Causes of Night Vision Problems

 

It’s no surprise that most people don’t see well in the dark. However, some people have considerable difficulty seeing at night or in poor light. This is called “night blindness” or nyctalopia. Night blindness doesn’t mean you are completely unable to see at night, but that your vision is poorer then. It is not a disease in itself, but instead is a symptom of some other type of vision problem. Certain cells in the eye’s retina are responsible for allowing you to see in dim light. If these cells are affected by a disease or condition, night blindness occurs.

Some of the eye conditions that can cause night blindness include:

• Nearsightedness 
• Glaucoma 
• Certain  Glaucoma Medicine
• Cataracts 
• Diabetes
• Retinitis Pigmentosa-an eye disease that causes blindness
• Vitamin A Deficiency
• Keratoconus-an cornea disease where it is very steeply curved

If you or someone you know has difficulty seeing at night-especially if it seems to be getting worse-pleas schedule an eye exam with eye doctors at Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

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

Caution: Kids & Laundry Detergent Pods

 

Kids are curious! Laundry packets or laundry pods are often brightly colored, and kids may mistake them for toys or candy. If a laundry packet is popped, the detergent can severely burn the cornea, eyelids and skin around the eyes. Chemical burns to the eyes can result in lifelong decreased vision or total blindness. If children swallow laundry packets, the poisoning can be fatal. Unfortunately laundry pod detergent eye injury has increased over the past several years according to researchers reporting in JAMA Ophthalmology. Recent data suggest there has been greater than a 30 fold increase in these injuries among kids. The message is clear-if you use laundry pods, make sure you know the risks. Store them safely and keep them out of the hands of children.

If you or a child experiences an alkali chemical eye burn, please immediately rinse with cold water and attempt to get as much of the detergent out of the eyes as possible. Then, take them to the emergency room immediately and have them call our office at Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

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

About Plaquenil, Your Retina & Side Effects

 

Plaquenil is a medication that was originally used to prevent or treat malaria, a serious but rare disease caused by bites from infected mosquitoes. It turns out that this drug is helpful in treating inflammatory diseases such as certain types of inflammatory disease. Inflammatory disease occurs when the body's immune system attacks its own healthy tissue. Some diseases treated with Plaquenil include:

• Lupus, which causes fever, rashes, skin problems, and other symptoms.
• Rheumatoid Arthritis, a condition that causes pain and swelling in the joints of your hands and feet.
• Sjorgren’s Syndrome, which causes dry eyes and dry mouth.

Plaquenil lowers your immune system’s ability to cause inflammation. This can help control symptoms like rashes, skin and mouth sores and joint pain. However, Plaquenil has side effects that can affect your eyes. A rare side effect of Plaquenil is damage to the eye's retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. Using Plaquenil for a long period of time may harm the retina, causing serious vision loss. People with retinal damage from Plaquenil are not aware at first that they are losing vision. Unfortunately, once they lose a severe amount of vision loss, it is permanent.

If you take Plaquenil, it is very important to see an eye doctor who can examine your retina and provide any other testing and imaging, to check your retina for problems before serious damage occurs. Please schedule an eye exam with eye doctors at Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113, visit Doctor & Associates in Fairfield County, or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.

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