Keep decorative colored contacts from causing a ghastly sight this Halloween

AN EYE INFECTION FROM DECORATIVE CONTACT LENSES COULD BE A VERY SCARY SIGHT THIS HALLOWEEN

Over the last few years you may have seen decorative contact lenses as a halloween costume accessory for some enthusiasts getting completely into character. However, with celebrities such as Lady Gaga routinely wearing them in her music videos, the popularity of these lenses is likely to hit an all time high this Halloween.

While these contacts may impress your friends or even win you a costume contest, it is important to know the risks involved in wearing contact lenses that aren’t approved for your eyes. Contact Lenses are medical devices that should not be worn without approval and a current prescription from an eye doctor.

These decorative contact lenses often have many pitfalls when they are worn or cared for incorrectly, or when they are worn by an individual that should not be wearing contact lenses at all.

These are some important basics of contact lens care to remember:
• Do not buy contacts without a doctor’s prescription. These are medical devices that fit your eye and if they do not fit properly or are the wrong material for your eyes then they can damage your eyes.
• Do not share lenses, wear them longer than the recommended replacement time, or sleep in contact lenses. Remember to wash your hands every time before handling lenses, change your contact lens case monthly, and always use the proper solution for your contact lenses.
• If your eyes are red, painful, creating mucus discharge, or if your vision is blurry make sure to contact your eye doctor as soon as possible.

Above all remember to be safe this Halloween season, and if your eye doctor has not approved your eyes for a special decorative lens – then it is not worth the risk, because you only get one pair of eyes.

Happy Halloween!

Sjogren's Syndrome in the News!

Tennis champion Venus Williams recently made headlines when she had to withdraw from the U.S. Open Tennis Championship just before the tournament began. Many fans were surprised to find out that she suffers from a mysterious autoimmune disease known as Sjogren's Syndrome. This condition was making her extremely fatigued to the point that she barely had enough energy to get out of bed much less to excel at the highest level of tennis competition.
Though Sjogren's syndrome may seem to be new information to the general public, eye doctors have been experts on this condition for years due to its ocular manifestations.
Sjogren's syndrome and other autoimmune disorders are well known causes of dry eye syndrome. That is one reason that you may have had your eye doctor ask you if you have been tested for autoimmune diseases and/or arthritis if you experience unresolving dry eyes. It is not uncommon for an eye doctor to order bloodwork to rule out this type of condition if dry eye symptoms continue to manifest despite ocular therapy. Some of the hallmark signs of Sjogren's Syndrome include unresolving dry eye and dry mouth symptoms. If these symptoms sound familiar to you it is definately worth mentioning to your eye doctor and general primary care physician in order to rule out Sjogren's Syndrome or other underlying systemic cause.
As an interesting side note I once attended the same school as Venus Williams growing up in central florida where she attended a nearby tennis academy, and we both have degrees from Nova Southeastern University in Florida. She is now being successfully treated for her condition and I'm sure we will all see her back on the court soon.

Remember to schedule your child's Back to School eye exam

It's that time of year when the activities of summer are keeping you so busy having fun that it's easy to forget the start of a new school year is just around the corner. The majority of all we learn is attributable to the information we are able to process from the images we see. We know that reading is enhanced when our eyes are functioning properly, and many learning difficulties can be attributed to poor vision. A back to school eye exam from our eye doctors can help put your mind at ease that your child is being given the best opportunity to succeed in the classroom. To learn more about children's eye exams and learning please follow this link.

What is that floating spot in my vision?

Floaters are small semi-transparent or cloudy particles that are suspended within the vitreous body of your eye. The vitreous body is the clear, jelly-like fluid that fills the inner portion of the eye.

Generally a few floaters are normal and are seen by many individuals at one time or another. These floaters often appear as specks of various shapes and sizes or similar to cobwebs in your vision. These floaters are often more apparent in your vision when in natural lighting and staring at a constant light background; such as when reading a book outside.

There are a few different causes for floaters. They may be small flecks of protein trapped during the formation of the eyes before birth that remain suspended in the clear fluid of the vitreous. Deterioration of the vitreous fluid may also cause floaters to develop. This deterioration is a normal part of the aging process, though this process can be brought on by certain eye diseases or injuries as well.

However, if you are experiencing the appearance of streaks of light in your vision this may be a sign of a vitreous or retinal detachment. If you experience any of these signs or symptoms please see you eye doctor for an eye exam. In a comprehensive eye examination, your eye doctor can examine the vitreous, retina and the other interior parts of the eye to determine the causes of the flashes and floaters that you see.

Allergy Eyes

It's that time of year again when pollen counts are high, you can't stop crying, and no matter how many times you wash your car it stays yellow.

If itcy, red, watery eyes are constantly bothering you this spring you are probably suffering from allergic conjunctivitis. This condition can be effectively treated by your eye care professional with medication eye drops.

To learn more about this condition, its treatment, and the states that have the highest pollen counts this time of year - please click here.

Protective Eyewear and Sports Safety

When I was growing up there was not much of an emphasis on protecting the eyes during sporting competitions.
At that time many did not have the knowledge of how simple protective sports eyewear could help prevent eye injury and in many cases save vision and prevent blindness in the unfortunate event of a serious sports related eye injury.
Today, many more individuals and parents are diligent to make sure they and their children are properly protecting their vision during sporting activities, and furthermore there are many choices in today's protective eyewear market that allow athletes to play safely and look good at the same time.

Please read the information below from Prevent Blindness America and All About Vision about the importance of Sports Safety.

Eye Safety News

Tips for Keeping Your Kids' Eyes Safe During Spring/Summer Sports

February 16, 2011 — Each year in the United States, 25,000 kids under 15 have sports-related eye injuries, most of which are preventable (source: Prevent Blindness America).

To protect your children's eyes, follow these valuable tips from Dr. Scott Lambert, a professor of ophthalmology at Emory University and a member of the advisory council for the
Pediatric Cataract Initiative:

• Children in sports need protective eyewear, just as they need helmets and protective padding. Balls, bats and jabs from other participants can cause both temporary injuries and long-term vision problems — even cataracts and blindness. Choose protective eyewear with wraparound frames, to protect the eyes from all sides.

• Regular eyeglasses and sunglasses don't protect the eyes, because they are not strong enough to withstand flying objects and hard blows; your kids need protective eyewear as well. You can get it with or without a prescription, but be sure the lenses are both impact-and scratch-resistant.

• Sun exposure damages the eyes, so kids need protection from both UVA and UVB rays with either good-quality sunglasses or protective eyewear. If the labels don't specify UVA and UVB protection levels, you can find out how protective the products are by having your eye doctor check their UV blockage with a spectrophotometer.

These tips can help you and your family remain as safe as possible when engaging in sports this spring and summer.

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month!

Glaucoma has often been referred to as "the silent thief of sight", due to the fact that many symptoms of the disease can affect you without your knowledge. This is because glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve and can reduce your peripheral vision without you noticing any change.
Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness today and affects over 4 million americans. Glaucoma is 6 to 8 times more common in African Americans than Caucasians.

According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, "The best way to protect your sight from glaucoma is to get a comprehensive eye examination. Then, if you have glaucoma, treatment can begin immediately."

New technologies are also helping detect glaucoma in patients earlier, leading to initiating treatments faster, and thus helping preserve vision. One type of this technology is found in scanning lasers that are able to effectively show the retinal nerve fiber layer and the optic nerve head. Two such instruments that effectively use this type of technology are the OCT, and GDX.
These instruments work by helping your eye doctor map out the retinal nerve fiber layer and thus examine your risk for glaucoma and track any progression of the disease. If you have a family history of glaucoma, are over 40 years old, or have other risk factors an annual comprehensive eye exam is a must to help rule out the presence of glaucoma.