Vision Disorders
Vision Disorders Specialist in Illinois & Iowa
What Are Vision Disorders?
Vision disorders refer to problems that affect how your eyes focus light and send visual information to your brain. The most common disorders include nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), astigmatism, and presbyopia. While these refractive errors are not diseases, they can significantly impact your ability to see clearly at various distances. At Eye Surgeons Associates, we use advanced diagnostic tools during your routine eye exam to detect and manage these issues early.
Diagnosing and Treating Common Refractive Errors
It may be a sign of a refractive error if you’re struggling with blurry vision, frequent headaches, or eye strain. Nearsightedness causes difficulty seeing distant objects, while farsightedness affects close-up vision. Astigmatism results from an irregularly shaped cornea and can blur both near and far vision. Presbyopia, which typically develops after age 40, makes it harder to focus on nearby objects. These conditions are often corrected using glasses, contact lenses, or refractive surgery options like LASIK, depending on your needs and lifestyle.
Common Vision Problems We Treat
Nearsightedness (Myopia)
Symptoms: Trouble seeing far away, squinting at distant objects
What’s happening: Your eye is longer than normal, so light focuses in front of your retina instead of on it.
Solutions: Glasses, contacts, LASIK surgery, ICLs, or myopia management for children
Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
Symptoms: Difficulty reading up close, especially before age 40
What’s happening: Your eye is shorter than normal, so light tries to focus behind your retina.
Solutions: Glasses, contacts, LASIK, or refractive lens exchange
Astigmatism
Symptoms: Blurry or shadowy vision at all distances
What’s happening: Your cornea has an uneven shape, like a football instead of a basketball, causing light to focus unevenly.
Solutions: Glasses, contacts, LASIK, or special implant lenses
Presbyopia (“Old Eyes”)
Symptoms: Holding reading material farther away to see clearly (usually starts around age 45)
What’s happening: The lens inside your eye loses flexibility with age.
Solutions: Reading glasses, bifocals, multifocal contacts, monovision, prescription eye drops, or presbyopia-correcting implant lenses
Vision Disorders and Eye Health
Untreated vision disorders can affect more than just your sight; they can contribute to eye fatigue, interfere with daily activities, and even increase your risk of accidents. During your visit, we’ll assess your visual acuity and examine the overall health of your eyes to rule out underlying conditions. If you’re experiencing additional symptoms like dryness, light sensitivity, or fluctuating vision, our team may also check for associated issues such as dry eye syndrome or early signs of macular degeneration.
Customized Vision Care for All Ages
We offer personalized care plans based on age, lifestyle, and eye health. Early detection of vision disorders is critical for children to avoid learning difficulties, which is why we provide thorough pediatric eye exams. Adults and seniors benefit from regular evaluations to monitor changes and manage age-related conditions such as cataracts and presbyopia. Our doctors also work closely with patients managing diabetic eye disease to preserve vision and detect complications early.