Summit Eye Center Blog

Have you ever wondered what options you have to correct your vision after the age of 50? If so, this week’s blog is just for you!

Many think of LASIK and other vision correction procedures being only for patients in their 20s or 30s. The reason for this misconception is likely related to the aging changes that occur to our natural crystalline lens as we get into our 40s. Presbyopia sets in during this stage of our life...people who have never worn glasses before are all of the sudden needing readers to help with them look at their phone or computer. Those who wear glasses are getting their first bifocals.

We are fast approaching the end of 2019. The end of the year is a great time to reflect on things in your life that need to be addressed, whether it is fixing that leaky faucet or addressing a nagging health problem. It seems fitting that in the year 2020 we should strive to maximize our vision and eye health. Below are 4 eye related conditions to address in 2020.

Dry Eye

Dry eye affects up to 50% of the adult population according to some studies. It presents with numerous symptoms from blurry or fluctuating vision to red, irritated eyes. What we think of, as eyestrain from working on a computer usually is actually dry eye. Just as there are numerous symptoms and presentations of dry eye, there are also numerous treatment options. There is no reason to continue to suffer. Your eye doctor will take an individualized approach, providing treatment that is unique to your particular situation.

If there ever was a year to think about your vision and eye health, it would be this year...2020.

With the New Year, many of us take time to reflect on the previous year and then make resolutions to better ourselves in the upcoming year.

It used to be that foggy lenses were something we only experienced during the winter months. It was a common frustration for those wearing glasses coming indoors after being out in the cold. In the current COVID-19 pandemic and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation of wearing face masks to curb the spread of COVID-19, foggy glasses are more common than ever.

As we ring in the New Year, many will pop open a bottle of bubbly in celebration. The popping of the cork comes with some risk. A champagne cork can fly at speeds of up to 60 mph. If this projectile cork hits an eye, it can cause a hyphema (bleeding within the eye), cataract and even glaucoma.

To safely pop a champagne, follow these 3 rules...

Chill the champagne

Champagne is filled with gas bubbles that expand when warm. Chill you bottle in the refrigerator or on ice prior to opening.

Herpes keratitis is a viral infection in the eye caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). There are two main types of the virus:

• Type I is the most common and primarily infects the face, involving one of the three branches of the trigeminal nerve. The result is the familiar “cold sore” or “fever blister.”
• Type II is the sexually transmitted form that infects the genitals

March Madness is upon us. Many will be spending a great deal of time over the next few weeks cheering on their favorite team or simply enjoying the nearly nonstop basketball action on TV.

It has long been a concern of people, especially our mothers, that watching too much TV was bad for our eyes. Studies have shown that watching TV causes no damage to our eyes. A person may experience some eye fatigue or eyestrain, but no physical damage to our eyes or eyesight.

Although New Year’s celebrations may not be as large as typical years, they still plan to be festive as everyone looks forward to moving on to 2021. New Year’s Eve and champagne go together like baseball and hotdogs. Hopefully, these tips ensure a safe celebration for all.

First a few facts about champagne corks. The average bottle of champagne holds 90 psi of pressure. That is about 3 times the average car tire. This pressure can shoot a cork at speeds up to 50 mph and for a distance of up to 40 feet.

As we get older, our risk of developing an age-related eye condition significantly increases. In fact at least 1 in 3 Americans over the age of 65 have some form of an eye condition. The five most common conditions are cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

Headaches are something we all experience from time to time. Some headaches feel as though they are right behind our eyes.

If we have frequent headaches, especially those that seem to originate behind our eyes, we often wonder if our eyes are causing the pain and discomfort. The quick answer is...most likely no, our eyes are not responsible for the pain and discomfort we experience.

As we discussed in our previous post, Keratoconus is a corneal condition that results in a progressive thinning and bulging of the cornea. This results in irregular astigmatism, which produces blurry or distorted vision. It is typically diagnosed in childhood and progresses into adulthood.

How keratoconus has traditionally been treated?

Initially, glasses or soft, toric contact lenses may correct a person’s vision. As keratoconus progresses, increased distortion and irregular astigmatism is noted. When this occurs, glasses and soft contact lenses no longer adequately correct one’s vision.

Keratoconus (KC) is a condition that affects the cornea. The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped tissue that sits above the iris, the colored part of the eye, and the pupil. The cornea focuses light as it enters the eye and then travels through the pupil to be focused on the retina in the back of the eye.

With KC, there is a progressive thinning and bulging of the cornea, which results in irregular astigmatism. This irregularity in the curvature of the cornea causes blurry or distorted vision that can affect one’s ability to read or drive.

The following tips are a great resource to help patients overcome treatment challenges that can come up from time to time.

1. Be honest and up front with your doctor about any problems you have with your medications

Missing a dose may seem like no big deal, but studies have shown that skipping doses can lead to vision loss over time. Ask your doctor what to do if you miss a dose. Should you take the drop when you remember? Should you wait to use the medication at its next scheduled time?

As we are all living through these unprecedented times of COVID-19, we are likely spending even more time using our eyes for a variety of near tasks. Many are working from home, our kids are continuing their education online and people are reading books that they had been putting off. We are also simply surfing the web and looking at social media on our phones more than ever. These increased near tasks make managing Computer Vision Syndrome all the more important.

Computer Vision Syndrome, also known as Digital Eye Strain, pertains to a group of vision-related symptoms that are associated with near tasks. These symptoms result from prolonged use of digital devices like computers, tablets and cellphones. Also, extended periods of reading, sewing and knitting, i.e., non-digital near tasks can lead to similar symptoms.

February is Macular Degeneration Awareness Month. So, this is a great time to answer three of the most common questions we hear from our patients regarding macular degeneration.

During these last two months of the year, “to do lists” are abundant. There are honey do lists preparing for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and New Year’s Celebrations. There are grocery lists for dinners. There are also gift lists. Let’s add a to do list to better your vision and eye health.

In no particular order, the following are things we should all do to ensure that our vision stays as good as possible and our eyes remain comfortable.

As we approach Thanksgiving, it’s a good time to discuss items that may be at the dinner table which have benefits for our eyes.

Pumpkin, Sweet Potatoes

Have you ever wondered why the sky is blue for most of the day, but at sunrise and sunset it has a red or orange hue to it? Maybe this is something that only we vision nerds think about. Either way, this week we hope to explain this phenomenon for you.

Light travels in waves. Like the ocean moves in waves to the shoreline, light travels in electronic and magnetic waves through the air. These waves of light come in various wavelengths. These different wavelengths represent different colors on the visible light spectrum. Think of the colors of a rainbow...maybe a good topic for a future blog. The shorter, higher energy waves are at the violet and blue end of the spectrum. The longer, lower energy waves are at the red and orange end of the spectrum.

The pupil is the aperture of the eye. It is the black hole in the center of the iris, the colored part of the eye. The pupil allows light to pass through the eye to the retina, which is the tissue that lines the back of the eye.

Have you ever wondered what the technician or doctor is doing during your eye exam? Hopefully, this blog is able to answer those questions for you.

History

The exam starts by gathering information about both your eyes and general health. We will want to know if you are having any eye or vision issues currently. You are also asked to report if there is a history of eye or medical conditions both in your past and in your family. Any medications that you are currently taking will be documented. You will be asked if there are any allergies that you have. This baseline information gives the doctor a frame of reference for what has happened in the past, what is currently causing a problem and what you may be at risk for developing.