Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month
Women often are the responsible party to manage their entire family’s health issues. Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month is an important reminder for women to take time to focus on their own health including the well-being of their eyesight. Age, hormonal changes, disease, and smoking can jeopardize eyesight.
Do you know how to protect your sight? Contact Eye Michigan for an appointment today.
What Is Low Vision?
Low vision is a condition where patients experience blurred sight, partial sight, tunnel vision, or even being legally blind. Unlike many other eye impairments, low vision cannot be corrected through glasses or surgery. Even with corrective lenses and medical procedures, low vision cannot be restored to 20/20. While a “cure” is not an option, there are things sufferers can do to help them function in their daily lives. Depending on individual cases, ophthalmologists may take different approaches that are aimed to try to enhance vision as much as possible such as: prescription lenses, therapy or magnification.
Low vision is a condition that can affect people of all ages, but most often strikes elderly individuals. Several different diseases are often to blame for low vision. Glaucoma, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration to name the most common.
The effects of low vision are, by definition, irreversible, and therefore the best way to manage low vision is to prevent it from happening. Many common eye diseases, including glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy, can be detected before any considerable damage has taken place. Having a simple and noninvasive test performed early on can prevent a lot of complications in the future. Maintaining regular scheduled visits with your ophthalmologist has the potential to save your vision. Contact Eye Michigan to schedule your appointment today.
Benefits of Cosmetic Surgery for Eye Care
Cosmetic surgery is desired and oftentimes necessary for those suffering from eye issues. There are several physical effects associated with vision loss and disease. For example, a natural aging process in older adults can be excess eyelid skin. Without warning, this can lead to pain in the brow region, as well as a reduction in peripheral vision.
Physical Conditions and Treatments
Drooping Eyelids
Drooping Eyelids (also known as Ptosis) is common among older adults. In many instances, this condition deters normal vision. One of the most common treatments to this issue is blepharoplasty. The procedure consists of the removal of excess skin, as well as the tightening of muscles to improve vision and physical appearance.
Inflamed Eyelids
Inflamed Eyelids are present in a condition known as Blepharitis. This condition leaves eyes red, burning, and stinging, as well as, excessive and frequent eye irritation. Inflammation can also cause blurred vision as well as damage to corneas. Cosmetic surgery is available to both improve the physical symptoms as well as correct any potential vision damage.
Cosmetic surgeries provide desirable solutions to both physical appearance and vision loss and damage. Although there are few risks associated with these cosmetic surgeries, it is important the patient discuss any procedure with their ophthalmologist. To learn if you are a candidate, contact Eye Michigan for an appointment.
Diabetic Eye Disease
Diabetes is a concerning and an all-to-common disease that is becoming more and more prevalent in our society. Leading to a large range of complications and symptoms due to erratic sugar levels that wreak havoc on the body including your visual health. Diabetic eye disease refers to several different conditions that are associated with diabetes including: diabetic retinopathy, cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic macular edema (DME).
When a patient suffers from chronically heightened sugar levels, this can lead to swelling as well as damage to the optic nerve, blood vessels, and the immune system. Depending on the course and severity of the disease, a diabetic can suffer permanent damage to their vision.
Catching the problem early can greatly increase the probability for successful treatment as well as recovery. Routine eye exams with your ophthalmologist will help detect the disease in its infancy. Remember to always alert your doctor when you notice any changes in your vision.
Managing your diabetes is of utmost importance. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle with diet and exercise greatly decreases the chance that your sugar levels will spike and the disease will damage your eyes. Consult with your ophthalmologist to keep your vision clear and healthy. Make an appointment with your Eye Michigan doctor today!
Tips to Maintain Healthy Vision
We use our eyes every day so maintaining healthy eyesight is very important. Whether for driving your car or reading a book, good vision can make a huge difference in your life. Most people agree that having good vision is a top priority. What many may not know is that there are a few simple things you can do to keep your vision strong and intact.
For starters, try to limit screen time to smaller, 15-minute segments to give your eyes a little rest. Additionally, when you are using your electronic devices or even just reading, make sure to give yourself adequate lighting so you do not strain your eyes. If you have glasses, make sure they are resting on your face in the proper manner for maximum vision correction. If your glasses are strictly for reading or distance, make sure only to use them for that purpose.
Your overall health can be directly related to your eyesight as well, so make sure to eat a balanced diet and maintain a healthy lifestyle. It is a great idea to consult with an eye doctor about any supplements or tips to recommend for you and your personal situation.
Annual, routine, dilated eye exams are also key in maintaining healthy vision for your future, preserving the independence and freedom that healthy eyesight can provide. Contact Eye Michigan to make an appointment.
Toric Lens Implants and Astigmatism
If you wear glasses or contacts, there’s a good chance you’ve heard the word “astigmatism.” In fact, most people—even those who don’t require corrective lenses—have some degree of astigmatism. Put simply, astigmatism is the medical term for blurred vision. This condition occurs when the shape of the eye’s cornea is abnormal, or when the lens is irregularly curved. Essentially, these anomalies in shape create an inability to focus light properly on the retina, creating a blurry image.
Usually, those dealing with astigmatism are prescribed corrective glasses or contact lenses to help adjust the focus of light and create a clearer visual picture for the wearer. For certain severe cases of astigmatism, however, there is another more permanent solution in Toric Intraocular Lens (IOL) implants.
Most often implanted at the time of cataract surgery, the Toric Lens implant effectively replaces the natural lens of the eye to create a clear, properly-shaped lens. Just like the external lenses provided by prescription glasses or contacts, the Toric Lens implant corrects for the abnormalities of the natural eye to create an ideal focus, thereby improving overall vision quality. Each implant is made from a safe, medical grade silicone or acrylic material and is coated with UV protection to protect your eyes from damaging sun rays.
If you suffer from severe astigmatism with or without cataracts, discuss with your ophthalmologist whether Toric Lens implants may be an option for you.
Eye Michigan’s experienced ophthalmologist will be able to determine the severity of your astigmatism and confirm whether you are a candidate for the surgery. Contact us today to make an appointment.
Optical Illusions: Trickery of the Eye
How exactly DO optical illusions work?
Optical illusions gain their allure from the ways in which our visual abilities and the brain interact. Perhaps the simplest definition of an optical illusion is an image that uses patterns, light and/or colors to affect a person’s perception of reality by taking advantage of the ways in which visual information is processed by the brain.
In some cases, the amount of information your eyes are receiving from an image is just too much for the brain to process efficiently, leading to a sort of “glitch” that creates a deceptive image. In other cases, high-contrast images can cause a “halo” or “leaking” effect that leads to a light or dark value appearing where it doesn’t actually exist. For example, the famous Hermann grid illusion causes the viewer to perceive non-existent dots at the intersections of lines on a high-contrast grid.
If you want to continue enjoying the unique visual and mental trickery that optical illusions provide, it’s important to take good care of your eye health. Make sure to have regular appointments with your Eye Michigan ophthalmologist to keep a watch on your optical health and help you address any visual issues you may develop.
When Is It Best to Make an Appointment with an Ophthalmologist?
Eye Michigan recommends a comprehensive dilated eye exam at least once a year to ensure optimal eye health. When should you call between visits?
If you are presenting with a new eye problem or a change in your existing condition, you should always call and make an appointment with an ophthalmologist. It is important to address any serious vision concerns as soon as possible.
In general, you should make an appointment with an ophthalmologist any time you are experiencing significant blurring, darkening or obscuring of your vision. Likewise, even if your vision is unaffected, you should also see an ophthalmologist if your eyes experience soreness, burning, itching or other serious, ongoing discomfort. Symptoms like increased floaters, flashes of light, difficulty focusing and other unusual changes in vision can seem small, but can be indicators of internal damage that can be treated.
Often, patients will forego seeking medical attention because they aren’t experiencing any pain. However, in the case of serious conditions like glaucoma and retinal detachment, the severe damage to the optic nerve and retinal tissue often occurs without any discomfort. In the case of glaucoma, there are very few warning signs before loss of vision starts to occur. For this reason, it is also important to make an appointment if your family has a history of serious eye conditions.
If you begin to experience noticeable changes in your field of vision or if you have an eye injury, it is best to make an appointment with your Eye Michigan ophthalmologist immediately to rule out any potential problems. For emergent eye problems, go directly to the emergency room.
Benefits of the Symfony Lens to Improve Your Vision
LEARN MORE about the Symfony Lens.
Contact Eye Michigan to make an appointment with one of our board-certified ophthalmologists.