Presbyopia is a gradual loss of your eyes ability to focus on nearby objects. This condition usually develops in most people after the age of 40. If you are holding the newspaper at arms length in order to read the print, you may have presbyopia.

Most experts agree that presbyopia is caused by hardening of your lens, which in turn develops with aging. As your lens becomes less flexible, it can no longer change shape, and close-up images appear out of focus.

A dilated comprehensive eye exam can confirm presbyopia. This condition can be corrected with prescription eyeglasses, contact lenses, laser vision correction, or high technology lens implantation, such as ReSTOR^®.

What is Ocular Stroke?

Ocular Stroke” is known by different names:  embolism of the retinal artery,   branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO) and/or central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), depending on what artery has been blocked or occluded.
 
Painless loss of vision in one eye is the usual presenting symptom of retinal artery occlusion (RAO). Ocular stroke commonly is caused by a clot in the central retinal artery, although clots may travel downstream to branches of the retinal artery, causing loss of only a section of the visual field. RAO represents an ophthalmologic emergency, and delay in treatment may result in permanent loss of vision.

Immediate intervention improves chances of visual recovery, but, even then, prognosis is poor, with only 21-35% of eyes retaining useful vision. Although restoration of vision is of immediate concern, RAO can be a warning sign for other diseases that must be evaluated immediately.

Retinal artery occlusions can be associated with systemic diseases such as:  heart-valve disease or carotid artery disease.  When an occlusion occurs in these conditions, a plaque breaking away is usually the cause.  RAO can also occur in such conditions as:  diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), high cholesterol, and clotting abnormalities.  These occlusions are usually caused by platelets sticking together or by lipid (fat).  Smoking also causes a very high risk of RAO.

For more information on stroke, visit the American Stroke Association at www.strokeassociation.org

Can I Wear Contact Lenses?

With new technology in contact lens material, more patients are able to wear contacts today than in the past.  If you are interested in contact lenses, please discuss this with us when scheduling your next routine exam.  The doctor will need to perform a series of special tests to help determine if you are a good candidate for this type of vision correction. 
Always remember these issues about contact lenses:

• Never wear another person’s contact lenses.
• Follow the doctor’s instructions on care and cleaning.
• Do not sleep in your lenses, unless prescribed by your doctor, even though the FDA has approved 24 hour wear for certain lenses.
• Regular checkups are required to maintain good overall health of your eyes while wearing contact lenses. 
• Federal and state laws typically require contact lens prescriptions be no more than one year old in order to be filled.