Archive for November, 2009
Flashes or Floaters Can Be Indicators of Retinal Tear
11.30.2009A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association indicates that one in seven patients experiencing a sudden onset of flashes of light or floaters in their line of vision have suffered a retinal tear or a retinal detachment.
A retinal tear occurs when the thin layer of light-sensitive tissue on the back wall of the eye begins to peel away from the supportive tissue. Retinal tears occur more often as people age. It can also be associated with those suffering from degenerative myopia or people who have experienced an 
injury to an eye.
If left untreated, retinal tears can lead to retinal detachment and loss of vision. A dilated retinal exam performed by a licensed ophthalmologist or optometrist is required if you have flashes (photospsias) or a new onset of floaters. It is imperative that a retinal tear be diagnosed early in order to avoid it becoming a retinal detachment. Approximately 50% of eyes that have a retinal tear develop a retinal detachment without treatment.
While many people do experience floaters which are a natural part of the aging process, the sudden onset of dots or floaters that have a cobweb-like appearance that don’t go away should immediately be referred to an ophthalmologist for a complete retinal exam. Sudden flashes of light like fireworks also demand urgent attention.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Strong Link Found Between Visual Symptoms and Quality of Life
11.25.2009The eyes can be a good indicator of a person’s overall physical and mental health. Visual symptoms can aid a physician in correctly diagnosing other physical and mental problems.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology reveals that our eyes can tell us a lot about our health-related quality-of-life. Visual symptoms such as blurred vision and difficulty seeing are closely linked with physical and mental health. Specific eye diseases such as glaucoma and cataracts do not necessarily have a direct relationship to mental and physical health. This study confirms and extends the findings from previous studies.
Participants in the study completed a survey which was directed towards their overall quality-of-life. The patients were all undergoing care given by a physician group practice association. The authors of the study wanted to determine if specific visual symptoms were associated with mental and physical health. The authors studied the gradual reduction in self-reported mental and physical health linked with diseases of the eye and their symptoms which included blurred vision and difficulty seeing.
Difficulty seeing and blurred vision had significant and distinctive associations with poor scores on the mental health summary score of the survey. Respondents that only had trouble seeing had a unique association with the physical health summary score. Having an eye disease was not significantly associated with the scores.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Best Test for Measuring Diabetes Control
11.23.2009In the twenty years that I’ve been in practice, I’ve witnessed a skyrocketing rate of Diabetes Mellitus. More than half of the diabetics in my practice are poorly controlled, and each week it seems, I discover bleeding of the retina in someone who didn’t know that he or she even had diabetes.
So with this being National Diabetes Awareness Month, I’d like to tell you about a simple blood test that is better than measuring your blood glucose level.
Most people are under the mistaken assumption that measurement of their blood glucose level at their annual doctor exam is sufficient to know if they’ve got diabetes. And diabetics themselves are often remiss in measuring their blood glucoses during the day to know if they’re under control.
But whether you’re diabetic or not, you can benefit from a simple blood test that gives you an instant picture of how your glucose has been controlled over the past three months.
It’s called a Glycosylated Hemoglobin Test, or more commonly a Hemoglobin A1C, and here is how it works…
Insulin, a hormone made in an organ next to your stomach called the pancreas, is responsible for moving glucose (sugar) from the bloodstream into your muscle and liver. If insulin is low (Type II Diabetes) or absent (Type I Diabetes), blood glucose levels can become too high.
But depending on the time of the day, whether you’ve eaten or not, and whether you’re exercising, the glucose levels can have a big range from low to high.
That’s where a Hemoglobin A1C Test comes in.
The glucose molecules attach themselves to the hemoglobin molecules in your red blood cells. Once they attach, they never let let go. So examining these “glycosylated Hemoglobins” in the normal 120-day lifespan of your blood cells tells you instantly whether your blood sugars have been under control for the past few months.
What’s a good number? Normal people have Hemoglobin A1C’s less than 6%. But good diabetic control is less than 6.5%.
So when a patient tells me that this morning’s glucose was normal, but her Hemoglobin A1C is 8%, I know she needs better control.
–
Paul L. Krawitz, M.D., F.A.A.O., President
Vitamin Science Inc.
Computer Vision Syndrome Poses Risk to Students’ Vision
11.20.2009Children today are growing up as a computer generation. Along with the benefits of being computer savvy, there are risks of too much time in front of a monitor. Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is caused by stress put upon the eyes by working with a computer screen.
The American Optometric Association (AMA) states that the amount of stress placed upon the eyes depends upon the amount of time the person spends on the computer and the setting where the the computer is located.
Symptoms of Computer Vision Syndrome include: strained eyes, headaches, sore necks, blurred vision and dry eyes. A complete eye examination is needed to diagnose the syndrome.
The effect on the vision of young adults from extended time in front of a computer is that their eyes adapt to focusing on the computer screen. When they look away from the screen, they are unable to focus as clearly. This “concentrated focusing” can have either a temporary deleterious effect on vision.
Treatment varies, of course, for each patient. Computer glasses may be prescribed or it may be as simple as medical instruction for improving the patient’s visual behaviors.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
New Treatment for Wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration in FDA Clinical Trials
11.18.2009The NeoVista Vidion ANV Therapy System is currently undergoing phase 3 clinical trials for FDA approval. The Vidion system is used to treat wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). It is an epimacular brachytherapy device that delivers a single dose of therapeutic radiation according to NeoVista.
The current treatment for wet AMD involves repeated injections of drugs known as anti-VEGFs, which work again Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor. NeoVista’s Vidion System delivers a targeted dose of strontium-90 beta inonizing radiation to the area of the retina that is affected. Hopefully, the Vidion System will provide a practical alternative to the anti-VEGF injections.
In addition to the device offering only a single dose of radiation, it also reduces systemic radiation exposure and exposure of neighboring tissues to radiation.
The Vidion system has been used to treat European patients although details of the outcomes of the treatments were not available.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
