Eyeglasses and contact lenses are both used for vision correction. Both of the options have their advantages and disadvantages but a number of factors like lifestyle, comfort and age etc. are important while deciding which one to choose. Here is a list of the fundamental differences between using spectacles and using contact lenses:

1. Distance from the cornea
Lenses are worn directly on the eye and are in constant physical contact with the cornea while glasses are worn over the eyes. Contact lenses may cause infections in the eye because the user has to touch the eye in order to wear them and to take them off.

2. Difference in vision
Since the lenses of spectacles are a little distance away from the eye, vision can be slightly distorted but contact lenses can provide natural and accurate vision. Also, side vision is not improved by glasses as you have to turn your head to see what is beside you. The contacts move around with your eyeballs and the peripheral vision is in focus.

3. Ease of use
Some people find eyeglasses difficult to use because of the constant weight on the face and the obstruction caused by the frames of the glasses. There may also be a constant need to adjust the frames. Often eyeglasses slip down the nose when you sweat or engage in rigorous physical activity. Contact lenses are free from all these hassles - they are not distracting or obstructive and so they are extensively used by dancers and athletes. Spectacles is very uncomfortable to wear during the rains or in humid weather because they fog up.

4. Infections and complications
Contact lenses can get displaced inside the eye and they can be difficult to reposition. They also cause the eyes to itch and water if you wear them for a very long time at a stretch or if tiny dust particles enter your eyes. The use of eyeglasses is far more flexible in this respect - they can be removed in case your eye itches or burns, but regular use of glasses causes dark circles and bags under the eyes.

5. Aesthetic differences
People often prefer contact lenses as they do not change the physical appearance - they help you look natural and you can also use colored lenses to change the color of your eyes. Glasses may look slightly unnatural but some people also prefer them for the fashion quotient.

Lens Vs Specs

While spectacles are a fashion statement for some people, for others they are an uncomfortable necessity. Though contact lenses may be a little more aesthetically pleasing they too can be quite uncomfortable and cannot be worn throughout the day. Thankfully, there is a third way to correct vision. Laser surgery or LASIK, it is a popular refractive procedure that can correct common vision problems, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. This procedure aims at reshaping the cornea so that light entering the eyes can be focused onto the retina for the person to have a clearer vision. 

Laser surgery is pain-free and quick in most cases. Usually, it does not take more than 15 minutes to correct vision in both eyes. The results of this surgery can be seen in as little as 24 hours. 

The first step of laser surgery to correct vision is to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. This is then folded back to access the stroma or underlying cornea. An excimer laser is then used to remove some of the corneal tissue. For people suffering from nearsightedness, the cornea is flattened while for people suffering from farsightedness, the cornea is made steeper. In cases of astigmatism, an irregular cornea is smoothened. Once the correct gradient has been achieved the corneal flap is put back into place and the cornea is allowed to heal naturally. There are no stitches or bandages required in a laser eye surgery. You may feel a temporary burning or itching sensation in your eyes immediately after the procedure. It is important not to rub your eyes or place any pressure on them. Your vision may also be cloudy or blurred for the first few hours. A doctor will usually advise you to rest for a few days after the surgery so that your cornea can heal properly. In a few days, your eyesight should stabilize, though, in a few rare cases, it may take a little longer. You should also avoid any form of strenuous exercising for a few days after the surgery. 

Though LASIK surgery has a very high success rate, there are very rare occasions where spectacles may still be needed even after the surgery. Thus LASIK is a choice of treatment for many who seek freedom from glasses.

LASIK - Say No to Boring Glasses! 

Eye Strain is an umbrella term that denotes a number of symptoms that relate to the extended use of eyes as well as discomfort that may come from excessive smartphone and computer use. This condition may or may not lead to significant eye damage and is usually characterised by blurry vision, headaches and a feeling of dryness in the eye as you blink less which creates less tears. This may happen due to the extended use of the eye when you are following objects on a screen or staring at a screen for too long. So, is eye strain the cause of your headaches? 

Find out more in this article.

Causes: Eye Strain or Asthenopia is caused by concentrating on visually intense tasks like reading from texts that have a fine print, the use of computers and other screens for prolonged periods, and trying to focus on objects in the dark. This can lead to distress of the muscles in this area which can also cause eye strain leading to a variety of symptoms including double imagery and even headaches and mild migraine like conditions.

Eye Muscle Imbalance: When there is eye strain which leads to headaches, it can also give rise to eye muscle imbalance which makes it difficult to concentrate with both eyes at the same time. In such cases, one may need bifocal glasses so as to fix the issue and prevent such debilitating headaches to remain on a persistent basis.

Diagnosis: Digital eye fatigue and ocular eye strain leading to headaches can be diagnosed by a doctor with the help of regular eye examinations. In any case, one should have the eyes checked at least once a year. This is especially important if your job involves sitting in front of the computer screen for prolonged hours.

Symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms of these headaches that are caused by eye strain. Apart from blurry vision which does not allow the patient to see properly and clearly without glasses, it can also cause headaches with symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light. Retinal or eye migraines do not necessarily have to come with headaches, but the pressure can be painful enough.

Treatment: To begin with, the best form of treatment for headaches born from eye strain includes prevention which can be done by getting plenty of rest and sleep even as we limit the hours spent in front of the screen. One can also lower the resolution of the screen and make it more ambient. Also, the screen should be placed at a considerable distance from the eyes. The doctor can also prescribe glasses and eye drops for better eye lubrication.

Headache - Can Eyestrain Be the Reason Behind it?

Eye allergy or allergic conjunctivitis is an adverse immune response of the body that occurs when it comes across an irritating substance or allergens like smoke, dust or pollen. The body assumes these to be harmful substances and releases chemicals called histamine to fight against them.

Symptoms of an eye allergy-

Allergy in the eyes causes the occurrence of certain symptoms-

  Itching in the eyes

  The sensation of burning in the eyes

  Redness

  Watery discharge

  Swollen eyelids

  Light sensitive

What triggers it?

An eye allergy is usually triggered by the following components-

  Pollen

  Dander

  Dust Mites

  Mould

  Pet Dander

  Exhaust from vehicles

What to do if you suffer from eye allergy-

  Consult an eye specialist or allergist - It is important to consult a physician since the symptoms may pertain to other allergies like asthma or eczema that have different treatment.

  Take proper medication - Take the prescribed eye drops, oral histamines or decongestants to alleviate the symptoms.

  Avoid the allergen - It is difficult to do so if the allergies are seasonal, that means if the eye allergies always occur during specific seasons of the year. If they are not seasonal, you can avoid the allergens if you

Keep the doors and windows closed at home and while riding the car
Take a shower or change your clothes after coming back home from outside
Wear an allergy-relief mask while outside to filter the smoke, dust, etc.
Wear glasses to protect eyes from the allergens
Wash hands after petting any animal
Use a dehumidifier to protect against mould
  Take allergy shots - These are good precautionary measures for seasonal allergies. These increase the tolerance for the irritants. Similarly some eyedrops can be given to decrease the frequency, severity and intensity of allergy episodes.

  Natural remedies - If nothing else works you can use a cold compress to relieve the itchy eyes. Eat walnuts, fish oil and flaxseed oil that contain Omega- 3 fatty acids to reduce inflammatory substances in the body.

What not to do if you are having an eye allergy-

  Avoid rubbing your eyes; that will further irritate your eyes and damaged the eye surface

  Do not keep your indoor surroundings dirty and dusty

  Do not dry-sweep the floors

  Do not pet any animal if you are allergic to animal dander

There is no permanent cure for eye allergies yet but the proper treatment and precautions can help to reduce many of the symptoms. Over-the-counter medications may work out for some people but others may require severe treatment. Remember in spite of prophylactic or therapeutic treatment if u are exposed to a high load of allergens, you will develop symptoms of allergies but they will be milder than if u had no prophylaxis.

Eye Allergies - What To Do & What Not To Do?

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that causes damage to your eye's optic nerve and gets worse over time. The optic nerve is a bundle of millions of nerve fibres which carry visual impulse from the retina at the back of eye to the brain. The increased eye pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve and fasten the natural nerve fibre loss. Since nerve cells can't regenerate this damage is permanent and irreversible.

Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years. Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see your eye doctor regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed early and treated before significant functional visual loss occurs.

If you are over age 40 and have a family history of glaucoma, you should have a complete eye exam with an eye doctor every one to two years. If you have any risk factors, you may need to visit your eye doctor more frequently.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

For most people, there are usually few or no symptoms of glaucoma. The first sign of glaucoma is often the loss of peripheral or side vision, which can go unnoticed until late in the disease. This is why glaucoma is often called the" sneak thief of vision" or" silent thief of eye sight.

If you have any of the following symptoms, seek immediate medical care:

Seeing halos around lights
Vision loss
Redness in the eye
Eye that looks hazy (particularly in infants)
Nausea or vomiting
Pain in the eye
Narrowing of vision (tunnel vision)
Risk factors-

There are several risk factors, which may lead to glaucoma, such as

Age of the individual
Ethnicity- african, caribbean, hispanics and asians are at higher risk
Increased eye pressure or iop history of glaucoma in family or relatives
Presence of myopia or hyperopia
Previous eye injuries
Use of steroids- as injections, tablets, eye or ear drops or ointments or protein supplements for muscle building in gyms or inhalers
Previous history of anemia
Individuals conditions affecting blood flow like hypertension, diabetes or high blood sugar, migraine etc are also at risk.
Treatment-

The treatment for glaucoma relies on the nature and seriousness of every case. Generally, glaucoma cannot be totally cured, but it can be controlled. Eye drops, pills, laser strategies, and means of surgery are utilized to maintain and prevent further harm from happening. Talk to your eye doctor to find out if you are at risk of developing glaucoma.

Are You at a Risk of Glaucoma? What You Need to Know?

Conjunctivitis is a medical condition that is marked by redness in the eyes owing to the inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the membrane covering the white part of the eye. The condition is further characterized by the discharge of yellowish pus fluid from the corner of the eye. This condition, which is essentially an infection, can occur to people of all age brackets. 

Causes and Symptoms 

Conjunctivitis can be caused due to several reasons namely allergies, irritants, bacterial and viral infections, among others. Apart from the redness in the eye, some other apparent symptoms of conjunctivitis are: 

    Thin and watery discharge in viral conjunctivitis 
    Thick, mucous like discharge ranging from yellow to green in case of bacterial conjunctivitis
    Sticky eyelids
    Increased reactivity to light 
    Blurred or foggy vision
    Nasal discharges 

It is difficult to distinguish between viral, allergic and bacterial conjunctivitis. Different fields of medicine prescribe treatments according to the cause of the condition. Although subtle differences, such as thick and thin discharges can be observed, in Homeopathy the cause is not that important. 

Homeopathic medicines are natural and highly effective. The medications, which are prescribed in Homeopathy can more than manage the discharges, swelling, the sandy sensation and redness in the eyes. Homeopathic medicines are effective when the condition causes the eye to get dry, red, congested and swollen. Bathing the eyes with sterilized salt water is also a popular method of treating the infection. In addition to these, Homeopathic doctors also provide tips to curb the likelihood of further complications. Removing your contact lenses while treatment and cleaning your spectacles on a regular basis, if you wear any, are duly recommended.

Treating Conjunctivitis With Homeopathy

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