When Does Dry Eye Require Treatment?

Dry Eye Treatment Beverly Hills

Most people have itchy, irritated eyes from time to time, but when it happens frequently, it can be a real hassle. Chronic dry eye affects tens of millions of American adults, although there are varying degrees of severity. At the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute, Dr. Brian often hears from patients with dry eye who are unsure whether their symptoms warrant treatment. Read on to learn his recommendations on this subject. Read more

Why You Should Never Rub Your Eyes

Eye Health Beverly Hills

At the start of the coronavirus pandemic, amidst all the reminders to not touch your face, you may have noticed that you unconsciously rub your eyes more than you previously realized. This instinct to touch your eyes has a basis in science: rubbing can activate tear flow to improve the lubrication and relieve a dry, itchy feeling.

Despite the momentary relief, this urge to rub your eyes is not healthy. In this blog, premier ophthalmologist Dr. Brian Boxer Wachler, known to many as “the surgeon’s surgeon,” explains why you should dispense with this habit. Read more

Fit Food & Vitamins for Your Vision

A new year is here and many of us are thinking of ways to stay fit by means of exercise and healthy eating. We can also improve our vision health by eating better and getting the right amount of vitamins daily. There are several foods we eat every day that can improve your overall eye health. Vitamins like Riboflavin, Vitamin D, and even Vitamin K can help your vision as well.
Foods High in Essential Vitamins

Vitamin D: Remembering that you need a daily allowance of 600IU daily, consider eating the below foods.

• Fatty Fish
• Mushrooms
• Whole Grain Cereals
• Tofu

Riboflavin or (Vitamin B2): The average person needs at least 1.7MG of Riboflavin on a daily basis to maintain proper eye health and improve metabolism. There are injections which can help supplement this vitamin, however, eating them in your diet naturally is a better source. You can find Riboflavin in:

• Cheese
• Almonds
• Beef & Lamb
• Eggs

Vitamin K: The recommended daily allotment of Vitamin K is 80MG. Vitamin K has antioxidants that can help with age-related eye conditions over time protecting your eyes. Below are a few food items that contain Vitamin K.

• Green Leafy Vegetables
• Herbs (Basil)
• Chili Powder
• Asparagus
• Okra

For more information on vitamins that protect your eye health contact your eye care professionals or visit www.ioptimalhealth.com

Understanding Dry Eye During the Spring and Summer Months

Do you suffer from dry, itchy and/or red eyes? Has your eye care professional told you that you have Chronic Dry Eye? If you’ve already been diagnosed with Dry Eye, the spring and summer months can be especially troubling.

There are several reasons Dry Eye can be affecting you worse in the hot spring and summer months than in the colder winter months.

Below are a few reasons Dry Eye increases:

Exposure to Sunlight – For those who are active, dry eyes can be especially troubling in the spring and summer due to excessive exposure to sunlight without the proper eye protection. Continued exposure to sunlight can cause more difficulty with vision because the tear film can evaporate more quickly.

Environmental Exposures – With warmer weather, often we go outside more. Outside elements can also cause more problems in the spring and summer months because of decreased tear film.

Less Blinking – When we blink we essentially help the tear film cover the eyes. If we blink less, we have less tears covering the eyes.
There are new treatment options available to help those with chronic Dry Eye.

One such treatment for dry eyes is LipiFlow®.

What is Lipiflow®?

The new treatment LipiFlow® uses specialized goggles and heat to help unclog the Meibomian glands within the eyelids. Typically there are between 30-40 Meibomian glands that produce oils which help tears from evaporating off the eyes. Depending on how many are clogged upon evaluation will help determine if you are a good candidate for the LipiFlow® procedure.

Learn more about treating your dry eyes:

The Doctor’s Orders To A Successful Valentine’s Day

As a kid I loved getting all those hand-cut, pastel cardboard Valentine’s Day cards from my classmates. Didn’t you love that? It put a big smile on my face, especially when I got a card from Leisl Herman, who I had a crush on. Somewhere between 5th grade and college the teachers sadly dropped that activity. If you’re reading this, then you’re probably no longer in grade school getting those warm, fuzzy valentines with the heart shaped crunchy candies. But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a little fun and smile around February 14th.
Get your smile ready. Did you ever think that I would also be a poet? This limerick for Valentine’s Day just popped in my head when I was working out. I had a wee bit of expert refinement from Pat Myers, “Empress of the Style Invitational” at the Washington Post.

There was a lass with eyes of blue –
Word spread of her dazzling hue!
At times she was taken,
True love was forsaken,
Now wiser, she seeks serious woo.

 Now that I’ve got you smiling, be sure to spread the smiles. Wish someone, anyone, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” Even better, then give ‘em a good hug. Hugs are good for your health. It’s all about human touch. In medical school I learned of a study that found heart attack patient survival in the intensive care unit was higher in in the group where the nurse held the patients’ hand vs. no hand holding. So hug away on Valentine’s Day!

Another prescription that I can offer is to have some dark chocolate – 100% guilt-free. There are health benefits to the melt-in-your-mouth stuff too:

1. Enhance Eyesight
2. Lower Blood Pressure
3. Reduce Stress
4. Lessens Risk of Heart Failure
5. Provide Sun Protection
6. Access Higher Intelligence
7. Deliver Powerful Antioxidants

 

Have a wonderful day filled with love, poems and, of course…dark chocolate!

A Guide to Cataracts & Treatment Options

For those who have a family history of Cataracts and know what the progression of this is like, you understand that Cataracts can cause problems within everyday activities and over time your vision can become severely compromised.

A Cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens which causes distortions in the patient’s vision over time. Cataracts are a progressive condition that cause severe complications in daily vision. For those who have conditions such as diabetes and even heart disease, the condition can progress faster causing a need for earlier surgery.

F.A.Q. on Cataracts

  • What are the main types of Cataract?

Age related – Cataracts are most often caused by aging. This is the most common form of Cataract.
Traumatic Cataract – Due to eye injuries
Secondary Cataracts – Caused by those with Diabetes, Glaucoma, and even Steroid uses

  •  What are the Risk Factors of Cataracts?

There are several risk factors for Cataracts.

• Smoking & Alcohol usage
• Prolonged exposure to sunlight
• Conditions such as Diabetes, and other eye conditions

If you think that you have any risk factors asking your eye care professional will give you a heads up on detecting it early.

  • What are Treatments for Cataracts?

There are several treatment options for those with Cataracts. While surgery is the primary treatment for Cataracts, there are several treatments that can help as the condition progresses. You should know, cataract surgery is the most common surgery performed every day in the world and is relatively safe an easy 20 minute procedure.

• Change of Prescriptions
• Anti-glare Sunglasses
• Magnifying lenses
• Artificial lenses
• Surgery – Phoacoemulsification (Phaco AKA Small incision)

Watch an informative overview of Cataract procedures below:

Top 4 Tips to Evaluate Your Babies Eyes

Do you have a family history of vision problems? Are you unsure how to tell if your child is seeing right? This is a common problem which both new and experienced parents are faced with since babies can’t understand what they are seeing may not be how the image really looks.

Babies are very resilient and can adapt to handle their surroundings but there are some ways to tell if an exam is needed for your child. Eye care professionals can often start what is called a baseline eye exam as early as 6 months, and even detect problems with their vision this early.

Below you will find a few helpful hints to determine if your child needs a vision screening:

Family History – One of the most important things to know is the family history of both parents. If one or both parents have hereditary eye conditions or visual problems, a screening should be done when your child becomes old enough. This screening should be repeated every 2 years thereafter, unless the child is found to have a chronic or progressive eye problem that requires annual visits.

Hand- Eye Coordination – When your child reaches for a bottle or toy do they need a few tries to get it right? This may seem cute, but it can also indicate that the child is not seeing the image right. Sometimes we think it’s because they are learning and developing, and it could be in some cases, however it may be because they are having difficulty seeing what’s in front of them.

Straining & Squinting – On occasion a child may squint their eyes when looking at something, a squint with a smile maybe nothing to worry about but if you are noticing this frequently it may be a problem. Having their eyes examined may be necessary as they could be straining to see.

Clumsiness – Do you think your child is a bit clumsy? Do they frequently bump into things? This is a classic sign of struggling with depth perception. While it could just be them learning to walk or get around, you should take them in for an eye exam. It won’t hurt and it could help them greatly in the future.

Our children’s vision is important and unfortunately it often goes unchecked until their school years when more symptoms show up. Keep in mind that early detection is not just an adult concept. Finding eye conditions early can help with treatment options and best quality of vision.

To learn more about the benefits of annual eye exams, watch below.

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