Can a Mediterranean Diet help Dry Eyes?

Research has shown that the traditional Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer, as well as a reducing the incidence of Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases, but can this diet have an benefit for those with dry eyes and help dry eye symptoms?

Mediterranean Diet & Dry Eyes

Recently, researchers tried to determine whether eating a Mediterranean diet could provide help for dry eyes. Reporting in the journal Cornea, the researchers had patients fill out the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire and the Dry Eye Questionnaire and then studied their tear film and measured its quality and quantity. They then also measured the serum level of Vitamin D for each patient. The final results suggested that eating a Mediterranean diet was NOT associated with an improvement in dry eye symptoms and complaints but higher vitamin D levels had a small but favorable effect on dry eye syndrome symptoms.

So, while the Mediterranean diet itself doesn’t directly reduce dry eye symptoms, it does seem to be an eating plan that can help promote health and prevent disease for your whole family. Making sure your vitamin D intake is adequate can also be helpful if you suffer from dry eye problems.

If you or someone you know has questions about diet and dry eye or has dry eyes and needs help for their symptoms, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.

Avoid Airbag Eye Injury from Car Accidents

While everyone knows that airbags and seatbelts are critical to avoiding body injury in car accidents there is some important information everyone should also know about avoiding air bag related eye injury in car accidents!

Avoid Airbag Eye Injury in Car Crashes

Airbags along with seat belts are important safety features in cars today. But, a recent report in Survey of Ophthalmology suggests that the incidence of eye injury and facial trauma in car accidents from airbags is increasing! How can this be happening?

Airbags were originally designed as a supplemental safety system to seatbelts, to protect the head from hard surfaces in frontal crashes. It is critical that all passengers wear their seatbelts even if your car has airbags in the front, back and sides of the passenger cabin because the seatbelts restrict and prevent you from being quickly and forcefully thrown forward and colliding with the rearward inflating and accelerating airbags as they are deployed during a car accident. Airbag deployment and passenger collision with airbags has been reported to cause eye injuries including corneal abrasions, alkali burns and the serious effects of eye compression such as retinal tears, retinal and vitreous hemorrhages, retinal detachment and even cataracts. SO-the message is clear. For eye protection and safety in motor vehicle accidents, all occupants of cars should wear safety belts at all times even if your vehicle has airbags!

If you or someone you know has questions or concerns about avoiding eye injury from airbags during car accidents, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.

Help for Childrens’ Tear Duct Problems

About Childrens’ Tear Duct Problems

Normally, tears drain through tiny openings in the corners of the upper and lower eyelids called “puncta,” then enter the nose through the nasolacrimal duct. Sometimes the nasolacrimal duct or tear duct is blocked or obstructed during infancy, or becomes obstructed later, making it impossible for the tears to drain normally. This can cause the eyes to run water or even produce a discharge. Often, the tears well up on the surface of the eye and overflow onto the eyelashes, eyelids, and down the cheek. This usually occurs within the first days or weeks of life.

Sometimes, the eyelids can become red and swollen, even stuck together with yellowish-green discharge since the normal eyelid bacteria are not properly "flushed" down the obstructed system. Probably the most common cause of a tear duct obstruction in kids is a failure of the membrane at the end of the tear duct opening to open fully at the time of birth. Generally we see this happening in some 5-10% of newborn infants where one or both eyes is affected with a tear duct obstruction - BUT some 90% of cases clear without any treatment with the first 12 months after birth.

Treatment of Kids’ Tear Duct Obstruction

As most of the time the obstruction will clear on its own, we don’t always have to treat it. But, if it persists and causes the welling up of tears or the sticking or redness of the eyelids, we suggest a gentle massage as a first step and prescribe antibiotic eye drops if necessary. Sometimes we will need to do a tear duct probing to clear the blockage and in a some more difficult situations we might need to perform a tear duct dilation with a tiny balloon or even insert some microscopic tubes.

As a Pediatric Ophthalmologist I do these types of treatments as a matter of routine and, as a parent, I will make sure to thoroughly explain them and answer all of your questions if they become necessary.

If you or someone you know has questions or concerns about childrens tear duct problems or needs a kids eye exam, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment. 

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.

Detect Early Alzheimer's Disease by Eye Movements

Alzheimer’s Disease presents a significant set of challenges to the health and well being of the U.S. population-especially as our population ages. The NIH National Institute on Aging, estimates that more than 5 million people may have Alzheimer’s Disease. It is becoming more and more critical that we find ways to detect, diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s Disease so as a society we can offer early intervention for patients and their families.

Eye Movement Research & Alzheimer’s Disease

According to researchers reporting in Investigative Ophthalmology & Vision Science a subtle change in eye movements may provide a useful diagnostic tool for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer Disease. In general, eye movements follow a reproducible pattern during normal reading. Each eye movement ends up in a fixation point, which allows the brain to process the incoming information and to program the following movements. The researchers found that Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) produces eye movement abnormalities and disturbances in reading so that patients with early AD show abnormal fixation patterns. So we now know that evaluation of eye movement behavior during reading might provide a useful tool for a more precise early diagnosis of AD and for monitoring the progress or stability of Alzheimer’s Disease.

If you or someone you know has questions or Alzheimer’s Disease and eye movements, please call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.