Integrated Science Assignment #1 - Eye Defects: Form 2A

JORREL DE SANTOS
Integrated Science
Assignment #1 -
Eye Defects
Form 2A
Ms. Hinds
Table of Contents
Definition and Causes of Myopia Page 2
Symptoms and Signs Page 2
Treatment and Control of Myopia Pages 2-3
Definition and Causes of Hyperopia Pages 3-4
Symptoms of Hyperopia Page 4
Treatment and Control of Hyperopia Pages 4-5
Definition of Presbyopia Page 5
Symptoms of Presbyopia Page 5
Treatment and Control of Presbyopia Pages 5-6
Sources Page 7
1
1. Myopia
A. Definition and Causes

Myopia can be defined as near-sightedness which is caused when the lens
focuses parallel rays of light in front of the retina, instead of directly on it,
resulting in only nearby objects being visible. It is a hereditary disease which
usually plateaus (levels itself out) but can worsen with age.
Myopia is caused by a ‘refractive error’ i.e. a disease in which rays of light bend
incorrectly into the eye to transmit images to the brain. In myopia, the eyeball
is either too long or the cornea is too curvy, so the light is not correctly
focused. In some cases, myopia is due to a combination of these factors.
B. Symptoms and Signs of Myopia

People who are near-sighted often complain of:
- Headaches, eyestrain, squinting, or fatigue when driving, playing sports, or
looking more than a few feet away.
- Children that are affected commonly complain of not being able to see the
board at school, may rub their eyes a lot, blink excessively and may even
seem unaware of distant objects.
C. Treatment and Control
There are three main ways that near-sightedness can be corrected. These are
by the use of:
- Glasses (usually a negative number)
- Contact lenses (usually a negative number as well)
- Refractive surgery.
The amount of time a person would need to wear their glasses or contact
lenses depends on the degree of myopia. They may need to wear them all the
time or just when they need to see long distances.
2
Refractive surgery is a quicker (more expensive) way of dealing with myopia. It
can reduce greatly or completely eliminate the need for glasses. Most are
done with an excimer laser (a type which uses ultraviolet rays to cut away eye
tissue).
In PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy), the laser removes a layer of corneal

tissue, which flattens the cornea and allows light rays to focus more accurately
on the retina.
In LASIK (Laser – assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) — the most common

refractive procedure — a thin flap is created on the surface of the cornea, a
laser removes some corneal tissue to make the shape better for the correct
focusing of light, and then the flap is returned to its original position.
To control myopia or at least slow the rate of the eyes becoming myopic, a
simple step would be not to read excessively or overdo it on the computer.
Additionally, ingesting the correct amount of Vitamin A can contribute greatly
to the plateauing of this defect.
2. Hyperopia (Hyper-metropia)
A. Definition of Defect and Causes

Hyperopia, unlike myopia, is caused when parallel rays of light are focused
behind the retina, resulting in only distant objects being clearly visible but like
myopia, it is also a refractive error. Hyperopia is commonly referred to as far
sightedness.
Farsightedness occurs when:

- The eye is shorter than usual
- The cornea has too much curvature
- Or when the lens are too far back
Hyperopia is hereditary, like myopia, and is usually inherited but many
children’s eyes’ flexible lens compensate for the causes naturally (‘squint’ very
well). This simply means that if the hyperopia is not very severe, the child will
3
be able to see naturally. Sometimes, as a person gets older, their lens lose the
ability to naturally compensate, therefore making this defect more noticeable.
Hyperopia can be a sign of a much worse disease like eye tumours or glaucoma
and is a risk factor for crossed-eyes (strabismus).
B. Signs and Symptoms

People that have Hyperopia may experience:
- Blurred vision when viewing close objects
- Eye strain
- Difficulty concentrating or focusing on nearby objects
- Fatigue or headache after performing a close task such as reading
- The necessity to squint to see clearly

Hyperopia can be corrected by the very same methods used to correct myopia:
- Glasses (with a positive number this time) can be prescribed
- Contact Lenses (Also with positive numbers) can be used as well
- Refractive surgery can be used
The surgeries are the same:
- PRK – Photorefractive Keratectomy – this uses an eximer laser to remove

some corneal tissue to allow light to focus more accurately.
- LASIK – Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis – a flap is cut through the top
of the cornea, a laser sculpts the internal corneal tissue into a vision
correcting shape, and then the flap is dropped back into place, It is also the
most common surgery used to correct far sightedness.
Hyperopia cannot be prevented, but the eyes can be protected from further
damage by following steps like:
- Eating correctly
- Recognizing symptoms early
- Not smoking
4
- Using recommended glasses
- Taking constant health checks
3. Presbyopia
A. Definition of Disease and Causes

Presbyopia is a visual impairment that usually occurs during middle and old
age. It is far sightedness due to the loss of elasticity in the lens. It is not
technically classified as a disease because it is the loss of the eye's ability to
change its focus to see objects that are near. It is as naturally occurring as
many other things that affect people during their old age, like wrinkles.
Presbyopia is caused by a hardening of the lens of the eye, which occurs with
aging. As the lens becomes less flexible, it can no longer change shape to focus
on close-up images. As a result, these images appear out of focus.
Presbyopia is usually confused with farsightedness (hyperopia). They are not
the same. Presbyopia is caused when the natural lens in the body lose
elasticity, while hyperopia is as a result of the natural shape of the eye.
B. Symptoms and Symptoms of Presbyopia

Symptoms of presbyopia include:
- The need to hold reading material at arm's length.
- Blurred vision at a normal reading distance.
- Headaches or fatigue from doing close work.

Presbyopia cannot be cured. Instead, prescription glasses, contact lenses,
reading glasses, progressive addition lenses, or bifocals can help correct the
effects of presbyopia.
- Bifocals are usually prescribed to help treat presbyopia. These are lenses in
which the top half aids in long distance vision and the bottom helps with
near vision.
5
- Contact lenses include mono-vision and multifocal lenses, in which the lens
in one eye corrects the long distance vision while the one in the other
corrects near distance.
- An implant called a Karna Inlay can be surgically placed in one eye to help
improve near vision. It is the first implant of its kind to be approved for
presbyopia patients who have not had cataract surgery.
- Another surgical procedure available for some people with presbyopia is

conductive keratoplasty (CK). Instead of lasers, conductive keratoplasty
uses radio waves. It was quite popular at one point in time, but is less used
now that it was shown that the near vision improvement that was given
was temporary.
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Sources
www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/myopia.html
www.dictionary.reference.com/browse/myopia
www.medicinenet.com/myopia/article.html
www.rightdiagnosis.com/m/myopia/symptoms.htm
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-
conditions/farsightedness/basics/causes/CON-20027486
www.medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/hyperopia
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/farsightedness
conditions/farsightedness/basics/prevention/CON-20027486
www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presbyopia
conditions/presbyopia/basics/symptoms/CON-20032261
conditions/presbyopia/basics/causes/con-20032261
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/presbyopia.htm
http://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-health-presbyopia-eyes

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JORREL DE SANTOS

Symptoms and Signs Page 2

Treatment and Control of Myopia Pages 2-3

Definition and Causes of Hyperopia Pages 3-4

Symptoms of Hyperopia Page 4

Treatment and Control of Hyperopia Pages 4-5

Definition of Presbyopia Page 5

Symptoms of Presbyopia Page 5

Treatment and Control of Presbyopia Pages 5-6

A. Definition and Causes

B. Symptoms and Signs of Myopia

C. Treatment and Control

In PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy), the laser removes a layer of corneal

In LASIK (Laser – assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) — the most common

A. Definition of Defect and Causes

Farsightedness occurs when:

B. Signs and Symptoms

C. Treatment and Control

The surgeries are the same:

- PRK – Photorefractive Keratectomy – this uses an eximer laser to remove

A. Definition of Disease and Causes

B. Symptoms and Symptoms of Presbyopia

C. Treatment and Control

- Another surgical procedure available for some people with presbyopia is

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