FAQ'S

No, it depends on the cornea thickness and cornea thickness is in-born. With stringent patient suitability guidelines, we reject 1 out of 4 patients.

There is no power limit; the only limit is the cornea thickness.

You must be a healthy adult, 18 years of age with stable glasses power for at least 1 year.

Not recommended for pregnant or nursing mums.

Have sufficient corneal thickness therefore come in for a 1 hour eye examination.

To be in good health and free of corneal & other eye diseases.

The procedure is performed using anesthetic eye drops so there is no pain during the procedure. However, you may experience some eye discomfort and tearing during the first 24 hours after the surgery. it will gradually resolve by the second or third day.

Within 24 hours, most patients will experience better vision which will gradually improve over the next few days.

As with any vision treatment procedure where the cornea is altered, certain precautions should be taken. You should avoid getting contaminated water in the eyes for at least one month. This includes water from swimming pools, spas, lakes and the ocean. When showering or taking baths, keep the eyes closed in order to avoid getting soap and dirty water into the eyes. When exercising, sweat should be kept out of the eyes for at least a month after the procedure. Also, patients should avoid rubbing their eyes vigorously for a month following the procedure. Females should also avoid applying eye makeup for one month after the procedure.

Normal activities can be resumed next day.

The distance vision correction is permanent following laser vision correction. However, there are some age related changes that will occur regardless of whether or not someone has lasik.

Yes! The lasik procedure will be able to correct your shortsightedness or long-sightedness with astigmatism. However, you will still need reading glasses to see clearly up close from 40 years of age onwards. Alternatively, some patients may prefer to have Monovision where LASIK can be performed under one eye so as to leave it slightly myopic, giving the patients the ability to use one eye for near vision while the other eye for distance vision .

No, In general everyone will get presbyopia after the age of 40. With minor shortsightedness, It delays the person’s dependency on reading glasses.

According to U.S. food and drug administration Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, soft contact lenses should not be worn for 2 weeks prior to your initial evaluation. Usage of toric soft lenses or rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses should be stopped for at least 3 weeks prior to your initial evaluation. Usage of hard lenses, should be stopped at least 4 weeks prior to your initial evaluation.

Custom lasik is a procedure that involves the use of a wavefront analyzer and enables the surgeon to customize the conventional Lasik procedure to individual eyes. This customization can help you see clearer and sharper than ever before.

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that can damage the eye’s optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness. The most common form of the disease is the open-angle glaucoma. With early treatment, you can protect your eyes against serious vision loss.

The optic nerve is a bundle of more than 1 million nerve fibers. It connects the retina to the brain.

Open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of glaucoma. In the normal eye, the clear fluid leaves the anterior chamber at the open angle where the cornea and iris meet. When the fluid reaches the angle, it flows through a spongy meshwork, like a drain, and leaves the eye.

Not necessarily. Increased eye pressure means you are at risk for glaucoma, but does not mean you have the disease. A person has glaucoma only if the optic nerve is damaged. If you have increased eye pressure but no damage to the optic nerve, you do not have glaucoma. However, you are at risk. Follow the advice of your eye care professional.

Not necessarily not every person with increased eye pressure will develop glaucoma. Some people can tolerate higher eye pressure better than others. Also, a certain level of eye pressure may be high for one person but normal for another.

Yes, Glaucoma can develop without increased eye pressure. This form of glaucoma is called low-tension or normal-tension glaucoma. It is not as common as open-angle glaucoma.

Anyone can develop glaucoma. some people are at higher risk than others. they include:

African-Americans over age 40.

Everyone over age 60, especially mexican-Americans.

People with a family history of glaucoma.

Inflammation or uveitis in the eye, or a history of eye trauma.

People with diabetes, myopia (nearsightedness), or extensive steroid use.

We do not know how to prevent glaucoma yet. However, studies have shown that the early detection and treatment of glaucoma, before it causes major vision loss, is the best way to control the disease. So, if you fall into one of the high-risk groups for the disease, make sure to have your eyes examined through dilated pupils every two years by an eye care professional.

The most difficult part is that open-angle glaucoma has no symptoms. It causes no pain. Vision seems normal.

Glaucoma is detected through a comprehensive eye exam that includes a visual acuity test, visual field test, dilated eye exam, tonometry, and pachymetry.

No, There is no cure for glaucoma. Vision lost from the disease cannot be restored.

Yes, immediate treatment for early stage, open-angle glaucoma can delay progression of the disease. That’s why early diagnosis is very important. Glaucoma treatments include medicines, laser surgery, conventional surgery, or a combination of any of these. While these treatments may save remaining vision, they do not improve sight already lost from glaucoma.

If you are taking medicines for glaucoma, be sure to take them every day as directed by your eye care professional. People at risk for glaucoma should have a dilated eye exam at least every two years. If you have been diagnosed, you may need to see your eye care professional more often.

If you have lost some sight from glaucoma, ask your eye care professional about low vision services and devices that may help you make the most of your remaining vision.

Through studies in the laboratory and with patients, the National Eye Institute is seeking better ways to detect, treat, and prevent vision loss in people with glaucoma. For example, researchers have discovered genes that could help explain how glaucoma damages the eye.

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition that can cause vision loss and blindness in people who have diabetes. It affects blood vessels in the retina (the light- sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye).

If you have diabetes, it’s important to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic retinopathy may not have any symptoms at first — but finding it early can help you take steps to protect your vision.

Managing your diabetes — by staying physically active, eating healthy, and taking your medicine — can also help you prevent or delay vision loss.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common cause of vision loss for people with diabetes. But diabetes can also make you more likely to develop several other eye conditions.

Cataracts. Having diabetes makes you 2 to 5 times more likely to develop cataracts. It also makes you more likely to get them at a younger age.

Open-angle glaucoma. Having diabetes nearly doubles your risk of developing a type of glaucoma called open-angle glaucoma.

The early stages of diabetic retinopathy usually don’t have any symptoms. Some people notice changes in their vision, like trouble reading or seeing faraway objects. These changes may come and go.

In later stages of the disease, blood vessels in the retina start to bleed into the vitreous (gel-like fluid that fills your eye). If this happens, you may see dark, floating spots or streaks that look like cobwebs. Sometimes, the spots clear up on their own — but it’s important to get treatment right away. Without treatment, scars can form in the back of the eye. Blood vessels may also start to bleed again, or the bleeding may get worse.

Diabetic retinopathy can lead to other serious eye conditions:

Diabetic macular edema (DME). Over time, about 1 in 15 people with diabetes will develop DME. DME happens when blood vessels in the retina leak fluid into the macula (a part of the retina needed for sharp, central vision). This causes blurry vision.

Neovascular glaucoma. Diabetic retinopathy can cause abnormal blood vessels to grow out of the retina and block fluid from draining out of the eye. This causes a type of glaucoma (a group of eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness).

Retinal detachment. Diabetic retinopathy can cause scars to form in the back of your eye. When the scars pull your retina away from the back of your eye, it’s called tractional retinal detachment.

Anyone with any kind of diabetes can get diabetic retinopathy — including people with type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (a type of diabetes that can develop during pregnancy).

Your risk increases the longer you have diabetes. Over time, more than half of people with diabetes will develop diabetic retinopathy. The good news is that you can lower your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy by controlling your diabetes.

Women with diabetes who become pregnant — or women who develop gestational diabetes — are at high risk for getting diabetic retinopathy. If you have diabetes and are pregnant, have a comprehensive dilated eye exam as soon as possible. Ask your doctor if you’ll need additional eye exams during your pregnancy.

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by high blood sugar due to diabetes. Over time, having too much sugar in your blood can damage your retina — the part of your eye that detects light and sends signals to your brain through a nerve in the back of your eye (optic nerve).

Diabetes damages blood vessels all over the body. The damage to your eyes starts when sugar blocks the tiny blood vessels that go to your retina, causing them to leak fluid or bleed. To make up for these blocked blood vessels, your eyes then grow new blood vessels that don’t work well. These new blood vessels can leak or bleed easily.

Tej Eye Center’s experienced Ophthalmologists can check for diabetic retinopathy as part of a dilated eye exam. The exam is simple and painless — our doctor will give you some eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupil and then check your eyes for diabetic retinopathy and other eye problems.

If you have diabetes, it’s very important to get regular eye exams. If you do develop diabetic retinopathy, early treatment can stop the damage and prevent blindness.

If doctor thinks you may have severe diabetic retinopathy or DME, they may do a test called a fluorescein angiogram. This test lets the doctor see pictures of the blood vessels in your retina.

Managing your diabetes is the best way to lower your risk of diabetic retinopathy. That means keeping your blood sugar levels in a healthy range. You can do this by getting regular physical activity, eating healthy, and carefully following doctor’s instructions for your insulin or other diabetes medicines.

To make sure your diabetes treatment plan is working, you’ll need a special lab test called an A1C test. This test shows your average blood sugar level over the past 3 months. You can work with your doctor to set a personal A1C goal. Meeting your A1C goal can help prevent or manage diabetic retinopathy.

Having high blood pressure or high cholesterol along with diabetes increases your risk for diabetic retinopathy. So controlling your blood pressure and cholesterol can also help lower your risk for vision loss.

In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, our Retina Specialists will probably just keep track of how your eyes are doing. Some people with diabetic retinopathy may need a comprehensive dilated eye exam as often as every 2 to 4 months.

In later stages, it’s important to start treatment right away — especially if you have changes in your vision. While it won’t undo any damage to your vision, treatment can stop your vision from getting worse. It’s also important to take steps to control your diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol.

Injections. Medicines called anti-VEGF drugs can slow down or reverse diabetic retinopathy. Other medicines, called corticosteroids, can also help.

Laser treatment. To reduce swelling in your retina, eye doctors can use lasers to make the blood vessels shrink and stop leaking.

Eye surgery. If your retina is bleeding a lot or you have a lot of scars in your eye, your eye doctor may recommend a type of surgery called a vitrectomy.

The overall success rate of a corneal transplant is very high using modern eye banking and surgical techniques. However, there are many factors that influence the outcome. For instance, keratoconus has one of the best prognoses for good vision with a greater than 90% chance of a clear graft.

No, your eye color stays exactly the same. The transplant involves only the transparent clear cornea and not the colored part of the eye (iris)

Cornea transplant is a relatively safe procedure. Still, it does carry a small risk of serious complications, such as: eye infection, increased risk of clouding of the eye's lens (cataract) etc.

After surgery, the stitches usually stay in place for about 2 to 3 months, and then are slowly removed over many months as your cornea heals. You will probably be able to return to work or your normal routine in about 1 to 2 weeks after surgery. But your vision will still be blurry

Your eyesight should gradually improve a few weeks after a corneal graft, but it could take anywhere from a couple of months up to a year to have stable vision in the eye that receives the donor tissue. After your cornea transplant has fully healed, it's possible to undergo LASIK eye surgery to improve your vision

Low vision care, also known as vision rehabilitation, is a service provided by an eyecare or vision rehabilitation professional that helps maximize the remaining vision of an individual who has a vision impairment . Low vision care typically involves an evaluation by a professional to determine the most appropriate low vision aids based upon the individual’s level of vision and their goals. Rehabilitation training and as well as other appropriate techniques are also considered.

Low vision care can help make the most of the remaining vision that a person has in order to gain back as much independence as possible with the goal to increase their quality of life. With appropriate low vision devices and training in their use, many people with a vision impairment can continue to read, watch television, manage their finances, maintain their homes, shop, travel, and socialize.

The major eye diseases and conditions for which low vision devices are used are age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, retinitis pigmentosa, albinism, Stargardt’s disease and retinopathy of prematurity, myopic degeneration, among many others.

Unfortunately, there is no one device that is ideal for any particular eye disease or condition. The appropriate device(s) will depend on the individual’s level of vision and their goals. This is why an evaluation by a low vision specialist is so valuable to determine the low vision aids that will work best for the individual’s specific needs.

Low vision devices vary for the same reason a carpenter carries so many different tools– each is good for a different task. Depending on the job, a carpenter may use a hammer, a saw, or a chisel. Likewise, a visually impaired patient may use a magnifier to read a medicine bottle or package label, a telescope to see signs, watch television, and recognize people, and a video magnifier to read a book.  Each low vision aid has its own ideal purpose, and many people benefit from using different devices for different activities. Low vision aids can be divided into several categories—optical aids, non-optical aids, electronic aids, and mobility aids.

Low vision devices are usually designed to make an image larger– the equivalent of being able to read the large print of a newspaper headline but not the small print of the article. Digital versions can provide a range of magnification powers and can also increase contrast.  Individuals with tunnel vision may benefit from image minifiers—similar to peephole door viewers that allow the user to see more at one time. Individuals with side-vision loss (hemianopsia) may benefit from specially prescribed prism eyeglasses.

Some types of low vision products are available directly from manufacturers or their distributors. Other products are available only through eye care or vision rehabilitation professionals (low vision specialists), At Tej Eye Center, we have experts who can determine and prescribe the most appropriate device(s) for the individual and also train the patients. Success with low vision aids is a combination of using the proper device and the training involved in using it effectively.

Pre-term children with a birth weight of less than 1500gr should be examined around the fourth week after birth to exclude or confirm the existence of retinopathy of prematurity. These individuals should be continuous monitored throughout their childhood.

Children with hearing deficits, muscle problems and neurological deficits should be examined as soon as possible.

Children with a family history of strabismus or amblyopia should be tested around the age of 2 years. Normal children are tested by their pediatrician with regard to visual function and are referred to the pediatric ophthalmologist if there is a problem. If at time parents feel that something is wrong with their child's eyes, they may ask for the advice of a pediatric ophthalmologist.

As we age, changes in the shape and flexibility of the eye's lens can cause changes in vision, including an increase in eye power. However, there are several steps you can take to potentially slow or prevent further increases in eye power. These include:

Getting regular eye exams: Regular eye exams can help detect changes in vision early on, allowing for timely intervention.

Taking breaks from screen time: Prolonged periods of screen time can strain the eyes and contribute to changes in vision. Taking regular breaks can help reduce this strain.

Practicing good eye hygiene: This includes things like washing your hands before touching your eyes and avoiding rubbing your eyes excessively.

Eating a healthy diet: A diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and omega-3 fatty acids can help support eye health.

Wearing proper eyewear: Wearing proper eyewear, such as glasses or contact lenses, can help reduce strain on the eyes and prevent further changes in vision.

It's important to note that these steps may not completely stop increases in eye power, but they can help slow the progression and promote overall eye health. It's always a good idea to consult with an eye doctor for personalized advice and guidance.

Most children love to watch TV close up. If there are no other findings, such behavior is considered normal.

Visual function is often indirectly concluded from behavior. There are tests that do not require the child's verbal confirmation. Most times the comparison of the two eyes it is more important. In older children, who are able to speak, games or cards are used to test their vision. Also there are objective tests to check vision at any age or the need for corrective spectacles without the need of the child's response.

The complete anatomical examination of the bulb by the pediatric ophthalmologist will reveal anatomical abnormalities that may affect the child's vision.

Pseudostrabismus is the most common reason for referral to a pediatric ophthalmologist. Most young children give the impression that their eyes are turned toward the nose. This is due to their head being small and large base of the nose, which hides part of the white of the eye on the side of the nose. As the child grows this cross-eyed impression ceases to exist. This led to the misconception that the child can overcome the problem (pseudostrabismus). When there is true strabismus, however, the child needs help from the pediatric ophthalmologist because the problem will not go away on its own.

There are various causes of headache. The examination must be started by your pediatrician. Most pediatricians will also refer the child to a pediatric ophthalmologist for the examination of eye disorders. An eye assessment may give an interpretation of the headaches even though in most cases these are not caused by eye problems.

The children's eyes resemble those of their parents. If parents wore glasses in kindergarten, children must be examined before the age of three, unless they are cross-eyed or there is suspicion of visual impairment and therefore should be examined as soon as possible. School myopia usually begins in elementary school and detected by the child or the pediatrician.

Dyslexia and related problems are usually encountered by specialist psychologists. On occasion an ophthalmological assessment is required to exclude visual problems, which are rare.

Specialized equipment and procedures, which are not available as part of a vision screening program, are needed to adequately evaluate eyes and vision.

Only an ophthalmologist can conduct a comprehensive eye and vision examination. Tej Eye center’s doctors have the specialized training necessary to make a definitive diagnosis and prescribe treatment.

A comprehensive adult eye examination includes:

• Patient and family health history
• Visual acuity measurement
• Preliminary tests of visual function and eye health, including depth perception, color vision, peripheral (side) vision and the response of the pupils to light
• Assessment of refractive status to determine the presence of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism
• Evaluation of eye focusing, eye teaming and eye movement abilities
• Eye health examination
• Additional tests as needed

Vision screening programs can't substitute for regular professional vision care. Children or adults who pass a vision screening could still have an eye health or vision problem. Comprehensive eye examinations are the only effective way to confirm or rule out any eye disease or vision problem.