Category Archives: Eye Health

Exam Procedures, Eye Disease & Problems, Eye Exam Information, Eye Health, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration, Nutrition & Supplements

What is Macular Degeneration?

Macular Degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss, affecting more than 10 million Americans – more than cataracts and glaucoma combined.

At present, Macular Degeneration is considered an incurable eye disease.

Macular Degeneration is caused by the deterioration of the central portion of the retina, the inside back layer of the eye that records the images we see and sends them via the optic nerve from the eye to the brain. The retina’s central portion, known as the macula, is responsible for focusing central vision in the eye, and it controls our ability to read, drive a car, recognize faces or colors, and see objects in fine detail.

one can compare the human eye to a camera. The macula is the central and most sensitive area of the so-called film. When it is working properly, the macula collects highly detailed images at the center of the field of vision and sends them up the optic nerve to the brain, which interprets them as sight. When the cells of the macula deteriorate, images are not received correctly. In early stages, macular degeneration does not affect vision. Later, if the disease progresses, people experience wavy or blurred vision, and, if the condition continues to worsen, central vision may be completely lost. People with very advanced macular degeneration are considered legally blind. Even so, because the rest of the retina is still working, they retain their peripheral vision, which is not as clear as central vision.

This is why it is recommended to visit your optometrist annually to monitor diseases closely.

Cataracts, Diabetes, Exam Procedures, Eye Disease & Problems, Eye Exam Information, Eye Health, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration

What are Cataracts?

 

A cataract is a cloudy area in the lens of your eye. Cataracts are very common as you get older. In fact, more than half of all Americans age 80 or older either have cataracts or have had surgery to get rid of cataracts.

At first, you may not notice that you have a cataract. But over time, cataracts can make your vision blurry, hazy, or less colorful. You may have trouble reading or doing other everyday activities.

The good news is that surgery can get rid of cataracts. Cataract surgery is safe and corrects vision problems caused by cataracts.

What are the types of cataracts?

Most cataracts are age-related — they happen because of normal changes in your eyes as you get older. But you can get cataracts for other reasons — for example, after an eye injury or after surgery for another eye problem (like glaucoma).

No matter what type of cataract you have, the treatment is always surgery.

How will I know?

By scheduling your annual exam. Our doctor’s monitor symptoms as soon as they arise and monitor closely until you are ready for surgery.

Cataracts, Computer Vision Syndrome, Diabetes, Dry Eye, Eye Disease & Problems, Eye Exam Information, Eye Health, Glaucoma, Macular Degeneration

Eye exams and why they are important

Annual eye exams can detect serious health problems.

Did you know that many people first learn they have serious health conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and even cancer from — yes, you guessed it — a routine eye exam.

Our eyes have been called “the window to our soul.” It turns out, they also are often a very effective window to our overall health.

During a comprehensive eye exam, your eye doctor can observe and evaluate the health and condition of the blood vessels in your retina, which are a good predictor of the health of blood vessels throughout your body. Conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and hypercholesterolemia all are visible by changes in the appearance of the retinal blood supply and blood vessels.

Annual eye exams are especially important for anyone with diabetes or who might be at risk for the disease (due to obesity, family history or other reasons). More than 30 million Americans with diabetes and another 84 million who have prediabetes are at risk for developing diabetic eye disease, the leading cause of blindness among adults. In its early stages, diabetic eye disease has no visible symptoms; only a comprehensive eye exam can detect signs of the disease so treatment can begin soon enough to prevent vision loss.

Also, research is advancing to develop an eye test to identify your risk for Alzheimer’s disease that may soon be performed during a comprehensive eye exam.

Don’t put it off — schedule an eye exam today

Even if you think you have perfect vision, an annual eye exam can be one of the best things you can do to protect the overall health and wellness of you and your loved ones.

Don’t put if off any longer — contact us for an eye exam today.

Eye Disease & Problems, Eye Health

Smart phones assist the blind

Smartphones and tablets, with their flat glass touch screens and nary a texture anywhere, may not seem like the best technological innovation for people who cannot see. But advocates for the blind say the devices could be the biggest assistive aid to come along since Braille was invented in the 1820s.

People with vision problems can use a smartphone’s voice commands to read or write. They can determine denominations of money using a camera app, figure out where they are using GPS and compass applications.

TalkBack, a Google-made application that adds spoken, audible and vibration feedback to a smartphone.

Among Apple’s features are ones that help people with vision problems take pictures. In assistive mode, for example, the phone can say how many heads are in a picture and where they are in the frame, so someone who is blind knows if the family photo she is about to take includes everyone.

About 10 million people in the United States are blind or partly blind, according to statistics from the American Foundation for the Blind. And some estimates predict that over the next 30 years, as the vast baby boomer generation ages, the number of adults with vision impairments could double.

On all the mobile platforms, people with vision loss say, the real magic lies in the hundreds of apps that are designed specifically to help people who are blind.

Fine Eyewear and Eyecare optometrists provides advanced vision care to the families of Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Round Rock and surrounding communities. Stop by and check out our world class optical studio.  Our mission is to help you look and see your best!  More info can be found at www.FineEyewear.Net

Anti-Reflective Treatment, Eye Health, Industry News, Sunglasses

Protecting Eyes From ‘Bad’ Blue Light

 

The world can be a dangerous place, especially if viewed through the naked eye.  The threat posed by exposure to ultraviolet light is well known to eyecare professionals, and a growing number of consumers are becoming aware of it as well, thanks to advertising by sunglass companies . Protect your eyes with sun lenses wear lenses that block UV rays up to 400 nanometers. Now a new ocular threat has emerged in the form of High Energy Visible (HEV) light. HEV is prevalent not just outdoors, but indoors as well. The indoor threat is posed largely by digital devices such as computer screens, tablets, smartphones and televisions, particularly the new flat screen models with OLED screens.

Fine Eyewear and Eyecare offer many fine sunglasses options to protect against harmful blue light including Oakley and Maui Jim. Our eye doctors also provide advanced vision care to the families of Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Round Rock and surrounding communities.  Visit our main website for a preview of Oakley and Maui Jim and read more about our sunglasses collections : Fine Eyewear Sunglasses Collection
Eye Health

Hormone Produced By Exercise May Help Control Obesity, Blood Sugar Levels

A study in Nature showing that irisin, “a hormone naturally found in muscle cells…rises during exercise, converting white fat into brown fat, a substance whose primary function is to generate body heat.” When irisin was injected “into obese, pre-diabetic mice, the animals lost weight and their blood sugar levels improved.”  Researchers suggested that this “may lead to treatments for obesity and diabetes, as well as other disorders where exercise may benefit patients who are too weak to engage in it.”

 

Fine Eyewear and Eyecare optometrists provides advanced vision care to the families of Austin, Cedar Park, Leander, Georgetown, Round Rock and surrounding communities. Stop by and check out our world class optical studio.  Our mission is to help you look and see your best!  More info can be found at www.FineEyewear.Net

 

Nutrition & Supplements

Sodium-Potassium Ratio May Be More Important Than Total Sodium Intake

The New York Times  (12/26, D7, Brody, Subscription Publication) reported in “Personal Health” that research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine “found that while a diet high in sodium — salt is the main source — increases your risk” of heart disease, “even more important is the ratio of sodium (harmful) to potassium (protective) in one’s diet.” One of the study’s authors, Dr. Elena V. Kuklina, a nutritional epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said, “We controlled for all the major cardiovascular risk factors and still found an association between the sodium-potassium ratio and deaths from heart disease.” The Times points out that “according to an Institute of Medicine report on sodium released last year, ‘No one is immune to the adverse health effects of excessive sodium intake.'”

Children

Eye Exams May Help Rule Out Eye-Related Links To Behavior, Learning Problems

According to the American Optometric Association, “even though a child may have 20/20 vision, the following habits also can signal less obvious vision problems: loses place while reading, avoids close work,” and “holds reading material closer than normal.”

A visit to the eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam is an important part of overall health,” and is especially important for kids about to return to school.  According to an American Optometric Association survey of K-12 teachers, 81 percent believe vision and learning are interdependent.”