What are Floaters?

A lot of patients ask us, “What are these floating spots in my eye that I sometimes see sometimes?” Some of them are black spots that look like cobwebs or some light color spots that move together with your vision.
 

Virtually everyone has seen these at some time or another, tiny spots before our eyes. They may appear singly or in clusters; they may be punctate or linear; they may travel with the movement of the eye or against them. These particles and vitreous collagen fibers are called floaters. Floaters are most apparent when the illumination is high and when one is gazing at a clear surface. The most common situations in which they are seen include looking up at a clear summer sky, gazing against a blank white wall and reading.
 

Floaters are usually caused by the formation of small particles in the vitreous body and generally are innocuous. However, floaters may, on occasion, be indicative of a more serious derangement within the eye. They may be secondary to a retinal tear, hemorrhage or a detachment. Protein condensations in the vitreous or separation of the vitreous gel from the retina may occur as part of the normal aging process. No treatment is required in most of the cases unless they suddenly increase in number. In that event, dilated fundus exam is necessary.

If you have any questions about floaters or have a family history of retinal detachment please do not hesitate to call Doctor & Associates at 203-227-4113. 

Monovision: Is It Permanent?

Monovision, where one eye focuses for distance and the other for near, is a great option to decrease dependency on glasses or contact lenses when having Cataract Surgery or Laser Eye Surgery such as Laser Vision Correction including LASIK.

The ideal candidates for monovision correction with cataract Surgery or LASIK are those who have already adapted to monovision in contact lenses. That is, those who are successfully wearing two different contact lenses, one correcting distance vision, the other correcting near vision. Particularly appropriate for consideration are those occupations that require intermittent focusing between distance and near, such as sales representatives, school teachers, lawyers or business individuals who are frequently involved with meetings.

For monovision, we typically focus the dominant eye to correct for distance. A number of different tests can be used to determine ocular dominance. A simple one is to hand a person a camera and ask him or her to pretend to take a photograph of some distant object. The eye he or she uses to look through the viewfinder is the dominant eye.

If you express an interest in monovision, a trial with contact lenses may be in order. The trial will determine your suitability for monovision and indicate the appropriate power for each eye. A satisfactory, well-tolerated contact lens trial is a good indicator of probable success of surgically created monovision. If the contact lens trial is not well tolerated and the trial has been adequately long (approximately two weeks), we avoid using this approach.

If you have any questions regarding monovision or want to know if you are possibly a good candidate for monovision cataract Surgery or monovision LASIK please call Doctor & Associates at 203-227-4113.

'Tranquileyes' Can Help Dry Eye

'Tranquileyes' might be able to help you with Dry Eye. Over 60 million Americans suffer from dry eye symptoms. 10 million suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome. The most common cause of severe dry eye is the normal aging process. However,  some factors that may cause and contribute to Dry Eyes include excessive contact lens use, infrequent or incomplete blinking typically incurred by computer users, allergies, certain diseases like Sjorgrens Syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus as well as the use of a number of different medications. There is no quick cure for Dry Eye and if left unattended Dry Eye can lead to scarring of the Cornea and even vision loss.

'Tranquileyes' eye hydrating therapy goggles are highly recommended for people suffering from Dry Eyes. They are soft flexible goggles with reusable sponge and a gel pack. They are used to create a humid, warm environment for around the eyes that helps to stimulate tear production and slow the evaporation process. They are meant to be worn while sleeping or just relaxing.

If you have dry eye problems and seem to be frustrated with current eye situation 'tranquileyes' might be an option for you. Please call Doctor & Associates at 203-227-4113 to find out what kind of treatment would help to resolve your Dry Eye problem.

Corneal Transplant

The Cornea is the clear portion in the front part of the eye that is similar to the transparent covering on a watch. When injury, degeneration or infection occurs that causes the Cornea to become cloudy, vision will be disrupted. Only by replacing a portion of the Cornea with a clear window taken from a donor eye can vision be restored.

Not everyone with a corneal disease can be helped by corneal transplantation. The Cornea, because it is free of  blood vessels, is one of the few tissues in the human body that may be transplanted from one human being to another with a large degree of success. The absence of blood vessels in both the donor and host cornea reduces the allergic reaction, in which immunoglobulins are carried through blood flow, and permits the body to retain and not reject the "foreign" Cornea. Thus only conditions in which the Cornea is free of blood vessels are suitable for transplantation.

In the postoperative period the most common complications include a wound leak, suture breakage and wound dehiscence, infection and graft rejection. If detected early and managed appropriately, these complications can be controlled or eliminated, enabling a high level of success for the operation. Thus, careful monitoring by the surgeon is required.

Dr. Leslie Doctor is a Board Certified Ophthalmologist at Doctor & Associates. If you or someone you know has suffered from Cornea disease or trauma and would like to learn more or schedule a consultation regarding Corneal Transplants please feel free to contact us at 203-227- 4113.

Teenage Drivers, Vision & Eye Exams

Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the United States. For both men and women, drivers aged 16 to 19 years of age have the highest average annual crash and traffic violation rates of any other age group.

Teenagers tend to take more risks while driving partly due to their overconfidence in the driving abilities. Young novice driving are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, tailgating, running red light, violating traffic sings and signals, making illegal turns, passing dangerously, and failure to yield to pedestrians. Teenage drivers have not yet completely mastered basic vehicle handling skills and safe-driving knowledge they need to drive safely. They also have low risk perception which involves subjectively assessing the degree of threat posed by a hazard and one's ability to deal with the threat. Young drivers tend to underestimate to crash risk in hazardous situations and overestimate their ability to avoid the thread they identify.

Therefore, good vision is essential for the proper and safe operation of a motor vehicle.

Generally, available vision-testing instruments can be used to ascertain if a person has adequate vision to meet specific licensing jurisdictions. Because of the increasing injury and death toll resulting from traffic accidents, many of which may be related to visual impairment, physicians consider it a medical obligation to diagnose visual deficiencies and to inform the patient of potential hazards involved in driving with such deficiencies.

There is no practical way of testing alertness or cerebral perception of what the eye focuses on but it is important for drivers to have their eyes periodically examined for defects that can be evaluated.

If you are a teenager or a parent to a teenager please make sure his or her vision has been tested and is safe to drive. To schedule an eye exam please call us at Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113.

Anti-Reflective Coating & Eyeglasses

Anti-reflective or Anti-glare coating for eyeglasses is a clear multilayer coating applied to the surface of lenses to help reduce eye fatigue and eliminate most reflections, enhancing visual acuity.

These coatings help to: 

          

·         Eliminate ghost images and improve reaction time of the eye when adjusting back to normal after glare from oncoming traffic, making night driving safer.

·         Enhance contrast by allowing more light to pass through spectacle lenses to the eye as clearly as possible. Patients find this especially helpful when working under fluorescent lighting while working on a computer for extended periods of time. Now with so many schools using smart boards and other projector screens, children and students of all ages also find this feature          advantageous.

·         Enhance your cosmetic appearance. External reflections mask your eyes from a complete clear view when someone is looking at you. Anti-reflective coating reduces not just the glare that you see, but also the glare that others can see on your lenses. Direct eye contact is important. Patients that work with the public, such as in sales or customer service find this feature to be an added benefit.

Many anti-reflective coatings now are also hydrophobic and oleophobic, meaning that they repel water, dirt, and oils. These attributes make caring for your lenses easier and also make the need to clean them less frequent.

If you have any questions or would like to learn more about anti-reflective and anti-glare coatings for eyeglasses regarding AR coating please contact Eyewear at Willows at Doctor & Associates, 203-227-9380.

Fairfield County Diabetic Eye Disease Month

Doctor & Associates wishes to announce that Prevent Blindness America has designated November as National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month. This is an important time to spread the word about this potentially blinding disease. We need to work to help patients avoid the complications of diabetic retinopathy, which blinds over 8,000 Americans each year. The vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented if it's caught and treated in time. A recent study found that 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.

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. 

The key to successful treatment of diabetic retinopathy is early detection and intervention. If you or someone you know has diabetes or is even prediabetic please feel free to schedule a diabetic eye examination at Doctor & Associates by phoning us at 203-227-4113.