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Diabetic Retinopathy – Treatments And Prevention

Have you been seeing dark spots or strings floating? This is the most common symptom of diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when there is too much blood pressure in the tiny blood vessels of the retina that causes them to break and leak blood in the eyes. Severe cases of diabetic retinopathy make these blood vessels close and stop transporting blood. The cause of increase in blood pressure is usually increase in blood sugar levels or cholesterol levels. That is why people with diabetes and high cholesterol levels are at high risk of developing diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy damages the retina that is why people suffering from it gets a blurry vision and sometimes develop permanent visual impairment or blindness. There is no cure for diabetic retinopathy and it is a progressive condition. However, the vision of a patient suffering from it can still be fixed.

3 Treatments For Diabetic Retinopathy

There are three treatments ophthalmologists recommend to improve the vision of a patient suffering from diabetic retinopathy. To know if you are suffering from this condition, it is best to undergo an eye exam.

If the case of diabetic retinopathy is mild, vitrectomy is preferred. It is a surgical process of removing vitreous gel from the space between the lens and retina.
In severe cases of diabetic retinopathy, ophthalmologists suggest photocoagulation which is a form of laser treatment that fuses small area of tissues from the retina.
The last possible treatment is injection of anti-VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) medicine and it is for the most severe cases of diabetic retinopathy. It is used to shrink the new blood vessels produced by an extreme case of diabetic retinopathy.

Prevention For Diabetic Retinopathy

Here are four effective ways to prevent diabetic retinopathy:

Control your blood sugar level. Increased blood sugar level can cause an increase in blood pressure, and increased blood pressure may eventually lead to diabetic retinopathy. That is why people with diabetes are at high risk of diabetic retinopathy.
Control your blood pressure level. Increased blood pressure may result to diabetic retinopathy. Too much pressure makes the blood vessels in the retina break and leak or close and stop transporting blood if the condition is not treated early. People with high blood pressure are also at high risk of diabetic retinopathy.
Control your cholesterol level. High cholesterol level often lead to high blood pressure. At all times, control your cholesterol level and eat healthily. Eating healthily will not only improve your overall health but it will also improve your eye health.
Avoid smoking. Smoking can lead to diabetes by increasing blood sugar levels that will eventually lead to insulin resistance. In the same manner, increased blood sugar level often result to high blood pressure which is the main cause of diabetic retinopathy.

To ensure you prevent this eye problem, always commit to a regular eye exam. Visit your Ottawa eye doctor for a comprehensive eye exam.

Common Eye Tests Done During A Regular Eye Exam

Regular eye exam is advisable for all ages. It should not just be for adults. Do you know that there is an increasing number of young people who are already diagnosed to have eye problems? This is the reason why everyone, regardless of age, should consider getting eye exam on a regular basis.

A comprehensive eye exam will only take roughly an hour. This is done by an optometrist or eye doctor. During the eye exam, you will undergo several types of tests that are designed to measure your vision and eye health.

There are many different tests depending on your individual needs, but these are the most common:

Cover Test

When the eyes don’t work together, it causes eye problems such as lazy eye, crossed eye, or lack of depth perception. Lazy eyes is medically termed as amblyopia. It is when the eyes are not lined up. Sometimes one eye is farsighted and the other is not. Other times, one eye is blurry and the other is clear.

Crossed eye, on the other hand, is medically termed as strabismus. This is the condition wherein the eyes can’t look at the same direction at the same time. The cause for strabismus is poor eye muscle control. Another common cause of crossed eye is extreme farsightedness.

Both lazy eye and crossed eye can cause lack of depth perception. Since for both conditions, the eyes are not coordinated, getting depth perception becomes quite a challenge as this requires two functioning eyes.

Cover test is used to determine misalignment and miscoordination of the eyes. The procedure is done by covering one eye first for about 1-2 seconds. While the eye is covered, the other eye is observed if there is any change in the fixation. The same thing is done with the other eye. The optometrist will be able to see if the patient suffers from heterotropia or tropia based on the observation.

Visual Acuity Test

This test measures how sharp and clear your vision is. The optometrist will ask you to read different letters in shifting sizes and distance. Each eye will be tested. One eye will be covered first then you will be asked to read the letters. After which, the cover will be on the other and the test will be repeated.

For this test, the Snellen chart is used. Sometimes a visual card is used. The standard distance for the test is 20 feet or 6 meters away; however, if the optometrist finds it necessary to test your eyes at a distance that is shorter than the usual 6 meters, the optometrist will use a specialized chart.

Eye Movement Test

This is a very easy test that entails looking at and following with your eyes the movement of an object presented by the optometrist. What is tested are the muscles of the eyes. The optometrist wants to see if the muscles are functioning properly.

Color Perception Test

This test measures your ability to identify and distinguish different colors. You will be asked to cover one eye and you will be presented a card with colored dot patterns. Inside the pattern is either a number or a symbol which you will have to identify. The number or symbol is usually hidden and a bit difficult to see. The test will also be performed on the other eye.

There are different eye tests and the ones mentioned here are the most common. Through these exams, the optometrist or eye doctor will be able to diagnose whether you have a vision or eye problem. Get your eyes checked now by your Ottawa optometrist.

Macular Degeneration – What You Need To Know

A lot of vision loss cases are due to macular degeneration. This is an age related vision problem which is more commonly referred to as AMD or ARMD. What makes this a serious eye problem is the fact that our eyes rely big time on the health of the macula to be able to see clearly.

Macula is the small part in the middle of the retina. It plays a vital role in our vision because it is the one responsible in controlling visual acuity. If the macula degenerates, you will be limited in your everyday activity. You will not have the sharpness of vision to see small details even in everyday objects.

Dry And Wet Macular Degeneration

There are two types of macular degeneration. They are termed dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration, which is non-neovascular, is the atrophic type while the wet macular degeneration, which is neovascular, is the exudative type.

If you get checked by an optometrist or eye doctor and you are diagnosed with macular degeneration, chances are you get the dry type. This is because between these two types, the more common is the dry macular degeneration.

What Causes Macular Degeneration and Who Are At Risk?

While the causes are to be studied further, most macular degeneration cases are brought about by aging. There are also studies that point to heredity and environment as potential causes. As we age, the cells of the macula starts to degenerate thereby causing vision problem.

Because this eye problem is related to aging, older people are at greater risk. In most cases, this vision problem is experienced by people 55 years old and above.

Aside from age, other risk factors include genetics, race, and lifestyle. If someone in the family has AMD, other members of the family may be diagnosed with AMD as well. In terms of race, it seems that more Caucasians are diagnosed with AMD compared to other races. This may have something to do with the light colour of the eyes.

Lifestyle also affects the risk of getting AMD. It is observed that smokers are most likely to get macular degeneration than non-smokers. Furthermore, obesity is also said to affect AMD. In a study published in Archives of Ophthalmology (June 2003), it showed that obese people who are diagnosed with early AMD are more likely to develop a more advanced form of this eye problem.

Progression Of Macular Degeneration

This eye problem has different stages which can be divided into early, intermediate, and late. Some people discover they have this condition when it is already on the late stage. This is the reason why a regular eye exam is very important. A visit to your optometrist or eye doctor will help prevent this condition and if you are already diagnosed with early stage of AMD, the eye doctor will be able to help you slow the progression of the disease.

Little can be done to cure it as until now, there is no known cure for macular degeneration. However, there is something that the eye doctor can do to help you cope with it or slow its progression.

Before it’s too late, visit your Ottawa eye doctor today to get a comprehensive eye exam.

Should You Let Your Kids Wear Contact Lenses?

Having eye problems is not limited to adults only. Even kids can have vision difficulties. A lot of kids nowadays wear eyeglasses to help them see clearly.

Aside from eyeglasses, another option to improve and correct vision is contact lenses. Most adults wear contact lenses but is it safe for kids? What’s the right age to have kids wear contact lenses?

There comes a time when kids start asking about contact lenses especially if they have been wearing eyeglasses for some time already. Most parents are adamant in letting their kids wear contact lenses because they appear to be less safe compared to eyeglasses.

Why Wear Contact Lenses?

There are a number of reasons why your kids may need to wear contact lenses. Here are a few:

If your kids are into sports, wearing eyeglasses can be limiting. Contact lenses will help them move freely. Unlike eyeglasses, contact lenses are clearer because they don’t fog up if your kids are already sweaty. When they run, as most outdoor sports include running, contact lenses can’t get knocked off.

Wearing ortho-K lenses can help correct nearsightedness in kids. Orthokeratology is the use of gas permeable contact lenses that aids in reshaping the cornea provisionally. This helps correct nearsighted vision. What happens is that your kids will wear the contact lenses at night and remove the next day. It makes vision clearer and sharper even without eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Most kids don’t want to wear eyeglasses because they don’t want to appear different compared to their friends and classmates. Wearing eyeglasses sometimes lower their self-esteem as they feel their blurred vision is a weakness. Wearing contact lenses will make their so-called “weakness” invisible, thereby, increasing their self-esteem.

Are Contact Lenses Safe For Kids?

Your kids’ eyes can actually handle contact lenses even at an early age. You might be surprised that they can actually apply or remove the contact lens even without their parent’s assistance.

Yes, they are safe as long as they are applied and removed correctly. Always follow the instructions for the application of contact lenses. It is best to consult your Ottawa optometrist to ensure you are doing the right thing. The optometrist will also decide whether your child is already capable of using contact lenses.

Another thing to consider is the maturity of your child. Make sure that when you decide to let your child wear contact lenses, he is already responsible enough. If your child is not that responsible yet, chances are he’ll forget that he’s wearing contact lenses and this can lead to serious eye problems. Contact lenses also need to be properly taken care of so make sure your child knows how to do this.

So should you let your kids wear contact lenses? Yes, if they need to.

Tips To Improve Your Vision Health

Don’t take your eyes for granted. No one wants to live with an impaired vision when it could have been prevented. Not to mention that poor eyesight could lead to expensive surgeries or even blindness. As they say, prevention is always better than cure. Here are ways to keep your eyes healthy from known Ottawa optometrist, Dr. Zahiri.

Follow these 6 tips to improve vision health. You will be surprised how easy it actually is to take of your eyes – all that you have to do is start a healthy lifestyle. Value your eyes and never ignore your eye problems.

Understanding The Important Role Of Your Eye Doctor For Eye Health

Annual eye exam has many benefits. It helps ensure that your eyes are always healthy. It aids in detecting the onset of any eye problem. Early detection helps in making sure that your eyes get the proper medical service that you need to recover quickly.

A common misconception about eye exams is that it is only for adults. No, it is actually for all ages. Eye problems don’t choose victims. Whether you are a young student or a professional who has been working for many years already, you can both fall prey to serious eye problems. It is important then to be one step ahead when it comes to eye health.

This infographic from Ottawa Eye Clinic will explain why you need to see an eye doctor and what’s the role of the eye doctor in your vision health.

Treat Your Eyes Right, Ladies

It may come as a surprise but the fact is that gender is actually one of the determining factors for eye health. Yes, you’ve read that right! Research studies have shown than women are more prone to eye diseases such as cataract and macular degeneration compared to men. When it comes to the risk factors for these eye diseases, women beat men. So be careful ladies as you have higher rate of vision loss.

Just like everything else, preventive care is the most ideal thing to do when it comes to eye health. Know what are the risks involved and how to prevent them. This guideline from Ottawa Optometrist, Dr. Zahiri, shows how to keep your eyes healthy ladies.

Don’t Forget Your Child’s Back-To-School Eye Exam

Eye problems are not just for adults. In fact, it is quite alarming that every year, more and more children, particularly the school-age ones, are suffering from different types of eye problems.

If you want your kids to maximize their school experience, you have to make sure that they have perfect vision. Many activities in the school require them to be able to see clearly.

The perfect way to prepare your kids for school is to bring them to an eye specialist. An optometrist will be able to check your kids’ eyes and diagnose if they have vision issues or if they are at risk for some serious eye diseases. Want to know more about getting your child to an eye doctor? Check out this infographic from Ottawa eye doctor.

Blepharitis: How To Get Rid of Sore Red Eyelids

One of the most common eye problems is red eyelids or medically termed as blepharitis. This is the condition wherein one or both eyelids become sore and red. This is caused by either fluid retention or eye infection. Although not sight threatening on its own, blepharitis can signal other health issues.

Blepharitis can be painful and it can cause complications so it should be diagnosed and treated immediately. When it happens, a visit to your eye doctor should be considered. Ottawa Eye Clinic presents more information on this eye condition:

Signs It’s Time For An Eye Exam

To maintain perfect vision, you must have a regular eye exam. Most of the time, annual eye exam is recommended by optometrists. By doing so, you are able to stay informed regarding the status of your eye health.

During the visit to your eye doctor, your medical history will be reviewed. You will be asked about what you are currently experiencing with regards to your eyes. Visual acuity will be measured to see whether you need to wear graded eye glasses or contact lenses. This infographic will tell you if it’s already time to pay your eye doctor a visit.

Category: eye doctor