Here is our updated concise summary on foods PROVEN to preserve eyesight (13)

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The two best gifts you ever received - you reopen them every morning. (7)

The two best gifts you ever received - you reopen them every morning. 

So true - and so special ! 

Never take your eyes and vision for granted - be grateful every day, and look after them.

Picture source

Permanent correction of vision, removing the need for spectacles or contact lenses. (22)

What do we want from our vision ?

1. We want to open our eyes each morning and see clearly, at all distances, without spectacles or contact lenses

2. We want to walk around without spectacles or contact lenses.

3. We want to drive without spectacles or contact lenses.

4. We want to read without spectacles or contact lenses.

So the goal is for everyone to see everything clearly at all times and at all distances, without assistance from spectacles or contact lenses.

These days we have lenses that can be implanted permanently into the eye to correct the focus, so that you no longer need spectacles or contact lenses.

The lenses we have available today, for implanting into the eye, are far better than those available even a few years ago. Your lens can be chosen from any of a variety of lenses; for the information on the latest lenses available, please feel free to contact the St. Albans Eye and Vision Clinic on:
Tel: +44 (0)1727 812925
Email: contact@StAlbansMedicalCentre.com
www.StAlbansMedicalCentre.com

The operation is painless and highly effective. It safely and permanently removes the need for spectacles or contact lenses.

So we can now bring near-perfect vision without spectacles or contact lenses, to almost anyone regardless of age or spectacle-prescription.

How does this work ? - read on:

The normal eye that needs no spectacles or contact lenses:

So, in the normal eye, the rays of light from each point on the object being viewed converge to a single point on the retina which is the layer lining the back of the eye which detects the image.

The rays of light from different parts of the object are focussed to different points on the retina so that an image of the object is produced on the retina. In fact the image on the retina is upside down and back to front;
however, because the brain has all our lives "seen" objects upside down and back to front, it appears normal to us and we are able to use the image to interact accurately with our surroundings.

The most common cause of blurred vision is focussing error (= "Refractive error"):

Short-sight:

When people are said to be "short-sighted" (= Myopia) this is almost always because the eye is longer than normal so that the focus of light from objects is in front of the retina so that rays of light from each point on the object are spread over the retina in a "blur circle" which means that the image is blurred:

Long-sight:

When people are said to be "long-sighted" (=Hypermetropia = Hyperopia) this is almost always because the eye is shorter than normal so that the focus of light from objects is (theoretically) behind the retina. This means that, once again, rays of light from each point on the object are spread over the retina in a "blur circle" which means that the image is blurred:

Astigmatism:

Sometimes the focussing problem is not simple myopia or hypermetropia, but rather the transparent window on the front of the eye (the "cornea") is rugby ball shaped instead of the more normal spherical football shape. This is called Astigmatism, and it causes rays of light in different meridia of the image to be focussed at different distances:

Presbyopia (= age-related requirement for reading spectacles):

Even if our vision is clear when young, as we move towards middle-age the natural lens loses its elasticity and the eye becomes unable to see near things clearly without reading spectacles. This is called presbyopia.

Correcting the above refractive errors with spectacles:

All of the above refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism and presbyopia) can be corrected with spectacles or contact lenses. These work by altering the directions of rays of light before they enter the eye, so that after the incorrect focussing mechanism of the eye has finished acting on the light, the rays of light are focussed correctly on the retina.

But, as discussed in the post two days ago, both spectacles and contact lenses cause certain problems and are therefore not ideal.

Lens implants:

The ideal situation is for everyone to see everything clearly at all times and at all distances, from the moment they wake each morning until last thing at night, without assistance from spectacles or contact lenses. The goal is a one-off treatment that will restore spectacle-free near and distance vision for the rest of a person's life.

And we can achieve this by implanting the lens/contact lens into the eye so it stays there permanently.

The operation has been refined over the last twenty years, and at the St Albans Eye and Vision Clinic, U.K. (tel: +44 (0)1727 812925, Email: contact@StAlbansMedicalCentre.com) is undertaken absolutely painlessly in a few minutes, under injection-free local anaesthetic.

Modern lens implants can correct for all the above refractive errors: Myopia, Hypermetropia, Astigmatism, Presbyopia.
Truly back to the vision of a young person, spectacle-free.

Permanent correction of blurred vision, without the need for spectacles or contact lenses. (21)

In our last post we talked about the most common cause of blurred vision: focussing errors (= "refractive errors"), and how for years these refractive errors have been corrected using spectacles and/or contact lenses.

But further developments have given us lenses that can be implanted permanently into the eye to correct the focus, so that you no longer need spectacles or contact lenses.

The lenses we have available today, for implanting into the eye, are far better than those available even a few years ago.

The operation is painless and highly effective. It safely and permanently removes the need for spectacles or contact lenses.

We can now bring near-perfect vision without spectacles or contact lenses, to almost anyone regardless of age or spectacle-prescription.

How does this work ? - look out for our next post to find out.

Refractive (= focussing) errors, and how spectacles and contact lenses work. (20)

The normal eye that needs no spectacles or contact lenses:

So, in the normal eye, the rays of light from each point on the object being viewed converge to a single point on the retina which is the layer lining the back of the eye which detects the image.

The rays of light from different parts of the object are focussed to different points on the retina so that an image of the object is produced on the retina. In fact the image on the retina is upside down and back to front;
however, because the brain has all our lives "seen" objects upside down and back to front, it appears normal to us and we are able to use the image to interact accurately with our surroundings.

The most common cause of blurred vision is focussing error (= "Refractive error"):

Short-sight:

When people are said to be "short-sighted" (= Myopia) this is almost always because the eye is longer than normal so that the focus of light from objects is in front of the retina so that rays of light from each point on the object are spread over the retina in a "blur circle" which means that the image is blurred:

Long-sight:

When people are said to be "long-sighted" (=Hypermetropia = Hyperopia) this is almost always because the eye is shorter than normal so that the focus of light from objects is (theoretically) behind the retina. This means that, once again, rays of light from each point on the object are spread over the retina in a "blur circle" which means that the image is blurred:

Astigmatism:

Sometimes the focussing problem is not simple myopia or hypermetropia, but rather the transparent window on the front of the eye (the "cornea") is rugby ball shaped instead of the more normal spherical football shape. This is called Astigmatism, and it causes rays of light in different meridia of the image to be focussed at different distances:

Presbyopia (= age-related requirement for reading spectacles):

Even if our vision is clear when young, as we move towards middle-age the natural lens loses its elasticity and the eye becomes unable to see near things clearly without reading spectacles. This is called presbyopia.

Correcting the above refractive errors with spectacles:

All of the above refractive errors (myopia, hypermetropia, astigmatism and presbyopia) can be corrected with spectacles or contact lenses. These work by altering the directions of rays of light before they enter the eye, so that after the incorrect focussing mechanism of the eye has finished acting on the light, the rays of light are focussed correctly on the retina.

So that's OK then ? Not really - both spectacles and contact lenses cause certain problems:

It may be that in a few years' time we'll look back at the concept of spectacles and consider it ridiculous that we perched lenses on our noses to correct the vision. Just a thought.

So neither spectacles nor contact lenses are ideal. The ideal situation is when the eye is focussed as clearly as possible as soon as the eye is opened each morning, without the need for spectacles or contact lenses.

The next post will talk about the ways in which we can correct the focus of the eyes so there is no longer any need for spectacles or contact lenses.

Or for more information contact the St. Albans Medical Centre, U.K. on telephone: +44 (0)1727 812925 or email: Contact@StAlbansMedicalCentre.com

A reminder of the design of the eye and surrounding structures (19)

Just a reminder of the design of the eye and surrounding structures:

Over the last few weeks we've been summarising the most useful facts about the most common problem of the retina (right at the back of the eye) - Age-related Macular Degeneration.

For our next blog post we will move forward all the way to the front of the eye, in fact in front of the eye - and we'll be talking about common everyday problems with the eyelids and the proven ways of managing these common, annoying, and sometimes very serious, eyelid problems. 

Practice your "inner bat" (18)

This is amazing, and its good to know that there is still hope should we ever lose our eyesight...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22805748

Use your 'inner bat' to navigate

Bats are known for using sound to navigate successfully, and new research suggests we could all use our 'inner bat' to get around.

BBC.CO.UK

Will eating carrots help me to see in the dark ? The myth: Yes The truth: NO (17)

If you eat more carrots, it will NOT improve your vision in any way; despite the abundant myths, this is a fact.

Why do people say it will ? Because carrots contain vitamin A, and because vitamin A is required for vision, people quite reasonably conclude that eating carrots means better vision. But this is one of the long-standing myths that needs de-bunking. So here goes:

The retina is the light-sensitive layer (in the back of the eye) that detects the light and sends the image back to the brain so you can "see". Detection of the image requires production of pigments within the retina, which are made from Retinol (Vitamin A). Vitamin A is made in your liver from Beta carotene which is found in vegetables, especially kale, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, sweet potatoes, carrots. Vitamin A is also of course available already formed in animal products especially, of course, the liver (see above); and it is one of the fat-soluble vitamins so it is also found in oily fish, whole milk, butter and cheese.

But vision requires only a small amount of Vitamin A each day, and our livers store vast amounts of the stuff - so unless you have a very deficient diet for years, such as is very occasionally seen in severe alcoholics, you will have plenty of Vitamin A on board with no risk of Vitamin A related vision deficit. Extra vitamin A in the diet is no advantage to vision.

That said, beta carotene is one of the anti-oxidant substances that protect all of our body cells against the oxidative stresses of daily life. So it's a good addition to our diet for general health reasons.

In developing countries the situation is very different - prolonged nutritionally deficient diets there cause many health problems which, for Vitamin A deficiency include:
Impaired vision in dim light (= "night-blindness")
Dry eyes; can be so severe that the cornea (the clear window on the front of the eye) becomes opaque
Increased susceptibility to skin damage from sun
In children: reduced growth, restricted bone development
Increased susceptibility to infection

In developing countries, a carrot a day would be a fantastic improvement to their diet.
In developed countries, a carrot a day would be general good dietary advice, but not for reason of vision.

Too many carrots (more than about one large carrot per day) causes carotenaemia - not a big health risk, but it makes your skin yellow !

If you want to get accurate, regularly updated, evidence-based information from the people who treat patients with eye problems on a daily basis, this is the blog to visit again and again. (16)

Here you will find ONLY evidence-based treatments for your eyes and vision so they last your lifetime; no hearsay, no myth, just PROVEN facts. (15)

This blog is written and maintained by the Eye Care and Vision department of The St. Albans Medical Centre, St. Albans, UK.


Its purpose is to introduce us to new customers and to point you in the direction of the best ways to care for your eyes and vision.


There's so much myth and hearsay on the internet, which just misleads and wastes people's time and money.


We post here only proven information, with references to the supporting evidence; if it's not proven fact, we don't put it in - so i) most of what we write here is short and clear and ii) you can rely on what you read here when choosing how to care for your eyes and vision.


Your vision is arguably your most important asset. Most people would prefer to lose anything rather than lose their eyesight. We are living longer, so it is important to do the things that we know prolong the life of our eyes and our vision - proven facts that you may not yet know.
This is the stuff we teach our patients every day - we want you to benefit too!


ENTER YOUR NAME AND EMAIL ADDRESS above for our regular FREE posts and emails, with all the authoritative supporting evidence, each time we present a reliable proven fact concerning how to care for your eyes and vision. Stay informed - you owe it to your eyes, to your yourself, and to your family.