Eye Health

Anatomy of the Eye

Cornea

The cornea is a clear, dome shaped covering and it serves as the eye’s main lens.

Fovea

The fovea is located in the center of the macula, it is where vision is the most acute.

Iris

The iris controls the amount of light entering the eye. The color of the eye depends on the color of the iris.

Lens

The lens is secondary to the cornea and is used for fine tuning the focus.

Macula

The macula is a small, sensitive area of the central retina used for fine visual skills such as reading.

Optic Nerve

The optic nerve carries the signals from the retina to your brain. The brain translates this visual information into images that you see.

Retina

The eye focuses light on the retina. The retina is where light receptor cells translate light into signals that go to the brain.

Cones and rods are specialized light-sensitive cells (photoreceptors) in the retina. Cones provide sharp central vision and color vision. Rods handle side vision and vision in dim lighting conditions.

Sclera

The sclera is the thick, white outer layer of the eyeball and it serves as protection along with the cornea.

Courtesy of the National Eye Institute

Caring for Your Eyes

Caring for your vision doesn't begin and end with eyeglasses, contact lenses and corneal modification surgeries like LASIK. There are many other things you can do to maximize and protect the vision you currently have.

Caring for Your Eyes

Children's Vision

A federally designated Medically Underserved Area, Boardman, Oregon, on the banks of the Columbia River, is home to 3,200 people. Many are served by the community health center bearing the river’s name, but vision care wasn’t a priority until a collaborative opportunity presented itself to Dr. Rebecca Chown, O.D.

In April 2016, Oregon Health & Science University’s (OHSU) Head Start program teamed up with Dr. Chown to ensure 26 children-who had been on a one-year wait list for care-could receive follow-up care from an eye doctor. Dr. Chown agreed to volunteer her time and conducted comprehensive eye exams on the 3- and 4-year-olds.

“It wasn’t just a little bit of farsightedness or nearsightedness,” she says. “We’re talking three diopters of astigmatism and significant amounts of farsightedness or nearsightedness. These children were in sincere need. This is an opportunity for optometrists to lead the way in helping their communities.”  

Click here to read more 

1 in 4 children have vision problems that can interfere with learning in school, according to the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.

In Oregon, 25% of 2nd and 4th graders have undetected vision problems. That means that sometimes learning problems may be undiagnosed vision problems.

OOPA worked with partners in 2013 to enact The Children’s Vision Law in Oregon. Now, children up to age 7 starting school receive an eye exam or vision screening, plus glasses or other treatment, if needed.

Your Oregon optometric physicians provide comprehensive eye exams to diagnose and treat vision problems that affect learning in children and partner with the Oregon Foundation for Vision Awareness to

The New Children’s Vision Law in Oregon     |     Children’s Vision Proclamation ;    |     OFVA Oregon Foundation for Vision Awareness

Common Eye Diseases

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the US.

It is caused by changes in the macula, the part of the retina responsible for clear vision.

As this condition advances, a distorted, dark or empty space appears in the center of view, as in the image to the right.

Contact your eye doctor immediately if you have any of these symptoms.

After age 60 the American Optometric Association recommends an annual comprehensive eye examination.

Cataract

A cataract is the clouding of all or part of your eye’s lens. Your lens is normally clear. See your eye doctor if you think you may have cataracts.

This condition is most often found in people over 55 but can occur in younger individuals.

The cause of cataracts is not known but the cloudy lens is a result of a chemical change in the eye. This may be due to age, heredity, injury or disease.

If you have cataracts, your eye doctor will be able to discuss treatment options with you.

Cataracts can be removed by an eye surgeon by replacing your eye’s lens with an artificial lens.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is one of many health problems that can be caused by diabetes.

This eye disease is caused by the leaking, swelling or branching of the small blood vessels in the retina.

As diabetic retinopathy progresses, you may notice your vision is cloudy and you might develop blind spots or floaters.

Left untreated, diabetic retinopathy can cause blindness.

Have your eyes examined regularly, especially if you or a family member has diabetes.

Laser and other eye surgery can slow the progress of the disease and decrease the risk of blindness. However, early treatment is important.

If you have diabetes, follow your doctors advice and get regular eye examinations.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is caused by an increase in the internal pressure of the eye.

The increase in pressure can damage the fibers in your optic nerve.

This pressure occurs when the passages in your eye that normally drain fluid become blocked or clogged.

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in the US.

Glaucoma can not be prevented but it can be controlled through treatment if it is diagnosed early.

The American Optometric Association recommends that you have yearly examinations if you are at risk of glaucoma.

Retinitis Pigmentosa

Retinitis pigmentosa is a condition of the retina where the cells called rods degenerate over time.

This is a condition that is inherited from your parents.

As the disease progresses, individuals lose their ability to see in low light conditions and over time they may lose their peripheral vision.

See your eye doctor if you think you have retinitis pigmentosa or if you have a family history of this disease

Information courtesy of the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.

Vision Conditions

Normal vision
With normal vision everything you see is clear and in focus, you might hear this called 20/20 vision.

That means that you can see clearly at 20 feet what most people with normal vision can see.

Nearsighted (Myopia)
If you have myopia you can clearly see close objects, but distant objects are blurry. Myopia is caused by the eyeball being too long. Myopia occurs in different degrees from minimal to extreme. The more myopic you are the blurrier your vision is at a distance and objects will have to be closer to you so you can see them clearly.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eye has too much “plus power” and the eye focuses the light in front of the retina.

Nearsighted people’s vision is blurry at a distance. They might see something like this picture when they look at things far away.

Farsighted (Hyperopia)
If you have hyperopia, you can see distant objects clearly, but close ones are blurry.

Hyperopia occurs when the eyeball is too short for the light rays to focus clearly on the retina.

Farsighted people’s vision is blurry close up.

They might see something like this picture when they try to read or do close-up work.
 

Astigmatism
People with an astigmatism don’t see clearly at any distance.

If you have an astigmatism, the surface of the eye (cornea) is not perfectly round, rather it is more oval and doesn’t allow the eye to focus clearly. The cornea is very important in helping the eye focus light rays on the retina. Astigmatism rarely occurs alone. It is usually accompanies myopia or hyperopia.

Presbyopia
If you have presbyopia, you have the loss of the ability to focus up close that occurs as you age. Most people are between 40 and 50 years when they realize for the first time that they can’t read objects close to them. The letters of the phonebook are “too small” or you have to hold the newspaper farther away from your eye to see it clearly. At the same time your ability to focus on objects that are far way remains normal.

Color Blindness
Most of us share a common color vision sensory experience. Some people, however, have a color vision deficiency, which means their perception of colors is different from what most of us see. The most severe forms of these deficiencies are referred to as color blindness. People with color blindness aren’t aware of differences among colors that are obvious to the rest of us. People who don’t have the more severe types of color blindness may not even be aware of their condition unless they’re tested in a clinic or laboratory. Read more

Information courtesy of the National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health.