CT Corneal Specialist on Herpes Eye Infections

Fairfield County Connecticut Corneal Specialist Leslie Doctor, M.D. commented on Herpes Simplex eye infections. “My patients with ocular herpes eye infections are often somewhat surprised to learn that this type of corneal eye infection affects many more people each year than one might think. Ocular Herpes or Herpes of the eye is caused by the Herpes Simplex virus and is the most common causes of corneal blindness in the United States today,” stated Dr. Leslie Doctor, of Doctor & Associates with offices in Westport, Norwalk and Wilton, Connecticut. “Patients need to be aware that as many as 50% of people who have an initial Herpes Simplex viral infection of the eye will experience a flare up or recurrence and sometimes this can leads to irreversible scarring of the cornea requiring a cornea transplant.”

Ocular Herpes may start as a painful sore on the eyelid or surface of the eye.  If left untreated, it may multiply and begin to destroy epithelial cells and progress deeper into the Cornea. If the Ocular Herpes penetrates the deeper layers of the Cornea and causes a Stromal Keratitis it may cause corneal scarring-so prompt diagnosis and treatment of Ocular Herpes is important.

It is estimated that 400,000 people in the United States have had some type of ocular herpes, with more than 50,000 initial and recurring cases being diagnosed each year. Of these, it is believed that 25% are the more severe form of Herpes Stromal Keratitis. The recurrence of Herpes Simplex eye infections is significant in that it appears to recur in about 10% of patients with one year, 23% of patients within two years and 63% of patients within 20 years of their initial infection. Sometimes a recurrence can be prompted by sunlight, stress, fevers or an unrelated eye injury. Quick diagnosis and treatment is the key to avoiding corneal scarring, vision loss and the possible need for a corneal transplant.

If you or someone you know is experiencing any signs or symptoms of corneal infection-especially if they have had any trauma to their eyes-please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113 and request an immediate appointment.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center. Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield Connecticut.

About Watery Eyes in Connecticut

Connecticut Ophthalmologist and Corneal Specialist Leslie Doctor, M.D. commented on watery eye and eye watering problems. “Watery eyes are the common description for the eye condition called Epiphora. Watery eyes or excessive watering of the eyes can even result in tears running over your eyelids and down your cheeks. Having enough tears is important for your eye health and vision but having too many tears can be annoying and troubling,” remarked Dr. Leslie Doctor.

Watery eyes or Epiphora can be caused by either or both of two main eye problems. First, watery eyes can occur because you simply produce too many tears. Second, eye watering can occur because the tears you do produce just don’t drain properly. As odd as it may seem, one of the most common causes of producing too many tears is dry eyes. When you have a dry eye your eye can “overreact” and produce too much tear fluid due to the irritation. Then, normally when we blink the eyelids push the tears across the eye’s surface, causing them to collect in the lower inner corner of the eye and draining through a tiny opening called a “puncta” into the nasolacrimal canal and out through your nose. If the puncta are closed or the canal is blocked the tears will simply stay stagnant in the inner corners of your eyes making them seem very watery.

So why do we develop tear drainage problems or excessive tear production problems? There are many causes of watery eye and watering eyes are pretty common in people who have dry eye syndrome, clogged tear ducts from infection of inflammation, conjunctivitis or “pink eye”, exposure to irritation from smog, smoke, excessive dust and chemical vapors as well as foreign bodies, eyelid problems turning in or out and corneal abrasions.

If you or someone you know suffers from watery eyes or is bothered by watering eyes please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113 to schedule an appointment for an examination.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery for vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center. Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield Connecticut.

Complications of Cataract Surgery

“I tell my Connecticut cataract patients that although cataract surgery complications are really pretty rare everyone with a cataract who is thinking about having eye surgery always has a concern about what could go wrong”, commented Corneal Specialist and Connecticut Cataract Surgeon Leslie Doctor, M.D. of Doctor & Associates with offices in Fairfield County, Connecticut. Certainly there are things that could go wrong. “Basically in the hands of an experienced Cataract Surgeon using modern cataract surgery techniques we do everything possible to reduce the risk of complications, said Dr. Leslie Doctor.  “When you consider the huge benefit that patients receive in not only in terms of vision but also lifestyle, comfort, convenience and safety the risk of complications is really quite low,” said Dr. Doctor. For routine cataract surgery in healthy patients the complication rate is well under 5%. This might increase somewhat if you have diabetic eye disease, glaucoma or other types of health or eye problems.

So what kinds of things can go wrong? First there are a handful of things that can happen during or within the first 24-48 hours after a Cataract operation. These include the very unusual things like bleeding inside the eye which is really rare, a little bleeding on the surface of the eye or an inner eye infection which is quite rare. Sometimes, if we need to anesthetize the eye using an injection you may have a little “black and blue” eye or an eyelid bruise. This usually clears up pretty quickly. Sometimes the “capsule” around the crystalline lens that is removed as part of the operation might be broken during the surgery and we might need to do a “vitrectomy” as part of the surgery to get a good result. This too is pretty unusual. More common in very nearsighted patients, some patients who have Cataract Surgery can have a retinal detachment. Occasionally in patients who have had “no stitch” Cataract Surgery the actual incision may leak. If this happens it is sometimes necessary for us to put a stitch in place to tightly close the incision. Then there are a few types of complications that can occur over a longer period of time. Very rarely the intraocular lens implant can move off center or the center of the retina can swell. By far the most common complication is a clouding of the lens capsule that has been left in place to support the lens implant. Fortunately, this complication is pretty easily managed with a quick, painless procedure called a YAG Laser Capsulotomy that restores the vision almost immediately after the procedure.

Although it might sound like there are lots of possible complications of Cataract Surgery, rest assured they are quite unusual. This most common one of capsule opacity is easily treated. If you need cataract surgery it is important to have a little knowledge so you appreciate the degree of skill and experience required of your cataract surgeon to help you get the best result.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center. Whatever your eye care, eye health or vision correction needs might be-Doctor & Associates can serve as a Connecticut ophthalmic consultant and will be conveniently located for patients from Fairfield County and southern Connecticut including Danbury, Stamford, Greenwich, Westport, Weston, Wilton, New Canaan, Norwalk, Fairfield, Bridgeport, Cannondale, Aspetuck, Redding, Trumbull, Shelton, Monroe, Darien, Glenbrook and Ridgefield Connecticut.

If you or someone you know has Cataracts and has questions about Cataract Surgery and Lens Implant complications please feel free to call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113.

Connecticut Doctor on Bulging Eyes

Connecticut Ophthalmologist Leslie Doctor, M. D. commented on bulging eyes. “Bulging eyes is the common or familiar term used to describe the eye conditions known as Exophthalmos or Proptosis,” stated Dr. Leslie Doctor. While it can be a bit odd looking, bulging eye conditions can also cause a number of problems such as not being able to completely close your eyes during sleep or even during normal blinking which can lead to dry eye symptoms, discomfort and ultimately damage the eye’s surface as a result of scarring. Further, eye bulging can restrict or interfere with normal eye movements. “We need to be able to properly diagnose the difference between eyes that are simply “prominent” as compared to eyes that are actually “bulging,” Dr. Doctor further stressed. “In instances of true bulging eyes we need to carefully determine the cause so that we can offer an appropriate treatment as necessary.” Causes of bulging eyes can include Graves Disease that results in hyperthyroidism and too much thyroid hormone, inflammation of the tissue around the eye and inside the bony orbit of the eye called Cellulitis, certain tumors behind, inside or around the eye, hemorrhages behind the eye and injury to the eye.

If you or someone you know suffers from bulging eyes please urge them to schedule an examination at Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113.

Doctor & Associates is a leading Fairfield County Connecticut eye care practice providing eye examinations for adults and children, cataract diagnosis and  cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and management of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services. For those patients in need of eye surgery, as a founding member of the Wilton Surgery Center, Doctor & Associates eye surgeons are able to provide eye surgery in a convenient, close to home and cost effective ambulatory surgery center.

Connecticut Sports Require Eye Protection

Leslie Doctor, M.D., a Fairfield County Ophthalmologist, commented, “Safe sports play requires wearing the proper eye protection at all times. Patients throughout Connecticut get very active playing sports about now.” 

It’s important to remember to wear proper eye protection for all sports. Protecting your eyes playing sports is an important way to help preserve your eye health and vision that sometimes gets overlooked. Tens of thousands of sports and recreation-related eye injuries occur each year.

The good news is that 90 percent of serious eye injuries are preventable through use of appropriate protective eyewear. The risk of eye injury can vary depending on the activity. Make sure the level of eye protection you or others in your family use, is appropriate for the type of activity. Regular eyeglasses do not offer proper eye protection.

Across all age groups, sports-related eye injuries occur most frequently in baseball, basketball and racquet sports. Further, boxing and full-contact martial arts pose an extremely high risk of serious and even blinding eye injuries and there is really no satisfactory eye protection for boxing, although thumbless gloves may reduce the number of boxing eye injuries. When playing baseball, ice hockey and men’s lacrosse, a helmet with a polycarbonate lightweight shatterproof face mask or wire shield should be worn at all times. In general, hockey face masks be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Last protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses should be worn for sports such as basketball, racquet sports, soccer and field hockey. If you need additional information or help regarding how to select the best eyewear to protect you while playing sports please feel free to phone Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113-Westport-Wilton-Norwalk-CT.