Diabetic Eye Disease & Problems

Diabetes, diabetic eye disease and especially the eye health and vision problems caused by diabetic retinopathy continue to affect millions of people just like you. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes affects more than 25 million people in the United States. Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age and although there is no cure for diabetic eye disease, annual eye exams and timely treatment for diabetes patients are essential steps that can help slow the progression of the disease.

About Diabetic Retinopathy
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.

Reducing Your Risk of Diabetic Eye Disease
In addition to having regular eye examinations and the necessary level of eye 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, lipid profile and blood pressure and restricting their alcohol consumptions 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, 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.

Lower Eye Pressure after Cataract Surgery

If you are one of the 20% of patients with cataracts who either has somewhat high eye pressure (IOP) or actually has glaucoma, there is good news about what to expect when you have cataract surgery. Researchers reporting in Current Opinion in Ophthalmology studied the effect that cataract surgery had on eye pressure-or intraocular pressure (IOP) and found evidence to suggest that cataract surgery provides a lowering effect on IOP in the long term and the amount of the lowering is proportional to the preoperative IOP. That is, eyes with higher preoperative IOP have the greatest average lowering, whereas eyes with IOP in the lower range of statistically normal tend to have an IOP that is unchanged from before cataract surgery, or even higher following cataract surgery. This benefit of cataract surgery for glaucoma patients or glaucoma suspects may be helpful in allowing them to reduce their glaucoma eye drops or appreciate even greater effects of laser treatment for glaucoma.

If you or someone you know has cataracts and is thinking about cataract surgery, please share this information and ask them to 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.

Treatment of Lazy Eye or Amblyopia

Treatment of Amblyopia

The best results are always achieved if the treatment of amblyopia is started as early as possible. If necessary, children with refractive errors such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism can wear glasses or contact lenses when they are as young as one week old. Children with cataracts or other “amblyogenic” conditions need to treated promptly in order to minimize the development of amblyopia. One of the most important treatments of amblyopia is correcting the refractive error with consistent use of glasses and/or contact lenses. Other mainstays of amblyopia treatment are to enable as clear an image as possible, for example, by removing a cataract, and forcing the child to use the non dominant eye by patching or blurring the better seeing eye with eye drops. Eye drops are used to “penalize” the good eye and force the use of the weaker or amblyopic eye. We may be able to use eye drops instead of patching when the amblyopia is not very bad or when a child is unable to wear the patch as recommended. For mild to moderate degrees of amblyopia, studies have shown that patching or eye drops may be just about equally effective. Generally, we start to see improvements in vision within weeks of treatment, however for optimal results it will be necessary to be patched for many months.

In some cases, treatment for amblyopia isn’t successful and it is difficult to stop treatment but is recommended when there is any real benefit. Children who have amblyopia in one eye and good vision only in one eye should wear safety glasses and sports goggles to protect the normal eye from injury. As long as the good eye stays healthy, these kids function normally in most aspects of society.

If you or someone you know has questions or concerns about the treatment of amblyopia 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.

Halloween Decorative Contact Lens Safety

Halloween decorative contact lenses can be really fun as part of your costume. But, non prescription “fashion” contacts need the same types of selection, fitting and care to avoid eye injury. Decorative contact lenses are especially popular right around Halloween but require that you have a clear understanding of how to use them safely.

Facts & Tips for Halloween Contact Lens Eye Safety

• Decorative contact lenses are not cosmetics or “over the counter” merchandise. They are medical devices regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Places that advertise them as cosmetics or sell them without a prescription are breaking the law.
• They are not “one size fits all.” An eye doctor, either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist, must measure each eye to properly fit the lenses and evaluate how your eye responds to contact lens wear. A poor fit can cause serious eye damage, including;

1. a scratched cornea
2. a corneal infection
3. pink eye conjunctivitis
4. decreased vision
5. blindness

• Places that sell decorative lenses without a prescription may give you few or no instructions on how to clean and care for your lenses. Failure to use the proper solution and care regimen to keep contact lenses clean and moist can lead to infections.

Where NOT to Buy Decorative Contact Lenses

• street vendors
• salons or beauty supply stores
• boutiques
• flea markets
• novelty stores
• Halloween stores
• record or video stores
• convenience stores
• beach shops
• Internet (unless the site requires a prescription)

These are not authorized distributors of contact lenses, which are prescription devices by federal law.

How to Buy Decorative Contact Lenses Safely.
Get an eye exam from a licensed eye doctor, either an ophthalmologist or optometrist, even if you feel your vision is perfect to make sure your eyes are healthy enough to wear contacts. Get a valid prescription that includes the brand name, lens measurements, and an expiration date. But don’t expect your eye doctor to prescribe anime, or circle, lenses. These bigger-than-normal lenses that give the wearer a wide-eyed, doll-like look have not been approved by FDA. Buy the lenses from a seller that requires you to provide a prescription, whether you go in person or shop online. Follow directions for cleaning, disinfecting, and wearing the lenses, and visit your eye doctor for follow-up eye exams. See your eye doctor right away if you have signs of possible eye infection including:

• redness
• eye pain that doesn’t go away after a short time
• decrease in vision

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 someone you know wishes to learn more or be fit with any type of contact lenses-including decorative contacts-please schedule an eye exam at Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates, Google+ or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to arrange 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.