<p>Ross Hardey Optometrist</p><p>Common vision problems which affect us all </p><p>September is Save our Sight Month, and there’s no better time to give your eyes some attention than right now. </p><p>We’ve already talked about eye vision problems which can sneak up on you, like Glaucoma, which has no symptoms to speak of until vision is irreparably lost. However, there are also some very common vision problems which affect most people, particularly as the eye ages. </p><p>Virtually everyone is affected by presbyopia after the age of 40. Inside the eye is a lens which our eye muscles change shape to focus on close things. This lens loses its elasticity over time. This means our ability to focus on close objects or small print will gradually decline with age. Presbyopia will occur in addition to previous visual defects such as myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism. We can prescribe lenses designed to help.</p><p>A person with myopia, commonly called short-sightedness, will experience blurred distance vision while being able to see clearly up close. Short-sighted people will find objects become clearer as they move closer to them. Their eyes are too long and the picture forms in front of the retina. Myopia is corrected with a lens designed to move the image back onto the retina, making distant objects clear once again.</p><p>A person with hyperopia, also called long-sightedness, can generally see easily at any distance. However, when objects are closer, the eye has to adjust the focus because the image forms behind the retina. Generally the eye can adjust but sometimes, the eye is not powerful enough to make this special effort and the images become blurry. This effort can cause fatigue and headaches. Hyperopia requires lenses designed to converge light, relieving the headaches and visual fatigue.</p><p>For more information on vision problems associated with eye health, contact either Visique Wanganui Eyecare or Eyes on Victoria.</p><p>Two stores…one vision…..to provide the very best in personalised customer service.</p>