Age of Fitting & Contact Lens Success

Parents always want their children to have a safe and successful experience with their new contacts. What do the experts recommend as the best age for fitting kids with contacts? 

Factors such as ocular health, current symptoms, compliance and adverse events occurring between successful contact lens wearers fit as children vs. as teenagers were examined in a recent study. The results, presented in Eye & Contact Lens: Science and Clinical Practice, found no significant difference in any of the above factors due to the starting age of contact lens wear. Individuals who were successful contact lens wearers as children, were no more likely to report previous contact lens–related adverse events, problems with compliance, decreased wearing time, or worse ocular health than those fit as teenagers. These results can serve as a guide to parents as they support the fact that successful and safe contact lens use is not age dependent. Rather, parents should seek the professional option of their eye doctor and have a thorough evaluation of their child.

If you or someone you know has questions regarding their children’s eye care and need a contact lens eye exam 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 & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205.

Inflammation Marker for Macular Degeneration Risk

A commonly tested inflammation marker called CRP (c-reactive proteins) is correlated with the risk of age related macular degeneration according to researchers from Harvard Medical School Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Reported in JAMA Ophthalmology, CRP levels showed an appreciably higher danger of AMD for those patients with high versus low CRP levels. Patients with high CRP levels also had a significantly increased risk of neovascular or Wet AMD.

The net conclusion from the study demonstrated that elevated CRP levels can assist in predicting the risk of AMD. One of the primary benefits of establishing this connection between CRP and the risk of AMD is physicians being able to notify patients of their potential risk. Further, patients who are made aware of their possible risk factor can benefit from increased adherence to lifestyle recommendations, eye examination schedules and therapeutic protocols. Finally, this knowledge could also reveal other hidden mechanisms at work.

If you or someone you know is concerned about the risk of macular degeneration and need a macular degeneration eye exam, 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 & Cataract Center are leading eye care centers in Birmingham located at UAB-Highlands, 1201 11th Avenue S, Suite 501, Birmingham, Alabama 35205.

Vision Quality: LASIK vs. Ortho-K Contact lenses

Michelson Laser Vision at UAB-Highlands in Birmingham provides laser eye surgery for vision correction options to help with everyday vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. LASIK enables patients to see clearly at a distance without being dependent on glasses or contact lenses.

Another vision correction option is “Ortho-K” Contact Lenses or Orthokeratology. This option utilizes contact lenses to temporarily reshape the cornea to enable wearers to see at distance, being independent of eyeglasses and contacts for periods of time throughout the day.  Patients who need good vision often as which is a better vision correction method? Visual performance was assessed by researchers recently reporting in the journal Cornea between Orthokeratology Ortho-K contact lenses and LASIK for the treatment of low-to-moderate myopia. The results of the comparison? LASIK was determined to provide notably better vision correction results in this study vs. Ortho-K of low-to-moderate myopia.  

If you or someone you know is tired of wearing glasses to see clearly at distance, you are encouraged to schedule a Free Consultation at Michelson Laser Vision in Birmingham by calling 205-969-8100, visiting Michelson Laser Vision 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.

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