Alabama Eye Cataract Patient Story

“I would like to let ya'll know how great my experience was going through with my cataract surgery. Dr. Michelson and the entire staff was very professional and caring for all my needs. I will definitely refer all my friends to your office. “

Thank you, Judy C.

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, Google+ or visit us at Michelson Laser Vision Center, Google+, on Facebook at Facebook.com/MichelsonLaserVision or at our new Facebook page at: 

Facebook.com/AlabamaEyeCataractCenter.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine eye doctors and eye specialists.

Satisfaction with LASIK vs. Contact Lenses

Satisfaction with LASIK vs. Contact Lenses

Patients who have been wearing contact lenses have made the choice to minimize their dependence on eyeglasses, but still have many of the inconvenient aspects of contact lens and care to contend with. For contact lens wearers, the decision to have LASIK represents the desire to experience a lifestyle and convenience with independence and freedom from the hassle of BOTH glasses and contacts. But, how does satisfaction with LASIK actually compare with contact lens wear? Researchers reporting in the journal Ophthalmology assessed patient satisfaction and perceived outcomes of 1800 patients split into two groups-one continuing to wear contact lenses and the other having LASIK, through annual surveys administered over a 3-year period. Most contact lens users had worn them successfully ≥5 years. The proportion expressing strong satisfaction with their current vision correction method decreased from 63% at baseline to 54% at year 3 in the contact lens control group, whereas 88% of former contact lens wearers and 77% of former glasses wearers were strongly satisfied with LASIK at year 3. Patients 40 years of age or younger when they had LASIK were somewhat more likely to be strongly satisfied than older patients. LASIK significantly reduced difficulties with night driving and nighttime visual disturbances among former contact lens users and former glasses users. The proportion with dry eye symptoms at 1, 2, or 3 years after LASIK was not significantly increased relative to baseline contact lens wear but was significantly increased relative to baseline glasses use, consistent with many glasses users having tried and abandoned contact lenses because of latent dry eye problems. Compared with continued contact lens wear, LASIK significantly reduced the self-reported rates of eye infections, ulcers, and abrasions each year.

The overall conclusions then were that compared with contact lens wear, current LASIK technology improved ease of night driving, did not significantly increase dry eye symptoms, and resulted in higher levels of satisfaction at 1, 2, and 3 years follow-up.

If you or someone you know is wearing glasses or contact lenses and would like be free of the hassle they create for seeing clearly at distance, please schedule a Free LASIK Consultation by calling Michelson Laser Vision in Birmingham at 205-969-8100, visit Michelson Laser Vision, Google+ or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision

Michelson Laser Vision is a leading LASIK center in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine LASIK Surgeons.

Avoid Sports Eye Injuries

Avoid Sports Eye Injuries
If you like to watch sports you may have noticed more and more elite athletes, professional athletes and even Olympic athletes share a common “look”. It’s the look of wearing protective eyewear to BOTH avoid eye injuries and optimize their overall performance.

The data and statistics on the need to wear protective eyewear to avoid injuries is compelling. Every day Americans sustain injuries to their eyes, at home, on the job, or during sports activities. Of the 1.6 to 2.4 million individuals who experience eye injuries, an estimated 40,000 will be legally blind in the injured eye. Nearly 90 percent of the injuries are preventable if individuals use proper safety eyewear and take precautions to avoid possible unsafe situations.

Consider these statistics from the National Eye Institute:

• Every 13 minutes, an emergency room in the U.S. treats a sports-related eye injury
• More than 100,000 eye injuries in the United States occur each year during sports or recreational activities
• Basketball players age 15 to 24 have a 1 in 10 chance of experiencing an eye injury
• Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children in the United States:
• Approximately 27 percent of all eye injuries in children age 11 to 14 are sports-related
• Children under age 15 account for 43 percent of sports and recreational injuries; eye injuries frequently occur when individuals are involved in baseball, ice hockey and racquet sports
• When people participate in outdoor activities in the snow or on the water, ultraviolet light radiation from the sun can damage eyes; repeated exposure to ultraviolet sunlight can lead to problems as individuals age, including the development of cataracts and macular degeneration – the leading causes of vision loss among older Americans

While most sports-related eye injuries are not severe in nature – a scratch from a fingernail during a game or an elbow to the eye resulting in a black eye – it’s important to wear the correct type of protective eyewear to avoid serious eye injuries.

If you or someone you know has a question about protective eyewear for sports or wishes to be fit with protective sports eyeglasses please call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, Google+ or visit us at Michelson Laser Vision Center, Google+, on Facebook at Facebook.com/MichelsonLaserVision or at our new Facebook page at:

Facebook.com/AlabamaEyeCataractCenter.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205 and staffed by UAB Medicine eye doctors and eye specialists.