Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Avoid Smoking for Best Eye Health

To maintain the best eye health and vision, avoid smoking if you haven’t started and stop if you are currently a smoker. This may not be as easy as it sounds as it is often difficult for patients to see the long term increased eye health risks of smoking-especially when they are younger,” stated Leslie Doctor, M.D. a Fairfield County eye doctor with offices in Norwalk, Westport & Wilton, CT. “Believe it or not, avoiding smoking, or quitting, is one of the best investments you can make in your long-term eye health. Smoking-even in your teens or twenties when your senior years seem far away- increases your future risks for cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). And the more a person smokes, the higher the risks. The good news is that after people quit smoking, their risks for these eye diseases become almost as low as for people who never smoked,” said Dr. Leslie Doctor.

Smoking also raises the risks for cardiovascular diseases that indirectly influence your eyes’ health. And tobacco smoke, including second-hand smoke, is an irritant that worsens dry eye, a very uncomfortable eye condition that is most common in women after menopause. Smoking increases the risk of serious vision loss in people with other eye diseases. And when women smoke during pregnancy they are more likely to give birth prematurely, putting their babies at higher risk for a potentially blinding disease called retinopathy of prematurity as well as other health problems.

 If you or someone you know want to quit smoking and would like help the American Cancer Society has a resource at www.cancer.org. If you would like to learn more about smoking and eye health problems please feel free to call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice with offices at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Best Macular Degeneration Treatment Results

“The best macular degeneration treatment results seem to be dependent on some select predictive factors for success and outcome with Lucentis® injections,” said Dr. Leslie Doctor, a Connecticut eye doctor with Fairfield County offices in Westport, Wilton & Norwalk, CT. “The good news is that by looking at these predictive factors we have been able to establish a number of diagnostic and treatment parameters that can be used to optimize treatment and monitoring regimens in order to help patients get the best possible results,” Dr. Doctor explained.

Here are some important factors and considerations that we know today:
·         The initial visual acuity is not a good indicator for patients treated with monthly injections of Lucentis®. But, a poorer initial visual acuity seems to predict greater overall improvement.
·         Smaller areas of blood vessel growth seem to respond better to treatment.
·         If treatment begins BEFORE any hemorrhage has occurred there is usually a more favorable result.
·         The visual acuity found between the 3 and 5 month visit seems to predict about where the 12 month visit acuity will end up.
·         If there is a recurrence of subretinal fluid there is usually a negative effect on the long term visual recovery and functioning.

While there can be no guarantees, by using this information we can work to hopefully avoid the catastrophic vision loss from Wet Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD).  YOUR role is to be consistent in scheduling routine eye exams if you are over 50 years old or even earlier if you have a family history of AMD-and should you notice symptoms including distortion of your vision, waviness or curving of lines or straight surfaces or a sudden change or spots of any kind, please call Doctor & Associates at 203-227-4113 for an immediate appointment. The key to maintaining eye health and vision is early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

If you or someone you know has a family history of macular degeneration or is concerned about macular degeneration it is important to schedule regular eye exams by calling Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visiting Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice with offices at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.

Monday, November 4, 2013

Diabetic Eye Disease Problems & Prevention

November has been designated National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month-a time to consider the diabetes related eye problems and their prevention. Connecticut eye physician & surgeon Leslie Doctor, M.D. reviewed information from Prevent Blindness America. “What we know from the most recent Prevent Blindness America Vision Problems in the U.S. report is that diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age. This is compounded by the data from the Centers for Disease Control indicating that diabetes affects 25.8 million people in the United States and is really an American epidemic. Although there is no cure for diabetic eye disease, annual eye exams for diabetes patients are essential to help prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy and its related complications,” said Dr. Doctor.
The Prevent Blindness America Vision Problems in the U.S. identified that there are almost 8 million people ages 40 and older who have diabetic retinopathy. This represents an 89 percent increase between the years 2000-2012. “While it is not surprising that the incidence of some eye diseases and problems is increasing with the aging of the baby boomer population, it is terribly disturbing to see the dramatic spike in diabetic retinopathy cases, a consequence of the diabetes epidemic that this country is experiencing with no end in sight,” Dr. Doctor explained.
The vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented if it's caught early and treated in time.

More than one third of those diagnosed with diabetes do not adhere to vision care guidelines recommending a dilated eye exam every year.

As part of Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month we are urging people with diabetes to have a dilated eye exam every year. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater his or her risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. However, diabetic retinopathy does not only affect people who have had diabetes for many years, it can also appear within the first year or two after the onset of the disease. In addition to having regular eye examinations and testing at the direction of your eye doctor, patients can help to reduce the risk of developing diabetic eye disease  by not smoking, controlling their cholesterol and lipid profile and blood pressure, as well as working to eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy vegetables and exercising. 

If you or someone you know has diabetes or even elevated blood sugar levels they should work to prevent diabetic eye disease and problems with regular eye exams by calling Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visiting Doctor & Associates or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice with offices at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.