Lompoc Eye Care

Nearsightedness usually occurs when your eye is too long or has a cornea that's curved too steeply. This causes the light rays entering each eye to focus in front of the retina, instead of on the retina, leading to blurry images.

Convincing your small child to wear his or her eyeglasses can be quite the challenge. Begin by having the child wear glasses for short periods each day. Try attaching a wrap-around headband to glasses for kids who have trouble keeping up with them.

It’s important to remember that not all contact lenses are designed with extended wear in mind. If you know that you’ll likely forget to take out your lenses each night, it’s a good idea to buy breathable contacts that are made for people to wear overnight.

Sunglasses are not only stylish, but they can also help to protect your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays. Sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection offer the best protection. A hat with a large brim can also help in protecting the eyes from sunrays.

The iris (which is the part of your eye that contains your eye color) is actually a muscle and contracts and expands with the demands placed upon the pupil by light. Pupils expand in the dark (to allow more light in), while they contract in excessive light.

Looking for the right pair of eyeglass frames for your triangular face (deemed triangular based on fittings and facial matching)? The classic triangle-faced person is best served by the Ray-Ban style: lots of detail on top and a lean base whereby to draw attention away from an overly strong jaw.

Did you know that some types of sunglasses are more beneficial to your eyes than others? Sunglasses that wrap around your head and block out blue light are most effective at protecting your eyes from UV light.

You should expect your optometrist to get up close and personal with your eyes during a normal examination. With a slit lamp, a machine that’s also known as a "biomicroscope," you put your chin on one side while the doctor looks through high-power magnifiers on the other. This test allows the optometrist to see all parts of your eye and determine if it appears you may have cataracts, macular degeneration, or a host of other conditions.

Each type of conjunctivitis or pink eye requires a different treatment. If the condition is caused by allergies, the optometrist may prescribe artificial tears to alleviate the gritty sensation along with antihistamine or topical steroid drops to reduce inflammation.

It’s important to remember that vision issues can occur so slowly over time that you may not realize the subtle changes as they occur. If you’ve been experiencing more headaches than usual lately, that could be an indication that your vision has changed.

Did you know that other aspects of your health can affect the quality of your vision now and in the future? For instance, those with a history of diabetes or high blood pressure could be at an increased risk for vision problems.

Glaucoma is caused from damage to the optic nerve. This is often referred to as cupping and can occur with or without high intraocular pressure; however, it is more likely that glaucoma will occur when eye pressures are high.

Optometrist and ophthalmologists form the core of eye care specialists in the country. Think of optometrists as you would your primary care physician, examining and diagnosing eye problems that can be treated in an outpatient setting.