I have created a new section entitled "Macular Degeneration: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment" on the site. This should serve as an "anchor" page to give a nice overview of the various aspects of macular degeneration. It should be used as a reference area for the web site. It is always easy to find........on the left panel of the blog. Counter-intuitive - I am not … [Read more...]
New Section on Macular Degeneration: Signs, Symptoms and Treatment
November 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The Cornea and How We See
November 19, 2009 By Leave a Comment
The cornea is the clear tissue at the front of the eye. A contact lens rests on the cornea. It is normally crystal clear, focuses light and permits light to be focused on to the retina. A healthy retina absorbs light, transmits this information to our brain........and voila.........it gives us vision. The Cornea and Focusing Power of the Eye The cornea is more … [Read more...]
Laser Treatment Still The Best
November 13, 2009 By 1 Comment
Laser treatment for diabetic macular edema is still the preferred treatment for most patients with diabetic retinopathy. Despite all the recent news about intraocular injections of anti-VEGF and steroid medications, the laser remains the mainstay. The most common manifestation of diabetic retinopathy is the development of macular edema (also known as diabetic macular … [Read more...]
Visual Acuity – How We Measure Your Vision
October 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Image via Wikipedia When you go to your eye doctor, we check your "vision," but there are several ways to actually monitor or evaluate your vision. Basically, almost all vision testing is designed to measure the function of your macula. Macular vision is your central vision. It is our most useful vision. When we are 20/20, we are testing central vision … [Read more...]
The “O” in Eye Doctor
October 22, 2009 By 2 Comments
Every wonder how many kinds of eye doctors there are? It can be somewhat confusing as there are 2 professions, starting with the letter "O," who are referred to as "eye doctor." An eye doctor is usually an optometrist or an ophthalmologist. (There are also ocularists and opticians. Ocularists work and fit prostheses. Opticians prepare and dispense … [Read more...]
Floaters, Are They Normal or due to Diabetic Retinopathy?
September 25, 2009 By 3 Comments
Floaters are generically defined as black spots in your vision. They move to and fro with eye movement. Most of the time they are small, tiny and black, but really can be large and translucent, too. From a doctor's standpoint, size does not matter. New floaters can mean a retinal tear and the development of a retinal detachment. Floaters can develop from a … [Read more...]
Can Patients with Diabetes Get Laser Vision Correction?
August 23, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Yes, maybe and no. This is a hard question to answer. The "Yes" answer. In my opinion, patients without diabetes, usually do well with laser vision correction, e.g. LASIK, if they meet certain criteria and their vision and correction is stable. By "correction" I mean that their prescription (measurement for glasses) is unchanged. The criteria that usually needs to … [Read more...]
Combination of Radiation and anti-VEGF Shows Promise
July 27, 2009 By Leave a Comment
In article released in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, researchers describe a combination of brachytherapy and intravitreal injections of Avastin to treat patients with choroidal neovascularization from ARMD (the so-called "wet" form of the disease). In this prospective, randomized trial, 34 patients were treated with brachytherapy and two injections of bevacizumab … [Read more...]
Macular Degeneration: How to Monitor Your Vision at Home
July 21, 2009 By Leave a Comment
There are two worrisome signs that a patient with macular disease is having signficant problems; sudden and persistent decreased vision and/or distortion. Patients with macular degeneration, wet or dry, need to monitor their vision regularly in hopes of catching and treating any progression of the disease. Traditionally, patients were sent home with an Amsler grid. It … [Read more...]
Good Sugar Control Does Not Prevent Diabetic Retinopathy
July 20, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Despite all of the technology that we have today, most people, including doctors, do not realize that sugar control does not prevent diabetic retinopathy. While sugar may affect the severity of diabetic retinopathy, the number of years that one is diabetic is the single most predictive variable. Over the years, I have found it very difficult to get this message to the … [Read more...]
