Tuesday, April 29, 2014

In young children, vision problems often go undetected

In the first few months of life, infants can only see clearly objects that are 8 to 10 inches from their faces. It is not until 12 to 16 weeks that their eyesight begins to improve, and they start seeing things more clearly and further away. Over the next year, kids develop depth perception, eye-body coordination, eye-hand coordination, and the ability to judge distances. It's rare for children to have vision problems at this age.

Silent Symptoms: Vision Problems in Children

Vision problems in kids tend to emerge between 1½ - 4 years. The two most common issues are:
1. A crossed or wandering eye, which troubles 3 - 5% of children. Symptoms include an eye that drifts or appears crossed in respect to the other eye, though "it isn't really the eye that's the problem," says Dr. Geeta Srinivasan, M.S., DNB, Paediatric Ophthalmology.
2. Uneven focus, where one eye is more farsighted than the other, affects 2 - 3% of kids. This vision problem is the hardest to detect, because young children don't know that their vision is compromised. "Seeing that way, it's all they've ever known," says Dr. B.S. Goel, MD, Ph D and HoD Pediatric Ophthalmology, ICARE eye Hospital, "so they won't say anything about it.”

Most of the eye problems go unnoticed in children, as they are too young to understand that something is wrong with their vision. It is for the parents to take the child for an eye checkup to a Doctor. ICARE Eye Hospital's Pediatric Ophthalmology Department has special faculty, equipment ambience and sensitization for the children problems.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Glaucoma awareness prevents blindness by ICARE Eye Hospital Noida


Over 90% of the blindness caused due to glaucoma in developing countries could have been avoided, had these people been aware of this eye disorder. An internalization of the brief paragraph below and regular eye checks will help spread Awareness on Glaucoma.
There are several types of glaucoma. Some may occur as a complication of other visual disorders ("Secondary" Glaucomas) but the vast majority is "primary", i.e. they occur without a known cause. It was once believed that the cause of most or all glaucomas was high pressure within the eye (known as intraocular pressure - abbreviated as IOP). It is now established however, that even people without an abnormally high IOP may suffer from glaucoma. Intraocular pressure is therefore considered today as a “Risk Factor" for glaucoma, together with other factors such as racial ancestry, family history, high myopia and age.

Some forms of glaucoma may occur at birth (congenital) or during infancy and childhood (juvenile). In most cases however, glaucoma appears after the 4th decade of life, and its frequency increases with age. There is no clearly established difference in incidence between men and women.

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Frequently asked questions on Lasik Surgery ICARE Eye Hospital, Noida,

Frequently asked Questions on LASIK

Q.        What is LASIK ?
A.        LASIK is an acronym for "Laser Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis". It involves reshaping of the cornea to get rid of spectacles.

Q.        How does it work ?
A.        In myopia, (common refractive error treated with laser) parallel rays of light are focused in front of the retina (part concerned with perception of image) i.e. the eye has a higher refractive power. This is corrected with the help of laser by decreasing the refractive power of cornea (the major refractive surface).

Q.        How safe is LASIK for Indian eyes ?
A.        Globally the scientific studies the have confirmed the safety of Lasik in myopia as high as 12 dioptres. The same is true for Indian eyes. The procedure though simple, requires a careful evaluation. In few the complications are seen in persons with high myopia.

Q.        What are the chances of weakening of cornea ?
A.        The Lasik involves ablation of corneal tissue decreasing its thickness. Studies have shown that no damage to structural integrity of cornea occurs if a residual thickness is of 250 microns or more. Lasik should not be done on individuals whose cornea is thin.

Q.        Can I get rid of my spectacles ?
A.        Yes, if you are above 21 years of age, your spectacle number is constant since the last two years, and your corneal thickness is sufficient to allow ablation.

Q.        What if I am wearing contact lenses ?
A.        You can undergo Lasik surgery after 4 weeks of stopping use of contact lenses.

Q.        What are my chances of spectacle free life ?
A.        The chances of your getting rid of glasses depend on the degree of myopia. There is almost total freedom from glasses in myopia upto 10 diotres - where maximum number of patients belong. In high degrees of myopia, it may not be feasible to correct the refractive error entirely.

Q.        Is the procedure painful ?
A.        No. The laser is done after locally anaesthetizing the eye with eye drops. You may experience a pressure sensation but no pain during the procedure.

Q.        What postoperative precautions do I have to take ?

A.        You will have to use eye drops for 4 weeks. It is advisable not to splash water on your open eyes or rubbing them for at least 2 weeks. Dusty conditions are to be avoided for the same duration. You may have to use lubricating eye drops for a period of time. There is no restriction in reading, bathing, watching TV or eating any food.

Monday, April 14, 2014

Annual Glaucoma Awarness Walk by ICARE Eye Hospital

ANNUAL GLAUCOMA AWARENESS WALK BY ICARE

Glaucoma Awareness Walk was organized on March 9th to mark the starting of World Glaucoma Week in Noida. The walk, organized by ICARE Eye Hospital, started from Sector 21 Stadium to ICARE Eye Hospital, Sector 26 Noida. A large number people participated in the walk. The participants included Ophthalmologists from Noida, staff, patients of ICARE Eye Hospital and volunteers etc. The objective of the walk was to generate glaucoma related awareness among general public so that blindness caused due to Glaucoma may be avoided. An enthusiastic group of cyclists participated in this program, starting cycling from Sector 18 Gurudwara to the Stadium and thereafter, accompanying the walkers. Caps & T-shirts were distributed to walkers.

The walk ended with a health talk on Glaucoma by Dr. Reena Choudhry, attended by journalists from media and patients. She explained that there are several forms of glaucoma the two most common forms are primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) and angle-closure glaucoma (ACG). Open-angle glaucoma is often called "the sneak thief of sight" because it has no symptoms until significant vision loss has occurred. There are typically no early warning signs or symptoms of open-angle glaucoma. It develops slowly and sometimes without noticeable sight loss for many years. Most people who have open-angle glaucoma feel fine and do not notice a change in their vision at first because the initial loss of vision is of side or peripheral vision, and the visual acuity or sharpness of vision is maintained until late in the disease. By the time a patient is aware of vision loss, the disease is usually quite advanced. Vision loss from glaucoma is not reversible with treatment, even with surgery. Because open-angle glaucoma has few warning signs or symptoms before damage has occurred, it is important to see a doctor for regular eye examinations. If glaucoma is detected during an eye exam, your eye doctor can prescribe preventive treatment to help protect your vision. Function finished with soft drinks & snacks.

Thursday, April 3, 2014