Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Symptoms of Open Angle Glaucoma

Birmingham patients are often shocked to learn that they have open angle glaucoma as this “sneak thief” of vision really has no symptoms or warning signs. “Not infrequently patients will ask me, “But Dr. Michelson, how can I have glaucoma-I see well and I have no symptoms?” commented Marc Michelson, M.D. a Birmingham Ophthalmologist & Corneal Specialist at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center.


The most common form of glaucoma-Primary Open Angle Glaucoma-has no symptoms that affected patients can readily be aware of. This is especially important as among African-American and Hispanic populations glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness. Further- Primary Open Angle Glaucoma-is hereditary. The Nottingham Glaucoma Study published in the British Journal of Ophthalmology evaluated the risk that siblings of glaucoma patients would themselves develop glaucoma within their lifetime. The study demonstrated that there was a strong likelihood that family members of glaucoma patients were at greater risk and that siblings were 5 times more likely to develop glaucoma by age 70. “This is why we strongly recommend that siblings of glaucoma patients and glaucoma suspects be screened for glaucoma, each and every year, said Dr. Michelson.

There is a real need for regular eye examinations and glaucoma screening by an eye doctor in order to help you preserve your eye health and vision. If you or someone you know has a question about glaucoma, glaucoma symptoms, glaucoma risk or to schedule a glaucoma eye exam please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.

Monday, July 22, 2013

Acne Medication Eye Problems

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center Ophthalmologist Tyler Hall, M.D. counseled patients using certain acne medications about eye problems and infections associated with these medications. You might wonder what eye infections, eye problems and acne mediations have in common. “Recently, a study on eye infections and acne medication was presented in Archives of Dermatology where researchers collected data on nearly 15,000 teens and young adults taking isotretinoin to treat acne and compared their rates of eye infections to group that had acne but not taking the drugs and to a third group that didn't take the drugs and didn't have acne,” stated Dr. Hall. Isotretinoin is also sold under the brand names Roaccutane, Amnesteem, Claravis, Myorisan and Sotret. 

Within a year of starting the medication, nearly 14 percent of those in the acne medication group developed an eye infection or dry eyes, compared with almost 10 percent in the group that had acne but did not take the medications and about 7 percent in the group that didn't have acne. Compared to the acne-free group, those taking isotretinoin were at 70 percent increased risk of an eye infection over the course of a year. The mean age of participants was about 16.5 years old.

“The most common problem was conjunctivitis, an inflammation or infection of the membrane lining the eye and eyelids. Other problems included hordeolum or stye which is an inflamed oil gland on the edge of the eyelid, chalazion which is a tender, swollen lump in the eyelid due to a blocked oil gland, blepharitis-an inflammation of the eyelash follicles and dry eyes,” further explained Dr. Hall. 

Isotretinoin treats acne by reducing oil production from the sebaceous glands, among other effects. But isotretinoin also disrupts function of the meibomian glands, or oil glands inside the eyelids. The meibomian glands help keep the eyes lubricated. Less lubrication may mean the eyes are irritated, itching and burning, prompting people to rub them and introduce bacteria.

If you or someone you know has a question about acne medication, eye infections or eye problems such as dry eyes, stye, chalazion or blepharitis please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.

Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Excessive Alcohol Increases AMD Risk

Excessive drinking of alcohol can increase the risk of age related macular degeneration (AMD) according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. “By drinking more than the recommended daily amount of alcohol there is an increased risk of eye disease such as age related macular degeneration (AMD),” commented Birmingham eye doctor Marc Michelson, M.D. of Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. A standard glass of wine or beer each contains about 15g of alcohol. “It appears from this study that consuming more than 20g of alcohol a day was associated with an increase in early age-related macular degeneration of about 20 per cent in men and women compared with non-drinkers. While a number of earlier studies highlighted the risk of heavy drinking on eye health but there was little evidence until now about the association between moderate drinking and age-related macular degeneration.

If you or someone you know has questions about eye health, macular degeneration and drinking alcohol please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Cataract Surgery Recovery: What You Can Expect

Alabama Eye & Cataract Center patients considering cataract surgery will be pleased when they learn what to expect from their cataract surgery recovery in terms of comfort and vision. Birmingham Cataract Surgeon Tyler Hall, M.D. shared information about patient expectations of cataract surgery recovery. “At Alabama Eye & Cataract Center we typically perform cataract surgery and lens implant operations using a very tiny incision, with no needles and usually only eye drops for anesthesia,” explained Dr. Hall. “For the great majority of our patients the postoperative course is very comfortable and unremarkable. Most patients don't require pain medications and at most have a slight foreign body feeling from the incision which usually clears in a few hours. The vision the next day can range from being excellent or at times a bit cloudy, depending on the amount of residual swelling in the cornea. Patients with mild cataracts generally have very little swelling. Very dense cataracts require more energy from the microscopic instruments we use to remove the cataract this can produce a bit more swelling in the cornea which usually clears quickly so that most patients see quite well in a few days,” Dr. Hall further explained. “Depending on the type of lens implant you choose to correct you vision there may be a little adaptation. For example, if you have had a near vision presbyopia correcting multifocal lens implant there may be re-learning of how to see far and near. Most patients adapt pretty quickly.”

If you or someone you know has questions about cataract, cataract surgery, lens implants or the recovery from any type of eye surgery please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

July 4th Birmingham Fireworks Eye Safety

Fireworks eye safety needs to be a real priority for the July 4th holiday. “July 4th celebrations in Birmingham involve family, friends, food & fireworks,” remarked eye surgeon Marc Michelson, M.D. of Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. “To get the most and safest enjoyment of fireworks this July 4th, it’s best to leave their use and display to professionals. Eye safety is pretty critical with fireworks displays as we know that eye injuries are the second most frequent injury we see from emergency room each July 4th weekend,” said Dr. Michelson. There are some guidelines and precautions Birmingham residents can take to prevent eye injuries from fireworks. The best defense against kids suffering severe eye injuries and burns is to not let kids play with any fireworks. Don’t purchase, use or store fireworks of any type in or around your house. Attend only authorized public fireworks displays conducted by licensed operators, but be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous. However, if an eye accident does occur, there are a few things you should know:
  • Do not rub the eye.
  • Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.
  • Do not apply pressure to the eye itself-but protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the person’s hand.
  • Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the person to the emergency room at once.
  • Do not apply ointments or drops. They may not be sterile and may make the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.

Once you are seen in the emergency room please feel free to have them call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at 205-930-0930 as we always have an eye doctor “on call” to provide consultation and continued care for you.

If you or someone you know has questions about fireworks eye safety and eye injuries please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision. 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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.

Exercise Can Reduce AMD Risk

“Macular degeneration or AMD is one of the most common causes of vision loss among seniors and those over 50 years old. If we can get people to exercise we may be able to reduce AMD risk,” said Birmingham eye specialist Marc Michelson, M.D. “AMD affects central vision, which is important for driving, reading, seeing faces, said Dr. Michelson of Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. So you ask, what do eye health and exercise have in common-actually quite a bit? The Beaver Dam Eye Study as reported in the British Journal of Ophthalmology suggests that regular exercise can decrease the risk of the eye disease called age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
Participants of the study were composed of about 4,000 women and men who were followed for more than 15 years, conducting eyes tests and recording their levels of exercise. They were aged 43 to 86 and were assessed every five years starting in 1988. Considering other factors like age, weight, and blood fat levels, those participants who were active lowered their chances in developing AMD by up to 70% when compared to those who barely had any exercise. Those who regularly walk were found to have lowered their chances to 30%.
But how much exercise is enough? The U.S. Department of Agriculture has recommended 90 minutes every day. This should be enough if you have an active job or walk during the say but would probably require you to do more if you have a sedentary lifestyle. It may help if you wear a pedometer, just to know how much you are walking. You can also try other forms of exercise such as cycling, golf, gardening, swimming, and other sports activities. Cleaning your house can even be of great help.
So how much does exercise to help eye health? It is a little too hard to tell exactly how exercise exactly affects eye health but here are some facts to give you some idea:
  • Exercise can lower eye pressure helping to reduce the risk of glaucoma.
  • Exercise can help prevent half of the cases of type 2 diabetes, a known risk for significant vision loss from diabetic retinopathy.
  • Exercise improves the health of the cardiovascular system by lowering triglycerides and increasing HDL levels. Macular degeneration has been known to be caused by some factors of heart disease.
  • Exercise can make us less likely to perform risk taking activities which can damage our health as well as that of others.
If you or someone you know has questions about exercise, macular degeneration or AMD and eye health please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.

Contact Lenses Build Teen Self Esteem

Contact lenses build teen self esteem according to Birmingham Optometrist Dr. Catherine Murphy of Alabama Eye & Cataract Center. “The teen and tween years are really tough for some in kids with lots of challenges to their self image and self esteem,” commented Dr. Murphy. “Teens and tweens are often plagued by the “Trifecta of Awkwardness-braces, acnes and glasses,” she explained “The peer pressure and insecurity created by concerns about appearance at these ages can be just awful.”

Not being able to play sports or worrying about how they look can leave many teens feeling anxious, stressed out and unhappy. “I enjoy seeing children in this age group and fitting them with contact lenses because it becomes pretty apparent that teens who wear contact lenses benefit beyond simply correcting their vision. They typically improve in how they feel about their physical appearance, their acceptance among friends and of course their ability to play sports,” further explained Dr. Murphy.  

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about contact lenses or schedule an appointment for a contact lens fitting please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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 & Corneal Specialists-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 and fitting of eyeglasses and eyewear.