Eye Physician on Lucentis® for Diabetes Vision Problems

Lucentis® injections for diabetes vision problems can be very helpful in restoring and preserving sight. For patients with diabetes who are at risk for diabetic macular edema, a significant cause of vision loss and a somewhat common complication of diabetic retinopathy, Lucentis® eye injections work to treat diabetic macular edema, or swelling of the macula. Lucentis® has been used for some time to treat “wet” age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Lucentis® is the first drug FDA approved to treat diabetic macular edema. More than 500,000 people in the U.S. have diabetic eye disease and before Lucentis® had to have laser treatment to address this complication of diabetic retinopathy.

“The use of Lucentis® to treat diabetic macular edema gives us a great tool and a significant advantage is managing vision loss from diabetes,” commented Connecticut eye physician Leslie Doctor, M.D. of Doctor & Associates with Fairfield County offices in Norwalk, Westport & Wilton, CT. “As we well know, the key to preservation of eye health and vision for diabetics is early detection, diagnosis and treatment.”

If you or someone you know has questions or needs an eye exam for diabetic eye disease or the problems from diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema please feel free to call

Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit 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

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Corneal Specialist Cautions on Halloween Contact Lenses

Corneal Specialist Leslie Doctor, M.D. cautioned patient considering Halloween contact lenses as part of their costume. “Wearing non prescription decorative contact lenses for Halloween can be really fun if you are trying to have devil eyes or zebra eyes or just change the color of your eyes-BUT-over-the-counter decorative contact lenses can also lead to serious vision-threatening problems,” explained Dr. Doctor, a Fairfield County Ophthalmologist with offices in Westport, Norwalk & Wilton, CT. “Even someone with perfect vision would still require an eye exam and a proper fitting and prescription in order to wear any kind of contacts safely- including cosmetic contact lenses.”

According to the Food and Drug Administration, all contact lenses are regulated medical devices that require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye-care professional. Some websites advertise decorative contacts as if they were fashion accessories or toys with fanciful, playful packaging in order to attract teens and young adults, especially girls. The problem is not that people use decorative, non corrective contact lenses-sometimes called Plano-or zero-powered lenses, but that they buy the devices without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the Internet or at flea markets and specialty shops.

The buyer of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces a huge risk including scratched corneas, pink eye and more serious types of blinding infection as a result of a corneal ulcer

In 2005, a federal law was passed that classified all contact lenses as medical devices and restricted their distribution to licensed eye-care professionals. Illegal sale of contacts can result in civil penalties of up to $11,000 per violation.
 

The safe and effective use of contact lenses-whether decorative or not-requires proper fitting and education about their care to prevent the potential for serious eye  problems from becoming a reality. If you or a friend would like to learn more about contact lenses of any type including decorative contacts please 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

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Hidden Costs of Connecticut LASIK at Discount Centers

Doctor & Associates alerted potential Connecticut LASIK patients to watch out for hidden costs at discount centers. “Unusually low LASIK prices are often a tipoff that there are hidden costs you don’t know about at many discount LASIK centers,’ commented Dorothy Figueroa, Practice Administrator. “LASIK costs are affordable for almost anyone who wishes to minimize their dependence on or even eliminate the need for eyeglasses and contact lenses to see at distance. BUT-there are many patients who shop for the best price for LASIK and end up getting an unpleasant surprise,” noted Ms. Figueroa. “Reputable and trusted LASIK surgeons tend to quote fees for LASIK that are comprehensive fees-that is they include everything you need to have LASIK and its associated evaluations and follow up care-regardless of your prescription,” she continued.

Discount LASIK centers that offer the lure of the best price for LASIK often quote a price for LASIK that is right on the edge of being deceptive in that it uses the lowest price to draw you in for an evaluation and get you excited about the possibility of having LASIK but then presenting you with hidden costs and fees. These hidden costs and fees can include an additional fee for your prescription that was not within the advertised range, it can include an extra hidden cost of LASIK for astigmatism, it can include an additional hidden cost for follow up care, it may include an extra hidden cost for custom wavefront LASIK or an add on hidden cost for enhancements-and on and on. Hidden costs and fees for LASIK are somewhat typical of the sales and marketing practices of certain discount centers. LASIK is surgery. “You should choose a LASIK surgeon based on their reputation as recommended by friends and relatives and NOT based on the best price. Choosing a LASIK surgeon based on the best price alone could set you up for a number of hidden costs you can’t even understand and end up costing you more in the long run,” summarized Ms. Figueroa.

If you or someone you know has a question about LASIK or would like to schedule a Free LASIK Consultation please feel free to call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit 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

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Stroke Risk with Macular Degeneration

Dr. Leslie Doctor, a Fairfield County, Connecticut eye specialist shared that recent reports suggest that there is an increased risk of stroke in patients with late stage age related macular degeneration (AMD). What does your risk of having a stroke have to do with age related macular degeneration? Possibly quite a bit as it turns out. “Researchers presenting data from the Rotterdam Study at the International Stroke Conference reported that older adults with late stage, age related macular degeneration (AMD) may have a significantly higher risk for hemorrhagic stroke than do individuals without the eye disease,” said Dr. Doctor. “There may be a common underlying process contributing to both age related macular degeneration (AMD) and bleeding strokes, but more research will be needed to determine if that’s the case,’ she further explained.

 Researchers found that the risk for any stroke was 56% higher in participants with late-stage AMD than in individuals without AMD after they controlled for the effects of age, sex, diabetes, blood pressure, use of antihypertensive medication, smoking, cholesterol levels, carotid artery plaques, body mass index, alcohol intake, and C-reactive protein levels.

“The single most significant finding in the study was that participants with late-stage AMD-either the wet or dry forms-had six fold higher risk for intracerebral hemorrhage or stroke than did participants without AMD,” noted Dr. Doctor. ”This is a critical piece of information and one we need to be responsive to and keep patients and their physicians abreast of.” 

If you or someone you know suffers from or is concerned about age related macular degeneration (AMD), especially if they are concerned about their risk of stroke or have a family history of stroke please feel free to schedule an eye exam by calling 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.