Jason Randall Smith, OD,MS

Myopia is not a disease that can be cured with medications. It is a refractive condition where things that you look at focus in front of the retina instead of on the retina. Myopia is based upon the anatomy of your eye, specifically. That is why objects will appear blurry in the distance and be clearer up close depending upon how much myopia you have, and if there is, or is not some associated astigmatism. There are treatments for myopia including glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. I would suggest that you consult with the eye doctor who diagnosed your myopia in order to best be treated depending upon your job, social activities, age, and personal needs. Your eye doctor can best advise you as to what your options are, and please remember that myopia can change as we all age. Good luck and best wishes.

The biggest disadvantage can be the cost because currently, most insurances do not cover the cost of this laser procedure.
Using a laser allows the surgeon to make precise incisions in less time. It can improve accuracy and consistency. In some cases, the laser can provide more correction than traditional surgery. Studies do not show that laser surgery results in fewer complications. Also, studies haven't found that laser surgery provides better outcomes. Your outcome depends in large part on the skill and experience of your surgeon. I would decide upon the surgeon that you want to use, then be evaluated with a full eye examination. And be ready to ask every question that you are concerned about including costs, insurance coverage, risks, complications, and recovery time to name a few. Good luck and best wishes.

The answer to your question is as follows; astigmatism is not a disease that can be "cured". But there are various options for you to consider. Astigmatism is a refractive condition that has a certain amount and a certain location measured in degrees. Things that you look at can be blurry depending upon how much astigmatism you have and whether there is some associated nearsightedness or farsightedness. Glasses and/or toric contact lenses can resolve the astigmatism while you are wearing these devices, but using glasses or contact lenses will not "cure" the astigmatism. And astigmatism can change as you age. There are refractive surgeries that can correct your astigmatism. If this is something that you want to consider, you should make an appointment with a refractive surgeon/ophthalmologist who can fully evaluate your eyes including a refraction that checks your prescription in both eyes at the distance and at near, eye pressure measurements, corneal measurements (pachymetry), a dilated exam that checks all internal eye structures, and an overall eye health assessment. Good luck and best wishes.

I would highly recommend that you wear sunglasses, always in order to protect your eyes and the skin around your eyes from the harmful UV A and UV B rays. Wearing sunglasses after LASIK serves a few important purposes. Sunglasses help to protect the eyes from impact or debris. Sunglasses might prevent a branch from poking you in the eye or dirt or dust from flying into the eye. Sunglasses can deter you from rubbing or scratching the eyes. Sunglasses reduce the amount of light getting to the eyes, decreasing light sensitivity.
If you have any other specific questions concerning your eyes or what you should be doing or not doing, please contact your eye doctor who has all of the specifics about you, your eyes, and your surgery. Good luck and best wishes.

It is quite normal to have post-op LASIK dryness which can last 6-12 months or longer. When you had LASIK, your corneal nerves were cut, which in time tend to regenerate. These corneal nerves serve to react to your eyes being dry and your "reflex tearing" can be affected. The tears serve an important function especially to wet the corneas and conjunctivae. There are artificial tears, gels, or ointments that should have been prescribed to you post-op. If this is a bigger problem for you, punctal plugs can be used in the short term or long term. These are plugs that are placed in the puncta of the eye where your tears drain. The plugs can be applied to the superior (above) or inferior (below) puncta depending upon how severe the problem is. Please contact your eye doctor's office in order to see what should be done in your case. Good luck and best wishes.

Great question.... the answer to your question can only be answered by your eye doctor after a face-to-face visit; maybe yes, maybe no. The nature and the reasons for your dry eye must be evaluated by doing a Schirmer tear test which will determine if your tears are forming adequately, a tear break-up time test, a fluorescein test which will show how dry your eyes actually are. And a big question is, "is there any significant corneal dryness" that can be treated or needs to be treated. Also, corneal measurements, eye pressure measurements, a refraction to determine your actual prescription, and a retinal evaluation and ocular health assessment must all be done. Other factors that need to be considered include your age, health concerns, and medications being used. As 1 example, antihistamines can contribute to a dry eye problem. Once your eye doctor has the "full picture", he or she can offer you what may be available including highly oxygenated and high-water content daily lenses or something that you may use as needed. There may also be drops prescribed such as rewetting drops to be used with the contact lenses and a dry eye drop or ointment that would be used when the contact lenses were not being worn. Good luck and best wishes.

You will be provided with an informed consent form to sign so that you are aware of all possible consequences. On a positive side, your vision will be much clearer and colors should be much brighter and defined. Whether you may need glasses for distance, driving, or reading will depend upon your age and the type of implant being used. If monovision is being considered (one eye for near, one eye for distance), then you may not need glasses at all. And bifocal implants should provide you clear vison in the distance and close with both eyes at the same time.
There are always risks of retinal tears, corneal changes, and in the future, cloudiness that can be corrected easily with a laser. Good luck and best wishes.

It generally takes 2–3 months for the eye to heal after LASIK, and a person's vision will get clearer as the healing occurs. In most cases, a person's vision is stable and clear around 6 months after surgery. But, there are always many variables to any post-op recovery period depending upon the type of surgery, health issues, age, and medications. Be sure to get this information from your surgeon because they will know your eyes the best at the time of surgery.
Good luck and best wishes.

Contact lenses are definitely safe in order to correct myopia. And there are numerous options that are available including daily, weekly, monthly, and quarterly lenses. Once you have an eye exam, these options should be provided to you based on your age and your visual needs, personally and professionally.
Good luck and best wishes.

Yes, farsightedness can be corrected with LASIK. But, you should consult with an ophthalmologist who does refractive surgery to inquire if they do this type of surgery. And with your vision consultation, the surgeon will have all information about your age, health, eye health, current medications, actual measured corneal thickness, and any other professional or personal concerns to be able to offer you your best refractive surgery options.

Here is 1 of many websites for some information. https://www.discovervision.com/blog/how-successful-is-lasik-for-farsightedness/

Good luck and best wishes.

For most people, the expected recovery timeline is 2 to 4 weeks, but it can take up to several months for vision to fully recover. Vision will likely be blurry for a few weeks and it may still be up to 3 to 6 months before vision improves. Please remember that this is the "expected" recovery time that will vary depending upon the actual retinal problem, your age, your health issues, medications you are taking, and other factors related to your eye health. Please discuss all of your questions and concerns with your eye surgeon so that you are fully aware of all time factors that may affect your work schedule or personal schedule as well as costs, risks, benefits, and follow up care. Good luck and best wishes.

Before you have your surgery, there will be an educational and informational session where forms are signed and you are made aware of all of the facts concerning times of surgery, what you should do, should not do, as well as when your follow-up appointments are to be scheduled. You should be prepared to ask and have answered all of your questions, so bring a laptop computer or a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil.
It is usually okay 24-48 hours after your LASIK eye surgery to resume driving but your surgeon will advise you as when this will be OK. Your first post-operative appointment will be the day following your LASIK so you will need a driver. Once your vision has been checked and deemed to be legal to drive and your vision is good, you should be able to get back behind the wheel.
Since every patient is unique and your doctor knows your eyes the best, follow all directions explicitly for you, always. Good luck and best wishes.

There are many different types of glaucoma so there is not one "catch-all" answer. Certainly, eye drops or surgery do treat glaucoma, but it really depends upon your age, your health, medications, your eye health, and what type of glaucoma you do have to accurately answer your question. Please check with your eye doctor to see what type of glaucoma you have and then they can advise you as to what your options are. Good luck and best wishes.

Double vision is also called diplopia. Do you have the double vision when both eyes are open, or if you close one eye do you still have double vision? This can be caused by many factors including muscle and nerve weakness, incorrect prescription for glasses or contact lenses, health problems, medications, or neurological problems. I would strongly suggest that you see an eye doctor in order to determine what the actual cause is. Good luck and best wishes.

There are several factors related to fully "recovering" from cataract surgery including age, health factors, eye health issues, and medications. Once a cataract is removed, you should be able to see much more clearly. The cataract is within the lens of the eye which has become cloudy affecting your vision. An intraocular lens implant is placed in the eye where the lens/cataract was located.
So when you use the word "recover", there may be a recovery period after the surgery and there will be several follow-up appointments. If you still need glasses for driving, for the computer, or for reading, this is a simple "fix" and may allow you to have that perfect vision after cataract surgery. Depending upon the issues that I mentioned, you may not need glasses at all, but this can change with time. Any and all questions that you have should be directed towards your surgeon who will know your eyes the best. Good luck and best wishes.

My general statement to you would be to wear your glasses as was directed to you by your eye doctor. If you are not sure of these things, then please call them to have this answered specifically for you. Obviously, wearing glasses at any time is done in order to clear up your visual world and to "calm" things down whether it be for distance like driving, for middle ranges like the computer screen, or for close work such as looking at a keyboard or when reading. Your eye doctor knows your eyes best in respect to the amount of farsightedness you have, your age, your health, your job, your social demands, your visual health, and any medications that you are on that may affect how you see. I hope that this information helps; good luck and best wishes.

There are definitely glasses for astigmatism as well as toric contact lenses. If you do know that you have astigmatism and you have seen an eye doctor, I would make an appointment to be fit for glasses, if that is what you will be happy with. If you want contact lenses, a fitting and lessons to care for the lenses must be part of the educational process. Trial contact lenses will be provided for you to try until a final product is prescribed for you. Good luck and best wishes.

Pink eye is a "catch phrase" for conjunctivitis of which there are many types. Usually, conjunctivitis can be bacterial, viral, or allergic. And the treatments are different depending upon which type you have. In order to properly diagnose your conjunctivitis and to be sure that it is actually a conjunctivitis, please make an appointment with an eye doctor. Good luck and best wishes.

Myopia or nearsightedness is a refractive condition requiring some options to correct it including glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery. Myopia is caused by the longer length of the human eye and/or the shape of the cornea. It is an anatomical condition which can be corrected. Depending upon the amount of myopia that is present, and if there is no associated astigmatism, distance objects will appear to be blurry and near objects will be clearer. Depending upon your age, your eye health, and general health, myopia can change. My suggestion to you would be to see an eye doctor to have an evaluation/eye exam as to how much myopia is present and what your options would be. Good luck and best wishes.

Please, before you begin taking any over-the-counter medications including vitamins, you should discuss your options with your family doctor and your eye doctor. Some vitamins and over-the-counter medications can have interaction problems with other medications, so it is best to discuss your concerns with your doctors first. Your doctors will know what is best for you depending upon your age, your health issues, current medications that you are on, and your eye health issues, if any exist.
In general, vitamins A, C, and E are essential for maintaining good eye health. B vitamins and other nutrients can also be good for the eyes. Deficiencies in particular vitamins can increase the risk of some eye conditions, such as cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration. Many of us can get these necessary nutrients/vitamins through maintaining a good healthy diet of vegetables, fruits, good proteins, some dairy, as well as watching the sugar and carbohydrate content of certain food products. Consulting a nutritionist may be something to consider, also. Good luck and best wishes.