Dry Eyes from Computer Screens?

Are you ever bothered by dry eyes when you stare at a computer screen too long, play video games for a while or even just use your iPad or computer tablet for long periods of time? There is a good reason that you experience dry eye symptoms when using these VDT screens.

Video Display Terminal Use & Dry Eyes
According to researchers publishing in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, users of video display screens or computer terminals are at greater risk for symptoms of dry eyes and dry eye disease (DED). In this study a group of 672 young and middle-aged Japanese office workers who used video display terminals (VDT) completed questionnaires and underwent dry eye testing. Of the 672 workers, 76.5% had definite dry or probable dry eye disease with the percentage being higher in woman than men and higher in office workers over 30 years of age especially if they used computers more than 8 hours per day. Thus, DED is common among young to middle-aged VDT or computer screen users. Thus, it is recommended that anyone using VDT or computer screens of any type for moderate to long periods of time or even those who notice increased dryness or grittiness should take measure to try and keep the eye surface moist and intact such as the use of lubricants, artificial tears or even more aggressive measures if the extensive use of the VDT or computer screens is a daily event.

If you or someone you know has questions or concerns about glaucoma and vascular disease, please call 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.

Injections Best for Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a somewhat common and significant cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy and can occur in any stage of the eye disease. Because of the wide range of effects DME can have on vision it has been treated aggressively, most often using laser photocoagulation treatment. Today, the research suggests that Vascular Endothelial Growth (VEGF) Inhibitor injections, using drugs such as Lucentis® or Eylea® provide superior outcomes as compared to laser photocoagulation for treatment of moderate to severe visual impairment caused by DME.


DME Treatment with VEGF Injections
According to reports in the American Journal of Ophthalmology on an analysis of studies on Diabetic Maculopathy published between January 1, 1985 and July 31, 2013, although laser photocoagulation has been the standard treatment for DME for nearly 3 decades, there is increasing evidence that better outcomes can be achieved with anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) injections. In fact, the number of patients with DME gaining an improvement of seeing an additional 10-15 letters on the eye chart was at least 2 times greater for those patients treated with the anti-VEGF injections as compared to being treated with laser treatments. Thus, the researchers concluded that anti-VEGF therapy is superior to laser photocoagulation for treatment of moderate to severe visual impairment caused by DME.

If you or someone you know has diabetes and is concerned about their risk of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) or Diabetic Retinopathy, it is critical that they have regular dilated eye exams and if necessary treatment with Lucentis® or Eylea® if they have DME or other retinopathy. Please call 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.

Diabetic Eye Exam Compliance

Being responsible, scheduling and attending your appointments for diabetic eye exams is essential for those with diabetes in order to maintain their eye health and vision. While there is no cure for diabetic retinopathy, with careful management of risk factors such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, moderation of alcohol consumption and routine exercise along with regular annual dilated eye exams, the potential vision loss from diabetes and associated diabetic eye problems can be minimized. BUT-this requires that patients do their part and keep a strict schedule and compliance with their eye doctor’s recommendations for diabetic eye exams and testing. Researchers reporting in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, studied and identified variables that predict adherence with annual eye examinations using the Compliance with Annual Diabetic Eye Exams Survey (CADEES), a new questionnaire designed to measure health beliefs related to diabetic retinopathy and annual eye examinations.

Factors that Influence Diabetic Eye Exam Compliance
A number of factors seemed to influence diabetic patient compliance with annual diabetic eye exams including beliefs concerning whether insurance covered most of the eye examination cost, whether it was difficult to schedule or physically get to an eye exam appointment, whether patients had been counseled and made obtaining an eye examination a top priority and whether they had been previously told that they had signs of diabetic retinopathy. Clinicians can also help patients with compliance with the diabetic eye exams counseling newly diagnosed patients more diligently along with those with uncontrolled blood glucose on the importance of annual eye examinations and discussing and helping patients remove perceived barriers and misconceptions.

If you or someone you know has diabetes they need to have regular annual dilated eye exams to prevent vision loss from diabetic eye diseases and problems. Please share this information with anyone you know who is diabetic and ask them to call 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.

Eye Exams for Diabetic Retinopathy

If you have diabetes, having annual dilated eye exams are a critical and necessary way to help prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy. As directed by your eye doctor, the eye examinations for diabetic retinopathy need to be thorough and when necessary include advanced testing such as retinal photography, fluorescein angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in order to really document how the retina and it’s blood vessels are functioning. Depending on the severity and the risk of progression of each patient’s diabetic retinopathy we will advise them of the frequency and intervals for their exams. But, patients with diabetes need to know that it is terribly important to keep their appointments.

Vision loss from diabetes and especially catastrophic vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented with early detection, diagnosis and treatment. 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, visiting 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.