Birmingham Doctors on Fuch’s Dystrophy

Birmingham Corneal Specialist Marc Michelson, M.D.  commented, "Fuch’s Dystrophy is a slowly progressive disease of the cornea that is typically bilateral and is slightly more common in women than men." While it is possible to observe Fuch’s Dystrophy in people in their 30’s and 40’s, it usually does not compromise vision until people are in their 50’s or 60’s. While a precise path of genetic transmission is unclear, a familial predisposition seems to exist among those who are first degree relatives.

Early in the course of Fuch’s Dystrophy patients typically awaken with blurry vision that gets progressively clearer as the day passes. This phenomenon occurs because the cornea normally swells during sleep.  A healthy endothelial pump is necessary in order to restore the cornea to a normal thickness. In Fuch’s Dystrophy, the endothelium removes fluid from the cornea less efficiently.  As the Fuch’s Dystrophy disease worsens, the vision does not clear. Usually we will attempt to help reduce the corneal swelling each day by prescribing hypertonic eye drops and ointments. However, when these measures fail to provide comfort and clear vision, it may be necessary to have a corneal transplant.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about Fuch’s Corneal Dystrophy please schedule an appointment with Birmingham Corneal Specialists Marc Michelson, M.D. and Tyler Hall, M.D. at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center by calling 205-930-0930.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery such as LASIK Eye Surgery for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

Birmingham Eye Doctors for Eyelid Lumps & Bumps

Birmingham eye doctor Marc Michelson, M.D. commented on eyelid lumps, bumps and swelling. “Eyelid Lumps, Bumps & Swelling are common eye problems many of us experience. The most common cause of acute lid swelling is an infection of the tiny sweat and oil glands emptying into the margin of the eyelids,” said Dr. Michelson. Patients who experience an infection of an eyelid sweat gland, commonly known as a “Stye”, usually exhibits diffuse swelling of the lid with a tiny raised nodule on the lid margin that indicates the actual site of involvement. Inflammation of the Meibomian or oil glands in the eyelid will result in what is referred to as an “Internal Hordeolum” that can also result in diffuse lid swelling. With time an Internal Hordeolum may result in the formation of a capsule in the tissue of the eye lid. The patient will then have a firm lump that can be felt through the skin surface of the eyelid. This lump, called a “Chalazion”, is an eruption of the contents of the Meibomian glands into the tissues that results in a granulomatous response with a cystic change. If the initial infection is minimal, a Chalazion may develop without any history of a swollen lid. If the lump does not resolve after treatment with warm compresses and possibly antibiotics we may need to remove it with excision or drainage. Of you or someone you know experiences eyelid lumps, bumps or swelling please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at 205-930-0930 so that we can help.


Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser eye surgery such as LASIK for laser vision correction, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

Cataract Lens Implants in Birmingham

Birmingham Cataract Surgeon & Corneal Specialist Marc Michelson, M.D. comments on choosing a Lens Implant for Cataracts. “The decision on exactly how to correct your vision after Cataract Surgery used to be a decision that was the sole responsibility of your Cataract Surgeon,” said Marc Michelson, M.D. of Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. “As more advanced types of lens implant technology became available and allowed us to offer more complete vision correction after Cataract Surgery, we were able to offer our Cataract patients in Alabama some options for their vision correction,” said Dr. Michelson. Top Cataract Surgeons now take the time to discuss Lens Implant options with patients so together they can choose the most appropriate lens implant for the lifestyle needs of the patient. “After a thorough Cataract evaluation we can we make a firm recommendation for each patient because the choice of Lens Implant really depends on several factors including the patient’s prescription, the overall health of their eyes, whether they have any other health problems such as diabetes and most importantly how they use their eyes throughout their daily routine,” Dr. Michelson further explained.


A type of lens implant called an aspheric lens implant seems to give the sharpest, most crisp vision-but only corrects distance vision and requires you to wear reading glasses or bifocals after cataract surgery. This might be fine for a truck driver who needs cataract surgery, but might not be the best choice for a sales clerk who uses his or her eyes at many distances all day. A type of lens implant called a toric lens implant is often selected for Cataract patients who have correction their eyeglasses. If you have a toric lens implant to correct your vision after Cataract Surgery you will still need to correct you near vision to see up close with reading glasses of some sort. For those patients who do a number of things throughout the day that require seeing far away, at arm’s length-say for the computer and also to see up close, if you are a good candidate we can offer you a multifocal lens implant that corrects near vision and presbyopia and so it will help you see at a range of distances without being totally dependent on eyeglasses. Choosing a Lens Implant is a joint effort between you and your eye surgeon. It is not your decision alone. It’s not like buying a pair of shoes or a car where you can ask your friends for a good “brand” or you can read a brochure or see a TV commercial and then you can choose. It requires the careful evaluation and recommendation of skilled and experienced cataract surgeon to help you make the best choice. If you or someone you know has Cataracts and needs help with Cataract Surgery and Lens Implant information please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at 205-930-0930.

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center is a leading eye care practice in Birmingham staffed by a team of specialists including eye doctors who are fellowship trained cornea specialists and cataract and lens implant specialists-all board certified Ophthalmologists-as well as Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and intraocular lens implants (IOL), diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, care for diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

Protect Eyes for Sports in Birmingham

Birmingham Ophthalmologist Marc Michelson, M.D. noted, “Eye protection should be something we think about as we begin to get outside this time of year for sports activities.” Protecting your eyes playing sports is an important way to help preserve your eye health and vision that sometimes gets overlooked. Tens of thousands of sports and recreation-related eye injuries occur each year.

“The good news is that 90 percent of serious eye injuries are preventable through use of appropriate protective eyewear,” said Dr. Michelson.

The risk of eye injury can vary depending on the activity. Make sure the level of eye protection you or others in your family use is appropriate for the type of activity. Regular eyeglasses do not offer proper eye protection.

Across all age groups, sports-related eye injuries occur most frequently in baseball, basketball and racquet sports. Further, boxing and full-contact martial arts pose an extremely high risk of serious and even blinding eye injuries and there is really no satisfactory eye protection for boxing, although thumbless gloves may reduce the number of boxing eye injuries. When playing baseball, ice hockey and men’s lacrosse, a helmet with a polycarbonate lightweight shatterproof face mask or wire shield should be worn at all times. In general, hockey face masks be approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council or the Canadian Standards Association (CSA). Last protective eyewear with polycarbonate lenses should be worn for sports such as basketball, racquet sports, soccer and field hockey. If you need additional information or help regarding how to select the best eyewear to protect you while playing sports please feel free to phone Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at 205-930-0930.