May is Healthy Vision Month

The following is from a press release from the National Institute of Health. I hope that we can spread the word about the importance of regular eye exams for everyone. I am really surprised that 9% of all Americans have never had their eyes examined.

The National Eye Institute (NEI)is encouraging community organizations and Americans to make vision health a priority. This year’s theme, “Your Eyes are the Windows to Your Health,” highlights the importance of scheduling an eye exam to maintain good quality eye health and preserve the sense of sight.

In a 2005 national survey conducted by NEI and the Lions Clubs International Foundation, 70 percent of adults reported that the loss of eyesight would have a great impact on their daily lives—a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. However, 26 percent reported they had not had an eye exam within the previous two years, and 9 percent reported never having had their eyes examined.

Unfortunately, an estimated 14 million Americans are visually impaired. In fact, the prevalence of myopia, or nearsightedness, was shown to have increased 66 percent in the past 30 years, according to a 2009 NEI study. Nearly 11 million Americans have refractive errors that can be detected during an eye examination and simply remedied with glasses or contact lenses, according to the NEI.

Click here for a Link to the NEI web-site.

Help with Glaucoma Medicine

I was reading an article from the Glaucoma Research Foundation (GRF) that I thought would be good to share. Most of the time, glaucoma is treated with prescription eye drops and our biggest barrier is problems with the drops. The GRF shares some ideas on helping with drops and I want to share them with you. Enjoy....

-To help you remember to take your medications, schedule them around daily routines such as waking, mealtimes, and bedtime.

-Keep your medications in a visible place at home and carry them with you when you are away from home. Remember to keep all medications, including eye drops, out of the reach of children. Also, keep bottles out of direct sunlight.

-If you are putting in more than one drop or more than one type of eye drop, wait five minutes before putting the next drop in. This will keep the first drop from being washed out by the second before it has had time to work.

-If you forget to use your eye drops on schedule, put the drop in when you remember. Do not wait until the next scheduled time. Then get right back on your regular schedule.

-Tell your doctor or pharmacist if your medications are causing reactions, or if you are having any difficulty using them. It may be possible to change your medication program.

Here is a link to the Glaucoma Research Foundation website.

Spring is in the Air

Spring is in the air and allergies are coming with them. In Georgia, April brings the Masters, beautiful blooms on the trees and pollen. The pollen covers everything with a thin film of yellow that runs down the streets after a good spring rain.

With this new life, we all experience some form of allergy. (Almost all of us anyway.) For some it is a runny nose and sneezing and for others a sinus headache. But many have the dreaded watery and itchy eyes - our speciality.

So what should you do if you have eye allergies? First, you should resist the urge to rub your eyes. This can cause a release of inflammatory cells and make things worse. Try instead, using a cold cloth on your eyes to relieve the itchiness and irritation. There are many over-the-counter drops that help with itching and redness but be careful not to use too regularly as they can actually cause a dependency on the drop.

If cold cloths and OTC drops aren't enough, we can prescribe drops that have quick action and are long-lasting. For some patients, we change their contact lenses to daily disposable during allergy season or permanently. Other treatments are available so that no one has to suffer this allergy season.

Care for the Heart is Care for the Eyes

Today is Valentine's Day. What could be a better topic for today than heart health?
I often say that the best thing you can do to take care of your eyes is to take good care of your heart. By keeping your blood pressure controlled, keeping a watch on your cholesterol levels and by watching your weight - you can reduce your chances of eye disease. If that sounds crazy to you, let me explain:
The eyes are very active organs. They constantly receiving light images and sending impulses to the brain. This constant activity uses a lot of energy so the eyes need a lot of oxygen and nutrients, which all comes from the bloodstream. So the eyes have a lot of blood vessels, which are supplied by the HEART.
In addition to bringing oxygen and nutrients to the eyes, these blood vessels take away the carbon dioxide and other waste materials. Macular Degeneration is primarily caused by a build up of these waste materials.
So basically when the heart is healthy, it can do a good job. And when it does its job well, our
eyes get what they need and get rid of what they don't need. This helps protect us against glaucoma, macular degeneration and other eye diseases.
On this Valentine's Day do your eyes a favor and take care of your heart.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Computers and Your Eyes

This week, Apple introduced the iPad and there has been a lot of talk about it. It made me realize how computers are becoming more and more a part of every aspect of our lives. It seems funny to me that when I began as an optometrist, computers were becoming a major part of the workplace. But think about computers now. Many of us are looking at a computer all day at work, looking at a Blackberry or iPhone while getting home then pulling out the laptop to “socialize” on Facebook. It is something we can’t get away from.

I think it is important for us to remember how to care for our eyes, which are obviously very important to us while using all of this technology. An optometrist friend of mine in Colorado shared an ABC News story with me about how near-sightedness is on the rise and thought increased computer use may be to blame. Well let me tell you for sure, increased computer use IS to blame.

We should all use this technology to benefit our lives but there are some things you should know and do. Our eyes are not designed to stay focused at near for extended periods of time. Our eyes relax when looking far away and work when looking at near. I like to think of it like holding a brick with your arm straight out from your body. You can do it for a little while, but soon your arm will get tired, then your arm will hurt, then your shoulder and your neck. You will need support and / or you will need to rest periodically.

So when using the computer (or iPhone, or Blackberry, or Kindle), take frequent breaks by looking at something far away. Make sure your prescription is up-to-date and that the print isn’t ridiculously small. The further away your monitor is from your face the easier it will be on your eyes (the brick will be lighter). And for kids, please balance time at the computer with time outside playing.

Welcome to Our Blog

At West Georgia Eye Care, we always try to remain on the cutting edge of technology as it relates to providing for our patients. Now, we want to be in the lead in communicating with our patients. This blog will focus on the things we can all do to protect our eyes and our vision. "Visual Wellness" is a term that I think best conveys the ultimate goal of reducing the effects of age and the environment on our vision systems.

I hope that you enjoy coming to this site to hear the latest trends on protecting your vision. We will continue to research the latest studies about vision and share those findings with you here. We will also share with you what we are finding in our own office, successes and challenges.

Let us know what you think.

Fish Oil for Everyone

I have recently begun recommending Omega 3 Fish Oil capsules to just about all of my patients. All the literature I have read about the benefits has been positve and I have seen dramatic results in many of my patients with long term, serious dry eye problems. I began taking it myself several months ago and can tell a difference.

It is important to get a high quality Fish Oil capsule. I recommend looking for the words "Natural Triglyceride" on the label. I like the "FortifEYE" and "Nordic Naturals" brands.