Author Archives: Renee Knutsen

Aging: Did You Know That It Affects Your Eyes Too?

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Aging: Did You Know That It Affects Your Eyes Too?

Ophthalmologists Encourage Making Your Eyes Part of a Healthy Aging Strategy

In observance of Healthy Aging Month, Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons joins the American Academy of Ophthalmology in emphasizing the importance of having regular eye exams to maintain healthy eyes and vision.

aging eye

According to a national survey released by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly two out of three American adults report having eye or vision problems as a result to aging. A significant percentage of them, however, fail to seek medical attention in the form of regular, sight-saving eye exams.

Some of the more common age-related eye diseases include age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

With early detection and treatment vision loss can be prevented[1]. Ophthalmologists recommend a dilated comprehensive eye exam as the best way to prevent these conditions from becoming debilitating.

U.S. Adults Do Not Get Eye Exams as Often as They Should!
The survey results emphasize a need for more education about the importance of medical eye exams.

Survey results show that most adults are unaware and uneducated on the importance of medical eye exams.

Results showed that over 64 percent of adults had at least one or more of the following issues with their eyes or vision:

  • difficulty seeing at night;
  • blurry vision;
  • reading up close;
  • flashes of light;
  • red, watery eyes; and,
  • double vision.

Despite experiencing some level of impairment, only 13 percent admitted they had been seen by an ophthalmologist.

When Do I Need An Eye Exams?
The Academy recommends that a healthy adult get a baseline eye exam at age 40, even if they have no history of eye problems or eye disease.

Those who have chronic conditions, such as diabetes or high blood pressure, may require more frequent exams.

If you are in need of a comprehensive eye exam call 480-994-1872 or click here to make an appointment online! Don’t wait save your eyesight may be counting on it!

[1] https://nei.nih.gov/healthyeyes/aging_eye

 

What You Need to Know about Glaucoma

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What You Need to Know about Glaucoma

What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma occurs when there is damage to the optic nerve, usually from high intraocular pressure (fluid pressure) and it results in visual field loss. Glaucoma is called the “sneak thief of sight” because patients may not notice any change in vision until significant loss has occurred, which is why regular monitoring is essential. When caught early, it is easily treatable.

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Presbyopia, breaking down the problems associated with the aging eye

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Presbyopia, breaking down the problems associated with the aging eye

presbyopia

Presbyopia is an age-related eye condition that makes it more difficult to see up close.

 

When we are young, the lens in our eyes is soft and flexible and changes easily, allowing you to focus on objects both close up and far away. After the age of 40, and as we continue to age, the lens becomes more stiff, which makes it difficult to change shape and focus on objects that are close up.

 

Causes & symptoms of Presbyopia

 

Unlike nearsightedness and farsightedness, presbyopia is caused by the aging of the eye. It is generally believed that, as we age, changes in the lens protein make up trigger the lens to become less flexible. This is why it is common for people over the age of 40 to hold reading material farther away in order to see it more clearly. Other symptoms include eyestrain, headaches, or feeling tired after doing up close work.

 

Diagnosing and treating Presbyopia

 

A routine eye exam performed by your doctor will diagnose and determine the degree of presbyopia. Once diagnosed, reading glasses are the most common and simplest ways to correct presbyopia. If you wear contact lenses, your doctor can prescribe reading glasses that can be worn with your regular contacts. Eyeglasses with bifocal or progressive lenses are another common method of correcting presbyopia. There are other simple methods of correcting presbyopia, such as multifocal contact lenses, or monovision, which is using two different contact lenses, one for distance and one for close up vision.

 

If you would like more information about presbyopia or wish to make an appointment, please call our office, 480 994-1872 or visit our website at ScottsdaleEye.com. We also carry a large selection of reading glasses in our optical boutique, which is conveniently located in our office.

 

Source: GetEyeSmart.org

 

6 Smart Things College Students Can Do For Their Eyes

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6 Smart Things College Students Can Do For Their Eyes

Six Smart Things College Students Should Do for Their Eyes

This fall, a record 21.7 million students will attend a college or university in the United States. Many teens will be living away from home for the first time without mom or dad around to reinforce healthy habits, including how to care for their eyes. Before students head for the dorms, our Ophthalmologist at Scottsdale Eye Physicians would like to provide parents with college eye health tips to ensure their freshmen sons and daughters keep seeing 20/20 during school.

While accurate vision plays a vital role in learning, college students can be susceptible to a host of vision and eye problems such as injury, infection and increased nearsightedness that can complicate life in and out of class. Crowded classes and dorms can serve as a breeding ground for infectious eye disease, while reading and computer use in school has been linked to poorer eyesight. Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid these and other eye issues on campus. Scottsdale Eye Physicians and Surgeons along with the American Academy of Ophthalmology, the world’s largest association of eye physicians and surgeons, offers the following six tips for protecting eyes during college:

  1. Don’t shower or swim in contact lenses. Acanthamoeba is a parasite that lives in water and can cause a rare but serious eye infection called Acanthamoeba keratitis. According to the CDC, 85 percent of Acanthamoeba eye infections occur in contact lens wearers, one of the main risks being exposure of lenses to water. To avoid this dangerous infection, do not wear contact lenses in showers, hot tubs or when swimming in lakes or pools. Also, never use water to clean or store contact lenses; only use sterile contact lens disinfecting solution and a clean contact lens case.
  1. Go outside. Scholastically-inclined students spend much of their time studying indoors, which can put them at risk of becoming more nearsighted, or myopic. A 2014 study found that more than 50 percent of college graduates are nearsighted, with eyesight worsening for each year in school. Other research shows that spending more time outdoors can protect vision from getting worse. Grab your books and head outside whenever possible.
  1. Wash your hands. Conjunctivitis, often called pink eye, spreads fast in schools and dorms. An outbreak struck more than 1,000 Ivy League college students in 2002. Avoid rubbing the eyes and wash hands with soap to avoid catching and spreading pink eye, not to mention other infections.
  1. Give your eyes a break. Nearly 80 percent of engineering and medical school students experienced symptoms such as dry eyes and redness, according to a study of students at one Indian university. To help avoid eye strain, follow the 20-20-20 rule: look at something 20 feet away every 20 minutes for 20 seconds. Because dry eye can also cause painful corneal ulcers, which are open sores on the front part of the eye, blink regularly and fully to keep eyes moist.
  1. Don’t share makeup. Harmless as it may seem, sharing makeup is a surefire way to spread infection such as herpes keratitis among friends. Infection-causing bacteria grow easily in creamy or liquid eye makeup. Stick to your own makeup and throw it away after three months. If you develop an eye infection, immediately toss all of your eye makeup.
  1. Protect your eyes during the game. Nearly 1 in 18 college athletes will get an eye injury playing sports. Common injuries, like scratches on the eye surface and broken bones near the eye socket, happen most often in high-risk sports such as baseball, basketball and lacrosse. Athletes should consider wearing polycarbonate sports glasses to help keep stray balls and elbows from hitting their eyes.

“For many teens just starting college, taking care of their eye health may be the last thing on their minds,” said Rebecca Taylor, M.D., comprehensive ophthalmologist and clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. “But the fact is that an eye injury or condition can affect their grades and social life, causing days or even a lifetime of poor vision. We hope that parents will remind their kids of these risks before they fly the coop this fall.”

Get your kids into the eye doctor before they head off to school! Call 480-994-1872 to make an appointment today!

This article reprinted with permission from the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s EyeSmart® program (www.geteyesmart.org).

Kids Eye Exam: When Should They Be Getting Checked?

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Kids Eye Exam: When Should They Be Getting Checked?

Kids Eye Exam: When Should They Be Getting Checked?

kids eye exam

As parents we are always worried about what our child’s eating, how much rest they are getting and if they are behaving properly but we often forget that we need to be keeping an eye on their vision!

Good vision is very important to a child’s physical development, success in school and overall well-being!

 

Did you know that the vision system is not fully formed in babies and young children? Equal input from both eyes is necessary for the brain’s vision centers to develop normally.

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Four Tips to Make Sure Your Kids Vision is ‘Grade A’ This School Year

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Four Tips to Make Sure Your Kids Vision is ‘Grade A’ This School Year

Four Tips to Make Sure Your Kids Vision is ‘Grade A’ This School Year

A Kids Vision is the best asset they can have for school With back-to-school upon us, parents will be scrambling to buy new school supplies and clothes. As they tick off their long list of school to-dos, ophthalmologists are reminding moms and dads not to neglect one of the most important learning tools: their children’s eyes!  

Good vision and overall eye health are vital to learning. Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons, PC joins the American Academy of Ophthalmology in emphasizing the importance of healthy vision to academic success during Children’s Eye Health and Safety Month in August.

 

Because children are still growing, being vigilant about eye health is important. The earlier problems are identified; the sooner they can be addressed. For healthy eyes and vision throughout the school year, here at Scottsdale Eye Physicians we recommend the following four tips:

 

1. Get regular childhood vision screenings – Kids vision changes rapidly, making regular vision screenings an important step in detecting and correcting eye problems early. In addition to screenings for infants, the Academy recommends further vision screening for children when they are:

 

  • Pre-school age, between age 3 and 3 and a half
  • Entering school
  • Experiencing a possible vision problem

 

For school-age children, a vision screening, which is less comprehensive than a dilated eye examination by an ophthalmologist, can be performed by a pediatrician, family physician, nurse or trained technician during regular checkups. If the screening detects a problem, the child may need to see an ophthalmologist — an eye physician and surgeon – or other eye care professional.

 

2. Know and share your family eye health history – Everyone should find out whether eye conditions or diseases run in their family. Parents should share that information with the person performing the screening when possible. Examples of common eye conditions include nearsightedness, crossed eye, known as strabismus, and lazy eye, known as amblyopia. If these are not treated in childhood, they can cause permanent vision loss in one eye.

3. Watch for signals of eye problems – Parents should be alert to symptoms that could indicate an eye or vision problem, such as complaints of eyestrain, headaches and squinting when reading or performing other common activities. Other symptoms to look for include a white or grayish-white coloring in the pupil, one eye that turns in or out, or eyes that do not track in sync together.

4. Wear protective eyewear when playing sports – Eye injuries while playing sports can cause serious damage to your kids vision, whether by getting smacked with an elbow during basketball or hit with a hockey stick. If your child plays racket sports, hockey, field hockey, baseball or basketball, consider having them wear goggles or other certified protective eyewear.

 

Good vision is your child’s best asset for going back to school, make sure and be scheduling regular exams and taking the best steps to ensuring good vision!

 

At Scottsdale Eye our doctors are trained to offer care for children of all ages! Call 480-994-1872 today to make an appointment!

 

Visit the Academy’s website to learn more about common childhood eye conditions and how to care for your kids vision!

 

 

What’s That Ring Around My Eye?

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What’s That Ring Around My Eye?

One frequently asked question Dr. Dennis hears from his patients is, “what’s that ring around my eye?” What patients are referring to is a white, grey, or blue opaque ring that overlies the colored part of the eye just about where it meets the sclera, or white of the eye. The ring is actually in the cornea, a clear dome-like covering over the front of the eye, which acts likes much like the crystal of a watch.

what's that ring around my eye

The cloudiness commonly appears after age 60 and is called arcus senilis, or just arcus. This cloudiness typically starts at the top and bottom of the cornea, but can eventually fill in to create a full ring around the eye.

This ring is created from a gradual deposition of cholesterol and lipid (fat) in this layer of the cornea. A study shows that it does not indicate high cholesterol levels when it occurs in the middle aged and elderly population. People younger than 40 with the onset of arcus should have their cholesterol and blood lipids checked as studies do show that if this ring can be predictive of heart disease. 

The white ring or Arcus does not interfere with vision and does not require treatment of the eye.  If the ring is more pronounced on one eye, it can indicate that blood flow to that eye is decreased.

If your asking yourself “what’s that ring around my eye” or would like to make an appointment to have your questions answered call (480) 994-1872 today!

Click here for more info on corneal arcus!

Where Do you Dispose of Your Old Contact Lenses?

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Where Do you Dispose of Your Old Contact Lenses?

Could old contacts be contributing to micro-plastic waste?

What do you do with your old contact lenses? Scientists are hoping the answer isn’t flush them down the toilet or wash them down the sink.  

A new study shows that contact lenses could be contributing to micro-plastic waste that is creating pollution in our waters. 

These tiny pieces of plastic measuring no bigger than a sesame seed are considered micro-plastic waste.  The study has found that these small pollutants are ending up at the bottom of lakes and in our oceans which could be harming sea life.  

The idea to study the fate of contact lenses came when senior study author Rolf Halden, a professor and director of the Center for Environmental Health Engineering at Arizona State University’s Biodesign Institute, started to wonder whether there was existing research on what happened to contact lenses after use. There was none.

After finding no info on contact lens waste the professor decided to survey both contact lens wearers and non-wearers to find out how they were discarding lenses.  After surveying 139 individuals they found that roughly 15-20% of people were discarding them in the toilet or sink.  

Lead study author Charlie Rolsky, a doctoral student in biology at the same institution, said in a statement. “This is a pretty large number, considering roughly 45 million people in the U.S. alone wear contact lenses.”

After the lenses are flushed they end up in water treatment plants which are known to filter out waste, but since these filters are used for larger items contact lenses which can be flexible are slipping through the filters.  They also found that bacteria used to breakdown biological waste was ultimately breaking down the contacts into smaller pieces making them a contributor to micro-plastic waste.  

Moral of the story is when discarding contact lenses be sure to toss them in the waste basket instead of down the toilet or sink.  Taking this small step in how you dispose of your lenses could be helping the planet with micro-plastic waste. It could also be one small change that could help aquatic life along the way. 

More info on contact lens waste: https://www.livescience.com/63376-contact-lens-sewage-microplastics.html

Eye Drops and Nasal Sprays Dangerous When Ingested by Children 

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Eye Drops and Nasal Sprays Dangerous When Ingested by Children 

Most people consider over-the-counter eye drops to be safe. When used correctly by an adult, they are, but in the hands of a young child, they can be dangerously harmful. 

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns that when in the hands of children, ingestion of redness eye drops, or nasal decongestant sprays can cause serious harm. The FDA reviewed 96 cases of accidental ingestion between 1985 and 2012, by children between 1 month and 5 years and found that resulting events included decreased respiration, decreased heart rate, sedation, nausea, vomiting, mydriasis, lethargy, hypothermia, and even coma. Fifty-three cases were hospitalized. 

Active ingredients including tetrahydrozoline, naphazoline, and oxymetazoline which are included in a variety of brand name products produced serious symptoms when ingested in the reports. A very small amount of these medication can cause significant symptoms. Tetrahydrozoline is the ingredient that gets the red out in eye drops, oxymetazoline is the ingredient in Afrin nasal spray, and naphazoline is an antihistamine in various topical ocular allergy products, such as Naphcon-A and Opcon-A. 

The U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission proposed a rule requiring redness-relief eye drops and nasal decongestant sprays to have child-resistant packaging. The rule is not in effect, requiring care takers to take additional steps to prevent kids from getting their hand on these products.  

Take these additional measures to keep your kids safe from these harmful chemicals: 

  • Keep medicines in their original packaging. 
  • Store potentially hazardous substances out of sight and reach. 
  • Keep the national Position Help Line number 800-222-1222 in mind in case of emergency. 
  • Avoid taking medicine in front of children. 
  • When products are being used, never let young children out of your sight