Dr. Arvind Varma is a practicing ophthalmologist who runs a clinic in Nerul, Navi Mumbai. Besides writing on common eye problems, Dr. Varma will also answer specific queries.

Don’t want to wear those glasses anymore? This issue Dr. Varma gives you the options…

I do not want to use glasses. What are the options available with me?
If you do not want to use glasses, the options available are:

Contact Lenses:
They are small lenses made of special material which stick to the cornea or front portion of the eye. These are invisible when worn in the eye and yet let user see clearly. These have to be removed after a specified period.

Which contact lenses are the best and what precautions I will have to take?
Contact lenses can be `hard', `semi soft' or `soft'. Semi soft contact lenses are usually recommended for high cylindrical numbers. Soft contact lenses are best for spherical corrections. High cylindrical numbers can be corrected by `Toric' soft contact lenses.

You can choose between a routine wear or extended wear lenses. Extended wear lenses can be worn for days together without removal. Regarding precautions, one has to keep lenses clean, visit the eye specialist regularly and change lenses after specified period as directed. Do not use any medications over your contact lenses and never wear your lenses if you have a red eye.

Refractive Surgery
RS is a procedure where in the cornea is reshaped. It can be manual (Refractive keratotomy) or laser assisted (Lasik or Excimer). Once performed, the change in number is permanent.

What is Refractive Surgery?
Lasik surgery is the most widely accepted trend in use today. Here a flap is raised from the surface of the cornea and laser applied underneath to reshape the cornea. Raised flap is riposted back. It takes weeks to a few months in getting a new number. During that period one may experience glare and bright lights. Night driving is sometimes more difficult. Precautions must be followed to avoid infections and maintain hygiene.

Do I need to wear glasses after Lasik?
No surgeon can give you hundred per cent guarantee of fool proof final results. Many things happen during the phase of wound healing that the number may not be predicted and you may have to use glasses or contact lenses for more accurate vision. But in most cases dependency upon glasses is lessened.

Orthokeratology
There are two types of Orthokeratology. This involves the reshaping of cornea with the help of specially designed lenses. One can see fairly clearly without any visual aid but needs to wear retainer lenses off and on to keep the cornea in shape.

Can Orthokeratology help me? What do I need to do?
If you do not have a very high number and do not want to be dependent upon glasses or contact lenses all the times, Orthokeratology may be the option for you. All you have to do is to visit your eye specialist who will fit a series of specially made contact lenses to reshape your cornea. Once the desired results have been obtained, you will have to use your retainer lenses for a few hours a week to keep seeing fairly clearly without any visual aid.

Which procedure should I opt for?
First of all, a detailed examination of the eye is a necessity and a thorough discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of each option.

Contact lenses are easy to use, and can be changed periodically if the power changes. Disadvantages are that lenses have to be worn constantly, have to be discarded after a period, and have to be cared for.
Refractive Surgery gives you a permanent change in number. Today lasers are used to perform such corrections. Results are fairly predictable. But the cost of surgery is a limiting factor. The surgery can be performed only when the number has stayed stable for some time. The procedure is usually performed after 18 years of age. The number should be fairly high for better results. Orthokeratology gives one a fairly good vision without any procedure or permanent contact lenses. One can revert back to any other method in the future. But the method takes a few weeks to months in yielding results. One has to use retainer lenses at night for a few hours to keep the number under control.

Are there any exercises or natural methods to get rid of glasses?
No method (save that of using visual aids) has been scientifically proved to be recommended as a standard method of treatment to remove glasses.

Note: If any reader has documented proof of getting rid of glasses through medicine or other such methods, the writer would be genuinely interested to study such a case

Next fortnight discover more about Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS).

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Other Articles By Dr. Arvind Varma

• An Eye On trouble
• An Eye On Your Glasses…
• Do You Have A Lazy Eye?
• Do You Have Computer Vision Syndrome?
• Does Your Child Need An Eye Checkup?
• FAQ’s About Cataract
• Cataract Treatment
• How To Care For Your Eyes
• Treatment For Glaucoma
• Understanding Glaucoma
• Your Eye & Diabetes Mellitus