We
designed this section of our site to help you find the answers to your
questions and to help convey the importance of having a regular eye examinations.
Having an eye test isn't just about wearing spectacles or contact lenses,
it is also about checking the health of your eyes and your for own personal
reassurance and peace of mind.
We
hope to enable you better understand the remarkable mechanism that is
the human eye.If
you suffer from an eye condition or if you simply wear spectales to help
correct your vision, then this glossary can help you better understand
your eyes.
We hope you enjoy using this site and we welcome
your feedback
A LAZY EYE, USUALLY A HEALTHY EYE WHICH HAS CEASED TO FUNCTION
DUE TO AN UNTREATED MUSCLE IMBALANCE IN THE EYE OR AN UNCORRECTED IMBALANCE
OF THE TWO EYES. SEE ALSO SQUINTS
A CLOUDING
OF THE CRYSTALINE LENS, USUALLY FOUND AS PATIENTS GET OLDER BUT CAN
RESULT FOLLOWING ACCIDENTAL DAMAGE TO THE EYE. CATARACTS CAN BE REMOVED
BY OPERATION AND REPLACEMENT PLASTIC LENSES IMPLANTED WITHIN THE EYE
TO RESTORE CLEAR VISION.
CONTACT
LENSES ARE A MODERN ALTERNATIVE TO WEARING SPECTACLES
CONVEX
AN OPTICAL
LENS FORM HAVING BOTH LENS SURFACES CURVED OUTWARDS
CONJUNCTIVITIS
IS AN
IRRITATION OF THE CONJUNCTIVA
CONJUNCTIVA
THE MUCUS
MEMBRANE COVERING THE INSIDE LINING OF THE EYELIDS AND EXTENDING IN
A CONTINUOS SKIN TO COVER THE WHITE OF THE EYE
CORNEA
THE TRANSPARENT
LENS AT THE FRONT OF THE EYE
CRYSTALLINE
LENS
THE INNER
LENS OF THE EYE WHICH IS CONVEX IN SHAPE AND DUE TO THE SUSPENSORY
MUSCLES ABILITY TO ALTER THE CURVATURE OF THIS LENS ENABLES THE LENS
TO FOCUS ON DISTANT AND NEAR OBJECTS
A TERM MEANING DOUBLE VISION.
CAN BE A SIGN OF VARIOUS SERIOUS CONDITIONS AND URGENT PROFESSIONAL ADVICE
SHOULD BE SOUGHT IF THIS CONDITION OCCURS, ESPECIALLY IF THE OCCURRENCE COINCIDES
WITH AN ACCIDENT
'D' TYPE BIFOCALS
ARE THE MOST COMMONLY PRESCRIPED FORM OF BIFOCAL. THEY HAVE A READING SEGMENT
ON THEM WHICH LOOKKS LIKE THE LETTER 'D', WHICH HAS BEEN TURNED ON TO IT'S
CURVED SIDE.
IS A TERM THAT
ACTUALLY DESCRIBES NORMAL VISION (ie.20/20 or the metric version 6/6 vision),
THE EMMETROPIC EYE IS THE NORMAL EYE. IF YOU ARE EMMETROPIC YOU ARE VERY
LUCKY!!!
'E' STYLE BIFOCAL
'E' STYLE BIFOCAL
(SOMETIMES REFERED TO AS EXECUCTIVE OR EXEC BIFOCALS), ARE A FORM OF BIFOCAL
WITH A READING SEGMENT WHICH EXTENDS ACROSS THE ENTIRE WIDTH OF A BIFOCAL
LENS.
FLOATERS AND
FLASHING LIGHTS ARE A COMMON COMPLAINT, WE EXPLAIN THE CAUSE
FOCAL LENGTH
IS THE DISTANCE
BETWEEN AN OBJECT AND THE EYE, WHEN YOU HAVE A SIGHT TEST THE FOCAL LENGTH
BETWEEN YOU AND THE SIGHT CHART FOR EXAMPLE IS SET AT A VERY PRECISE DISTANCE.
FRAMES
GETTING THE
RIGHT SPECTACLE FRAME FOR YOU CAN BE A VERY TRICKY BUSINESS, SO WE ARE SETTING
UP A GUIDE TO HELP YOU : COMING SOON
A GENERAL TERM
FOR VARIOUS CONDITIONS WITHIN THE EYE GENERALLY CAUSED BY AN INCREASE IN
THE TENSION WITHIN THE EYE. THIS CAN RESULT IN THE TOTAL BLOCKAGE OF THE
ANTERIOR CHAMBER DRAINAGE SYSTEM. ACUTE GLAUCOMA CAN IN SOME CASES OCCUR
QUITE SUDDENLY AND IS USUALLY VERY PAINFUL AND URGENT MEDICAL ATTENTION AT
A HOSPITAL IS ESSENTIAL. HOWEVER IN MOST CASES THE ONSET OF THE DISEASE IS
QUITE GRADUAL AND CAN BE DETECTED BY REGULAR EYE EXAMINATIONS AND CAN BE
TREATED VERY SUCCESSFULLY IF DETECTED EARLY
ENOUGH
IS THE BREAKAGE OF A MINOR
BLOOD VESSEL WHICH CAN SOMETIMES BE SEEN IN THE WHITE OF THE EYE. THEY ARE
GENERALLY NOT SERIOUS AND CAN CLEAR IN A FEW DAYS. HOWEVER AN INTERNAL HEMORRHAGE
WITHIN THE EYE OR ON THE RETINA CAN BE QUITE SERIOUS
THIS IS WITHOUT
DOUBT A VERY COPLICATED SUBJECT, WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE SET UP THIS GUIDE TO
YOUR PRESCRIPTION. WE BELIEVE THAT YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THE PRESCRIPTION
WE HAVE GIVEN YOU, SO HERE IS THE EXPLAINATION
LENTICULAR
IS A FORM OF
A LENS USED IN CERTAIN HIGH POWER LENSES TO REDUCE THE THICKNESS OF THE EDGE
OF THE LENS.
MEANS SHORT SIGHT USUALLY
AS A RESULT OF THE FOCAL LENGTH OF THE EYEBALL BEING LONGER THAN THE AVERAGE.
SHORTSIGHTED PEOPLE CAN SEE WELL AT CLOSE DISTANCES BUT NEED CORRECTIVE LENSES
TO SEE CLEARLY IN THE DISTANCE
A TERM DECRIBING
A MUSCLE IMBALANCE BEHIND THE EYE
OPTHALMIC
A TERM DESCRIBING
SOMETHING OPTICAL, OR OF OPTICAL PERFECTION
OPTICIAN
A PRACTITIONER
IN OPTICS. WHAT TO DO IF YOU WANT TO BE AN OPTICIAN. COMING SOON
OPTOMETRISTS
A PROFESSIONALLY
QUALIFIED PERSON REGISTERED TO TEST EYES AND CONDUCT OTHER EXAMINATIONS TO
DETECT EYE DISEASES AND CONDITIONS AND QUALIFIED TO ISSUE PRESCRIPTIONS FOR
LENSES TO CORRECT ABNORMAL VISION.
PHOTO CHROMIC LENSES THESE
LENSES REACT TO LIGHT DUE TO A SPECIAL CHEMICAL WITHIN THE LENS WHICH DARKEN
WHEN EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT. THE DEPTH OF DARKENING DEPENDS UPON THE AMOUNT
OF ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT AND TEMPERATURE WHICH THE LENS IS EXPOSED TO.
IS THE TERM
USED TO DEFINE MIDDLE AGE SIGHT WHEN THE MUSCLES OF THE INNER EYE ARE NO
LONGER ABLE TO ALTER THE REFRACTIVE POWER OF THE CRYSTALINE LENS SUFFICIENTLY
TO FOCUS ON CLOSE OBJECTS.
IS A LENS WHICH
HAS A PROGRESSIVELY INCREASING POWER RANGE BETWEEN THE TOP AREA OF THE LENS
FOR THE DISTANCE AND THE LOWER AREA OF THE LENS FOR CLOSE WORK.
IS THE SHEET
OF DELICATE TISSUE WHICH LINES THE BACK OF THE INNER SURFACE AREA OF THE
EYE AND RECEIVES THE VISUAL STIMULUS FROM THE LIGHT RAYS ENTERING THE EYE.
THESE LIGHT RAYS ARE TRANSMITTED TO THE BRAIN BY WAY OF THE OPTIC NERVE WHICH
IN TURN PASSES THESE IMPULSE SIGNALS ONWARDS TO THE BRAIN WHICH THEN READS
THE SIGNALS AND CONVERTS THE IMPULSES INTO WHAT WE TERM AS SIGHT.
RETINAL DETACHMENT
IS WHEN THE
DELICATE RETINA BECOMES DETACHED FROM THE INNER LAYERS OF THE EYE SURFACE.
THE RESULTS OF RETINAL DETACHMENT IS USUALLY THAT BLIND SPOTS BECOME EVIDENT
OR UNUSUAL FLASHES OF LIGHT CAN BE SEEN. A DETACHED RETINA CAN IS MANY CASES
BE REPAIRED IF PROFESSIONAL HELP IS SOUGHT QUICKLY ENOUGH.
OR STRABISMUS
IS A COMMON CONDITION MAINLY EFFECTING YOUNG CHILDREN WHEN THE TWO EYES HAVE
DIFFICULTY IN MAINTAINING ALIGNMENT WITH EACH OTHER. A SQUINT CAN WHEN DETECTED
EARLY ENOUGH CAN BE CORRECTED BY EYE EXERCISES OR BY WEARING CORRECTIVE LENSES
TO CORRECT THE MUSCLE IMBALANCE. IN EXTREME CASES SURGERY MAY BE REQUIRED.
EARLY DETECTION IS THE KEY TO GOOD RESULTS.
ARE LENSES
WHICH INCORPORATE THREE DIFFERENT FOCAL AREAS WITHIN THE LENS. THE TOP FOR
DISTANCE, THE MIDDLE FOR INTERMEDIATE VISION AND THE BOTTOM AREA FOR CLOSE
VISION
A COMMON CONDITION, CAUSING
LOW TOLERENCE TO LIGHT AND ALSO BLURRED VISION. CAN ALSO CAUSE SORENESS -
MAKE AN APPOINTMENT URGENTLY WITH AN OPTICIAN IF YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM THESE
SYMPTOMS
THERE
ARE SOME IMPORTANT THINGS TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT WHEN WORKING WITH COMPUTER
SCREENS (IF YOU WORK USING A SCREEN YOU SHOULD READ THIS)
VITREOUS FLUID
IS THE TRANSPARENT
FLUID WHICH FILLS THE INNER CHAMBER OF THE EYE BEHIND THE CRYSTALLINE LINE
LENS, IT HELPS TO KEEP THE EYE IN SHAPE AND MAINTAIN AN EVEN PRESSURE WITHIN
THE EYE.