Lehigh Valley Center For Sight

Some of the most common eye issues facing Americans, like macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma, are diseases most common among the elderly. But vision problems can happen to anyone at any time. For 48-year-old NBC Today anchor Savannah Guthrie, her ongoing vision problems and need for eye surgery is the result of being struck in the eye. Credit: NBC/NBCU Photo Bank Guthrie still had vision problems four months after having extensive surgery to treat a tear in her retina, reports People . She suffered the injury after her 3-year-old son accidentally hit her in the eye with a toy. Her doctors intended to try to fix her problems with laser surgery. But they decided that retinal surgery, which includes a long recovery period, would be needed. The night before the surgery in December, her vision in the injured eye went from blurry to dark. The retinal tear worsened quickly and her vision was lost vision temporarily. “And that’s what happens if you don’t fix this: You lose you...

As America’s population ages overall, the number of people with eye conditions and disease will increase. Currently the number of us dealing with vision problems is already staggering. If you’re coping with vision problems, you’re not alone. According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology , Nearly 1.3 million Americans forty and older are legally blind. About 8% of men and 0.5% of women with Northern European ancestry have the most common form of color blindness. The incidence is lower in almost all other populations. Cataracts impact more than 24.4 million Americans age forty and older, almost twice the number of people living in Pennsylvania. About half of all Americans will have cataracts by the time they reach 75. Glaucoma affects more than 2.7 million Americans age forty and older. Each year about 2.4 million eye injuries happen in the US. Use of protective eyewear can prevent 90% of eye injuries. More than a third of all such injuries happen to those 18 to 45 ...

Without healthy retinas you won’t be able to see well. The retina is in the rear of the eye. It has millions of light-sensitive cells (called rods and cones) which, along with other nerve cells, receive and organize visual information. This information is sent to the brain via the optic nerve, and if all goes well, you can see.   There are several diseases and conditions that can impact the retina. Depending on which one you’re dealing with, treatment goals may be to stop or slow the progress of the disease, preserve your current vision, improve or restore your vision. Left untreated some of these diseases can result in severe vision loss or blindness. Risk factors include aging, being diabetic, suffering eye trauma, and a family history of retinal diseases. Some of the symptoms can include, Floaters (visual effects that appear as floating specks, strings or cobwebs), Vision that’s blurred or distorted, Problems with peripheral vision, and, Vision loss. You should set ...

The are Many Slow Moving, Chronic Eye Conditions. Retinal Detachment is Not One of Them Many eye conditions are slow moving, like cataracts, where changes in vision are gradual to the point your vision is greatly impaired. Surgery for cataracts is normally not done in a rush and can easily be planned in advanced. Retinal detachment is a different story. If you experience its symptoms you need to act fast. The retina of your eye is a layer of tissue lining the interior of your eye. It sends visual signals through your optic nerve to your brain. If the retina comes off, if not treated immediately, the detachment could result in permanent vision loss. Retinal detachment involves the retinal cells coming loose from the layer of blood vessels underneath them. Those blood vessels provide oxygen and nourishment needed to keep the retina healthy and functioning. The longer it goes untreated, the greater the chance of permanent vision loss. Retinal detachment can happen at any time but more...

Many eye conditions are slow moving, like cataracts, where changes in vision are gradual to the point your vision is greatly impaired. Surgery for cataracts is normally not done in a rush and can easily be planned in advanced. Retinal detachment is a different story. If you experience its symptoms you need to act fast. The retina of your eye is a layer of tissue lining the interior of your eye. It sends visual signals through your optic nerve to your brain. If the retina comes off, if not treated immediately, the detachment could result in permanent vision loss. Retinal detachment involves the retinal cells coming loose from the layer of blood vessels underneath them. Those blood vessels provide oxygen and nourishment needed to keep the retina healthy and functioning. The longer it goes untreated, the greater the chance of permanent vision loss. Retinal detachment can happen at any time but more likely in those older than forty. It’s more likely to  occur in men than women and mor...