What You Should Know About Cross-Eyes

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Cross eyes, known as strabismus in the medical community, isn’t an extremely common condition, but it does affect up to 5% of the population. While usually associated with children under the age of six, it can technically affect adults as well. We’ll look at what you should know about this disorder, and how a comprehensive eye exam in Champaign, IL may be able to help alleviate its ill effects.

Eyes Can Point in Any Direction

Cross eyes technically refer to any alignment issues, meaning that instead of both eyes looking at one object, one eye may turn up, down, left, or right. The types of cross-eyed conditions are differentiated by how the eye is pointed. However, the most common version of cross-eye, where both eyes look inward, is called esotropia.

Cross Eyes Are Often Caused by Muscle or Nerve Disorders

Cross-eye usually stems from issues with the eye muscles and the nerves controlling eye movement, though brain abnormalities or medical conditions can also be underlying causes. If an adult or child has cross-eyes, they often have double vision, poor depth perception, and even vision loss in one eye (known as lazy eye).

Cross Eyes Can Be Treated in Champaign, IL

Cross eyes sometimes correct themselves on their own. Other times, they’ll need intervention from an eye doctor in Champaign, IL. You can find non-surgical ways to treat cross eyes from glasses to eye exercises to vision therapy. If these treatments fail to correct the issue, there are also surgeries that can correct the eyes muscles (though this is a last resort for medical professionals). If you have questions about your or your child’s condition, the team at Champaign Eye Professionals can help you figure out the next steps!

Elderly man examined by an ophthalmologist

Will I Be Able to Drive with Cataracts?

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Cataracts in Champaign, IL affect the lens of the eye, otherwise known as the element that focuses light so that it can transmit signals to the brain. When you’re young, that lens is typically crisp and clear, but the lens can start to yellow as you age. While cataracts can happen to anyone, including infants, they tend to affect people in their 60s and 70s. If you’re wondering if you can drive if you have cataracts, we’ll look at the safety concerns.

Driving with Cataracts

If you’re asking whether you can drive with cataracts, the shortest answer is that some people can and do drive with cataracts. Usually, at the beginning of the disorder, your vision hasn’t changed drastically enough to impair your abilities on the road. However, cataracts usually get worse over time, so it’s important to pay attention to deteriorations long before they can affect another driver, passenger, or pedestrian.

What to Keep in Mind

Cataracts can progress very differently for different people. In some cases, the disease is so slow-moving that it doesn’t affect the individual in any noticeable way. They may have a slight tinge in their vision, but not enough to impact their daily routines. For others, the issue progresses rapidly, quickly becoming a do-or-die situation requiring cataract surgery to see clearly. The problem is often the in-between cases, where the changes occur, but they’re slow enough that they’re not altogether noticeable.

If you have questions about your cataracts, it can help to see an eye doctor in Champaign who can tell you more about whether it’s safe for you to get behind the wheel. At Champaign Eye Professionals, we can give you a comprehensive evaluation, so you’re completely confident on the road.

 

 

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3 Things to Know About Your Optic Nerves

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Your eyes may be one of your most important organs, but that doesn’t mean everyone understands exactly how they work. They often only become a topic of conversation if something goes wrong. However, it can help for everyone to do a little research into some of the most important components of the eye if only to have a better handle on how to take care of them. Below, we look at a few key facts about the optic nerve.

1. The Optic Nerve Tells You What You See

Your eyes may see what’s in front of you, but it’s your brain that’s interpreting the images. In order to receive information from the eyes, the brain relies on the optic nerve to pick up and process the data.

2. Damage to the Optic Nerve Is a Major Issue

Damaging the optic nerve can lead to partial or total vision loss, which is why it’s so important for eye doctors in Champaign, IL to keep an eye on its health and any changes it might undergo over the years. Unfortunately, damage to the nerves can occur in multiple ways, including brain tumors and eye disease.

3. Visiting the Right Optometrist in Champaign Can Help

The optic nerve starts at the back of the eye and then heads through the optic canal into the brain. At an eye exam in Champaign, IL, the doctor can perform special tests to assess the health of the optic nerve so you can catch problems in their infancy rather than having a potential emergency.

If you’ve put off an eye exam for longer than a year or you’ve noticed any changes to your vision, contact Champaign Professionals to make an appointment.

Ophthalmologist examining patient's eyes

Is Lasik a Cost-Effective Surgery?

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The cost of LASIK depends on a wide array of factors. Some people spend more than $4,000 per eye! These high costs typically prompt people to ask whether the costs are worth it and what factors they should consider before pulling the trigger. Below, we explore a few different things to keep in mind, including convenience and quality of life.

The Straight Costs of Glasses and Contacts

Even with a solid vision plan, the costs of glasses and contacts can add up over the years. This is more than just buying the actual products; it’s everything from cleaning solutions to cases to unexpected rips or breaks. When you total it all up over the course of a decade, people might be surprised at just how much they spend. An optometrist in Champaign, IL can tell you that LASIK may have a high upfront cost, but it can theoretically last for decades (possibly forever) if your prescription doesn’t change.

Additional Factors

Glasses and contacts take time to maintain, and they can interfere with your quality of life. For example, if your contacts become dry by the end of the day, that can impact your ability to drive late at night. Or if your glasses fog up in the rain, you can potentially lose your vision at a particularly critical moment. LASIK in Champaign, IL fixes many of these safety issues so that you can be a little more confident no matter what comes your way.

Find LASIK Surgery in Champaign, IL

LASIK surgery is more than just deciding whether or not to have the procedure. If you have questions about who the best surgeon is or what you can expect from each visit, you can talk to the staff at Champaign Eye Professionals. Here, we can help you coordinate all the details so you can make the right decision.