Love the Feel of Brand New Contact Lenses?

You can have that feeling every day!  Daily disposable contact lenses are ones that you put on in the morning and toss at the end of the day.  They don't require any cleaning, storing, or solutions.  You'll always have enough lenses to last you a full year so you don't have to stretch out wearing that last pair.

Right now, Bausch & Lomb's Soflens Daily Disposable contacts are on sale for $370 for a year's supply of lenses after a $70 mail-in rebate.  That's about the price of a cup of coffee...and we're not even talking designer coffee!

Schedule your appointment today!

Diabetes and Eye Disease

Which of these patients had no complaints about their vision?

Patient 1 

Right eye                          Left eye

Patient 2

Right eye                          Left Eye

Answer:

Neither patient had any complaints about their vision, however, Patient 1 has a significant amount of retinal disease due to diabetes.  Here I have marked some of the diseased tissue so you can see what's abnormal.

Right Eye                                                   Left Eye

This patient came in because she wanted to update her glasses, but had no complaints about her vision. When the patient was dilated, we found bleeding and leaking fluid throughout both eyes and promptly sent her back to her primary care doctor for a full diabetes workup.  Until that time, neither she nor her primary care physician was aware that she even had a problem with diabetes.  The reason eye exams are so important is that the blood vessels seen in this area are representative of the blood vessels throughout the body.  In other words, if the eye vessels are bleeding and leaking, the vessels in the heart, lungs, and brain are likely to be in the same condition.  

This is a great example of why it’s important to get regular eye examinations even if your vision seems fine.  And that’s especially important for people with a family history of diabetes.

In patients with uncontrolled diabetes, prolonged periods of high blood sugar can lead to the symptoms of blurred vision and fluctuating vision that will come and go as blood sugar levels fluctuate. Usually distance vision is affected in such cases, however, diabetes can occur without any recognizable symptoms of visual changes. Early detection and treatment can limit the potential for significant vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.

If you have diabetes or a family history of diabetes, schedule your exam today.  Don’t wait until irreversible damage occurs.

What is Astigmatism?

I'm probably asked this question more than any other so here's a little primer on how the optics of the eye work.

Let's first go over how light rays behave as they enter the eye.

In a normal eye, light rays enter the eye, are bent by the tear film, cornea, and lens, and then come to one point focus on the retina. The retina is where rods and cones pick up the light signals which are then transmitted to the brain via the optic nerve.

FDA Approves New Eyelash Enhancing Treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Latisse, a new topical treatment to increase length, thickness, and darkness of eyelashes.

Available only by prescription, Latisse is applied to the base of the upper eyelashes with a sterile applicator, typically after makeup removal. Users should see a difference after 8 weeks of treatment, but full results are apparent after 16 weeks. The effect is maintained as long as you continue to use the product. Lashes will gradually return to their untreated state if Latisse is discontinued.

The active ingredient in Latisse is one that was originally used to lower eye pressure in people with certain types of glaucoma, and the side effect of the drug was eyelash growth.  The safety of the ingredient has been confirmed by clinical trials and more than 13 years of use.

Negative side effects are typically mild and include eyelid irritation and redness.  These can easily be resolved by discontinuation of the treatment.