Reduction of vision

Deteriorating vision is something that affects many people. Your near or far vision can get worse and/or images can appear slightly distorted. We will determine the cause and the appropriate treatment for you.

Common forms of vision impairment include:

Nearsightedness

Nearsightedness, or myopia, is the condition whereby you see near objects clearly, but everything at a distance appears blurred. This is caused by a refractive error in the eye. Normally, the refraction of the cornea and the lens ensure that you have a sharp image of objects at a distance on your retina. If the shape of your eye is too long or the curve of your lens is too steep, you won’t get a sharp image of objects at a distance on your retina. People with nearsightedness need a correction with a minus power.

Nearsightedness is an hereditary condition. If one of the parents has this condition, there is a higher chance that the child will also have myopia. A person who needs a prescription of -6 dioptres is said to have high myopia.

Nearsightedness in children

Risks of high myopia

Nearsightedness in children

Nearsightedness generally develops between the ages of 6 and 12. It gradually increases as the eye grows and the length of the eye increases. Once a child has reached adulthood, the condition generally stabilizes. As a result of heavy use of screens (mobile phones, tablets, computers, etc.), nearsightedness in children has increased significantly in recent years.

• Slowing nearsightedness in children

For children, a good way of slowing down nearsightedness is the so-called 20-20-2 rule:

After 20 minutes of steady work with objects up close (reading / tablet / smartphone / crafts),
At least 20 seconds looking into the distance.
At least 2 hours a day should be spent outside in the daylight.

In addition, you can insist that your child read at a distance of at least 30 cm.

• Treatment of nearsightedness in children

In addition to slowing down nearsightedness in children, you can also treat it.
A first step is the use of corrective lenses, whereby the eyes are supported with glasses of an appropriate prescription.

As a second step, atropine drops can be administered. The atropine will dilate the pupil and relax the eye’s ciliary muscle. Administer one drop in each eye of your child every day before going to sleep. If this still does not stabilise the condition, special eyeglasses can be prescribed.

If there is a high divergence, an operation may be considered (as of adulthood).

Risks of high myopia

High myopia (-6 dioptres or more) may cause the retina to thin. After the age of 40, this can give rise to other problems, such as retinal detachment or macular degeneration, and a yellow spot at the back of the eye in the middle of the retina. In case of high myopia, there is also a greater chance of developing cataracts or glaucoma.

Your eye doctor can prescribe the appropriate glasses or contact lenses in order to correct your vision.

As an adult, you can also opt to get rid of your glasses or contacts. At our eye centre, we different treatments available for this purpose, such as laser treatments, an extra lens implants or a lens replacement. Together, we determine the most suitable treatment for you depending on the condition of your eyes, your own preferences, and your life and work situation.

Life without glasses

Farsightedness

Farsightedness, or hypermetropia, is the condition whereby your eyes can see distant objects clearly, but things close up appear blurred. This is caused by a refractive error in the eye. Normally, the refraction of the cornea and the lens ensure that you have a sharp image of objects nearby on your retina. If the shape of your eye is too short, you won’t get a sharp image of objects close up on your retina. If you are farsighted, you often have trouble reading and may get a headache as a result. As you get older, your distance vision may become blurred as well. People with farsightedness need a correction with a plus power.

You can opt to support your eyes with corrective glasses or contact lenses of the appropriate prescription.

As an adult, you can also opt to get rid of your glasses or contacts. At our eye centre, we offer different treatments available for this purpose, such as laser treatments, an extra lens implants or a lens replacement. Together, we determine the most suitable treatment for you depending on the condition of your eyes, your own preferences, and your life and work situation.

Age-related farsightedness

Age-related farsightedness, or presbyopia, is the condition whereby your eyes can see distant objects clearly, but things close up appear blurred. In this case, you have difficulty reading without glasses. The reason is that as you get older, the elasticity and ability of your ocular lens to focus decreases, and therefore you have more difficulty seeing nearby objects clearly. This mostly begins after the age of 45 (or even earlier if you are farsighted).

You can opt for the use of corrective lenses, whereby the eyes are supported with glasses of an appropriate prescription. A reading section can be added to glasses intended for distance vision or in special contact lenses.
You can also opt to get rid of your glasses or contacts.

You can also opt to get rid of your glasses or contacts. At our eye centre, we offer different treatments available for this condition, such as a laser treatment (Presbyond), an extra lens implant or a lens replacement. Together, we determine the most suitable treatment for you depending on the condition of your eyes, your own preferences, and your life and work situation.

Astigmatism or imperfect curvature of the cornea or lens

Astigmatism, or imperfect curvature of the cornea or lens, means your eye is not perfectly round. For normal visual acuity, the cornea should have the same shape (curvature) in all directions (like a football). If you have astigmatism, then your cornea is curved more in one direction than the other (like a rugby ball). This causes a distorted image that can be compared to the image you see in a funfair mirror, which can make an object look very large, very small or very thin. If you have astigmatism, you can see less clearly both from a distance and nearby. Astigmatism often occurs in combination with near sightedness or farsightedness.

As an adult, you can also opt to get rid of your glasses or contacts. At our eye centre, we offer different treatments available for this condition, such as laser treatments, an extra lens implant or a lens replacement. Together, we determine the most suitable treatment for you depending on the condition of your eyes, your own preferences, and your life and work situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you be both nearsighted and farsighted at the same time?

Indeed, the combination of nearsightedness and farsightedness occurs regularly. We mainly see it in people who are already nearsighted and additionally develop presbyopia, the reading problems that typically arise from the age of 45. At Eyecenter oogartsen, with practices in Latem, Gavere, Merelbeke and Eeklo, we can correct multiple refractive errors simultaneously in a single treatment. For this, we use techniques such as Laser Blended Vision or a lens replacement.

How does someone with astigmatism or a cylinder deviation see?

Anyone with astigmatism or a cylinder deviation sees a distorted image, both far away and up close. This is because the cornea is rather oval in shape (like a rugby ball) instead of spherical like a football. As a result, images are perceived as stretched or out of focus. Astigmatism often occurs together with nearsightedness or farsightedness.

Can you have your eyes lasered if you have a cylinder deviation or astigmatism?

Yes, a cylinder deviation of up to 6 dioptres can be treated with a laser. Eyecenter oogartsen uses several techniques for this: LASIK, PRK and KLEx (also known as SMILE or SmartSight). The treatment takes a maximum of 10 minutes per eye, is painless and is possible from the age of 18.

Can nearsightedness or farsightedness be permanently improved without glasses?

Absolutely, both refractive errors can be permanently corrected without you remaining dependent on glasses. At Eyecenter oogartsen you can choose between laser treatment (nearsightedness up to -8, farsightedness up to +4 dioptres) and an additional lens implant (ICL), in which your natural eye lens is preserved. Which method will give you the best results is determined during a thorough preliminary examination of about two hours.

What does the preliminary examination for laser eye surgery at Eyecenter oogartsen involve?

The preliminary examination at Eyecenter oogartsen takes a little over two hours. During this examination, we measure, among other things, the thickness of your cornea, your eye pressure, the quality of your tear film and your visual acuity. Stop wearing soft contact lenses three days beforehand; for hard lenses, allow three weeks. The results are valid for six months, and based on these, the ophthalmologist in Latem, Gavere, Merelbeke or Eeklo will discuss which approach is best for your eyes.