It is a beautiful day here in Wilmington, Delaware.  The sun is shining and there is just a slight breeze outside.  Tomorrow and this weekend are supposed to be even nicer.  With all this sun I know you’ll be breaking out your designer frames, ready for the fresh open air and sky.  And that’s good.  Besides looking good in your shades, you’ll also be blocking the Sun’s damaging UV rays.  But there’s more to be done.  At Simon Eye Associates, we have one recommendation for you.  Get your eyes checked now, rather than later.  Eye exams not only point out eyesight problems, but they can spot other health issues before they become a problem.

We want you to keep your eyes happy and healthy for the rest of your life.  And sure, maybe you don’t have a problem reading the newspaper in the morning, or that spreadsheet at work.  Good.  Eye exams will ensure that you never do have a problem.  Did you know that 50% of all cases of blindness or severe vision loss could have been prevented by early detection? Similarly, even if you have perfect vision, you are still at risk for developing glaucoma.  Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the US.

So before you pack your bags for the beach this weekend, remember to schedule your next eye exam.  This way you’ll be sure to enjoy all that there is to see this summer, with clear, beautiful vision.

Eye Exam - Simon Eye Associates

Did you know that Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world? Neither did I.  Until just now.  Glaucoma causes progressive damage to the optic nerve and eventually a loss of vision and total blindness.  What can you do if you have Glaucoma? Surely medicated eye drops would relieve some of the symptoms, but the problem is that the eye drop solution drips down out of your eyes and it then loses its effectiveness.  A Doctor working out of the University of Florida has devised a contact lens that provides long lasting, effective results using Vitamin E.

Vitamin E has been shown to be extremely beneficial to eyesight in most people. Taken orally, Vitamin E provides vital antioxidants and lubrication to the eyes.  But this Vitamin E, you don’t swallow.  This Vitamin E is inserted into a special contact lens.  The purpose is to make the drug molecules in the contact lens go around the Vitamin E and target the eye without streaming out like with eye drops.  These drugs are not able to penetrate Vitamin E and have no choice but to go around, thus hitting the eye.  The drug has a chance to stay in your eyes for 2-5 minutes with these contact lenses.

Glaucoma Contact Lenses

Many people are confused as to whether or not they are actually taking good care of their eyes.  What does that really mean? Well, now we’ve developed a short quiz to help you determine whether or not you know how to take care of your eyes and what you should be doing.  Take the following quiz and see how you do:

1. How often do you see your eye doctor for an eye exam?

1. Whenever I feel like it
2. When I can’t see as well as I could before
3. At least every two years
4. I don’t

2. Which food is the best source of Lutein, that incredibly eye-healthy nutrient

1. Kale
2. Potatoes
3. Carrots
4. McDonalds

3. Which of the following could damage your eyesight?

1. Staring at your computer screen all day
2. Smoking
3. Reading in dim light
4. Driving on the left side of the road

4. Which eye disease can cause 40% loss of sight before you even notice it?

1. Glaucoma
2. Cataracts
3. You’d notice anything wrong with your eyes
4. Pink eye

5. If you get an eye infection should you?

1. Go straight to the hospital or your eye doctor
2. Use natural, or organic eye drops
3. Just wait it out, it will get better
4. Have a nice cup of tea

6. You want new sunglasses. Do you?

1. Buy the cheapest pair
2. Get fake Gucci’s on eBay
3. Make sure you buy ones that have passed safety regulations
4. Spend as much as you possibly can to look the best

7. Which of these is a symptom of age related macular degeneration?

1. Pain
2. Loss of central vision
3. Loss of side vision
4. Forgetting to pick your grandchildren up from school

Here are the answers:

1. You should have your eyes checked at least every 2 years.

2. Green leafy, Kale is the best food to provide the nutrient Lutein, most needed by eyes to perform at their best.

3. If you smoke you’re up to 4 times more likely to develop age related macular degeneration.

4. Glaucoma has been called the sneak thief of sight. It sneaks up and gradually causes your vision to move inwards.

5. Go straight to your doctor or eye doctor.  Serious problems can be avoided by rapid action.

6. Always check the safety regulations before buying any sunglasses.  Buy a pair that blocks 100% of UV rays.

7. Loss of central vision is a sign of age related macular degeneration, which affects almost a third of the people above 75 years old.  It is a very tricky disease to detect and only your eye doctor can know for sure.

How did you score? How many questions did you get right?

1-2 You have probably been lucky to not get any serious eye diseases, or injuries.  But you should study up some more on eye health and learn how to take better care of your eyes.

3-4 You’re doing pretty well, but you also need to be a bit more diligent when it comes to the health of your eyes.  Check back on the answers you got wrong and read our other Simon Eye blogs for more useful data.

5-7 Congratulations! It looks like you’re doing very well and know your stuff.  Keep it up.  Knowledge is the first defense in the fight to keep our eyes healthy and happy.

Healthy Vision Longer

Some time ago during my training I spent time with an eye surgeon in Philadelphia who had an odd way of getting his non compliant patients to take their glaucoma medications.  ”Cover your eyes”, he would say, “Now, what do you see?”  ”Nothing” was the usual reply. “Well, that’s what you are going to see if you don’t take your drops!” And he would shove a prescription in their hand and point to the direction of the pharmacy.  Blunt yes - but effective.

The lesson I learned was not to take my eyes for granted.  He got me to realize that even though the human body is an engineering marvel with the ability to regenerate tissue it can’t regenerate new eyeballs.  Like most youth I took my vision and my health for granted.  Until science advances a bit more and it surely will,  we only have one pair of eyes. Damage from glaucoma is normally irreversible, it is also preventable. Glaucoma is one of those silent diseases like hypertension, cancer, heart disease, etc., we don’t know its there until something happens or we see our doctor and get tested. That’s right, the patient doesn’t feel anything, see anything or sense anything different until the disease has significantly advanced. Fortunately, if found early with routine examination, it’s progression can be halted and future deterioration slowed or stopped altogether. But the damage done is rarely if ever reversible.

In addition to your optometrist checking for glaucoma there are many other diseases that may show up during a routine eye exam: diabetes, hypertension, brain tumors, lupus, sarcoidosis, MS, hypercholesterolemia, syphillis, stroke just to mention a few.

How is this possible? The eye has a transparent membrane called the cornea which allows light to pass through to the retina. Because of this ability which is not present anywhere else on the body, we can look directly at the blood vessels and nervous system. How cool is that!  I have to admit looking into my patients eyes is one experience that never gets old.

So the next time you get that call from your eye doctor, remember that there is more to an eye exam than 20/20.