| Eye Care |
JUNE-JULY , 2021 | THE HEALTH
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What is presbyopia ?
PRESBYOPIA is the natural and inevitable occurring eye condition as we age . It is the gradual loss of near focusing ability . Usually , it becomes noticeable sometime after age 40 , when one has trouble reading small prints and starts holding reading materials at arm ’ s length to be able to read them . patient ’ s pupil size and age to ensure better vision .
25 years providing vision care
Coming from a family of optometrists , Chan was initially attached to her father ’ s optometry practice .
Over time , she had different ideas of running and making changes to the practice . “ So , I choose to set up my own practice . I invested and upgraded my services with new innovations and equipment .”
In pursuit of her own vision and ideas of upgrading the eye care service , she then opened her own optometry practice , Chan May May Sdn Bhd , in Pulau Tikus , Penang .
Later , she opened another practice at Bayan Lepas named Zeiss Vision Center . She has six qualified optometrists rotating between the two branches .
“ I have a different approach with running my practice , focusing more investment on the equipment .”
Apart from prescribing and dispensing corrective lenses , her practices provide comprehensive eye examination services . Such services are intraocular pressure test , cornea screening , retina photography ( 3DOCT Scan ) to detect macular degeneration , keratoconus / Ortho-K lenses , and vision therapy . They are all aided by sophisticated equipment .
Chan found it worthwhile to invest in eye care equipment because it helped optometrists better understand the patients ’ vision problems and the treatment or prescription needed .
She continued : “ The equipment is getting more sophisticated . They can provide more accurate results and give a more comfortable and satisfying examination process . For
example , all my eye examination equipment can be used to diagnose without the need for eye drops and eye dilation .
“ It is also important to ask the patient ’ s history , occupation and hobbies so that we can prescribe according to their lifestyle expectation and needs .”
With 25 years of experience , Chan stressed it was essential to conduct the preliminary tests . This ensured the best and most suitable corrective lenses were prescribed to patients and helped the optometrist detect eye diseases more seamlessly .
She is also a certified vision behavioural optometrist . This makes her well-equipped to help kids with reading difficulties , strabismus ( cross-eyed ) patients and patients suffering from brain injuries such as sixth nerve palsy and concussion .
Adapting to the new normal
According to Chan , specialty lenses such as multifocal contact lenses , astigmatism lenses , and Ortho-K lenses are still in demand during the pandemic and lockdown .
“ Customers are not able to purchase specialty lenses online because it needs to follow the prescribed figures .”
Chan was grateful optometry services were allowed to open their business during the current lockdown .
“ We are an essential service . People need our services to either get their glasses repaired or get the supply of contact lenses .
“ Otherwise , how can you drive , study or go about your daily activities without spectacles or contact lenses .”
Her practices follow the social distancing SOPs strictly , and only those using the MySejahtera app are allowed into the premises . — The Health
Causes
To form an image , the eye relies on the cornea and the lens to focus the light reflected from the object .
Unlike the cornea , the lens is flexible and with the help of a circular muscle that surrounds it , it can change shape .
So , when one is looking at something at a distance , the circular muscle relaxes . And when one is looking at something near , the muscle constricts to allow the lens to curve and focus the light .
Presbyopia is caused by the gradual thickening and loss of flexibility of the lens of your eye , which occurs with aging . When the lens becomes less flexible , it can no longer curve or change shape to focus light from near objects , resulting in blurry near vision .
Risk factors
Apart from age being the greatest risk factor for presbyopia for almost everyone , other medical conditions and drugs can also make one develop presbyopia .
Being farsighted or having certain diseases , such as diabetes , multiple sclerosis or cardiovascular diseases , can increase one ’ s risk of premature presbyopia , which is presbyopia in people younger than 40 .
Also , certain drugs are associated with premature presbyopia symptoms , including antidepressants , antihistamines and diuretics .
Diagnosis and treatments
Presbyopia is diagnosed by a basic eye exam , which includes a refraction assessment and an eye health examination .
It can be treated with glasses , contact lenses and vision surgery . Eyeglasses are the most common and popular solution for people over age 40 . Those with presbyopia also can opt for multifocal contact lenses . Because the human eye changes as we grow older , one ’ s presbyopia glasses or contacts prescription will need to be increased over time as well . Regular checkups allow an eye specialist or optometrist to prescribe a stronger correction as you need it .
Surgical correction is also available for presbyopia .
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