Archive for the ‘General Eye Care’ Category

« Older Entries

Pterygium & Pinguecula

Friday, July 23rd, 2010

Dr. Dennis Francis

Pterygium

The two terms “pterygium” and “pinguecula” describe similar changes to the eye.  Both “”pterygium” and “pinguecula” are extremely common and most often affect patients who have frequent exposure to sunlight.  Both changes are almost always located in the 3- and/or 9-o’clock position.

Most often, pinguecula  and pterygium cause no symptoms, however, redness, tearing, eye-irritation, and decreased vision are possible.

The best way to avoid the development of either a pinguecula and pterygium is to avoid excessive sunlight exposure and wear good ultraviolet sunglasses when outdoors.  Lubrication drops to prevent dry eyes will also help prevent irritation due to a pinguecula or pterygium.

A pingueclua is a slightly elevated, yellow-white spot on the white part of the eye.  Pterygium are triangular “wing-shaped” sheets of white tissue that extend onto the cornea, obscuring the colored part of the eye.

Pinguecula

The doctors at Iowa EyeCare are experts at diagnosing pinguecula and pterygium.  We can help you with selection of lubrication eyedrops and proper sunglass protection.  All lubrication eyedrops and sunglasses are NOT created equal.  Click here to schedule an appointment with the eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare.  You may also call 319-377-2222.

Posted in General Eye Care | No Comments »

Eyecare Tips for Bass Fishing in Iowa

Friday, July 9th, 2010

By Dr. Ryan Nelson & Dr. Dennis Francis

Dr. Ryan Nelson

Take it from a couple of eye doctors who are avid bass fisherman: Your eyes are more important than any tackle or technique when bass fishing in Iowa. 

A quality pair of polarized sunglasses are an angler’s most overlooked investment.  A good pair of sunglasses will help you with better lure placement, detection of underwater cover and structure,  underwater topography, and even the fish themselves.   If you have not tried a quality pair of sunglasses on for yourself, you need to do so.  The difference is incredible.

A quality pair of sunglasses from Iowa EyeCare can help you catch more fish.  Iowa EyeCare can help you with both prescription and non-prescription sunglasses for fishing, driving, or other recreational (or occupational) activities.  Don’t waste your money on sunglasses from a convenience store.  Cheap sunglasses may even say “polarized” but they often just have components that imitate true polarization.  In addition, convenience store sunglasses often have warped lenses that can cause distortion and eyestrain.  A quality pair of sunglasses will hold up well to tough weather conditions like rain and heat.

Some of my favorite sun-glass brands are Bolle and Serengeti.  Iowa EyeCare carries a huge stock of both brands, as well as sunglasses that can attach-to or fit over your current frame.

Dr. Dennis Francis

In open water, direct and indirect UV exposure is abundant, regardless of the weather.  UV light has been linked to premature cataracts and macular degeneration among other ocular complications.  Polarized sunglasses eliminate glare off the water and reduce the direct UV entering the eye, thus reducing your risk for advanced eye disease.

Eye protection is never taken seriously until something happens to you.  Bass fishing involves sharp, weighted, fast-moving, flying objects… a true recipe for disaster.  Don’t gamble with your eyes.

Read more about sunglasses in this article from bassresource.com:

The Shining Points of Sunglasses by Mike Iaconelli

Tags: , ,
Posted in General Eye Care, glasses | No Comments »

Eye Allergy Season in Iowa

Tuesday, May 25th, 2010

Eye Allergies

What are Allergies?

Allergic reactions occur when the eye over-reacts to pollen, molds, dust, or pet dander, the body thinks is dangerous.  Approximately 30-50% of the Iowa population has allergic symptoms of some kind.  Allergic symptoms of the eye include redness, watering, itching. 

These eye symptoms may or may not be accompanied by runny nose, sneezing, coughing, fatigue, or headache.

Allergy Treatment

The diagnosis of eye allergies is not always straight forward.  Let one of the eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare in Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Robins, Iowa, examine your eyes to be certain you are not suffering from an infection and help you choose the best treatment for your eyes.

The simplest solution to eye allergies is to avoid the offending agent.  Keep your living environment clean of allergens.  Always wear sunglasses when outdoors.  Wrap-around sunglasses will shield your eyes from allergens.  Limit time spent outdoors on days when the pollen count is high.

When eyes are chronically affected by allergies an eye drop medication may be necessary to fully relieve allergy symptoms.  Several types of anti-allergy medications exist by prescription.  The experienced eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare will evaluate the tissues of the eye and recommend the best therapy for your eyes.  Schedule an appointment today.

Tags: ,
Posted in General Eye Care | No Comments »

Retinal Blood Vessels Are Like Fingerprints

Sunday, May 16th, 2010

By Dr. Ryan Nelson

Did you know that every eye is unique and could be used to identify individuals.  This uniqueness of the eye is similar to a fingerprint.  The retinal blood vessels enter the back of the eye through an opening in the optic nerve (the cord that takes visual information from the eye toward visual center in the brain).  The retinal blood vessels extend throughout the back, inside-surface of the eye in a branching tree-like pattern.  Every eye has a unique blood vessel pattern, which should stay the same throughout ones lifetime.

Your retinal blood vessels should be viewed every year by an eye doctor.  The eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare use these blood vessels as clues for diagnosing conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and other whole-body diseases.  In these instances, and many others, such as retinal detachment, glaucoma and macular degeneration, the inside of the eye can change slightly in its appearance.

Iowa Boer Meat Goat

The use of retinal scans for identification is not widely practiced.  For livestock, however, these scans are commonplace.  In fact, 4-H meat goats, sheep and beef cattle are scanned when individuals intend to show them for the Linn County Fair and Iowa State Fair.  This practice ensures that the same animal being raised and shown, and that no switching of animals has occured.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Eye Disease, General Eye Care | 1 Comment »

Iowa EyeCare Presents New Diagnosis Technology for Dry Eye: TearLab™ Osmolarity

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

The TearLab™ Osmolarity system is the first instrument in the next generation of dry eye diagnosis technologies.  Tear osmolaritycan be defined as the concentration of particles in the tears.  Dry Eye is caused by decreased tear production, increased tear evaporation or abnormal lipid production. Each of these causes creates an ocular surface with increased tear osmolarity.  High osmolarity correlates with severe dry eye.  The TearLab™ Osmolarity system is the size of a telephone and absorbs a tiny tear sample to measure the osmolarity in less than 30 seconds.  The TearLab™ Osmolarity insturment will contribute to the diagnosis of dry eye, allowing early therapeutic intervention and better long-term results.

Dry Eye is a common problem of the ocular surface. Symptoms of dry eye include burning, redness, watering, foreign-body sensation, itchiness, blurred vision, and light sensitivity.  The TearLab™ Osmolarity system is designed to better qualify and diagnose dry eye through a simple, easy and safe tear osmolarity analysis.  Other clinical methods of dry eye diagnosis are only able to correctly diagnose dry eye 25-33% of the time.  TearLab™ Osmolarity technology has an astonishing predictive value of 87%!

Iowa EyeCare is the only eye care clinic in eastern Iowa and in the Cedar Rapids community to have this new TearLab™ Osmolarity technology.  Iowa EyeCare is now participating in a clinical study to evaluate dry eye and measure the advantages of the TearLab™ Osmolarity system.  Iowa EyeCare has been the leader for innovation and cutting-edge technology in Iowa for over 30 years.

To learn about the TearLab™ Osmolarity system and dry eye  treatment, schedule an appointment with one of the eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare.

Tags:
Posted in General Eye Care | No Comments »

Summer Eye Saftey

Sunday, May 2nd, 2010

By Dr. Kimberly Cruise

The snow in  Iowa has finally thawed and it’s warming up.  That means more and more people are planning outdoor activites.  Just remember to be concious about your eye health this summer season.

One of the biggest eye hazards is yard work.  Eye protection is essential when operating power equipment like a lawn-mowers, weed-eaters, chain-saws, leaf-blowers or electric trimmers.  Each of these tools can send small high-velocity projectiles hurling toward the eyes.  Eye abrasions, perforations and  infections have the potential to cause significant damage to the eye including permanent vision loss.

Think about eye protection even when you don’t anticipate dangers.

If you receive an eye injury or have foreign material in your eye, seek care immediately.  It’s always best to have a professional look at your eye under a microscope.  Washing the eye yourself with tap-water is insufficient.  The doctors at Iowa EyeCare are on-call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Call 319-377-2222.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in General Eye Care | No Comments »

Eye Care Professionals: What’s the Difference?

Monday, April 19th, 2010

 Optometrist

Optometrists are doctors of optometry.  Optometrists are experts at all parts of the eye and visual system.  Commonly, optometrists will prescribe glasses and contact lenses.  Optometrists are able to diagnose and treat binocular vision disorders, including strabismus (eye turn) and amblyopia (lazy eye).  Optometrists treat eye infections, remove foreign material from the eye and even perform some minor, non-invasive surgeries.  Optometrists are able to diagnose all eye conditions.  Optometrists are able to use both topical eye drops and oral medications to diagnose and treat eye disease.

Optometrists must have 8 years of college education, including a doctorate degree from a 4-year college of optometry.

The eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare are optometrists.

Ophthalmologist

Dr. Womack, Ophthalmologist

An ophthalmologist is an eye surgeon.  Ophthalmologists commonly perform cataract removal, retinal repairs, and LASIK surgery.  Most ophthalmologists specialize in a particular area of the eye, such as the retina, neuro-ophthalmology or cornea.

After earning an undergraduate degree ophthalmologists go to a 4-year general medicine school before learning a specialty.

Dr. Larry Womack, our LASIK surgeon, is an ophthalmologist.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in General Eye Care | No Comments »

A Baby’s Eyes and Vision

Sunday, March 7th, 2010

By Dr. Ryan W. Nelson

Baby EyesA baby’s first eye exam is essential to rule out congenital cataracts and other neonatal eye conditions.  If these problems are not detected soon after birth, vision will not develop properly.  The eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare  recommend that even if no eye or vision problems are apparent, at about age 6 months, you should take your baby to your doctor of optometry for his or her first thorough eye examination.

All newborn babies have poor vision, about 20/400 (the top letter on the eye chart).  Color vision, visual details, eye movement skills and depth perception, improve during the first few months of life.

 

 

The American Optometric Association and the doctors at Iowa EyeCare agree that parents should watch for signs of eye or vision problems and engage their child in age-appropriate visual activities:

  • Excessive tearing – this may indicate blocked tear ducts
  • Red or encrusted eye lids – this could be a sign of an eye infection
  • Constant eye turning – this may signal a problem with eye muscle control
  • Extreme sensitivity to light – this may indicate an elevated pressure in the eye
  • Appearance of a white pupil – this may indicate the presence of an eye cancer

    • There are many things parents can do to help their baby’s vision develop properly. The following are some examples of age-appropriate activities that can assist an infant’s visual development.

    Birth to four months

    • Use a nightlight or other dim lamp in your baby’s room.
    • Change the crib’s position frequently and change your child’s position in it.
    • Keep reach-and-touch toys within your baby’s focus, about eight to twelve inches.
    • Talk to your baby as you walk around the room.
    • Alternate right and left sides with each feeding.

    Five to eight months

    • Give the baby plenty of time to play and explore on the floor.
    • Provide plastic or wooden blocks that can be held in the hands.
    • Play patty cake and other games, moving the baby’s hands through the motions while saying the words aloud.

    Nine to twelve months

    • Play hide and seek games with toys or your face to help the baby develop visual memory.
    • Name objects when talking to encourage the baby’s word association and vocabulary development skills.
    • Encourage crawling and creeping.

    One to two years

    • Roll a ball back and forth to help the child track objects with the eyes visually.
    • Give the child building blocks and balls of all shapes and sizes to play with to boost fine motor skills and small muscle development.
    • Read or tell stories to stimulate the child’s ability to visualize and pave the way for learning and reading skills.

     

    If you have additional questions or concerns regarding your newborn, contact the eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare now.  Our phone number is 319-377-2222.  We have office locations in Cedar Rapids, Marion, and Robins, Iowa.

    Tags:
    Posted in General Eye Care | No Comments »

    Optomap® Images Increase Ocular Pathology Detection

    Sunday, February 28th, 2010

    Information in this article has been re-posted from The Eye Doc Blog (www.theeyedocblog.com).

    Results from a pilot study conducted by doctors at the New England College of Optometry* were recently presented at Optometry’s Meeting and the American Academy of Optometry.  In the study, subjects were examined using the methods of traditional ophthalmoscopy and optomap®assisted ophthalmoscopy, where an ultra-wide field retinal image from the  optomap® guides the retinal examination.

    Forty subjects underwent undilated imaging with the optomap®. Subjects were then dilated and underwent traditional ophthalmoscopy and optomap®assisted ophthalmoscopy. The traditional exam consisted of BIO and slit lamp biomicrosopy with precorneal lenses. Optomap®assisted ophthalmoscopy was identical to traditional, with the exception that the doctor reviewed optomap® Images before performing their BIO examination. A masked Reader graded the optomap® Images of all subjects. A retinal specialist examined 28 of the 40 subjects and served as the gold standard.

    Sensitivity and specificity of the optomap® Image review in detecting retinal lesions were compared to sensitivity and specificity of both traditional and optomap®assisted ophthalmoscopy. The results indicate that using optomap® Images increases pathology detection. Sensitivity of the Reader (image review alone) outperformed traditional ophthalmoscopy by approximately 15%, while sensitivity of optomap®assisted ophthalmoscopy outperformed traditional ophthalmoscopy by approximately 30%. Specificity was comparable across all methods.

    “I believe the increased sensitivity is due to the optomap® field of view and in part to the software capabilities. Being able to magnify and zoom-in, adjust the gamma, contrast and brightness as well as using the individual red and green laser separations allows the examiner to really hone in on areas of interest,” said Kristen Brown, OD, FAAO, the Principal Investigator.

    Data from a statistically powered study is currently being analyzed, with results expected in 2010.

    Schedule an appointment with one of the eye doctors at Iowa EyeCare today to have your eyes examined.

    *Independent clinical study conducted by Kristen Brown, OD, FAAO 1,2, Jeanette Sewell, OD 1,2, Tom Travison, PhD3. 1New England Eye Institute, Boston, MA; 2New England College of Optometry, Boston, MA; 3New England Research Institute, Watertown, MA.

    Click here to learn how the Optomap saved this young mother's life.

    Click here to learn how the Optomap saved this young mother's life.

    Tags: ,
    Posted in Eye Disease, General Eye Care | No Comments »

    The Eye Muscles

    Sunday, February 7th, 2010
     
    By Dr. David Christensen

    Eye Trivia:

    Good eye muscle skills are a critical part of having good vision.  Eye muscles work as a team to help us track moving objects as well as fixate on still targets. They help us in nearly every task throughout the day; tasks such as reading, driving, watching TV, or pouring a cup of coffee.

    Did You Know?  Eye movement is controlled by SIX different muscles!  Eye muscles controlling movement are located behind the eye.  You won’t see them looking in the mirror.  Each muscle is attached to the globe of the eye on one end and to the bony orbit at its opposite end.

    The Eye Muscles

    The Eye Muscles

     

    The eye muscle names:

    • Superior Rectus
    • Inferior Rectus
    • Lateral Rectus
    • Medial Rectus
    • Superior Oblique
    • Inferior Oblique

     

    As you may already know, muscles shorten when they are stimulated to contract.  Therefore it makes sense that the superior rectus moves the eye upward.  The inferior rectus moves the eye downward, the medial and lateral recti move the eye in and out, respectively.  The superior and inferior oblique muscles help the rectus muscles and allow for torsional rotation of the eye.

    If you or your child has a problem with the eye muscles in any way will limit visual function and can lead to many problems, including double vision and poor binocularity.  Assessment of the eye muscles is included with examination at Iowa EyeCare.

    Contact us in Marion, Robins, or Cedar Rapids, Iowa, for an appointment.

    If you have a question about eyes or vision, leave a comment

    Tags: , ,
    Posted in General Eye Care | 1 Comment »

    « Older Entries