All About Vision served 4.7 million unique visitors during the first half of 2009, measured weekly by Google Analytics, a 20% increase from the same period in 2008.

During that time, non-paid visitors increased 27% on a comparable basis.

Articles on topics such as blepharitis, glaucoma surgery, macular holes and acanthamoeba keratitis experienced triple-digit percentage increases in page views.

Two new articles generated more than 50,000 page views each: “Common Eye Disorders” by Dr. Burt Dubow,  and “Cataract Surgery Complications” by Dr. Chris Knobbe.

While not yet FDA approved, PresbyLASIK could become a viable option for correcting focusing problems related to presbyopia.

This investigational LASIK procedure creates multifocal zones on the eye’s surface or cornea, similar to the way multifocal intraocular lenses restore sight at multiple distances following cataract surgery.

All About Vision continues to monitor early, favorable study results, which eventually could lead to FDA approval of this novel approach to correcting presbyopia problems.

All About Vision’s popular “Ask the Dry Eye Doctor” feature addresses many topics, including causes of dry eyes and conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome.

William Trattler, MD, answers selected reader questions by discussing remedies that include using over-the-counter or prescription eye drops or taking flaxseed oil orally.

Past answers from previous eye doctor Q&As are found in articles including “Ask the LASIK Surgeon” and “Ask the Cataract Surgeon.”

Choosing an appropriate eye doctor may be confusing for some people who don’t really understand the differences between optometrists, ophthalmologists and opticians.

In this new All About Vision topic, associate editor Gary Heiting, OD, explains those differences, including educational requirements for each profession.

A person who requires only a routine eye exam, for example, would have much different needs than someone who might require cataract surgery.

All About Vision’s newly expanded Vision Therapy for Children article offers insightful and objective analysis of different techniques such as computerized visual activities.

Note that legitimate vision therapy does not involve a program of self-directed eye exercises promising that you can throw away your eyeglasses.

Vision therapy addresses conditions such as amblyopia or “lazy eye.”

New information in All About Vision’s recently expanded UV protection and sunglasses article also mentions potential harm from the sun’s high-energy visible (HEV) radiation or “blue light.”

If you have a full schedule of outdoor summer activities looming, this is even more reason to wear high-quality sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection. Many sunglasses now also offer protection from HEV radiation.

If you plan to participate in organized summer activities, check out advice about the best sports sunglasses or sports contact lenses.

This new All About Vision article discusses what happens when inflammation damages the eye’s optic nerve, leading to optic neuritis.

Optic neuritis and neuropathy can be signs of underlying health problems, including multiple sclerosis or ocular herpes.

A major update to All About Vision’s eye exercises article explores the validity of programs such as the once widely advertised See Clearly Method.

When a program promises the ability to “throw away your glasses,” buyers should beware. For one thing, many common vision errors occur because of the eye’s basic anatomy that exercise isn’t likely to alter.

These types of eye exercise programs should not be confused with legitimate vision therapy for purposes such as strengthening a weaker eye in conditions including lazy eye.

Certain sports vision techniques also can improve skills such as hand-eye coordination.

A new article by All About Vision Editorial Advisory Board member Chris A. Knobbe, MD, discusses what to do if you have a corneal ulcer, which resembles an abscess on the eye.

Eye injuries and accompanying infection commonly cause corneal ulcers.

But people who wear contact lenses also are at risk because of eye irritation that may allow bacteria to penetrate the eye’s surface.

Safety tips for contact lens wearers include advice about hand washing before touching lenses, which can help prevent corneal ulcers.

“Which Eyeglass Frames Would Look Good on You?” was the most popular vision-correction article on All About Vision during the first four months of 2009, helping to drive a 20% increase in website visitors over the same period last year, measured weekly by Google Analytics.

Other top-five topics were:

• spots and floaters
• conjunctivitis
• color contact lenses
• cataracts

Of the site’s top 25 articles, five covered frame and lens topics, including articles on women’s frames, men’s frames, what’s new in frames, and progressive lenses.  The fastest-growing articles of that group covered blepharitis (up 107%) and cataract surgery (up 92%).

During this four-month period, All About Vision served more than three million unique visitors, with 90% coming from search engines and the remainder clicking through from sites such as Wikipedia, Yahoo! Answers and iVillage.