Refractive errors

A refractive error refers to a change in the shape of a person’s eye that may cause their vision to become blurred.

Refraction is what enables us to see, when you look at an object, light reflects off its surface and is refracted through your cornea and retina enabling your brain to recognize the images around you.

Refractive errors compromise your ability to see as your eye is unable to bend and focus light appropriately onto your retina, resulting in blurry, hazy, or double vision. Refractive errors can occur at any age, affecting a child’s learning ability or preventing an adult from working effectively and safely.

Here at Eye Associates of Elkins Park, our optometrists will conduct a throughout eye and vision examination to determine the type of refractive error that affects your vision to prescribe the best treatment option.

Common refractive errors include:

  • Myopia – often called nearsightedness, as patients with this refractive error have trouble seeing distant objects clearly. This occurs when the eyeball has a more elongated shape or if there is too much curvature causing the light to be refracted in front of the retina instead of onto the retina.
  • Hyperopia – also known as farsightedness where patients can see distant objects clearer than nearby objects. However, if the hyperopia condition is significant, vision may be blurry at any distance. This is a result of the light being refracted behind the retina instead of to the retina due to the eyeball being too short or not having enough curvature on the cornea.
  • Astigmatism – In patients diagnosed with astigmatism, the cornea may not be shaped like a sphere causing the light to be distorted and refract onto multiple points of the retina as opposed to just one area.
  • Presbyopia – As you age, you may notice your ability to focus on close work worsen. This typically occurs after the age of 40 as the eyes’ lenses gradually lose their ability to focus and adjust light onto the retina. This condition should not be confused with macular degeneration, which occurs due to ocular damage to part of the eye.  

For more information on refractive errors, contact our office today at (215) 376-0306.

Eyeglasses

Many people are very confused when it comes to choosing the correct glasses. It can be hard to tell what looks best on your face, while also staying within your budget (and insurance). You also want to be comfortable in the glasses that you choose.

We also have frames for other purposes. We offer sunglasses for those who are outside a lot and need some protection from the sun. We also offer prescription safety glasses when customers need them to stay safe at work. Sports eye wear are available for those who are highly athletic and need protection when they are exercising, practicing, and playing games. If you work at a computer all day, you might want to look into our computer eye wear. They are designed to reduce strain on your eyes, allowing you to be more focused at work.

Here at Eye Associates of Elkins Park, we understand how confusing it is to choose the correct eye wear so we are here to help you. We are here to assist you while you are looking through our selection or you can call us at (215) 376-0306 if you have any questions before or after your appointment.

Contact Lenses

Here at Eye Associates of Elkins Park, we are proud to offer contact lens examinations.

Many people prefer to wear contacts instead of eyeglasses. Luckily, as advances are made in the optometry field, more and more people are able to wear contacts to improve their vision.

If you are interested in getting contact lenses, it is important to let your eye doctor know since contact lens examinations are not always performed during routine eye checkups. We have to run additional tests, so we will have to schedule extra time for your examination.

During your contact lens examination, we need to know about your lifestyle and what you plan to do in your contact lenses. If you play sports or work in the dust, we need to know so that we can figure out the perfect lenses for you.

There are a lot of different options when it comes to contact lenses. You have to decide if you want daily, weekly, or monthly lenses, which depends on how often you want to change them. There are also rigid gas permeable lenses which are not disposable. They usually provide sharper vision than traditional soft lenses.

We also offer bifocal contact lenses if you need two prescriptions. This helps to correct the vision of those who suffer from presbyopia. We also offer monovision lenses, in which case you wear two different lenses. One is used to correct your distance vision, while the other corrects your near vision. There are also contacts which can change the color of your eyes.

We do recommend scheduling your contact lens examination at the same time as your routine visit. This will save you time and money.

Don’t hesitate to contact us at (215) 376-0306 today to schedule a contact lens examination.