HELP! I have a Ciliary Spasm?!
Question: I asked this question yesterday but only got one answer and am craving more information!
I just got back from the optometrist and he diagnosed me with a ciliary spasm... I already wear glasses -2.25 and he reduced my perscription to -1.75.
he put these drops in my eyes and told me a had a ciliary spasm, he tried to explain it to me but I think it went a little over my head.
He just told me look into the distance often and try to relax as much as possible.
he wants to see me again in a few weeks!
What does this mean exacly, am I going to have to take medication to fight this off? is there anything I can to take it away?
and why did he change my perscription.... glasses are expensive :P
seriously though how long does it take to cure a ciliary spasm and what can I do to speed up the process!
THANKS A MILLION EVERYONE!
Answers: I asked this question yesterday but only got one answer and am craving more information!
I just got back from the optometrist and he diagnosed me with a ciliary spasm... I already wear glasses -2.25 and he reduced my perscription to -1.75.
he put these drops in my eyes and told me a had a ciliary spasm, he tried to explain it to me but I think it went a little over my head.
He just told me look into the distance often and try to relax as much as possible.
he wants to see me again in a few weeks!
What does this mean exacly, am I going to have to take medication to fight this off? is there anything I can to take it away?
and why did he change my perscription.... glasses are expensive :P
seriously though how long does it take to cure a ciliary spasm and what can I do to speed up the process!
THANKS A MILLION EVERYONE!
This may take awhile.
First a little optics. The power of a lens, it's ability to bend light, or appear to bend light is related to the formula:
P=1/d where d is in meters.
For instance, a positive lens focuses light at a point a meter away, (that being the focal distance), it would be a +1.00 lens.
If it focused light a half meter away, +2.00
third of a meter, +3.00
quarter of a meter, +4.00
ninth of a meter, +9.00 and on and on...
In convex or minus lenses, the light passing through the lens is directed OUTwards. But it's directed outwards at a predictable amount. If the light is directed out as IF it came from....a meter away, half meter away, etc., it'll have that same distance power.
So if the light appears to have come from a meter away, the power of that lens would be -1.00.
if it appears to have come from a half meter away, -2.00
etc.
The Emmetropic or normal eye is "normally" focused, when it's relaxed on the surface of the retina. The light from way off over there hits the refractive surface of the eye, the tear film, the cornea, the lens, ...that stuff... and focuses right on the retina. And the person sees normally. This eye doesn't focus with any work. It's just already in focus at that far away distance. This is the 'normal' eye.
But if the person's focusing system is 'weak' and the light doesn't bend enough, the light would focus 'behind' the eye. This person would see a blur. But we can make our eyes 'stronger' by bending the lens inside the eye. This is what we do when we want to see up close. But these weaker eyes, or farsighted eyes have to 'work' to bend the lens so they can see 'normally', and they do. But it takes work, all the time work. People that are HYPEROPES or farsighted, have to work to see at a distance and then work MORE to see up close. That's a LOT of work. By the time they're in high school or secondary school where one has to read a little, they have difficulty concentrating. They get sleepy after 20 minutes or so. The mind wanders and won't keep on tract while trying to read. Makes it really hard to study for any length of time in farsighted people.
In people that are nearsighted or MYOPES, they have a lens system that is too strong for the eye. Distant objects are focused in front of the retina. The light keeps on going and hits the retina out of focus, so they see a blur at distance.
If they are focused at a meter on front of them, and can't see clearly beyond that, they'd be +1.00 too strong and would therefore need a -1.00 lens to move that focal point out, and then they'd see clearly through that lens.
If they were focused at a half meter in front of them, the eye would be +2.00 too strong, and they'd need a -2.00 lens to see clearly at distance. If they could see up to a third of a meter in front of them clearly, but blur beyond that, they'd be a -3.00 myope.
But sometimes, when we are trying to focus up close all the time, like if one sits in front a a computer for hours or reads for hours, one may tend to put a bit too much energy into the lens system and it sort of gets stuck. This can happen with certain drugs, or certain diseases, or by getting a 'cramp' in the muscles or spasm of the muscles of accomodation.
The treatment of this is to try and 'relax' that focus. One can fixate on a pencil or pen or hand or whatever and slowly move that object out till it just blurs, then a little further out, then a little further out. For the eye to continue to see that object clearly, it must relax those muscles of accomodation, the ciliary muscles.
There are certain drugs that may relax those muscles of accomodation that will work as well, such as scopolamine, which lasts for 3 days or so before it allows the muscle to work again.
If, when you go to the eye doctor, you are nervous, or worried, and he notes that you need a negative Rx for your nearsightedness or shortsightedness, you may TRY and focus really hard on those little letters, because you want to get the RIGHT power lens.
But this over plus bending of your lens in your eye will make it so he thinks you are more nearsighted than you really are, because what he measures is your normal too strong eye PLUS the 'help' you are giving him with even MORE power, and he may 'over minus' you. But that's what he's measuring!
This may explain why your Rx seems to have become less strong, because the last time you were 'helping' a little too much. The newer, smaller Rx is because you are a bit more relaxed and not putting in more power for him to have to 'remove'.
Most optometrists will over plus one's Rx at the end of the exam to MAKE you relax, then slowly go back towards your Rx till you can 'just' see those little letters. That's supposed to relax your accomodation, and usually works.
So your spasm can be reduced by trying to see objects that are IN focus, fairly close up, like a foot or two, then moving it out till it blurs. Then move it out further. You'll finally get to your 'far point' where beyond that you can't see clearly. But you'll also have relaxed accomodation and the brow ache, eye ache, tearing, headaches, runny nose...all that.... will go away.
Physostigma 30 , A homoeopathic Medicine ,Qt. 1drachm globules, 2-3 pills ,Twice daily ,orally ,for 7 days
Reply is expected.
I can patch in part of an *answer* I gave yesterday!
Ciliary spasm is not that rare, or that drastic a problem, but it needs watching for as it can make people appear more short-sighted than they are (or "hide" longsight).
And giving glasses that work with the spasm in place is only tending to make it more established. We're looking for the minimum minus, or maximum plus lenses, to reduce the chance of spasm being present.
Once found, and proven by the use of cycloplegic drops, it's usuallly just a matter of encouraging the ciliary muscles into better habits for distance and near, and in moving easily from one to the other.
Keeping your closework working distance as long as possible helps, and breaking from closework to re-establish distance vision at regular intervals, too.
Once the drops have worn off...
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Try:
Glasses on. Hold a pencil in one hand.
Look at some distant object that will show doubling.
(church spire, flagpole, streetlight)
At arm's length, line up pencil with distant target.
Either pencil or target should appear double.
Concentrate on one, and get it single.
(the other will tend to go blurred and double: this is normal, and what we're after.)
Jump focus from one to the other five or six times, finishing up focussed on the distant target.
Take away pencil.
Has the distance got clearer?
If yes, there was some ciliary spasm present.
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