Optometry from Carina Trinh

Educating you about your Eye Health

this picture is borrowed from:
http://umapremnetralay.com/images/refractive_errors.jpg
http://myeyes.com/myopia.shtml http://myeyes.com/hyperopia.shtml

Refraction- "the glasses check"

The process of determining the focussing ability of your eyes, whether you have:

1. Myopia / Short-sightedness

= Too much focussing power

2. Hyperopia / Long-sightedness

= Too little focussing power

3. Astigmatism

= Uneven focussing power

4. Presbyopia

= Inflexible focussing power due to lens changes, a natural process that usually commences once you hit your mid forties.

5. Accommodation / Focussing

= How accurately/comfortably your eyes can adjust

their focus from distance to near (animation)

Anterior Eye Health - "health of the front of your eyes"

We assess the front surface of your eyes for:

1. Inflammation
2. Ultraviolet damage
3. Dry eyes / Ocular Surface Issues
4. Cataracts
5. Eyelash issues
6. Infection

this picture is borrowed from:
http://www.mygoodeyes.com/eyedisorders_clip_image006.jpg

this picture is borrowed from:
http://www.freedomscientific.com/images/resources/human_eye.jpg

Posterior Eye Health - "checking the Retina"

We assess the back of your eyes:

1. Optic Nerve - signs of glaucoma / nerve disease
2. Macula - signs of macular degeneration / hereditary macula issues etc.
3. Systemic Disease such as Diabetes, Hypertension, High Cholesterol, Inflammatory conditions, etc.
4. Peripheral Retina - signs of thinning due to short-sightedness

Dilated Examination

Special eye drops are used to dilate the pupil:

1. Thoroughly examine the health of the back of the eyes
2. Allows high quality retinal imaging
3. Takes 20-30 minutes to take effect
4. Vision will be blurry for approximately 2-3 hours after
5. You will not be able to read clearly, or drive during this time, so it is advisable to organise a ride, or to have lunch/coffee afterwards

this picture is borrowed from:
http://www.nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/images/dilated_eyes.gif

Retinal Imaging

High quality retinal imaging is conducted to maintain accurate records of your eye health. There is an incredible amount of value in this, compared to a written description in standard records.

this picture is borrowed from:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons
/4/48/Fundus_photograph_of_normal_left_eye.jpg