Hidak and B&bit Gangnam Bright World, the story of the human eye that 4 ophthalmologists find out together. Every week we introduce diseases that damage your eyes and various ways to keep your eyes healthy.
About 1.17 million people. The number of myopia patients in 2019 according to the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service data. Glasses and lenses are the representative methods for correcting nearsightedness, where it is difficult to see close objects but far away. Director Kim Joo-hyunLet’s dig into the misconceptions and truths regarding these glasses and lenses one by one.
Wearing GlassesㅣSource: Getty Images Bank
5 Glasses Myths
1. Poor eyesight because of negative vision?
I often hear the saying “Your eyesight is negative.” However, this is an incorrect representation, and vision is not expressed as a negative number. Visual acuity refers to distance vision, which is measured by having people read letters from a distance. Visual acuity is expressed as a decimal number, and when there is no vision, it is called 0.0. The higher the number, the better your eyesight. For example, a visual acuity of 1.0 means good eyesight and is considered normal vision.
On the other hand, there is the concept of frequency. Power refers to the strength and force of the lens required to correct the eye. The degree of poor eyesight is expressed as myopia power. So, in ophthalmology, information is mainly displayed and communicated by myopia rather than visual acuity. When ordering glasses, the prescription for glasses is also written on the myopia power, not the visual acuity. Nearsightedness is indicated by – (minus), and farsightedness is indicated by + (plus). The frequency can be negative.
2. Is it bad for your eyes if you wear glasses with a lot of scratches on the lenses?
Scratches on the lenses that occur while wearing glasses increase eye strain. In addition, the coating function of the lens is deteriorated, so it cannot block UV rays well. When the UV protection that enters the eye is lowered, it can cause damage to the cornea. Therefore, although there is no set exact interval for changing glasses, on average, it is recommended to change them once every 1 to 2 years.
3. Is it bad for young children to wear glasses?
Even babies under two years of age may be advised to wear glasses if significant myopia is found. This is because proper visual stimulation is necessary for proper vision development. The younger you are, the faster your eyes will recover and the more effective you can correct your vision.
There are many parents who misunderstand that their eyes are getting worse because they wear glasses when they see that the power of glasses goes up every time their child has an eye exam. However, these are only natural changes that occur during growth, and glasses do not make your eyes worse. However, if you wear over-corrected glasses for a long time, the stimulation of lens control increases when working at short distances, which may worsen myopia.
Vision loss is caused by eye growth or abnormalities, not glasses. Myopia has a great impact on children and adolescents who are growing up, so it is recommended that children check whether their vision has changed every 6 months to 1 year.
4. My eyesight is bad, but if I don’t wear glasses, my eyesight gets worse?
Not wearing glasses doesn’t make your eyesight worse. There can be many reasons for poor vision, including congenital factors, cataracts, retinal detachment, and glaucoma. It doesn’t matter if you wear glasses or not. Therefore, if you have poor eyesight enough to feel uncomfortable in your daily life, it is recommended to wear glasses, but if you do not have any major problems, you do not necessarily need to wear glasses.
However, proper eye care is essential. This is evidenced by research results that suggest that when vision is reduced, sensory experience is poor, the quality of visual information received by the eye decreases, and cognitive load can occur by filling the gaps in visual information.
5. Does your eyesight deteriorate if you only wear your glasses when you need them and take them off?
Wearing glasses only when necessary does not mean that your eyesight worsens due to nearsightedness or astigmatism. This is also true in children. Myopia is worse because the eyeballs grow as the body grows, so the habit of wearing glasses does not affect the growth of the eyes. Therefore, you can wear glasses as comfortable as you like. Wearing glasses only when necessary does not result in reduced vision such as nearsightedness or astigmatism.
Soft LensㅣSource: B&bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology
5 contact lens myths
1. What is the difference between the power of contact lenses and the power of glasses?
Even if the vision is the same, glasses and contact lenses have different powers. This is because the distance between the glasses and the eye is 12 to 15 mm, but the contact lens directly touches the eye, so there is very little distance between the eye and the lens. Therefore, if you adjust your contact lenses to the power of your glasses or your glasses to the power of your contact lenses, you may experience dizziness due to the difference in image magnification.
2. Can myopia, farsightedness, and astigmatism be corrected by just wearing lenses?
Contact lenses can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism to some extent. However, even if nearsightedness and farsightedness are corrected with lenses, if astigmatism is not corrected properly, clear and clear vision and vision cannot be obtained. Usually, regular astigmatism can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses for astigmatism. However, severely irregular astigmatism is difficult to correct. In this case, it is recommended to focus on correcting astigmatism with astigmatism correction glasses, astigmatism correction contact lenses, or dream lenses through a detailed examination.
3. Proteins and deposits on soft lenses, shouldn’t they be left alone?
Soft lenses are made of soft materials such as hydrogel and silicone and boast a good fit. Its advantages are that it is inexpensive and has a wide selection of designs and materials. However, because it covers the entire eye, the low oxygen permeability is a disadvantage. If you use it for a long time, our eyes lose a lot of moisture and become very dry. This may increase the risk of other eye diseases.
Also, the soft lens surface is easy to scratch. Scratched lens surfaces can cause protein or bacterial deposits. If you continue to wear lenses that are deposited with protein, one of the components of tears, your eyesight may deteriorate or your cornea may be adversely affected. Therefore, it must be cleaned regularly to remove protein deposits.
On the outside of the soft lens product, the replacement cycle, such as one day, one month, or six months, is written depending on the lens. You can change the lens according to each replacement cycle. It is also recommended to carefully check the condition of the lens during use. If your lenses are scratched, have protein deposits, or are hard to see with your lenses on, we recommend replacing them quickly.
4. Can I use hard lenses for more than 2-3 years?
Hard lenses are designed to float over the eyes rather than covering the entire eye. They are smaller than soft lenses and have excellent oxygen permeability to reduce eye fatigue. The lens moves when you close and open your eyes, which makes it less dry. The diameter is as small as 9-10mm, and the sharpness is excellent, and the effect of correcting astigmatism is excellent. The price is high, but once purchased, it can be worn for 2-3 years, which is economical. However, unlike soft lenses, they are not as comfortable to wear and may take up to a month to get used to.
The average replacement cycle for hard lenses is usually 2-3 years. However, if the condition of the lens is clean during the period of use and there is no problem with vision correction, it is better to use it according to the situation. In addition, please check the condition of the lens thoroughly during use and pay attention to cleaning and disinfection.
5. Can I wear colored lenses all day?
Colored lenses have a low oxygen permeability, so oxygen is not properly supplied to the cornea. This makes the eyes dry and tired easily. In particular, the problem with the dye has a bad effect on the eyes. In addition, since the surface is uneven compared to normal lenses, bacteria adhere to the lens surface more easily, which can cause inflammation such as keratitis, conjunctivitis, and corneal ulcers. Colors for cosmetic purposes can cause problems with the lens, increasing the chances of developing diseases such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Therefore, it is not recommended to wear colored lenses that do not have high oxygen permeability for a long time. If you want to wear colored lenses in a healthy way, the answer is to wear them for less than 4 hours a day and keep them clean using a lens preservative.
Director Kim Joo-hyunㅣSource: B&Bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology
Help = Hidak Consulting Doctor Joo-Hyun Kim (B&Bit Gangnam Bright World Ophthalmology Specialist)
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