New Contact Lenses, New Hope

Monday, January 30th, 2012

I have been a nearsighted person since I was 12 years old. I have worn every type of contact lens, soft, hard, CRT (orthokeratology or corneal refractive therapy), and anything in between. For 13 years I wore contact lenses every single day. For the past 4-5 years, however, I stopped, and have chosen to pick up my glasses on a daily basis. The reason? My vision wasn’t as good in contact lenses anymore!

I didn’t want to wear contact lenses every day anymore, so CRT was out (it takes 3-4 days to kick in and 3-4 days to wear off). Even though the vision was awesome I was never comfortable in gas permeable lenses unless I wore them every day, so they were out. Soft contact lenses were the best option and if I wasn’t going to wear them every day a 1-day lens was going to be the best. I could wear it one day then throw the lens out and not worry about storing and cleaning them. I have been using a single use spherical lens, with only one power, for the past year. My vision wasn’t crystal clear with them so I have only worn lenses 5 or 6 times this year. The reason for my vision complaint…the dreaded ASTIGMATISM!

Now astigmatism is not a bad thing, despite it being one of the most common negative descriptions patients use for their eyes. It is a simple curvature imbalance that smudges letters and objects when we see them, but it is easily fixed in glasses and usually in contact lenses as well. Until just recently, however, no one made a lens for astigmatism that was also a 1-day lens.

In the past year 2 or 3 viable 1-day astigmatism lenses have become available. In honor of being one of the first practices in the country to have Acuvue’s newest lens I am going to take the leap and try them out. See if they make my vision better. Note: this experiment is all about vision and has nothing to do with my 9 month old thinking the best game in the house is grab daddy’s eyeglasses.

Maybe it will work, maybe it won’t (there are plenty of reasons a lens isn’t right for someone), but I’m going to give it a try. Maybe I’ll be able to save some of my nice glasses from the destruction of Emaline!

Glaucoma, hidden right out in the open

Friday, January 13th, 2012

To start this year, January is National Glaucoma month. Glaucoma is an eye disease that is on my mind every day, but most people don’t ever think about! Most people believe that it is the “sneak thief of sight” because of how damaging it can be to our vision without us ever knowing it. Glaucoma doesn’t hurt, cause red eyes, or acutely change our vision, so it’s only noticed during an eye exam.

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve (inside the eye) and happens when healthy nerve fibers carrying images and information to the brain degenerate. When this is happening, people lose their peripheral vision first, and because of this can lose nearly half of their vision before they even notice!

Glacuoma nerves

The good thing about glaucoma is that with some simple eye tests during an eye exam, including checking eye pressure and looking directly at the nerve, I can begin to determine the risk for the disease very easily. For my patients, we can check pressures without drops or the dreaded “air puff” and also take it a step further by recording a screening photo of the optic nerve. This allows me to compare images in the future. Even a little change to your optic nerve throughout a lifetime will be noticed.

January’s Glaucoma Awareness Month has the mission to get everyone screened for this blinding disease. So in this new year if you, a friend, or a family member has been putting off an eye check, add it to your New Years resolution!

Happy Holidays!

Friday, December 16th, 2011

I wanted to wish everyone happy holidays from Winchester Optical! Check out our holiday hours to see when to come visit us between festivities. We will all be here to help you with new eyeglasses, eye exams and contact lenses.

What can I do to stay healthy doc?

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

I am lucky that the majority of patients I see are healthy. One of the best questions I get is, “It’s great my eyes are healthy, but what can I do to keep them that way?!”

These are four things I think are the most useful ways to keep your eyes healthy for a lifetime.

Sunglasses – Just like we protect our skin from harmful UV rays, our eyes are exposed daily to the same light, and need to be protected as such! UV light has been linked to earlier cataracts and an increased macular degeneration risk. In addition to lifetime health benefits, the reduction of glare with polarized sunglasses can make everyday tasks such as driving, yard work, or even a day at the beach more enjoyable.

A Good Diet – Although carrots are a discussion for another day, diets that are rich in antioxidants from fruits and vegetables are critical for ocular health. Specifically, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, A, C, E, copper and zinc are critical for protecting our eyes. All can be found in green leafy vegetables, bright colored vegetables, berries and nuts. Research has shown us that these vitamins, sometimes in high doses, can reduce our risk for macular degeneration. Now some studies are showing that people with higher amounts of Lutein and Zeaxanthin have better night vision and glare recovery! Also, Omega-3, found in fatty fishes such as salmon is an amazing anti-inflamatory for our eyelids, and macula.

Quit Smoking – All doctors have a good reason for you to quit, and I am no different. On top of being the most devastating increase in risk for wet macular degeneration, it also increases risk for dry eyes, blepharitis and cataracts. Quit today and your quality of life, overall health, and ocular health will be better.

Regular Eye Checks – This one seems simple! Visiting your eye doctor yearly keeps your eyes healthy and allows us to monitor for the many diseases and conditions that have no symptoms. For adults, this includes: glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, keratoconus, and dry eyes. For kids, we look for Amblyopia (lazy eye), strabismus (eye turn), and glasses prescriptions. All of these conditions have early signs that people usually do not notice in day to day life, but can be debilitating to your overall eye health and vision. Simply by coming in once a year for a routine appointment can help you ensure your eyes are healthy, and help keep them that way!

Have a question about what you just read? Ask away! Post a comment, send a message, or call me anytime!

Welcome To Winchester Optical

Thursday, December 8th, 2011

Hi! My name is Dr. Joe Deering, and I’m the optometrist at Winchester Optical. In conjunction with the launch of our new website, I’m also starting a blog about eyes. I’m very excited to have somewhere to share cool things about eyes. As an optometrist, I not only get to work with the medical side of eyes, but also vision, nutrition, fashion, and lots of other interesting things. I look forward to sharing all of sorts of eyecare and eyeglasses info with you right here!