Making Eyecare And Vision Screening Accessible To All

As a young student in the U.K., Andrew Bastawrous was curious and bright, but to the surprise of his teachers, he struggled with schoolwork. The mystery was solved when, at age 12, an optometrist tested his eyesight and found that he was severely visually impaired. Andrew remembers his first moments wearing glasses: “For the first time, I saw that trees had leaves on them, and that night, I saw stars in the sky that took my breath away.” Worldwide, 36 million people are unable to see, with 80-90% living in developing countries. What's more, 80% are blind from causes that are curable or preventable. Andrew realized early on that for many people, eyesight treatment was not easily available and he desperately wanted to help.

 A Stranger Diagnosed Me With Misaligned Eyes

I’ve had foggy vision, headaches, and jaw pain for years but it never occurred to me that it was because of my eyes. So I asked some experts.

 Can our eyes ever fix themselves?

OUR EYES, unlike other organs hidden deep within our bodies, sit in plain sight. They have been inspirations for artists, symbols for the superstitious, and objects of scientific fascination for centuries. In ancient Greece, medical pioneers cut them open in public dissections, revealing delicate layers of retina, cornea, and iris. In the early 10th century, Persian physician al-Razi discovered that the pupil dilates and contracts to control the amount of light that enters. Six centuries later, the Renaissance-era anatomist Vesalius sketched a cross-section of the orb—with some errors. But eyes themselves are imperfect: Just one fault could cause the whole organ to glitch or break down.

 How to Live With Floaters, Those Tiny Ghosts in Your Eyes

There is no cure, just misery and distraction.

 How your eyes betray your thoughts

According to the old saying, the eyes are windows into the soul, revealing deep emotions that we might otherwise want to hide. Although modern science precludes the existence of the soul, it does suggest that there is a kernel of truth in this saying: it turns out the eyes not only reflect what is happening in the brain but may also influence how we remember things and make decisions.

 Non-Invasive Vision Correction Innovation Could Prove Alternative To Laser Eye Surgery

But, while such surgery has a relatively high success rate, it is an invasive procedure and thus subject to post-surgical complications. In addition, laser-assisted vision correction surgeries such as LASIK still use technology that can thin and in some cases weaken the cornea. And then there's always the fears faced by the patient in having their eye ball messed around with. However, a Columbia Engineering researcher has developed a new non-invasive way to permanently correct vision that could prove a great alternative for traditional eye surgery.

 Nontraumatic Eye Emergencies

A systematic approach to the eye examination is described with particular attention to important maneuvers such as the swinging flashlight test. The utility of ED ultrasound of the eye is debated, and a discussion around systemic diseases that cause eye problems provides fodder for many clinical pearls.

 Researchers just woke up the eyeballs of dead donors and that’s good, actually

Researchers just woke up the eyeballs of dead donors and that’s good, actually.

 The Bogus Science Behind Instagram’s New Glasses Trend

Blue-light blockers won’t save your poor, tired retinas.

 The Meaning Behind the Evil Eye Symbol You See Everywhere

Despite its presence as an increasingly popular fashion trend in the US, the Evil Eye is taken extremely seriously in cultures across the globe where belief in the curse is alive and well.

 The Myopia Generation

Why do so many kids need glasses now?

 To an AI, Every Eye Tells a Story

Algorithms can reveal when patients are going blind—but that’s just the beginning.

 What Are Screens Doing to Our Eyes—and Our Ability to See?

THE EYES ARE unwell. Their childhood suppleness is lost. The lenses, as we log hours on this earth, thicken, stiffen, even calcify. The eyes are no longer windows on souls. They’re closer to teeth. To see if your own eyes are hardening, look no further than your phone, which should require no exertion; you’re probably already there.

 What Do We See When Our Eyes Are Closed?

A professor of ophthalmology explains those moving specks of light, geometric shapes, flashes and colors.

 What Doctors Don’t Tell You About Cataract Surgery

Patients should know about choices to be made about the procedure and postsurgery adjustments that may be unexpected.

 Why Eye Exams Are the Future of Alzheimer’s Screening

Right now there’s no easy way to diagnose the disease.

Inside the Eye: Nature’s Most Exquisite Creation

To understand how animals see, look through their eyes.

My Eye Won’t Stop Twitching—Am I Dying?

Muscle spasms are a symptom for all kinds of serious disorders, but they’re more often just caused by stress and fatigue.

The Crucial Years for Protecting Your Eye Health

While we can't win against Mother Nature, some strategies can minimize the damage. Avoid self-prescribing with, say, off-the-shelf reading glasses sold at drugstores, says Gary Etting, an optometrist who specializes in vision therapy in Los Angeles. People often select glasses that appear to make things clearest, he said. But this may be a stronger prescription than they need, which can encourage their loss of focus to go faster.

Blurred Vision, Burning Eyes: This Is a Lasik Success?

Some patients who undergo the eye surgery report a variety of side effects. They may persist for years, studies show.

Care of the Eyes Demands Diligence

READING in poor light, sitting too close to the TV, wearing the wrong prescription glasses and crossing your eyes — things your mother warned you would ruin your vision — are actually generally harmless. But a truly dangerous false belief is that there is nothing you can do to prevent the loss of vision.

How to Keep Computer Screens From Destroying Your Eyes

It's so hard to look away. But you really should, at least occasionally. And "remind yourself to blink."

If Your Kids Are Glued to Their iPads, It’s Probably a Good Idea to Unglue Them

It’s hard to say for sure, but based on what we do know, parents would be wise to take precautions. “We just don’t have a lot of hard evidence,” says Christopher Quinn, president of the American Optometric Association. But eye problems do arise frequently in kids who are glued to screens. “We know from a lot of anecdotal reports that prolonged screen times and exposure to these different kinds of light sources are creating some problems,” he says.

Training Your Brain to Improve Your Vision

A new game app had supernatural effects on athletes' eyesight. Brain training is coming for everyone.

Virtual Reality Could Be Affecting Our Eye Health

Users should 're-immerse themselves back in the real world' by taking frequent breaks to rest their eyes.

We Asked an Eye Doctor if Poppers Really Make You Blind

The popular inhalant is more dangerous than you may think.

What staring at a screen all day is doing to your eyes

If you're reading this, there's a good chance you spend much of your working day and leisure time staring at a computer screen. You probably spend less time thinking about what it's doing to your eyes.

What to Do When You Can’t Read the Fine Print

EVERYTHING seems to stiffen up as people age, and our eyes are no exception. As the years go by, the lens of the eye becomes harder and less elastic. The result is a gradual worsening of the ability to focus on objects up close, called presbyopia.

Your Eye Twitches Can Be Explained by Science, Sort Of

Usually these fasciculations happen in clusters, he adds. And they can continue for hours or sometimes days, and then they disappear for an unknown period of time. "And then they come back. They have no pathological significance at all." Basically, no one knows why my eye twitches. No one knows why yours twitches. But experts agree that it's no big deal. Patel says, "I spend most of my time with these patients just reassuring them that it's benign."

Your PC Is Ruining Your Vision. Here's How to Beat Eye Strain

STARING AT THE computer all day is horrible for your eyes. All those brightly colored pixels clashing with the lighting around you while you stare at your screen for hours on end—it's a recipe for eye fatigue, muscle strain, and headaches. By adhering to a few simple guidelines and by making some physical adjustments to your workspace, you can avoid putting too much strain on your eyes. Here are some tips to make your workday healthier.

Antibiotics in Eye Care: A Balancing Act

Although antibacterial drugs have been a boon for treating ocular infections, the downside—resistance—always looms in the shadows.

Explanations for sudden vision loss...

Sudden vision loss is a common complaint in eye care practices. Often, such a situation requires urgent attention. It can represent something relatively benign such as dry eye, or be a warning sign of a stroke. Depending on the etiology, vision loss can be permanent. Other times, however, it is transient--lasting for seconds to hours.

One Size Won’t Fit All: Treating Ocular Infection

Knowing which antibiotic to choose and how to use it are critical when treating and beating ocular infection.

The eyes have it – incredible ways of seeing the world

In the animal kingdom, eyes have evolved dozens of times. We’re familiar with the camera-style eyes in our own heads, and the weird compound eyes of insects, but there are far weirder ones out there. Scientists are discovering new structures and adaptations all the time. There are eyes with mirrors, eyes with optical fibres, and eyes with bifocal lenses.

This Is Exactly What You Should Do If Your Contact Lens Gets Lost In Your Eye

One of the hardest commandments to follow as a contacts-wearer is, "Thou shalt not rub thine eyes." Anyone who's vigorously rubbed her peepers while wearing contacts has likely experienced one of the most terrifying situations as retribution: losing a contact in your eye.

Yet Another Health Problem Linked to Air Pollution: Eye Disease

It’s no secret that air pollution isn’t good for your health. In particular, exposure to the byproducts of burning the fuel that powers most of our motor vehicles has been linked to higher risk of lung cancer, respiratory infections, stroke and heart disease, as well as an increased risk of death from these conditions. A new study now adds another worrisome pollution-related risk: eye disease.