An exciter laser is a laser that works on the surface of the eye. The exciter laser refractive procedure (also called corneal sculpting) corrects refractive errors by altering the shape of the cornea. Ultraviolet light from the exciter laser hits the cornea surface and removes or ablates some corneal tissue with virtually no damage to surrounding tissue. Exciter laser is primarily used to correct myopia (minus number). It is also popularly used to correct astigmatism (compound power) and hypermetropia (plus number) with good results.

The Treatment
Exciter laser refractive procedure is performed on an outpatient basis under topical anesthesia, which means that the patient will be awake during the procedure. The surgeon will key the refractive correction into laser’s computer and will then ask the patient to fix his /her gaze on a target. The surgeon then performs one or two familiarization sessions to help the patient get used to the target, before activating the system perform the corneal sculpting which takes 15 to – 40 seconds. The total time taken, including positioning the eye under the laser, is about three to five minutes. The patient is not admitted in the hospital.

One should be able to see clearly a few days after the procedure, but the vision may be blurred for close work or reading fine print for one month after the procedure, as the eye undergoes a period of long-sightedness before stabilization.

Possible Side-effects
Common side-effects of laser treatment include susceptibility to glare, foreign body sensation and light sensitivity as the epithelium grows back over the cornea in the first two or three days.

There may also be corneal haze (clouding of the corneal tissues) which usually occurs two to four weeks after the laser treatment and usually disappears with time. Driving at night may be a problem for one or two months.

Need of Lenses or Spectacles after Laser Treatment Exciter Laser Keratotomy (PRK) is designed to reduce dependence on corrective lenses. But in the case of higher refractive errors, or if the patient is over 40 years, one may need to wear corrective lenses after treatment for driving or for fine work.

Who Qualifies for this Procedure?

The patient should be 18 years or older, mildly to moderately short-sighted, and his vision over the last year should have been stable; -4 to -10 myopia is ideal for this kind of laser therapy. The ophthalmologist conducts a complete eye examination to decide if the procedure is right for the patient.

PRK can be performed on one eye at a time or both eyes at the same time.

Is Pain Experienced?

There is no pain when the laser beam strikes the cornea during the procedure. But some discomfort may be experienced during the first 24 hours when the anesthesia wears off.

Looking after the Eye

The surgeon asks the patient to come for a follow-up examination three days after the procedure and prescribes medication to help the healing. Eye drops must be used as prescribed as they are vital to regulate healing. The medication may need to be continued for up to five months to reduce chances of regression.

Making a Decision

Be sure to discuss with your doctor the various options for correcting your short-sightedness and their advantages and side-effects before making Y0ll:’ decision. An ophthalmic surgeon having an expertise of at least five years of exciter laser is essential. Excimelaser has now been improved further by a ‘Las” procedure approved in USA and other countries. (Las therapy for myopia is advancing and changing even this book is in the process of printing.)

How to Seek the Treatment?

The patient who meets the aforementioned criteria needs to have a treatment evaluation and assessment. No p appointment is required. After the treatment evaluation is completed, the date for the exciter laser will be fixed.

If you wear contact lenses, do not wear them f least five days before your assessment and evaluation.

Special Spectacles for Old Age-Bifocal/Trifocal/Multimodal

The science of optics has taken great strides in making and fitting of glasses for the comfort and relaxation of the wearer.

A person between the age of 40 and 45 years sometimes requires spectacles for the first time to read and write. This phenomenon in science is called presbyopia. It is due to the loss of elasticity of the human lens which makes one unable to focus on near and long distances with the same power. A 40 to 45 year old person with normal distance vision will need spectacles for close work only. He/she can use a single spectacle for close work or a bifocal with plain glass for distance and power glass for reading. Two powers in one glass are called bifocal. A bifocal spectacle has two different powers-up for distance and down for close work. Glasses can also be multimodal. Multimodal glasses are so designed that one single glass has several powers fitted to focus for all distances.

The wearer of bifocal and multimodal glasses needs a special working segment. Some have an oval or straight segment for reading. The wearer takes some time to adjust to this double power.

Dark Goggles

The use of dark goggles is meant to cut off harmful heat and radiation from the sun.

The most common coolers or tints in goggles are Crooke’s B (brown tints). The Bl, B2, B3 tints become increasingly dark brown. The darker shade after B2 is not advisable as it will interfere with your vision.

The other tints available in the market are:

(a) Ray Ban (Green) and

(b) Cruxite (Pink)

They come in several shades.

Polaroid Dark Glasses

order cheap acomplia Roman; font-size: small;”>These glasses are made of highly specialized lenses that are able to cut off all unwanted rays by the phenomena of internal reflection.

All-the glasses are equally advisable and can be chosen according to one’s preference of colors. Polaroid dark glasses are processed by shading them with specific chemicals that do not allow harmful heat and radiation rays to enter the eyes. Only the useful rays of light enter the eyes. The harmful rays are ultraviolet, infrared and gamma rays. They can cause heat bums and erode the layer of the eyeball.

Plastic Lenses versus Glass Lenses

Methods of making spectacles have advanced a great deal in the last decade. Spectacles of plastic lenses are also available, but at a higher cost. They are weightless or of light weight, which makes them comfortable to wear, especially when the power is high. Their disadvantage is that they scratch easily and must therefore be kept carefully

No effort should be spared in making and fitting lenses in appropriate frames. The comfort and relaxation of the eye depends on precise fitting of the lenses. There is considerable and highly specialized optical physics involved in making spectacles. Their correct fitting gives comfort and relaxation to the eyes, and their correct power gives improved vision. The choice of an optician should be based on the reputation, experience and service rendered to a patient along with a balance of humanitarian element and business acumen.

acomplia approval font-size: small;”>The Art and Science of Writing a Prescription

The clinical examination for a spectacle power lens is called refraction. All eye specialists are refractions besides being surgeons. But the science of refraction is also given as a clinical course to non-medical persons. It is called optometry and includes refraction and the making of spectacle glasses and their fitting into frames. The optometry course is of two or three years all over the world.

Nobody, except an eye specialist or an optometrist, is authorized to test the eyes though in the hard trade world of today every salesman claims to be an econometrist. The optometrist, however, always seeks the help of an ophthalmic surgeon when a problem involves more than eye testing. It needs to be emphasized that there is no alternative treatment by way of drugs to substitute glasses. In all cases, glasses must be accepted as a tonic for the eyes.

A compound glass is usually meant to be w constantly, day and night, to avoid eye strain and headaches.

Adolescents with glasses have the advantage that they understand why they are wearing them. The fundamentals are the same as in the children, but the difference is that sometimes during the youth glasses are also prescribed to give comfort to the eyes from headaches, styes, watering, etc. The strain and stress of modern life, competitive and hard studies, reading, writing, school and college attendance, movies, driving, etc., require a normal healthy eyesight and spectacles can assume paramount importance.

There is a tendency among young adults to avoid spectacles on cosmetic grounds. This is particularly s amongst college-going boys and girls. A strong word of warning is absolutely necessary. There is .no substitute whatsoever for glasses in spite of claims of naturopaths that glasses can be dispensed with by exercise. The neglect will result in loss of sight, or in eye strain and discomfort, more so if it is delayed for too long. Loss of vision is a handicap in modern age of progress and competitive high-tech lifestyle. Let us discuss the types of spectacles and the purpose they serve.

Those children break glasses, or that they fall off when they run, is not enough reason for avoiding them. A spare pair of spectacles must always be handy. The glass used in making spectacles is such that it never splinters but breaks into three to four pieces which hang in the frame. Modem spectacles of plastic lenses are commonly used for children. The splinters rarely get into the eyes, because the moment an accidental injury occurs near the eyes, the eyes automatically close by reflex action. This is a natural means for the eyes to protect themselves from external injury.

Misconceptions about spectacles fall in the following groups:

(a) Some people feel that wearing spectacles is an indication of a dreadful eye disease. The commonest victims of the fear are the parents whose children are advised to wear spectacles by an eye specialist. Such a notion results from ignorance. Wearing spectacles is not a sign of a serious disease, but developmental arid natural weakness of the growth of the eyes which can be corrected only with spectacles. There is no medical treatment which can replace spectacles.

Eyes that require (+) number are smaller than the normal while those that require (-) number is longer. Unless such eyes are provided with artificial aid of spectacles, they do not focus the objects’ image on their screen clearly. If the image is not focused, the users are constantly making unsuccessful attempts to see clearly. They blink their eyes, rub them off and on or make their eyes small, but eventually are overcome by headaches, watering and redness of eyes. They become victims of depression and lack of concentration. Not using spectacles will cause the eyes to strain and lead to ill-health, especially in growing children. The children will lag in studies and homework.

(b) The second group comprises those who will simply not put on glasses because they detract from their good looks-this group consists mainly of young college-going girls and boys. They prefer to suffer headaches, eyestrain and poor visibility but will not use glasses. This would mean paying a cumulatively heavy price in the future, the end result being lazy eyes, ocular fatigue and ill-health.

(c) The third group comprises those who will readily put on glasses because they see and feel better. But they get very upset when they find the power of their glasses changing in due course. They expect that wearing spectacles will ensure that their power does not increase. Some even expect that wearing glasses for a number of years will allow them to give up using glasses for good. This is an erroneous concept. Only an eye specialist will decide if the glasses are required or not. Young people ought not to expect it to happen to them. In old age ‘second sight’ is common. This can also happen due to the beginning of cataract.

(d) The fourth group comprises those who insist that there must be some drug or medicine which can take away the need of glasses. This is a myth