Archive for May, 2010
Parents, do your children need sunglasses?
05.27.2010It’s summertime again and much attention is given to the necessity of protecting children’s skin from the damage of harmful UV rays. But parents should be mindful of guarding their children’s eyes from the sun’s rays as well.
May has been designated as UV awareness month and Prevent Blindness America is cautioning parents that children are especially susceptible to harmful ultraviolet A and B damage.
There are a couple of factors for this recommendation:
- Children typically spend more time outdoors
- The lenses of children’s eyes are more transparent than those of adults. This transparency risks retinal exposure to short wavelength light.
Children and adults alike should wear sunglasses that block out 99 – 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation. Parents should make sure that the sunglasses fit their child’s face properly and that they block out the sun’s rays from every direction.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
New Baby Boomer Eyeglasses that Focus Electronically and Automatically!
05.26.2010
Ben Franklin, the inventor of the bifocals and discoverer of electricity in lightning, never put the two together. But a new electronic eyeglass does just that.
This new eyeglass lens is getting ready to hit the market and will quickly become the new standard for adults who need eyeglasses to read.? Unlike standard or “no line” bifocals, this new lens will automatically adjust from near vision to distance vision while reducing the distortion that is commonly associated with progressive lenses.
The lens technology pairs an electronic lens with an artificial-intelligence frame which contains an electronic module. The wearer will have three modes to select from: automatic, manual on and manual off.
Eye care professionals see these lenses as a great option for adults searching for a better choice in corrective lenses than the bifocals and progressive lenses which are currently available. Among those pleased with this new technology is Dr. Paul Krawitz, President and CEO of VisiVite.com.? “The new electronic focusing lenses will be a great boon to any adult who needs help with reading vision, and could even be especially helpful for people with low vision,” states Dr. Krawitz.*
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Sleep Apnea Poses Threat to Eye Health
05.25.2010Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is more than just a poor night’s sleep. OSAS can affect a person’s overall health which even includes ocular health.
Patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea are at risk for many eye abnormalities. Ophthalmologists are taking note of the apparent link between sleep apnea and various eye abnormalities. A few of these eye abnormalities are retinal microaneurysms, impaired retinal blood flow, hypertensive retinopathy and macular edema. A simple dilation of the retina can alert the ophthalmologist to whether a patient should be screened for OSAS.
In addition to the retinal dilation, comprehensive ophthalmologists are encouraged to screen their patients with an Epworth Sleepiness Scale to validate concerns of OSAS. This diagnostic tool allows patients to rate the possibility of dozing off during various activities on a scale of 0 to 3 with 3 being the highest possibility of dozing. A patient scoring 10 or above should be referred for a sleep study.
Ophthalmologists should always be on the lookout for OSAS as a possible contributor in chronic eye disease. Sleep apnea can have an extremely detrimental effect on diabetics. OSAS is linked with a more aggressive retinopathy. It can can aggravate diabetes and magnify the coinciding vascular effects.
It is common for ophthalmologists to see diabetics who have great hemoglobin A1C readings but progressively worsening diabetic retinopathy. This can be caused by the repeated apneic episodes in which the oxygen concentration can fall 30 points or more within a few seconds. This is comparative to being suddenly propelled upon Mt. Everest over 100 times per night.
Patients diagnosed with OSAS are often amazed at the difference in their overall health once they begin treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). This effective treatment can bring diabetes and blood pressure under control and reverse some eye conditions.*
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Intraocular lenses have advantages over Lasik for some nearsighted patients
05.18.2010Laser surgery, including both Lasik and PRK, has been the standard procedure for nearsighted people who want to shed their glasses or contact lenses. However, for those people who are severely nearsighted, laser surgery is not practical because so much tissue has to be removed. As an alternative, doctors can insert phakic intraocular lenses in front of the eye’s natural lens.
A review of studies comparing the intraocular lenses to laser surgery patients reveals that those receiving the lenses may have advantages over those who underwent the laser surgery. Patients who had the lens implant had better contrast sensitivity and clearer? glasses-corrected vision after one-year post-operative. In addition, the lens recipients reported better quality of vision and satisfaction with the surgery results than the patients who had a laser procedure.
There is concern, however, that intraocular lenses carry bigger risks than laser surgery and these risks include: cataract formation, retinal detachment and infections. Because laser surgery reshapes the outside of the cornea without entering the internal eye, it is considered my many to be the less invasive ocular surgery.*
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
Laser Treatment No Longer the Best Treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy
05.14.2010
Researchers randomized 691 participants (854 eyes) with diabetic macular edema (DME) involving the central macula to one of four groups: sham injections plus prompt focal/grid laser treatment within one week, ranibizumab (Lucentis) injections plus prompt laser treatment, ranibizumab plus deferred laser treatment after six months or more or traimcinolone and prompt laser.
After one year, nearly 50 percent of eyes treated with ranibizumab and prompt or deferred laser treatment showed a substantial visual improvement compared with 28 percent of eyes receiving laser treatment alone or triamcinolone plus laser. In pseudophakic eyes (eyes that had previously undergone cataract surgery), triamcinolone (a steroid) and prompt laser appeared more effective than laser alone, but frequently increased the risk of elevated IOP. Ophthalmology, Article in Press, May 2010.
Andrea Schumann
Staff Writer
