Did you know...

Did you know...

• From LASIK to other laser vision correction procures to contact lenses, or glasses, we have many options to have improve the vision of otherwise healthy eyes.
• About 1 in 5 people who come in to see us for LASIK evaluations aren't candidates for LASIK, so we offer other options to improve vision.
• We provide many LASIK payment options, including several with no interest.
• We never charge a fee for a LASIK consultation.
• Our LASIK patients meet with Dr. John Meyer at every LASIK screening appointment.

Eye Drops Are Real Medicine

At the start of your eye exam, remember to tell your doctor all the medications you are taking whether prescribed or over-the-counter.  Some eye drops are related to other drugs and may cause an allergic reaction.  Mild side effects may include redness of the eye, eye irritation or temporary blurred vision.  Rarely, more severe side effects can occur.

Prescription eye drops are extremely potent and should only be used under the direction of your doctor.  Do not, under any circumstances, use medication prescribed for someone other than yourself. 

When visiting your doctor, make sure you know the names and dosages of each medication you are taking.  This will assist the doctor in finding the best treatment for you.

Be sure to discuss any concerns regarding your medication with your doctor.   

Sources:  (www.eyecareinstitute.com or www.eyecareamerica.com)

Do you have a pair of backup glasses?

You are walking down the beach on vacation and decide you can’t resist the surf so you run and jump into the waves. When you come back up things are blurry. Oh no! You have lost your glasses in the water. You search in vain for them, but no glasses. Well it’s a good thing you brought your back-up pair of glasses…right? What a terrible time to find out that you should have bought a back-up pair.

A back-up pair of glasses serves an invaluable purpose. Accidents happen and children love to grab things that are shiny. Dogs often find them a delicacy and render them beyond repair. And the most vain contact lens wearer needs a pair of back-up glasses. What will you wear when the Doctor tells you that you have to come out of your contacts for awhile because you have an infection? Your eyes would also like a day off every now and then from that plastic blanket you cover them with 16 hours a day.

In addition to the obvious above there are many other uses for back-up pairs of glasses. Just a simple pair of reading glasses for the multifocal wearer may be just the thing when you are making your model airplanes or scrapbooking. A pair of computer glasses for work may be more comfortable than your everyday pair. Do you play sports? You don’t really want to wear your street glasses to play softball in do you? And if you wear contacts make sure to tell the Doctor to write you a spectacle prescription in addition to your contact lens Rx.

When you purchase your glasses or contact lenses at The Eye Care Institute you will receive a 20% discount on your Back-Up pair of glasses or sunglasses. Just see Nicole, Denise or Aaron in the Optical Shop at Story Ave. or Nancy at our Audubon location and they will take care of all your eyewear needs.

Why We Dilate Your Eyes

A Dilated fundus examination(DFE), also called dilation, is the diagnostic test that uses mydriatic eye drops to enlarge, or dilate, the pupil.

When we dilate the pupil, the pupil enlarges.  This allows additional light to be shone into the eyes.  By dilating the pupils of our patients, our doctors can obtain a better view of the internal surfaces of the eye, including the back of the eye.  We consider dilation to be a significant portion of a comprehensive eye exam.  The back of the eye includes the retina, optic nerve and very important blood vessels. With dilation, we are better able to diagnose and treat ocular conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, retinal detachments, bleeding or swelling inside the eye.  A dilated eye exam can also enable the doctor to see early signs of diabetes, high blood pressure or other systemic diseases. There are also many other eye disease, which occur less frequently, but can also only be diagnosed through a dilated eye examination. Early detection and treatment of any of these diseases can be crucial to prevent vision loss as well as be important to overall health.

We believe that diagnosis and evaluation of the back of the eye, using dilating drops, and doctor examination, is the most thorough way to examine the back of the eye, thereby providing the best care for the health of our patients.

Facts about Diabetes

Facts about Diabetes

• Diabetes has no cure
• 20.8 million Americans have diabetes or 7% of the population
• 400,000 Kentuckians have diabetes
• Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body does not produce or properly respond to insulin, an essential hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy for daily life.
• Complications include heart disease, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage and severe infections leading to amputations.
• Diabetes is a silent killer. It will kill more people in the U.S. this year than AIDS and breast cancer combined.

If you or someone you know has diabetes, there's a lot you can do:
Take control of the disease. Research shows if you keep your blood sugar level close to normal, you can avoid or delay other health problems.

Are you or some you know at risk for diabetes?

You are at risk if:

• You are over the age of 45
• You are overweight
• You do not exercise regularly
• You have a family history of diabetes
• You delivered a baby weighing over 9 pounds
• You are African-American, Hispanic or Native American

Computer Vision Syndrome

Do you have headaches, tired eyes and sore muscles in your neck, back and shoulders at the end of the workday?   If you spend much of the workday in front of a computer, you could be suffering from computer vision syndrome (CVS).  The good news is that there is help.

First, be sure that you have the correct ergonomic setup.  Your monitor should be 20 to 26 inches away and directly in front of you with the center of the screen four to nine inches below your straight-ahead gaze.  Position your chair so that your arms are parallel to the floor when you type.  Place your feet flat on the floor or on a footstool and keep your back straight and shoulders back when you type.

Finally, you may need computer glasses.  Visual demands of using a computer are unlike those associated with most other activities.  If you already wear glasses, they may not be the correct fit for computer work.  That is because computer screens are usually positioned 20 to 26 inches from the user’s eyes.  That is considered the intermediate zone of vision – closer than driving and farther away than reading.  Young people are most likely to wear glasses to correct distance vision while those over 40 may wear reading glasses for near vision.  Leaning forward or tipping the head back to see through the bottom portion of glasses can result in soreness in the neck, shoulders and back.  If you are suffering from blurred vision and muscle aches of CVS, one of our optometrists can prescribe eyewear to give you a much more comfortable workday.

Eye Health and Omega-3

Why are omega-3 (EFAs) fatty acids good for your eyes? Studies have increasingly shown the health benefits of consuming healthy fatty acids, primarily omega-3. These healthy fats are thought to help reduce “bad” cholesterol, which helps maintain good blood flow providing oxygen and nutrients for the eyes as well as the rest of the body.

Studies suggest that prolonged deficiencies in adults may increase the risk of damage to the retina. In 2007, one study found that people who eat at least two servings of fish weekly are less likely to develop age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the leading cause of vision loss among people aged 65 or older in the United States.

Some foods containing high amounts of omega-3 are: walnuts, butternuts, flaxseed, soybean, oils (flaxseed, cod liver, and soybean) and fatty fish (salmon, herring, tuna, mackerel, sardines and bluefish).

What does “Legally Blind” mean?

Legal blindness is defined in 2 ways. First, if the vision in the better eye is 20/200 or less with corrective lenses (glasses or contacts), the person is considered legally blind. Second, someone whose peripheral vision is reduced to 20 degrees or less in the better eye is considered to be legally blind. (A person with normal peripheral vision has 140 degrees or greater of peripheral vision.) Reference: www.aoa.org and www.ct.gov.

What does "20\20" Mean?

20/20 vision is a term used to express normal visual acuity, which is the clarity or how sharp your vision is, measured at a distance of 20 feet. The size of the letters on the standard eye chart is based on work done by the Dutch ophthalmologist, Herman Snellen, in the 1860’s. As a general guideline, if you have 20/20 vision, this means you can see at 20 feet what normal people see at 20 feet. If you have 20/80 vision, this means that you must be at 20 feet to see what normal people would see at 80 feet.

Some people actually have better than 20/20 vision. For example, if someone has 20/15 vision, this means that that person could be at 20 feet to see an object whereas normal people would have to be at 15 feet to see the same object.

Does 20/20 mean perfect vision? No, it only indicates how sharp your vision is. Peripheral vision (the area of vision around you), eye coordination, depth perception, color vision and focusing ability all contribute to your overall visual ability.

Ophthalmic Photography

Ophthalmic photography is a highly specialized form of medical imaging used for the study and treatment of disorders of the eye. Through the use of state-of-the-art equipment, doctors can document parts of the eye such as the cornea, iris and retina.

The retina is the "film" of the eye. Images passing through the clear structures of the cornea and lens are focused on the retina to give us our view of the world. Special instruments called fundus cameras, when used by skilled photographers, can document the condition of this miraculous anatomical structure.

When fundus photography is performed after the injection of a fluorescent dye into the bloodstream via a vein in the patient's arm, the procedure is called Fluorescein Angiography. With special colored filters, only the dye is photographed as it travels through the vessels in the retina. These studies, performed by ophthalmic photographers and interpreted by ophthalmologists, are used in differentiating one retinal disease from another and in determining appropriate courses of treatment. These diagnostic tests can be done by using special film cameras or even with digital technology.

The slit lamp camera is a horizontally mounted microscope, coupled with special illumination devices used to photograph the cornea. This photo slitlamp produces high magnification views of disorders that would be impossible to observe with the naked eye. Technology now even allows for this to be done digitally.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) uses a general technique of superimposing, or "interfering" two or more light waves which creates an output wave that is different from the input waves. The OCT creates a cross-sectional view of the object being photographed. The OCT is a non-invasive test and very accurately documents abnormalities of the retina and optic nerve head.

Ocular photographic technology has changed drastically in the past several years. Ophthalmologists are now able to diagnose and treat ocular diseases much more quickly now than in the past, largely due to digital photography and other state-of-the-art equipment. Eye care and treatment of ocular diseases has certainly come a long way and continues to be ever-changing for the best.