In a previous blog, we spent some time talking about the risks, symptoms and treatments for glaucoma. Today I’d like to stress the importance of regular eye exams as the best form of prevention against significant glaucoma. Glaucoma can affect anyone, particularly anyone over the age of 60. However, when caught early with regular eye exams, the ophthalmologists at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons can slow the progression of glaucoma. A Timely Diagnosis There is no cure for glaucoma, and no reversal remedy for vision loss due to glaucoma. However, the best prevention for many eye diseases is early detection, which can only be accomplished with regular eye exams. If you fall into the following categories, it’s imperative that you make an appointment with Dennis L. Kilpatrick, MD or William R. Kilpatrick, MD for regular eye exams:
2.2 Million Americans Have Glaucoma, And It’s Not Just Celebrities
Everyone is at risk for glaucoma, and while Bono has been getting much of the attention lately because of his explanation for never going out without sunglasses, even wearing them indoors, glaucoma is a serious, and often misunderstood, disease affecting over 2.2 million Americans. Fortunately, our ophthalmologists here at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons have over 40 years of experience with glaucoma treatments, including glaucoma laser surgery. Glaucoma Risk Factors, Symptoms and Types Glaucoma works by damaging your eye’s optic nerve, which over time can cause blindness. Pressure builds up within the eye, placing stress on the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. That pressure can cause so much damage that the optic nerve cannot send images to the brain.
Tips for Wearing Halloween Contact Lenses
Are you already putting together your mind-blowing Halloween costume for this year’s costume party? Does that costume include decorative contact lenses? We understand how some people think a superb Halloween costume includes those creepy contact lenses. As Scottsdale ophthalmologists, we’re not going to tell you not to wear vampire contact lenses, or cat contact lenses, but we do want to warn you of the risks involved. Risks Involved with Halloween Contact Lenses Contact lenses are a medical necessity for over 34 million people in the U.S, and unless your Scottsdale ophthalmologist has prescribed you contact lenses, those Halloween lenses are simply unsafe for your eyes. Decorative contact lenses are not used to correct vision or improve the health of your eyes; they are simply costume accessories that you put into your eye. Before we move on to the risks involved with Halloween contact lenses, I’d like you to dwell on that fact for a moment – costume accessories that you put into your eye.
Vision, Prescription Meds, and the Questions You NEED To Be Asking Your Doctor
For many of us as we age, prescription medication becomes a routine of daily life. We take them in stride and tend to overlook the side effects. However, when it comes to your vision health, the professionals here at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons want you to recognize how important it is to talk to your family physician about these side effects, as many of them could directly affect your eyes. Step One: Communicate With Your Physician The most important detail not to overlook is to maintain open communication with your family physician. When you are initially prescribed any type of medication, either for allergies or arthritis, you must have a forthright discussion regarding all of the side effects. Be sure to make your physician aware of any vision problems you’ve experienced in the past, or any that you are experiencing currently. And once on the medication, if you experience any vision problems tell your physician immediately. Catching any symptoms early can prevent permanent damage to your vision. Step Two: Know Which Medications Are Potentially Harmful Acne Medication: In some cases, when acne does not respond to more traditional treatments, Isotretinoin (brand names: Accutane, Amnesteem, Claravis, Sotret) is used. Isotretinoin side effects can include dry eyes and decreased night vision. If you experience these side effects, talk to your physician immediately. Antihistamines: It’s fairly well known that antihistamines can cause dry eye, but did you know they can also cause blurred vision, severe eye pain, and even can cause you to see halos around lights? Angle-closure glaucoma is an emergency condition and needs immediate medical attention. Antimalarial Drugs: These drugs are used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, and have a rare, but serious, side effect that could lead to permanent vision loss. Retinal toxicity is dose related, meaning that it is greatly dependent on how long you’ve been taking the antimalarial drugs (brand names: Plaquenil, Quineprox, Aralen). You’ll also need an eye exam before being prescribed this form of medication to make absolutely sure your eyes are healthy enough. Corticosteroids: Prednisone is a popularly prescribed treatment for arthritis, lupus, psoriasis, severe allergies and breathing disorders. Prednisone is also known to increase a patient’s risk for developing cataracts or glaucoma. If you notice eye pain, halos around the eyes or blurred vision, see your physician immediately. Erectile Dysfunction Drugs: Some ED drugs such as Viagra, Cialis and Levitra have shown side effects of blurred vision, sensitivity to light and vision color changes. Once again, if you notice any vision changes while taking an ED, call your doctor immediately. Flomax: Flomax is a prescription medication used to treat men with enlarged prostates, relaxing the muscles allowing them to pass urine more easily. Unfortunately, this alpha blocker has been known to build up in the iris of the eye, causing intraoperative floppy iris syndrome, which essentially makes eye surgery extremely difficult. If you are considering cataract surgery, talk to the professionals at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons about Flomax and how it might impact the surgery. Step Three: Talk To Your Ophthalmologist Just as with step one, maintaining open lines of productive communication with your ophthalmologist is key to avoiding many of the more permanent problems with your vision. In any one of these cases, the best medicine is early detection and treatment. Should you experience blurry vision, eye pain, haloes, color changes, or any changes in your vision, call your ophthalmologist immediately.
How is Cataract Surgery Performed?
According to the Center for Disease Control, there are over 20 million Americans ages 40 and older that are affected by cataracts. If you’re over 75-years-old, odds are at least 50% that you’ll end up with cataracts. The good news is that cataract surgery is one of the safest and most effective surgical procedures preformed. There are over 3 million cataract surgeries preformed every year in the U.S, nearly all of them highly successful. Here at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons, we have over 37 years of experience in cataract surgery. We also have one of only a handful of ophthalmologist in Phoenix performing both femtosecond laser surgery for cataracts and using the OptiPlus ORA to refine the implant lens measurement and positioning.
Eyes Are the Windows to Your Health
Your eyes are truly amazing. Did you know that your eyes could heal themselves from a cornea scratch? Did you know that of all the muscles in your body, it’s the muscles in your eyes that are the most active? Of course, the most important eye fact to know is that 80% of vision problems worldwide are either avoidable or curable. Your eyes are remarkable for so many reasons, but it’s what they tell us about your overall health that might be the most intriguing. More than 30 health conditions show symptoms in the eyes, leading many ophthalmologists in a position to be the first to detect many health problems.
The Damaging Affects Cigarette Smoke Has on Your Vision
To bring awareness to Healthy Aging Month, our staff at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons feel this is the greatest opportunity to elaborate on the harmful effects of smoking and how even second-hand smoke can be detrimental to your eyes and the vision of those you love. As a health-conscious Scottsdale resident, you are probably well aware of the catastrophic health implications related to smoking (heart disease, cancer, etc), but did you know that smoking is the single largest preventable cause of many vision conditions as well? Smoking contributes to cataracts, macular degeneration, uveitis, diabetic retinopathy, even infant eye disease and vision loss. My hope is that you educate yourself during Healthy Aging Month and kick the habit.
Age-Related Eye Conditions and How To Prevent Them
September is Healthy Aging Month, and here at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons our expert staff wanted to take this opportunity to provide our readers and patients with some insight into how aging affects vision, the types of vision conditions that are common with aging, and how to protect your vision as you age. Aging is a progression that affects every single part of our lives, from the performance of our bodies to the health of our eyes. Just like the muscles throughout the body can deteriorate and weaken, so too can the muscles within the eye. And while a few eye conditions are simply a part of aging, there are things that you can do to protect your vision.
Is Cataract Surgery Painful?
When diagnosed with cataracts, the thought of surgery can be daunting and overwhelming. Surgery of any kind can cause a great deal of stress, but surgery involving the eyes easily triggers a great deal more apprehension, and that’s ok. For over 37 years our compassionate and experienced ophthalmologist, Dennis Kilpatrick, MD, has provided the highest quality of vision and cataract care in the Scottsdale area, and has performed over 13,000 cataract surgery procedures.
Do I Have Cataracts?
Cataracts are the single most common cause of vision loss in people over 40 in the world. And while many here in Scottsdale face the effects of cataracts every day, our expert and knowledgeable doctors at Scottsdale Eye Physicians & Surgeons have over 40 years of experience with cataracts, cataract prevention, symptoms, and surgery. If you think that you might be facing some of the early signs and symptoms of cataracts, continue reading to discover your options.