Diabetic Retinopathy Predicts Cardiovascular Problems

If you have diabetes related eye problems such as diabetic retinopathy it is important to note that there appears to be a close connection between the occurrence and severity of diabetic retinopathy and future cardiovascular (CV) events including heart attack or stroke. This correlation was analyzed in participants in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) trial who also participated in the ACCORD Eye Study. Participants’ diabetic retinopathy was rated if it was deteriorating and was ranked as either none, mild, moderate, or severe. Patients’ vulnerability to CV death or nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke increased by 38% for every category of change in retinopathy severity and steps of progression further raised the hazard. The net result is that two factors determine predisposition to CV outcomes:  The acuteness of retinopathy and its advancement.

If you or someone you know is concerned about cardiovascular risk such as heart attack or stroke and diabetic retinopathy they are encouraged to  schedule an eye examination at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at UAB in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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.

Cataract Risk Reduced by Walking & Running

Many patients wish to know how they can reduce their risk of cataracts. Cataract Surgeons at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center want patients to know that they can possibly reduce their risk of cataracts simply by exercising. And, the exercise required does not need to be vigorous! Even mild exercise such as walking is helpful, according to a study published in Medicine and Science in Sports by researchers at the Life Sciences Division of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. According to this Berkeley study, one’s cataract risk was lowered substantially with both running and walking, with your risk profile declining directly with increasing exercise energy expenditure.

If you or someone you know is concerned about the risk of cataracts and how to reduce it can learn about how exercise like running and walking can help at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at UAB in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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. 

Glaucoma Stents with Cataract Surgery

If you are a having cataract surgery and are also being treated for glaucoma, there is a specialized glaucoma treatment option using micro-stents that might be helpful for you. Microinvasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) utilizes tiny stents to help control the eye pressure or intraocular pressure. Most patients with glaucoma are treated with eye drops to lower their pressure, have laser treatments for glaucoma ad if necessary have surgery for glaucoma treatment. The problem with eye drops for glaucoma is that patients often just don’t use their eye drops as carefully and frequently as they are supposed to. In fact, patient compliance with glaucoma eye drops may be as low as 50% after the first year of glaucoma treatment and thus additional treatment options such as laser treatment for glaucoma of MIGS might be a better way for some patients to keep their eye pressure under control.

iStent(R) by Glaukos

If you or someone you know is having cataract surgery and is also being treated for glaucoma you may wish to learn about micro-invasive glaucoma stents as an option at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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

Cataract Information for Birmingham Seniors

Birmingham seniors are reminded to take note that August marks Cataract Awareness Month. Information about cataracts, cataract surgery and lens implants is important for seniors to become familiar with in order to help preserve their eye health and vision as well as their ability to maintain an active lifestyle.

In the U.S. today more than half of all Americans over 65 have some degree of cataract formation. In fact, cataracts are a leading cause of vision loss among seniors. With modern cataract surgery and lens implants it is well within reach for most people to have their cataracts removed and achieve very good vision.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is the clouding of the crystalline lens of the eye and is not a growth or a film over the eye. It is this clouding and blurring that impedes patients’ ability to see clearly and crisply.

Symptoms of Cataracts

Cataract development is often a slow moving process that at the beginning may have little impact on vision at all. But, as the cataract becomes denser, so does the impact on vision. The most common symptoms that bother patients with cataracts can include blurring of vision, clouding of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, double vision in one eye, poor night vision, fading or yellowing of colors and frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions.

Effect of Poor Vision for Seniors

Poor vision in seniors is often associated with premature or accelerated mental decline. Further, the challenges that reduced vision creates in terms of mobility and safety can also put patients at increased risk for orthopedic injury-especially hip fracture. So, helping seniors restore vision with cataract surgery has an important place in securing senior health, well being, mobility, safety and mental state.

When Should Seniors have Cataract Surgery?

Surgery becomes an option when cataracts begin to interfere with daily activities or with patient comfort, mobility and safety. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most frequently performed surgeries in the United States. In addition, today we have a full range of lens implants available that allow us to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and even near vision problems after cataract surgery, as well as distance vision, without requiring bifocals or reading glasses for the vast majority of patients.

If you or someone you know has questions about cataract, cataract surgery or lens implants please feel free to call Alabama Eye & Cataract Center at 205-930-0930, visit Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision to schedule an appointment.

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

Omega 3 Supplements & Age Related Macular Degeneration

We know that taking diet supplements with antioxidant vitamins C and E, Beta Carotene and Zinc has been shown to reduce the risk of progression to advancedage-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). In addition to this “AREDS Supplement Formulation,” some data suggests that increased dietary intake of lutein + zeaxanthin (carotenoids), omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] + eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]), or both might further reduce this risk.

Researchers from the Age Related Eye Disease 2 (AREDS) Research Group reporting in the  Journal of the  American Medical Association concluded that the addition of lutein + zeaxanthin, DHA + EPA, or both to the AREDS formulation did not further reduce risk of progression to advanced AMD but lutein + zeaxanthin could be an appropriate carotenoid substitute in the AREDS formulation for former smokers who were at risk for lung cancer.

If you or someone you know is concerned about the risk of macular degeneration or wish to learn more about diet supplements and vitamins for AMD, they are encouraged to schedule an eye examination at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

Michelson Laser Vision and Alabama Eye & CataractCenter are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205

New Web Site from Michelson Laser Vision, Inc. & Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, P.C.

Michelson Laser Vision, Inc. and Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, P.C. have released a new patient information and education web site to provide patients with information and facts about all aspects of eye diseases and surgery and in particular includes information about vision correction procedures such as bladeless LASIK eyesurgery, laser cataract surgery and advanced technology cataract lens implantsthat correct astigmatism and near vision focusing problems after cataractsurgery so that patients can avoid the hassle of eyeglasses.

 “We felt strongly that we needed to use our web site to share information with patients who are at risk of suffering vision loss from cataracts. By understanding more about cataract surgery and lens implants, we are hopeful that patients will not allow vision loss from a cataract to interfere with their daily activities, driving, mobility and overall quality of life,” commented Marc Michelson, M.D., aCorneal Specialist, Cataract & Refractive Surgeon. “We also see a real need for patients with cataracts to have access to the latest information on lens implants we can use to correct both astigmatism and near vision focusing problems,” explained Corneal Specialist, Cataract & Refractive SurgeonTyler Hall, M.D.

“We know that patients like to use the web to learn about the different types of LASIK surgery such as bladeless LASIK,” commented Dr. Michelson. “We also know is that it is important for them have information about the corneal diseases, conditions and problems that might preclude them from being good LASIK candidates-so we provide this on our new web site,” explained Dr. Hall. “We encourage patients to read and learn as much as they can on the web by visiting our new site –but we also strongly encourage them to come in and have a free consultation so we can help determine whether they are good candidates and whether LASIK is indeed a good vision correction option for them,” further explained Dr. Hall.

Dr. Michelson of Michelson Laser Vision, Inc. has been a pioneer in laser eye surgery, and was the first surgeon in the state of Alabama to provide laser vision correction in Birmingham in 1991. Alabama Eye & Cataract Center, P.C. has been providing routine and complex cataract surgery and lens implants in Birmingham since 1999. They are now both located at UAB Hospital- Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue South, Suite #501, Birmingham, AL 35205.

To learn more about Michelson Laser Vision or Alabama Eye & Cataract Center visit www.michelsonlaservision.com.

Cataract Surgery & Dry Eye Information

Birmingham Cataract Surgeons Marc Michelson, M.D. & Tyler Hall, M.D. wish to share information about dry eye for those contemplating cataract surgery. How are dry eye and cataract surgery related? Dry eye can be a temporary condition that cataract patients experience. As a cataract eye surgery patient, however, one should not be worried as developing a dry eye after cataract surgery is actually somewhat common.

A Prospective Health Assessment of Cataract Patients Ocular Surface (PHACO) studied the tear film in a cataract aged population group and found that 60-75% had a meaningful deficiency in their tear film testing BEFORE cataract surgery. What are the elements of cataract surgery that might exacerbate dry eye? First, although cataract surgery occurs inside the eye and therefore does not disrupt the cornea to a great degree, the surgery still does require an incision to be made into the cornea in order to reach the interior of the eye. This incision has the possibility of disturbing corneal nerves that signal reflex tearing and tear film production. Additionally, some of the solutions used during the cataract procedure can indeed result in a dry eye.

What are the specific symptoms of dry eye? Symptoms vary by individual, yet reported complaints range from a gritty or sandy feeling on the surface of the eye, excess tearing, drying and burning sensations which overall can combine to impact a patient’s quality of vision. Thankfully, treatment options exist to combat these symptoms, which depending upon the severity of dry eye experienced, begin with specialized artificial tear lubricants and solutions, tiny punctal plugs to help you retain tears and prescription medication that stimulates production of your own tears. If these initial steps are not successful in providing relief, there are more technological approaches, such as lasers and other methods to treating underlying blepharitis, eyelid gland problems or eyelid inflammation that can contribute to dry eye as well.

If you or someone you know is experiencing dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery, please schedule an appointment at Alabama Eye & Cataract Center in Birmingham by calling 205-930-0930, visiting Alabama Eye & Cataract Center or www.facebook.com/michelsonlaservision.

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