January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month

It's a new year and what better resolution than leading a healthier lifestyle in 2014. One item on everyone's list this year seems to be heading back to the gym - to improve their fitness level, or just eating healthier overall for a better quality of life, but many don’t think about their eye health when making their new year’s resolutions

January has been named National Glaucoma Awareness month by Prevent Blindness America to help promote the importance of regular annual eye exams.  Today close to three million people actually have Glaucoma, but some of them do not even realize it because there are often no warning symptoms.  Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the United States of America and the first major leading cause of preventable blindness. Approximately 120,000 Americans are mostly blind because they suffer from Glaucoma, accounting for 9% to 12% of all cases of blindness in the United States of America. The condition is also 6 to 8 times more common to be found in African-Americans than in Caucasians. 

Glaucoma is an eye disease which damages the optic nerve (the pathway for vision between the brain and eye) in the back of the eye most often when eye pressure is elevated in an individual’s eye for an extended period of time.  This process can often decrease peripheral vision without symptoms, thus earning it the moniker of “the silent thief of sight”.  As such, annual eye exams are the number one deterrent from individuals suffering vision loss caused by Glaucoma and other preventable eye diseases. This is because even in a routine eye examination, your eye doctor can detect signs and/or risk factors of Glaucoma. 

Many patients are familiar with the dreaded “air-puff test” which is one method of measuring eye pressure, but there are also other methods – such as the Icare Tonometer which measures intraocular pressure (IOP) with no drops or puff of air required for a more comfortable and accurate assessment.  If Glaucoma is detected early enough, there are many steps that can be taken in order to maintain the amount of healthy vision one currently has through topical (eye drops), laser, or even surgical treatments.

Though it may be down your resolution list a bit, making it a point to see your eye doctor for regularly scheduled eye exams is a must in order to keep seeing your best in 2014. It does not matter whether you wear corrective lenses or not, or even if you think your eyes are in perfect condition. Getting a regular eye exam is a necessary part of your overall healthcare regimen, and vital to make sure you are able to continue maintaining healthy vision. So make sure you make an annual eye exam a part of your healthier lifestyle in 2013 and keep seeing your best all year round.

Are your eyes constantly tearing? You may actually be suffering from Dry Eyes!

You may have noticed the sensation that your eyes feel drier this time of year. As the heaters are running and the humidity drops, dryness can often creep in. This dryness can be particularly bothersome if you are a person suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome or what is also known as Ocular Surface Disease.

A person suffering from Dry Eye Syndrome may often feel like they have burning, stinging eyes, redness, and a foreign body sensation.  However; the most common symptom is often a reflex tearing effect caused by dry, irritated eyes.  This tearing is too watery and can often run down one’s face instead of properly hydrating the eye, thus not helping to relieve dry eye symptoms. 

There are certain systemic diseases that can exacerbate this condition. Some of the most common systemic diseases that put you more at risk for dry eye include Diabetes, Thyroid disease, and Rheumatoid Arthritis. In addition, lifestyle factors such as increased caffeine consumption, increased computer use, and certain medications can lead to dry eye if not properly managed.

Your eye doctor plays a vital role in the fight against dry eye by diagnosing and treating this condition in a number of ways. The first line of treatment is often properly managing any contributing systemic diseases such as Diabetes with your Primary Care Provider.  Once this is under control your eye doctor will initiate a treatment protocol that may include over the counter eye drops and vitamin supplements, prescription eye drops and lifestyle changes. 

Discussing your specific symptoms with your eye doctor can help determine the best treatment options. Some options your eye doctor may choose to treat your dry eye include:

1.                           Over the counter artificial tear eye drops; which can help alleviate minor dry eye symptoms

2.                           Omega 3 vitamin supplements have also been shown to improve tear film and alleviate many symptoms.

3.                           Punctal plugs; which keep your tears from draining as quickly and thus keep the tear film on your eyes for a longer period of time.

4.                           Anti-inflammatory medication eye drops such as Restasis can help a patient produce more tears over time.

To find out if you suffer from dry eye syndrome please contact our office at 770-479-0222 or www.EdwardsEyeCare.com to schedule your comprehensive eye examination. 

The Risk of Readers

We have all seen them, dangling from a display in your local supermarket, the Over the Counter Reading Glasses or for short Readers. They present as a small selection of inexpensive frames with seemingly many different lens powers to choose from. “Oh, well that one doesn’t look too bad I guess? I think I will try that one on, but what do the different numbers mean? Wow, this one makes objects look really large and closer to me, I wonder if it is even my correct prescription?” I know that many of us have had this experience and wondered if these readers might give us better vision when reading or actually do the opposite and actually hurt our eyes over time. Well, the answer is often yes and yes. While a pair of over the counter readers may improve the reading ability of some, there are definitely many better options to meet the needs of your vision and help you function through all of your individual daily activities. Over the counter readers are usually made of a cheap plastic lens material that may not have the best optical quality for viewing your near work and also represent a one size fits all option with optical centers in the lenses that are not unique to you allowing for more distortion and eyestrain than is found with custom measurements. A custom pair of near work eyeglasses are almost always a better option because of the availability of better lens material, custom measurements which allow you to view near objects directly through a custom optical center of the lens for less distortion, and an anti-reflective coating can also be added to your custom reading eyeglasses to cut down on glare and unwanted reflections when using your computer screen. A progressive lens or no line multifocal lens can also be a great option and holds one big advantage over near work glasses. That is the fact that a progressive lens helps you see at many different distances or focal points, while readers will always be blurry in the distance – causing one to constantly take them on and off, wear them on top of their head, or even use the dreaded granny chain to hold them around their neck. Some will even try to drive with readers and find their distance vision distorted but a dashboard that comes in and out of focus. However, the biggest risk of readers is truly the patient that is self-diagnosing and avoiding the eye doctor. This habit could not only result in selecting an improper near visual aid, but also effectively mask an underlying problem which an eye doctor could detect. The moral of the story is that you only get one set of eyes and it is important that you see your best. So please don’t trust your vision to just an over the counter – one size fits all product, find an eye care professional you trust to help you maintain healthy vision year in and year out.

Modern Eye Care, Old Fashioned Service

My wife Anne and I are thrilled to have opened our new eye clinic this month – Edwards Eye Care- in beautiful Cherokee County. After practicing optometry in the metro Atlanta area for the past five years, we had been searching to find the perfect community to start our own eye care practice. Little did we know that the perfect area would turn out to be just a few miles from our family in Woodstock, Georgia. We are now settling in to our new eye care office in Hickory Flat and are truly excited about the future of our practice in this growing area. When we began talking about the vision for our practice, we knew that we wanted to be in a family friendly environment where we could make a positive impact on the community. While we do provide quality eye care services and products, we know our job is not complete until all our patients know the importance of annual comprehensive eye care in order to maintain proper vision and overall health. The comprehensive eye exam is so important because through routine visits eye doctors are able to diagnose an eye disease such as glaucoma or macular degeneration in its early stages to save vision, or even pick up on a systemic condition like diabetes or hypertension through viewing the retina which can in some cases save lives. As a secondary emphasis of our practice, we knew that giving patients a comfortable experience within our eye care office would be important to alleviate anxiety that can sometimes accompany a visit to any doctor. To this end, we designed our practice to incorporate comfortable elements of the home environment in order to put our patients at ease when coming to our office. As you walk in you will notice traditional craftsman architectural elements that complement our large selection of designer eyewear within our optical. When entering the exam rooms, a patient will notice the newest technology available to monitor proper eye health, such as the Optomap Retinal Camera, which takes a wide view image of the inside of the eye. These elements were all carefully thought out to provide our patients with the best eye care experience available. We are excited to have found the right community for our family and our practice. We look forward to serving the eye care needs for residents of Woodstock, Canton and the surrounding Northside area for years to come. Thank you for your support and we look forward to meeting your family soon. For more information on our practice or to schedule your next eye examination please call 770-479-0222 or visit www.EdwardsEyeCare.com.

Edwards Eye Care Opening Soon!

Coming very soon! Annie and I are excited to announce the opening of our own eye care practice on Monday October 15, 2012 in Woodstock, Georgia. We would like to give a huge thank you to all those that have helped us along the way. We are very excited to offer comprehensive eye care services and products to the residents of Woodstock, Canton, and surrounding areas. To find out more information about our office please visit http://edwardseyecare.com/ or call 770-479-0222 to schedule your next eye care appointment. We are now scheduling patients for mid October and beyond. You can also follow our practice for updates and exclusive offers on facebook at www.facebook.com/edwardseyecare.