A doctor of optometry is a healthcare professional who specializes in treating vision issues and eye diseases. If you need new contact lenses or glasses, you should consider scheduling an appointment with an optometrist at the Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, GA. In addition to providing you with a new prescription, we can treat glaucoma, cataracts, and other illnesses that affect your vision.
Optometry FAQs: How Long Do Contact Lenses Last?
At the Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, Georgia, we can assess your vision and provide you with a prescription for contact lenses. Depending on your needs, we may provide you with contact lenses that will last for one day, two weeks, or one month. To protect your vision, you should replace your contact lenses as soon as they expire.
If you wear your lenses for longer periods of time, proteins and other types of debris will gather on your contacts. This development will decrease the flow of oxygen to your eyes, and increase your chance of developing infections and other eye problems. To avoid this problem, you should use a smartphone application or other technique to remind you to regularly switch out your contact lenses.
How Do I Know if I Need Corrective Glasses or Contact Lenses?
If you are experiencing vision problems, you might need to begin wearing glasses or contact lenses. It’s common for your vision to change over time. As you get older, you may have increased difficultly reading books and magazines, understanding people’s expressions, and reading street signs when you are driving. As your vision continues to change, you might also struggle to read texts on your smartphone or use your computer.
To protect your health, you should not ignore these vision problems. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, you should schedule a visit with a doctor of optometry at our office in Atlanta. We will use state-of-the-art ocular examination technology to analyze the condition of your eyes. After we have completed your eye exam, we will provide you with personalized prescriptions for corrective glasses and contact lenses.
What Will Happen When I Begin Wearing My New Contact Lenses?
If you have never worn contact lenses before, you should be prepared to spend a couple of days adjusting to your new lenses. When you begin using contacts, you will also need to learn how to put in and remove your lenses. We will explain this process after we provide you with your new prescription.
It’s normal to spend a couple of days adjusting to the sensations that you feel when you are wearing your lenses. During this short adjustment period, we may instruct you to begin by wearing your new lenses for a few hours every day. As you become used to your lenses, we will probably tell you to gradually increase the amount of time that you spend wearing contacts.
Should I Use Glasses or Contact Lenses To Correct My Vision?
Glasses and contacts will both provide you with a number of important benefits. The option that works best for you will depend on the type of vision issues that you are experiencing, your personal preferences, and other factors.
The Benefits of Glasses
Using corrective glasses is a low-maintenance way to improve your vision. Since your glasses will last for a long time, you might be able to save money on your treatment. In addition, you might enjoy wearing stylish glasses that improve your appearance and express your personality. Further, some glasses can protect your eyes from damaging ultra-violet light.
The Benefits of Contacts
Wearing contacts is a good way to sharpen your eyesight without changing your peripheral vision or altering your appearance. In addition, you won’t have to worry about losing your glasses or breaking your lenses when you engage in physical activities and play sports. Further, you might want to wear special contacts that change the color of your eyes.
Selecting an Option
After we have examined your eyes, we can create a personalized vision plan for you. Under some circumstances, we might advise you to use glasses and contact lenses to enhance your vision. Using multiple options can be a good way to create a backup plan in case you lose your contact lenses or break your glasses.
Why Should I Receive Regular Eye Exams?
Receiving regular eye exams is a good way to monitor the health of your eyes. If you have healthy eyes, you should still visit our office for eye exams. During your examinations, we can update your prescriptions and check for illnesses that affect your eyes. Cataracts and other illnesses can take many years to develop. Treating eye problems at an early stage can reduce your risk of developing significant vision problems in the future.
During these examinations, we will analyze changes in your vision and let you know if you should update your current prescription. In addition, we can diagnose cataracts and other progressive eye diseases. Further, we can protect your health by treating bacterial illnesses like pink eye.
How Often Should I Receive an Eye Exam?
The frequency of your eye examinations will depend on your age, the health of your eyes, and other factors. If you are between the ages of 18 and 64, we may advise you to receive one eye exam every two years. After you turn 65, you will probably need to receive one exam every year.
As you get older, you will have a higher chance of developing vision changes, glaucoma, and cataracts. Increasing the frequency of your exams will allow us to analyze changes in your vision and other problems. In addition, protecting your vision can be a good way to maintain your ability to live independently as you age.
Will My Eye Exam Be Uncomfortable?
You shouldn’t feel worried or nervous when you begin your exam at our office in Atlanta. Although the details of your appointment will vary, receiving an eye exam will be a comfortable and pleasant experience. If you wear glasses or contacts, you should bring these items to your exam so that we can analyze your current prescription. In addition, you should tell us about any vision issues or other eye problems that you are experiencing.
During your exam, we will use specialized technology to examine your eyes. In addition, we can use different techniques to measure your visual acuity. For example, we might cover one of your eyes and ask you to use your other eye to identify letters and other symbols that appear on a nearby chart. This process will be easy and relaxing, and you will be able to ask us questions throughout your eye exam.
Should I Schedule Eye Exams for My Children?
It’s very important to schedule eye exams for your children. If we diagnose your child’s eye problems at an early stage, we may be able to prevent your child from developing life-long vision issues. For example, we can treat crossed eyes and other vision issues.
In addition, your children might develop vision problems that prevent them from reading items on the chalkboard at school, playing sports, or accomplishing other tasks. Correcting your child’s vision will allow them to participate in school and enjoy playing sports with their friends.
Can Diabetes Affect My Vision?
If you suffer from diabetes, you will have a higher chance of experiencing glaucoma, cataracts, and other vision issues. There are a number of symptoms that may indicate that diabetes is negatively affecting your eyes. For example, your night vision may decrease, and you might begin to see bright halos around lights. In addition, you might develop frequent headaches and see floaters that appear to move across your field of vision.
In addition to seeing floaters, you might struggle to focus on specific items or read the small print on your smartphone. Further, you may become increasingly sensitive to light. If you experience any of these problems, you should schedule a diabetic eye exam so that we can diagnose your vision issues and develop a treatment plan for you.
Can I Receive Treatments for Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is an illness that develops when an excessive amount of pressure builds up in your eyes. If you do not address this problem, your optic nerves may become damaged and you could develop permanent vision issues. If your family members have this eye condition, you will be more likely to develop glaucoma as you get older. Fortunately, we can use a variety of easy methods to treat your glaucoma.
Using Medicated Eye Drops
We frequently use medicated eye drops to treat glaucoma. For example, we may instruct you to use medicated drops that contain prostaglandins. These drops will help fluid drain out of your eye. Improving your fluid drainage will reduce the pressure in your eye and decrease your chance of experiencing vision loss.
Alternatively, we may ask you to use eye drops that contain beta-blockers or carbonic anhydrase inhibitors. These drops will allow you to produce a lower amount of aqueous fluid. Alternatively, we may instruct you to take an oral medication that contains carbonic anhydrase inhibitors.
Receiving a Laser Treatment or Procedure
Under some circumstances, you might need to protect your vision by receiving a laser treatment or medical procedure. We can refer you to medical professionals and provide you with more details about this treatment option after we have examined your eyes.
How Quickly Will My Glaucoma Treatment Work?
The results of your treatment will depend on the severity of your glaucoma and your ability to consistently follow all of our instructions. If you regularly use your medicated eye drops, your glaucoma may begin to improve within about one to four weeks. At this point, the amount of pressure in your eyes is likely to become stable.
To prevent your glaucoma from worsening, we will probably instruct you to continue using your medicated drops on a regular basis. If you consistently use these medicated drops, this treatment is likely to provide you with lasting benefits. That said, it’s common to experience age-related vision changes as you continue to get older. When you visit our office for regular eye exams, we will monitor these changes and make adjustments to your treatment plan.
Improve Your Vision
Scheduling regular checkups with a doctor of optometry is a good way to update your prescriptions and diagnose eye problems. Further, an optometrist can treat cataracts, glaucoma, and other eye diseases. To learn more about our wide range of optometry services, contact us at the Southside Medical Center in Atlanta, GA.