Category: Eye Health

What Eye Conditions Could I Possibly be at Risk to Develop?

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Astigmatism, Cataract, Eye Health, Keratcoonus , , ,

With so many eye conditions out there, examining your family history should be your first step to find out which you might be at risk for. You can be at higher risk for several of these conditions through injury, environmental exposure, and a positive family history. For those patients concerned, the highest development of many eye conditions is related to the genetic component, so reviewing family history is very important.
Below are a few common conditions to be aware of:
Cataracts
Cataracts are a condition that clouds the natural lens of the eye and progresses over time. For those who have already experienced it, they know that it typically progresses over years and eventually will require surgery. Generally the main treatment option is Cataract extraction surgery, which requires the natural lens to be removed and replaced with an artificial lens. In many cases, a prescription lens can be used to reduce or eliminate the need for glasses.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is an imperfection in the curvature of the eye. This often develops as a child or can be incurred by injury to the eyes. Astigmatism now has many great treatment options. Some well-known procedures to help improve astigmatism are LASIK, PRK, and ICL.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related Macular Degeneration (also known as AMD) often occurs when the macula is damaged. How fast it progresses is dependent on the individual’s history and the cause of the AMD. A few symptoms of AMD you should watch for are:
• Blurred vision in the center of your vision field
• Blank spots in your vision
• Distortion of vision

Keratoconus
Keratoconus is another progressive condition that causes vision loss over time. Keratoconus is a thinning of the cornea which causes difficulties with vision by creating distortion. It can cause you to change your daily habits, including being able to see to drive at night, and can require a cornea transplant if not treated in a timely manner.
The best way to avoid these conditions, or to be proactive in their treatment, is to have regular exams for screening.

For some other eyes tips on eye conditions to watch for, watch below:

Tips for Taking Care of Your Vision During Baseball Season

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Eye Health

Since baseball is an American pastime, many individuals play and they need to protect more than just their throwing arm. Maintaining the quality of vision when doing activities, including baseball, is extremely important. In fact over 90% of all eye injuries can be prevented with a little attention and research. Below are some tips to help you maintain your vision throughout the sports season.

Find the Right Eye Care Professional:

When it comes to eye care, the most important aspect is to have an eye care team that has experience in vision care and you can trust,. One way to determine if they are a good fit is by doing a little research. You can then decide if they have the right in eye health.

Questions you should ask yourself when deciding:
• Do they have the right education?
• Are they experienced in a wide variety of eye conditions?
• How do you feel when you walk in their office?
• Are you comfortable with their team (staff)?
• Do they explain things to you in a way you understand?

Once you have established a good eye care team, the most important way to take care of your vision is to have an eye exam every 1-2 years. Generally an exam every 2 years is enough, but if you have a family history of eye issues or are active in activities it should be annually. This will help your doctor detect eye conditions early and other health problems that can affect your activity in the future.

Additionally, there are several supplements that can help support good vision health. While there are a lot of foods that can improve your vision, an added supplement is also helpful. For those who have an active life it is good to find the right supplement(s) to support healthy eyes and vision.

Most patients with eye-related conditions are diagnosed between 15-25 years of age. This is often in an athlete’s prime years. Both nearsighted and farsighted vision is required to properly play the game.

Below are some of the most common sports related eye injuries each year:
 Detached Retinas
 Corneal Lacerations
 Hemorrhages
 Eye loss

For more information regarding how to protect your eyes during sports season, click below.

How Vitamins Can Help Your Vision

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Eye Health

When we think of vitamins in our regular diet quite often Vitamin C or D, even Vitamin E come to mind. Riboflavin & Niacin also known as Vitamin B2 & B3, are other vitamins you should have in adequate supply for eye health.

Riboflavin and Niacin provides our bodies with lots of needed anti-oxidants, which are especially, important for the eyes. Anti-oxidants help to fight free radicals with may reduce and prevent damage to the eye. It is believed the Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3) may help prevent or delay development of cataracts. Research is showing that anti-oxidants can lower your risk for getting cataracts before age 70 by over 40%.

You may have heard that Lutein & Zeaxanthin are anti-oxidants that also are essential for the eyes, they are found directly in the eyes natural lens.

There are several foods that contain Riboflavin (B2) and Niacin (B3), which are essential to the eyes, below are a few to add to your diet.

Riboflavin (B2):

Yogurt
Milk (Fat free & 1%)
Mushrooms
Eggs
Spinach
Coffee

Niacin (B3):

Tuna
Lean Beef
Lamb
Mushrooms
Kidney Beans

Another benefit of Niacin is that it has been known to promote good cholesterol, lower your inflammation for those who suffer from arthritis, or inflammation of the eyes, dry eyes, or even red eyes.

Anti-oxidants are an amazing natural supplement that can improve the way your body feels day to day and the way it will act in the future.

If you are looking for a regimen that can help you protect your eyes there are several supplements that can support your bodies vitamin uptake. For more information regarding specific Vitamins for eye health ask your eye care professional or visit www.IOptimalHealth.com.

What Do You Know About Meibomian Gland Dysfunction?

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Dry Eye , , , , ,

Discovering How to Treat it 

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction is a blockage of your meibomian gland, which are located in the lower and upper eyelids near the eyelash line.

There are several causes for dry eyes which give the patient the feeling of gritty eyes, irritation, and dryness. Meibomian Gland Dysfunction is one such cause of dry eyes and can cause inflammation of the eye and eyelid.

Are you affected by dry eyes on a daily basis?

Have tried other treatments, such as over the counter drops, artificial tears, prescriptions, or other treatments which have not worked?

LipiFlow® may help provide relief by removing the blockage of the Meibomian Glands.  When the glands are properly function this can help reduce constant redness, itching, scratchiness, dryness and even the inflammation of the eyelids.

Dry Eye Symptoms from Meibomian Gland Dysfunction:

  • Scratchy Sensation
  • Foreign body sensation
  • Excessive eye rubbing
  • Redness in eye
  • Excessive tearing
  • Sensitivity to Light
  • Dryness
  • Crusting around eyelids

The LipiFlow® Procedure:

There are several things we take for granted in life. Often we don’t think about how many times a day we blink until there is a problem. Lipiflow provides patients with relief from dry eyes. These allows many suffering the ability to be active, and enjoy life without a lot of worry of dry or irritated eyes slowing them down. The procedure is a quick spa-like 12-minute treatment performed in the comfort of your eye doctor’s office. Most patients descript the treatment as soothing and pain-free.

How does LipiFlow® work?

The device is placed around your eyelids. The device warms and massages your eyelids causing the blocked oil to liquefy. Then a slight suction and pressure will removed the liquefied oils that were once blocking the glands. Now the glands will properly function to produce oils to help improve your tear film of your eye and help your eyes feel moister. The treatment is yielding great results by providing patients with improved daily life, their ability to participate in outdoor activities again, and reduced the amount of drops needed daily to live comfortably.

If you are looking for a great way to improve your overall eye health and struggle with dry eyes daily, try Lipiflow ®. After all it could improve your life.

Listen to Diana’s experience with LipiFlow ®

 

Top 4 Benefits of LipiFlow Treatment for Your Dry Eyes

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Dry Eye , , , ,
  • Have you been suffering from Dry Eye?
  • Does Dry Eye effect your daily life?
  • Does Dry Eye cause you to avoid activities you would normally participate in?

The LipiFlow® treatment may be a great solution for you. There are several treatments available for Dry Eye, but unfortunately many are only temporary treatment. The LipiFlow® treatment helps improve your Dry Eye at the root cause improving your daily activities, and increasing the quality of your life.

Below are 4 Benefits of the LipiFlow® Treatment:

Proven to Work: Over 76% of the patients in the LipiFlow® clinical trial, reported significant improvements in symptoms of dry eyes within 4 weeks. This means that many can resume their daily activities without worrying if their eyes will cause them pain, itching or burning. Dr. Brian combines his proprietary cream with the LipiFlow® resulting in 98% of patients receiving relief from their dry eye concerns.

Ease of Treatment: The LipiFlow® treatment can be done right in our office. This treatment is only 12-minutes, since it is so quick and easy it can even be performed the same day as your evaluation.

Heat Pulse Treatment: The LipiFlow® Thermal (heat) Pulsation System is used to add heat to the Meibomian gland of the eye. As we age these glands begin to become clogged. The natural oils start to crystalize within the gland, which means less oils in your tear-film. This is why your eyes feel dry. The LipiFlow® treatment unblocks the glands and allows them to start producing oils that lubricate the eye again and stabilize the tear film from evaporation.

Experience: TearScience®, the developer LipiFlow® Technology, has over 25 years of research experience behind them. Allowing them to understand the cause of dry eye and studying how it effects the patients, and how other products attempt to relieve the symptoms.

There are several symptoms of dry eye. If you have been diagnosed you know what they are, but for those who are not familiar below are some of the symptoms of Dry Eye. If you have any of the following symptoms contact your eye care professionals.

  • Itching
  • Watering
  • Burning
  • Scratching Sensation
  • Redness
  • Blurred Vision

Barbara discusses her experience with the LipiFlow® treatment:

For more information regarding Dry Eye or the LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System visit www.lipiflow.com/dryeye

Focusing on the Eye

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Eye Health , ,

Seeing our life pass us by is something we often don’t think about until our vision changes. We often don’t think about how our eyes work or what goes in to viewing an image daily. Here are the basics of the eye.

An Eye Outline:

On average a person’s eye is about 1 inch in diameter. There are two areas “The Front Portion” and “Behind the Lens”. The front side has the parts that control or include lighting an image or refracting light, and most of this portion is what we see when we look at a person

Front Portion of the Eye:

Iris – Is the pigmented area
Cornea – The cornea is a clear dome over the iris.
The Pupil – Black circle in the center of the eye that refracts the light to the back of the eye.
The Sclera – The white area of the eye
The Conjuctiva – a layer of tissue that covers the front of the eye.
The lens – Focuses the light toward the back of the eye to help develop the image.

Behind the Lens:

While you can not visible see what goes on behind the lens and many might think it looks rather plain behind the lens, there are several things going on within the eyeball. Below you will find more parts located within the eyeball behind the lens.

Vitreous – This is the gel which fills the eye
Retina – Light sensitive cells in the lining of the eye which converts the light into electrical impulses.
Optic Nerve- The optic nerve is located behind the eye and carries the electrical impulses to the brain to help form an image
Macula – The macula is a small extra sensitive area in the retina which controls central vision

Although this is only a preview of the eye it can help give you a better idea of some of the working parts within your eyeball. In combination these parts help you view the images your eyes see every day.

Here is an interesting graphic about the Eye Anatomy: (click on the image to see a larger version)

The Eye

LipiFlow: Spa-Like Treatment for Dry Eye

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Dry Eye , , , , ,

There are so many causes of Dry Eye and for those who have experienced it you understand how it can affect your daily life. For those who have had treatments or may still be seeking treatments you know there are often few things that can help with the daily irritation, scratchiness, and gritty feeling that dry eyes causes.

One of the main causes of Dry Eye is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Meibomian gland dysfunction causes a blockage of your meibomian gland, and causes inflammation causing discomfort, and irritability in the eye.

Dry Eye Symptoms:

Scratchy Sensation
Foreign body sensation
Excessive eye rubbing
Redness in eye
Excessive tearing
Sensitivity to Light

Lipiflow Treatment:

Lipiflow is non-invasive spa-like treatment that provides relief from Dry Eye. The treatment only takes 12 minutes and is comfortable. Most patients even report immediate soothing relief. The special cup is placed around the eye. The cup massages the eye – it is a mini-facial for your eyelids.

Many patients who have already taken the Lipiflow treatment say that it has changed their life.

Reducing the symptoms of Dry Eye provide improved daily life. Increasing the ability to participate in outdoor activities again, and reduced the amount of drops needed daily to live comfortably.

For instance “Trudy” had dry eyes for over 10 years, after having the Lipiflow treatment she can now play golf again, and says the results where “immediate”

Lipiflow Benefits:

Less use of Drops
Improved vision
Improved tear film quality
Improved function of the eye
Procedure less than 15 minutes
Pain-Free and Comfortable Treatment

Here how LipiFlow helped Jennifer

If you are looking for a great way to improve your overall eye health and struggle with dry eyes daily put down the drops and try Lipiflow. After all it could improve your life. For more information visit www.LipiFlow.com

Astigmatism: Diagnosis and Treatment

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Astigmatism, Eye Health, LASIK, PRK

Diagnosing Astigmatism

Astigmatism is a common eye condition caused by the irregular shape of the patients eye. Astigmatism prevents the patient from getting a clear view of the object they are seeing. While it is a common condition it is not often known why someone gets Astigmatism. But there are several treatment options for those who are suffering from this condition.

What is it?

Astigmatism is created when the shape generally sphere becomes irregular or shaped more like a football. There are several levels of astigmatism. Many patients don’t even realize they have it. However if the condition is severe enough there are more extensive treatments to help the patient.

Symptoms:

Blurred vision
Fatigue
Eye strain

How is Astigmatism Diagnosed?

Astigmatism is often diagnosed during a routine eye examination through the use of equipment called a topographer and measuring your prescription with a phorpter. This condition and many other conditions can be diagnosed at your annual eye examination. Which is why it is so important to be sure to have this done each year. Astigmatism can develop very slowly so be sure to tell your eye care professional when there are any changes in your vision.

Treatments:

There are a few treatments for astigmatism.

Contact Lenses & Glasses

While the most common are glasses and contact lenses there are a special kind of contacts for those who have more severe astigmatism. Toric contact lenses or RGP contact lenses will help those with astigmatism. RGP (Rigid Gas Permeable) contact lenses are used to correct severe cases and will give the patient a much more clear vision of what is in front of them.

Refractive (vision correction) Surgery:

For those who want to be reduce the use of contact lenses or glasses refractive surgery is another option. You can ask your eye care professional what procedures are right for your degree of astigmatism. Procedures like LASIK and PRK can help those with astigmatism, but there are some criteria you need to meet before you are eligible. For further information contact your eye care professionals.

How Does the Cold Air Affect Your Eyes?

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Eye Health , , , , , ,

Changes in the season are a way of nature and most of us think of getting sick, or worry about keeping protected from cold temperatures but what about the effects that cold air has on our eyes? Yes the cold season does bring out other problems for those with eye conditions. Below are some of the eye conditions that the cold air may effect and some things you can do to prevent it.

Dry Eye:

Dry eye is often a symptom of another underlined condition however it can be a condition of its own. Dry eye is caused when the body does not make the proper amount of tears, or the patient merely doesn’t blink enough. Dry eye can be an annoying problem that can reoccur if not treated properly. It causes the eyes to become irritated, and often cause the whites of the eyes to become red or blood shot looking. Below are some symptoms of dry eye:

  • Irritation
  • Frequent rubbing
  • Eye pain
  • Red color in the whites of the eye
  • Scratchy feeling across the entire eye

The most frequently used treatment for Dry eye is over the counter drops, or “get the red out” eye drops. It is recommended however that if you feel that you have dry eye you should see your eye care professional and request artificial tears to help rejuvenate your eyes and help your eye produce more tears. This will put the moisture back into your eyes and give you relief from all of the symptoms.

Below are some tips for you if you suffer with eye symptoms during the cold months.

  1. Protect your eyes even during cold months. Avoid the dry cold air from hitting your eyes by wearing protective eyewear, such as Moisture Eye Glasses by EyeEco
  2. If you use a furnace be sure to add a humidifier as well to add some moisture to the air you are breathing. This will help reduce the amount of dry air that comes in contact with your eyes
  3. If you still have difficulty with dry eye visit your eye care professional frequently and use some over the counter artificial eye drops until you can get in to see them.
  4. Don’t rub your eyes.

For more information on your eyes visit www.allaboutvision.com

Tips to Improve Your Vision All Year Round

Dr. Brian 0 Comment Eye Health , , , , , , , , ,

Eye exams are an important part of our yearly health maintenance. Not only do ours eyes help us see the world around us, but through eyes we can often see other problems pertaining to our health. Regular eye exams can improve your chances of detecting other health concerns early, including conditions like heart disease and diabetes.

Here are a few ways to improve your eye health:

  • Avoid persistent rubbing of your eyes. Rubbing your eyes can damage the outer lens of the eye (cornea), which can greatly decrease your vision.
  • Avoid straining the eyes. Straining the eyes can lead to tension headaches and temporary blurred vision.
  • Wear UV protection sunglasses while outdoors or while in the car. UV rays can damage the eyes over time, causing early development of cataracts and possibly macular degeneration.
  • Use protective eye where while doing yard work or construction.  If you have a job that involves working with drywall, sawdust, or other airborne particles use eye protective at work too.

Some eye conditions can come on suddenly, such as acute glaucoma, retina detachment or floaters.  Other conditions occur slowly, Cataracts or Keratoconus. Yearly eye exams can often result in identifying early signs. 

Any changes to your vision should be reported to your eye care professional immediately. There are many signs of serious vision problems that can be detected early. Ensuring that you pay attention to blurred vision, dry eyes, or constant eye strain will help you preserve your vision. We only get one pair of eyes, so it is important you take care of them.

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