视力逐渐模糊。.

既然我们作为验光师无法要求患者完全避免使用电脑或长时间盯着屏幕,那么有哪些方法可以缓解电脑视觉综合征(CVS)的症状并避免病情加重呢?检查办公桌或工作台的照明和工作距离是否合适会有所帮助。此外,全天注意保持正确的姿势也很重要,并确保佩戴合适的视力矫正设备,例如眼镜或隐形眼镜,以避免进一步的眼疲劳。.

图片来源:Ergomaker.com

避免眼睛疲劳的小贴士

  1. 降低屏幕亮度
  2. 尽量避免在一天中靠近屏幕。
  3. 每隔20分钟休息一下(看向20英尺远的地方20秒钟)。
  4. 工作时佩戴办公眼镜或防疲劳眼镜
  5. 记住要持续眨眼
  6. 多喝水

遵循这些简单的建议,不仅可以改善您的眼睛感觉,而且自然而然地提高您全天的工作效率、生产力和幸福感。.

It’s not the most comfortable experience, but…

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Dilation is a crucial component of your eye exam. Dilating drops enlarge your pupils to allow more light to enter the eye, giving the doctor a better view of the interior and back of your eye. Think of it as looking through a keyhole – the larger and wider the keyhole, the more you can see into the room behind the door.

Why is dilation important?

  1. It enables your optometrist to more accurately determine your prescription by unmasking the effect of accommodation.
  2. It helps to identify eye conditions in children, such as amblyopia (lazy eye).
  3. It helps detect retinal conditions, glaucoma, and other neurological conditions
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If it’s so important, why isn’t it done in every eye exam?

Although it is recommended for everyone, dilation is not absolutely necessary for all patients and situations. Dilation can cause blurry near vision and light sensitivity for several hours after the drops are applied. To determine if dilation is needed and appropriate, your optometrist considers several factors:

  1. Age. The risk of eye diseases increases with age, so dilation is highly recommended for adults/seniors. In children, it helps to determine a more accurate prescription that is not masked by their accommodation system.
  2. Ocular history/ Family history. Having a history of eye diseases can predict your risk for developing certain conditions. Genetics plays a role in many ocular diseases.
  3. Overall health. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and other systemic conditions increase the likelihood of developing eye problems.
  4. Presenting symptoms. Symptoms that draw patients into the exam room may warrant a dilated exam. Flashes, floaters, or curtain veil over vision warrant immediate dilation, as they can be a sign of a serious condition.
Photo credit: allaboutvision.com

Uveitis is inflammation inside your eye that usually occurs when your immune system fights an infection. It can also happen when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your eye. Uveitis affects the middle layer of the eye, called the Uvea, resulting in white blood cells and proteins leaking. It can affect one eye or both eyes. Uveitis can affect anyone, but it is most common in people aged 20 to 60.

What are the symptoms of uveitis?

  • Blurry vision
  • Decreased vision
  • Eye pain
  • 红眼
  • 对光敏感
  • Floaters

There are different types of uveitis.

  1. Anterior Uveitis: affects the iris (colored part of the eye) and is the most common type that affects the front of the eye
  2. Intermediate Uveitis: affects the middle of the eye
  3. Posterior Uveitis: affects the back of the eye
  4. Panuveitis: affects all parts of the eye

What causes uveitis?

The cause of uveitis is not always known. Infections, systemic inflammatory diseases, or an eye injury can all cause uveitis. Smoking cigarettes can increase the risk of uveitis.

How is uveitis treated?

Your optometrist will most likely prescribe two eye drops: a steroid to reduce inflammation, and an eye drop to dilate the pupil to help with the pain and swelling. Uveitis can lead to permanent vision loss; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent complications and preserve vision.

图片来自 rawpixel.com 在 Freepik 上

为什么我需要验配隐形眼镜?您知道眼镜处方和隐形眼镜处方是不一样的吗?验光师为您验配隐形眼镜时,会确保以下几点:

  • 您的眼睛健康状况良好,可以佩戴隐形眼镜。但如果您患有干眼症或过敏性结膜炎等眼部疾病,则需要先进行治疗才能佩戴隐形眼镜。角膜瘢痕、营养不良和/或角膜表面不规则等眼部疾病可能需要配戴特制隐形眼镜。.
  • 我们会根据您的生活方式,为您推荐合适的隐形眼镜类型。我们会根据您的职业、课外活动和其他需求,帮助您确定日抛型、双周抛型或月抛型隐形眼镜哪种更适合您。.
  • 找到舒适贴合、视力良好的隐形眼镜。我们会测量您的眼睛,为您挑选合适的镜片。许多公司生产隐形眼镜,每家公司都有自己的一套参数。我们会检查镜片是否过紧或过松,眨眼时镜片的移动情况,以及镜片是否位于眼球中心。我们还会确保您的双眼远近视力都良好。.

此外,我们首先会对新佩戴隐形眼镜的人士进行培训,指导他们如何安全地佩戴和摘取隐形眼镜。我们会详细讲解清洁流程,确保镜片得到安全处理,因为镜片上任何蛋白质和碎屑的积聚都可能损伤角膜。.