Archive for the ‘Default’ Category
Blue-Eyed Baseball Player Blames Sun for Lower Daytime Batting Average.
07.24.2011Texas Ranger’s superstar outfielder, Josh Hamilton, has recently publicly stated that he feels that the reason he is hitting so pooly during the day is because of his blue eyes. Take a look
at Hamilton’s daytime batting average, which is a very sad .122 under natural sunlight and an impressive .374 under the lights of night games. Excuse? Old wives’ tale? After all, retired Hall of Fame Baltimore Orioles Infielder, Cal Ripkin, who had ice blue eyes, never claimed to have this problem.
For years, blue eyes have been a sign of popularity. Frank Sinatra’s nickname was “Old Blue Eyes.” Elizabeth Taylor was known for her deep brunette hair and her stunning violet-blue eyes. Pets such as Siberian Huskies and Himalayan kittens are popular for their light blue eyes. Even Elton John wrote a hit song about Blue Eyes. In high schools all over the country everyone wanted to be as popular as the blonde haired, blue-eyed cheerleader. Could it be true that blues eyes are actually more of a curse than a perk?
The fact is that due to the lack of pigment in lighter color eyes — like blue or green eyes as opposed to brown — you get a lot more unwanted light and that can create a tremendous glare problem. This phenomenon is called intraocular light scatter, meaning the light scatters as it enters, producing a focal point that isn’t as good, making it virtually impossible for Hamilton to focus on a white ball coming at him at 90+ miles per hour in the bright sunlight.
Baseball players are not the only people who struggle with this. Airline pilots, truck drivers, lifeguards…any profession where you predominantly work in the sunlight could be effected by this phenomenon. There is no “cure”, so to speak, but a good pair of quality sunglasses would certainly filter enough of that light out, drastically improving daytime vision.
Mary Sweetman, C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
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Sunglasses aren’t enough. The ballplayers describe losing the ball in the sun, even when wearing dark shades.
This is because there is less melanin pigment directly beneath the fovea, which the center of the retina for seeing detail vision – such as the seams of a baseball as it is hurled at the plate.
In a recent New York Times article about glare and blue eyes, Dr. Ton Teig, an optometrist who founded the Institute for Sports Vision, stated that he recommends supplements with Lutein and Zeaxanthin for blue-eyed athletes, because these substances contain high levels of melanin pigment.
Not surprisingly, our customers who take VisiVite supplements with high doses of Lutein And Zeaxanthin have been reporting improved contrast and decreased glare for years.
Paul Krawitz, M.D., President
Vitamin Science, Inc.
Eeew! What’s that thing in your eye???
07.13.2011I just got back from a nice, relaxing, 7 day, adult only vacation on the beautiful coast of Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic. We stayed at an all inclusive resort that had a pool with a swim up bar, that gave you a nice break from the heat of the sun in the middle of the afternoon. While sitting there, we became friends with one of the bartenders whose name was Diaz. Diaz was very impressed that we were from New York, explaining to us that it is his dream to one day come to America, specifically New York, on a vacation. I told him that one day he would hopefully be able to fulfill that dream and he shook his head and said, “I doubt it.” Diaz explained that in his country, only the extremely wealthy are permitted to get a Visa that would enable them to leave the country. He asked me if I had a big glamorous job in the city, and when I told him I actually worked for an eye doctor, he asked me to take a look at his eye. He said he had this thing growing on his eye.
What Diaz had, was actually called a Pinguecula (pronounced pin-GWEK-yoo-la). A Pinguecula is a yellowish bump or patch on the conjunctiva, the thin membrane that covers the clear part of your eye. This bump is a change in the normal tissue that results from a deposit of protein, fat and/or calcium, often occurring on the side of 
the eye closest to the nose. These growths are believed to be caused by dry eye and environmental elements such as wind and sun exposure, making people who live on the islands more prone to them.
Symptoms can include redness and inflamation, irritation, dryness, itchy, sandy feeling and having the feeling like you have something in your eye every single time you blink. Re-wetting drops or artificial tears can often help alleviate these symptoms, although there is no “cure”. It is not contagious or an infection, so antibiotics will not work either. If the symptoms become very severe or start to effect your vision, it can be surgically removed. Although, Pingueculas often can come back, so you would have to be very careful not to expose yourself to the risk factors.
I told Diaz he was going to be just fine and to get a really good pair of UV protective sunglasses.
And on a side note, the gift shop in the hotel sold 3 different types of rewetting drops. Do you think they read my recent blog entry and stocked up in case people got sunscreen in their eyes??
Mary Sweetman C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
The Best ‘Pink Eye’ Remedies
06.23.2011On Monday mornings, our office is always busy with people who developed “pink eye” over the weekend. For some reason, these things always seem to break out on a Friday night after your doctor has closed for the weekend, the morning of your daughter’s wedding or the day before the 14-day European vacation you have been looking forward to for 2 years.
While I can probably name over a dozen or so things that could cause an eye to turn red, pink eye (also known as conjunctivitis) would include other symptoms such as itching, excessive tearing, morning crustiness, light sensitivity and/or pain. The 3 most common types of pink eye are: bacterial, viral and allergic.
Bacterial Conjunctivitis is caused by bacteria infecting the eye. It is extremely contagious. Caution should be used to help prevent spreading to your other eye or to other people by keeping your hands clean and away from the infected eye. You should also be careful to not share anything that may come in contact with the infected eye, such as wash cloths, pillows, sunglasses, make-up, etc. Bacterial conjunctivitis is almost always accompanied by a yellowish, sticky discharge, requiring a doctor visit to get a prescription for antibiotic eyedrops.
Viral Conjunctivitis is just that, a virus in your eye. As with any other type of virus in your body, antibiotics will not help. This type of pink eye is also contagious and usually clears up on it’s own depending on the severity of the virus. Severe viral conjunctivitis could include symptoms such as a white discharge, pain, swelling and even blurred vision. Over-the-counter lubricating eye drops and ice packs or cold compresses can help keep you comfortable until the virus runs its course. Although, if symptoms do not seem to be getting better it is always good to see your ophthalmologitst.
Allergic Conjunctivitis is one of the most common causes of redness and is usually accompanied by itching, tearing and eyelid swelling. This type of conjunctivitis is not contagious, so prescription antibiotic drops will not work although prescriptive allergy drops may give you some relief. Over-the-counter lubricating or allergy drops, cold compresses and even oral allergy medication can help reduce the symptoms and prevent you from getting worse.
These 3 type of conjunctivitis are often misdiagnosed by Emergency Room Doctors, Primary Care Physicians and the staff at Urgent Care Facilities. I always tell my patients who have seen someone other than an Ophthalmologist and are not getting better, they really should come in just to ensure the proper diagnosis.*
Mary Sweetman, C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
Clarence Clemens, Saxophonist for Bruce Springsteen, Rumored to Suffer Stroke
06.17.2011Anyone who knows me, knows that I am a huge fan of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band. Growing up in New Jersey, how could I not be? I have been listening to his music since the early 1980′s, seen him hundreds of times in concert and even been fortunate enough to meet him a time or two “out in the street.”
Bruce and his band have been such an important part of my 
entire life that they almost feel like family to me. I don’t think I have to tell anyone how completely devastated I was when rumors started flooding the Internet Sunday evening that one of Bruce’s own was critically ill due to the effects of a massive stroke. When I learned it was Bruce’s saxophone player, Clarence Clemons, my heart just sank.
“No, not the Big Man!” (a nickname Bruce affectionately gave him many years ago) I thought to myself. How could a stroke bring down this big teddy bear of a man, who plays the sax like no one I ever heard before. You can actually HEAR how much he loves to play in every note. Just ask Lady Gaga, who asked Clarence to play sax for her new hit song “The Edge of Glory”. They also appeared together on the American Idol finale a few weeks ago.
Strokes can be devastating, often leaving people completely paralyzed on an entire side of their body, but did you know that your eyes can also have a stroke?
Central Retinal Artery Occlusion (CRAO) is considered to be a “stroke” of the eye. This stroke is actually a blood clot, from the carotid artery (in the neck) or from the heart, breaking free and lodging itself in an artery in the retina. This blockage deprives the retina of nutrients and oxygen that are normally carried through the bloodstream. Eye strokes are usually sudden and painless and cause dramatic vision loss in one eye. Patients suffering from CRAO can often barely count fingers in front of their face or see light from the effected eye.
Certain medical conditions can make a person prone to these types of strokes. Patients who have a medical history of high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac valvular disease, and carotid artery disease are at particularly high risk. Annual ophthalmological exams, including an extensive retinal evaluation, should become routine for people having these risk factors.
Early detection is key, so if you or someone you know suffers from sudden, unexplained, severe loss of vision, call your ophthalmologist or your primary care physician immediately.
On a personal note to the Big Man: I will always wait for you, Clarence. Get well soon, my friend.
Mary Sweetman C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
Accidentally Getting Sunscreen In Your Kid’s Eye Will Not Blind Them
06.15.2011I remember quite a few years ago, there was one of those Internet stories floating around about a mother who claimed to have accidentally gotten waterproof sunscreen in her kid’s eyes and that the child was blinded for 2 days because of it.
The story read that she was putting sunscreen on her 2 year-old son and he rubbed his eyes, causing some sunscreen to get in there. She said he started screaming in pain so she tried to flush it out with water but it would not come out because it was waterproof. She claims to have called the poison control center who told her to go to the closest Emergency Room. She then claims that they took her back right away and started flushing his eyes out with “special eye drops” and that although her son did not completely loose his vision she does state he was blind for the 2 days following this traumatic event.
I know that my kids were fairly young at the time, and living at the Jersey Shore, spent many weekends on the beach and went through tons of sunscreen every summer. I remember panicking and thinking what an awful mother I would be if I actually did this to one of my kids.
I am here to reassure all of you moms out there, that there is no way any reputable sunscreen on the market could actually cause anyone to go blind. They do contain ingredients that could significantly irritate the eye, but do not contain anything that could possibly cause permanent blindness to a person.
Although many sunscreens are waterproof, it does not mean they can’t be rinsed from the eye if it accidentally gets in there. I have made it a habit of carrying a bottle of artificial tear drops in my beach bag. These can be found in the optical section of any Drug Store and even Target and WalMart. In case our eyes get irritated, from sunscreen or sweat mixed with sunscreen, I just put in a few drops of these lubricating artificial tears. This is also helpful for taking the chlorine sting out if you are at a pool and for sand accidentally getting in your eyes at the beach.
Of course it is always best to try to NOT get anything in your eyes, but sometimes accidents do happen. So why not be prepared? *
Mary Sweetman, C.O.A.
Certified Ophthalmic Assistant
