What is Keratoconus and what can be done?
Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease in which the normally round cornea thins and begins to bulge into a cone-like shape. This cone shape causes distorted vision. As the disease progresses, vision will progressively deteriorate. Keratoconus usually begins during late teens or early 20s and can occur in one or both eyes. Keratoconus signs and […]
This is what you should know about sunglasses
When shopping for shades, the most important thing to look for is the level of UV protection offered by the lens. The safest bet is to buy sunglasses that provide 100% UV protection, or UV 400 protection. Most expensive sunglasses offer this level of protection on all models but, there is also a wide selection of cheaper sunglasses with adequate UV 400 protection. However, UV protection and lens quality are two different things. Generally, when you buy a more expensive pair of sunglasses, you will be getting a higher quality lens that will provide a clearer, sharper, more pleasing image with less distortion.
From Darkness to Light: Adama’s Story
Adama was five months pregnant when the world around her started to flicker and fade. Because of clouded, disc-like cataracts in her eyes, soon all she could see were shadows and shapes. Months passed as her vision continued to dwindle. “Maybe it will clear up after I give birth,” she told herself, hoping that the loss of sight was somehow linked to her pregnancy.
Mercy Ships. Bringing salvation to the poorest
Mercy Ships is an international faith-based organization, bringing hope and healing to the world’s forgotten poor. Since 1978, Mercy Ships have delivered services to more than 2.71 million direct beneficiaries. The countries served by Mercy Ships are ranked as the poorest in the world by the United Nations Human Development Index.
Why do eyes swell after crying?
The watery component of tears is produced in the lacrimal glands near the eye and is essential for healthy eyes, keeping the eyes cleansed, protected and lubricated. Tears drain through the nasal cavity, which explains a runny nose after excess tear production.
Do I need more than one pair of glasses?
We change your outfits and shoes to suit every occasion. We spend so much time on hairdo’s and make-up when attending a special event. We carefully choose a handbag and shoes to match our outfit, but only have one pair of glasses to compliment the rest of the look. How many pairs of glasses you should have is just as personal as asking how many shoes you need.
Ageing – what it does to your eyes
For the past thirty years the improvements in hygiene conditions and medical progress have led to an impressive reduction in morbidity amongst elderly people, many of whom now live without any major incapacity to over 80 years and beyond. Why do we age? The important question that we all ask ourselves still remains. As we age, our past abilities are substituted by new and increasing inabilities that mark every stage on our final journey. Our various organs age in their own specific ways: blood vessels lose their suppleness, the heart is invaded by fibrosis, the brain by neurofibrillar degeneration and the appearance of a senile plate, the kidney function declines, immune defences are down and the frequency of cancer increases with age.
Musicians and visual impairment
The young Ray began to lose his sight from the age of five and went completely blind at the age of seven. His blindness was probably due to glaucoma, which went undetected and untreated, no doubt due to the poverty in which he grew up, where medical treatment was unavailable. From 1937 he went to an institution for the deaf and blind in Sainte-Augustine, Florida. But his disability did not prevent him from learning to ride a bicycle or playing cards. Ray Charles used all his senses; he assessed distances using his hearing and learned to develop his memory.
How an optometrist can help visually-impaired learners who attend mainstream schools
Introduction It is not uncommon to find children who have low vision attending mainstream schools. These children have the mental capacity to cope with the educational demands; however, they still have to encounter visual challenges gallantly. The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines a person with low vision as one who has impairment of visual functioning […]
Grace Vision. Angels of the Eastern Cape
Situated in the rural Eastern Cape at Zithulele Hospital near Coffee Bay, is a group of people who have devoted themselves to restore sight, dignity and life. Their aim is to reduce the prevalence of blindness and low vision in the rural communities of the Eastern Cape. This service is provided free of charge. By […]