If you have difficulty seeing near objects clearly, you probably suffer from farsightedness, a refractive error also known as hyperopia. Farsighted patients are unable to focus clearly on nearby objects because their corneas are too flat, causing light to focus behind the retina, rather than directly on it. As a result, farsighted patients have trouble seeing print, images, and video when they are being viewed up close, such as on a phone or tablet. At North County Laser Eye Associates, Dr. Paul H. Chen offers various treatments for farsightedness. Patients of our San Diego, CA practice can choose from various options, including glasses, contact lenses, and LASIK to improve their vision.
Glasses
Glasses are by far the most common treatment for farsightedness. Dr. Chen can measure the degree of your refractive error and prescribe glasses to aid you in achieving clear vision. We offer specialty lenses, such as the Teflon clear anti-reflective coat for lenses, polarized lenses to reduce glare from the sun, and Transitions Photochromatic Lenses to block harmful UV rays. In addition, patients can choose from a number of popular brands of glasses, including Calvin Klein, Gucci, and Oakley.
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are ideal for teens and adults that have become frustrated with glasses and wish to wear a more discreet visual aid. Dr. Chen can measure your degree of refractive error, prescribe your contact lenses, and fit you with your contact lenses. We offer various types of contact lenses, including soft lenses, rigid gas permeable (RGPs) lenses, daily disposables, colored lenses, and SynergEyes. Dr. Chen can have you try on the different types of lenses to see which is the most comfortable and discuss their pros and cons to help you decide on the contact lenses that are right for you.
LASIK
LASIK is a long term, surgical vision correction option to reduce or eliminate your need for visual aids such as glasses or contact lenses. During this procedure, Dr. Chen will create a flap in the outer, epithelial layer of your cornea, and then reshape the underlying stromal layers to create more curvature so light properly reflects on the retina. After the excimer laser reshapes the cornea, the corneal flap is closed and will heal on its own during the next few days. LASIK is a good treatment option for patients that are over the age of 18 and have had a stable vision prescription for at least two years.
ASA
ASA, or advanced surface ablation, is another surgical procedure that can provide long-term vision correction. This procedure is similar to LASIK, with one major difference. Rather than creating a flap in the epithelium, the epithelial layer is removed. The surgery then proceeds as it does with LASIK. After surgery, special contact lenses are applied to the eyes to aid with healing of the epithelial layer. ASA provides comparable results to LASIK, but requires a longer healing period with fewer long term side effects. LASIK is generally the faster surgical procedure, but in cases in which patients have thin or damaged corneas, ASA may be recommended instead of LASIK.
To find out which treatments are right for you, contact North County Laser Eye Associates.
