How many anti-VEGF injections of Avastin or Lucentis are needed to treat wet macular degeneration? We don't know. While there is no question that anti-VEGF injections are the gold-standard for the treatment of ARMD, the exact way in which they are used varies from doctor to doctor. Standard of Care The standard of care for macular degeneration changed. The standard treatment for wet ARMD … [Read more...]
Tree Bark May Be Beneficial To Diabetics: Supplement or Drug?
December 11, 2009 By 2 Comments
"Ever Eat A Pine Tree? Many Parts are Edible." That famous line by Euell Gibbons lives on. Now, "researchers" have described that Pycnogenol®, an extract from the bark of the French maritime pine tree, has the potential to improve vision in patients with diabetic retinopathy. The tree is found along the coast of southwest France. In a small study involving 46 patients with early … [Read more...]
Tips On Choosing an “Eye” Doctor: A Retina Specialist?
December 2, 2009 By 4 Comments
You suspect you might have macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy. How do you choose a doctor? A little while back, I wrote about the differences between eye doctors. Now that you know the difference between an optometrist and an ophthalmologist, how do you choose which is right for you? When do you need to see a retinal specialist? Remember that optometrists and ophthalmologists … [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 be considered are; … [Read more...]
Diabetic Retinopathy: Why Is It Necessary to Dilate Your Eyes?
July 29, 2009 By 2 Comments
Every diabetic needs to get their eyes dilated once a year to look for diabetic retinopathy. Getting your eyes examined for glasses doesn't count. Why? The goal of examining the retina is to detect diabetic retinopathy. Pupillary dilation is the only proper way of examining the retina. With the pupil properly dilated, your eye doctor can examine the entire retina easily and carefully. … [Read more...]
