Lehigh Valley Center For Sight

Most people believe that the only effective Cataract Treatment is surgery to remove the clouded lens and replace it with a clear lens implant. Cataracts have not be proven to be cured with medication, dietary supplement, exercise or optical devices. In the early stages of a cataract when symptoms are mild, a good understanding of the condition and a willingness to adjust your lifestyle can help. You can try a few simple approaches to help Cataract Treatment and Cataract Symptoms: If you have eyeglasses or Contact Lenses , make sure they’re the most accurate prescription possible. Use a magnifying glass to read Improve the lighting in your home with more or brighter lamps, for example, those that can accommodate halogen lights or 100 to 150 watt incandescent bulbs. When you go outside during the day, wear Sunglasses to reduce glare. Limit your night driving. Nutritional Methods of preventing and Treating Cataracts: The first step is to increase your Eye Heal...

It there a right time to have Cataract Removal Surgery ? The decision to have Cataract Surgery is one that you and your eye doctor will make together. You’ll probably have plenty of time to consider and discuses your options carefully. In most cases waiting until you’re ready to have surgery wont harm your eye. You may not need cataract removal surgery for many years if at all. In younger people or those with Diabetes, however, Cataracts may develop more quickly. Base your decision on your degree of vision loss and your ability to function in daily life. In general, surgery is recommended if the results of your visual acuity test are 20/50 or worse, even with Eyeglasses , but this figure isn’t set in stone. Think about how the cataract affects your daily life. Can you see to do your job or drive safely? Can you read or watch television in comfort? Is it difficult to cook, shop, do yard work, climb stairs or take medication? How active are you? Does lack of vis...

Many eye conditions are slow moving, like cataracts, where changes in vision are gradual to the point your vision is greatly impaired. Surgery for cataracts is normally not done in a rush and can easily be planned in advanced. Retinal detachment is a different story. If you experience its symptoms you need to act fast. The retina of your eye is a layer of tissue lining the interior of your eye. It sends visual signals through your optic nerve to your brain. If the retina comes off, if not treated immediately, the detachment could result in permanent vision loss. Retinal detachment involves the retinal cells coming loose from the layer of blood vessels underneath them. Those blood vessels provide oxygen and nourishment needed to keep the retina healthy and functioning. The longer it goes untreated, the greater the chance of permanent vision loss. Retinal detachment can happen at any time but more likely in those older than forty. It’s more likely to  occur in men than women and mor...

The Crystalline Lens is one of the most important structures in the eye that help refract light aside from the Cornea . It is located on top of the iris but behind the Vitreous humor. The transparent lens helps light enter into the Retina in a more even matter and helps give you a sense of depth. It changes into various shapes to help process different elements that are several distances apart. This movement is quite similar to that of a camera lens trying to focus. When the lens starts to change or adjust, this action is called an accommodation. The ciliary body is a circle of tissue fiber surrounding the lens. In the ciliary body there are small fibers called zonules that help keep the crystalline lens inside the eye. There are also muscle fibers labeled as ciliary muscles. These muscles help contain the shape of the lens and are typically located behind the iris. The ciliary body needs to contract from time to time and when this happens, the zonules are forced to relax. Wh...

There are two types of Macular Degeneration, commonly called Dry Macular Degeneration and Wet Macular Degeneration. All cases are thought to start with the dry from. Between 10 and 15 percent of the people who show signs of Dry AMD eventually develop Wet Macular Degeneration. Although there is only one kind of dry macular degeneration, you may hear it called atrophic, geographic atrophy, or nonexudative macular degeneration. Atrophic or Atrophy refers to a declining, weakening, or wasting away. We often use the word to talk about muscles that haven’t been used in a great while and lose their strength as a result. We can exercise our muscles and regain strength, but unlike our muscles, atrophy in our macula isn’t currently reversible. This is because the macula atrophies from a lock of oxygen, not a lack of use. As we know, any part of our body that suffers a prolonged lack of oxygen usually sustains permanent damage. Geographic atrophy of the macula means atrophy concentrated ...

Although often neglected, Eye Care For Kids is very important to ensure that they do not encounter any vision problems during their tender years. Proper Eye Care is most essential for kids especially since vision problems such as Astigmatism , Hyperopia also know as far sightedness and Myopia also known as near sightedness are common amongst children. Parents need to ensure that kids learn to take good care of their eyes from a young age. Many vision problems such as Cataracts develop in childhood due to undue exposure to UV rays. Eye care for kids is important since vision plays the most important role in their development. In most cases, bad habits such as reading in poor light, spending too much time watching television, to name a few, are the cause of Problems with Eyesight in kids. Some kids are born with a condition called cross-eye or squint. However, with daily eye care these conditions can be treated rather than having your child wear glasses. Natural Eye Care in ...

The Symptoms of Macular degeneration occurs at a very slow pace giving you many years of normal to slightly Blurred Vision There are many types of Macular Degeneration. The most common form of Macular Degeneration, are related Macular Degeneration, Wet and Dry. Some less common forms, like Best’s viteliform degeneration and Stargardt’s maculopathy, are hereditary and occur during the first two decades of life. Others may result from ocular trama, systemic medication, or infections agents such as toxoplasmosis. The majority of Macular Degenerative conditions result in a central blind spot or Scotomas and significant central Eyesight Loss . Individuals with symptoms of Macular Degeneration or dystophics typically have a difficult time adapting to glare and experience difficulty successfully accomplishing fine detail visual tasks such as reading Some Symptoms of Macular Degeneration: Over the age of 50-60 Smoke cigarettes A woman Caucasian Obese Light color...

Diabetes and your eyesight are connected even though the pancreas is normally what we associate with diabetes. However, the eyes play a major role in people suffering from diabetes. You are at a higher risk of experiencing Blurred Vision , Cataracts , and Diabetic Retinopathy . When left untreated, all these conditions are potentially blinding. However, with early diagnosis and intervention it is easy to be treated appropriately. Without treatment, diabetes can damage most parts of the eye, which is a major cause for blindness in the United States. The greater the level of diabetes, the more the chances of it beginning to affect your eyesight. According to research, two-thirds of diabetics show signs of Blurry Vision after 15 years. Signs of eye damage increases in up to 90 percent of diabetics after 30 years or more. Therefore, it is important for diabetics to opt for Eyesight Testing procedures such as an annual dilated-eye examination. When it comes to diabetes and your eye...

March is dedicated as National Nutrition Month and Save Your Vision Month, and as an organization, EyePromise ® is heavily focused on the importance of nutrition and proactive eye care. Catching eye health concerns and beginning care early always leads to better patient outcomes. Nutrition is an important piece of most if not all early care plans, but how early can eye care professionals begin nutritional intervention? With EyePromise Screen Shield™ Teen , the answer is as young as 4 years old. Introducing Screen Shield Teen EyePromise worked with our Scientific Advisory board of ODs and MDs to create Screen Shield Teen. This daily, chewable eye health nutraceutical is formulated for children ages 4 to 17 and designed to complement a daily multi-vitamin. Screen Shield Teen is: Made with high-quality, all-natural zeaxanthin (not synthetic) Fruit punch flavored GMO free Gluten free The first children’s screen time eye health nutraceutical available in the doctor chan...

Corneal Dystrophy is where the cornea loses its normal transparency due to several foreign buildups that causes the cornea to become cloudy. When the Cornea is cloudy or misty, light has a hard time entering into the Retina and the cornea cannot process it properly. There are various types of this disease; in fact, there are over 20. Anything that has affected a part of the cornea is typically considered to be this. Depending on the type of corneal dystrophy you have, it has a wide range of how it can affect a person's vision. From very mild causes that result in no noticeable Loss of Vision to complete visual impairment. To be considered a corneal dystrophy disease, it must share some of these common traits: It begins within one of the five corneal layers. Progresses slowly. It affects both eyes. It is typically inherited. It is not caused by diet or injury. It only affects the eyes and not the body. It is not obtained by a disease in the body. ...

The 4 Nutrients Your Eyes Really Need. From Lasik Eye Care to Lutein it seems everywhere you look there is a new product or procedure touting vision enhancement. Here are a few nutrients your eyes really need that play an important role in the Eye Care Health of your eyes. 1. Vitamin A Are carrots really good for your eyes or is that something parents said just to get kids to eat their vegetables? Actually, it's true. Carrots contain a high level of vitamin A, which is very good for your eyes. It helps reduce the risk of Cataracts . Vitamin A is found in many orange, red, and yellow fruits and in leafy green Vegetables for Eye Health . 2. Lutein Lutein for Vision is a carotenoid that your body turns into an Eye Health Antioxidant . Lutein is the primary carotenoid located in the center of The Retina , called the macula. Six mg. of lutein has been shown to reduce the risk of Macular Degeneration by nearly 57%. A similar study showed that a diet low in lutein grea...

Children and their phones, iPads and gaming devices are inseparable today. Most are growing up with a wide selection of electronic devices at their fingertips. They can’t imagine a world without the internet, smartphones and tablets.  Although, all that reading and playing games on their handheld devices may be harmful.  But it’s not just kids who are getting too much screen time. Many parents struggle with over use of screen time themselves.  So it’s important to understand how too much screen time could be harming everyone in the family. Children can experience at least one of the following symptoms after being exposed to more than two hours of screen time per day: Headaches Neck/shoulder pain Eye strain, dry or irritated eyes Reduced attention span Poor behavior Irritability Any of these symptoms could potentially affect academic performance and social interactions. The worldwide rapid rise of nearsightedness has been linked to increased use of and exposure t...

Vision Theory has gone through a lot of changes over the centuries. As we begin to understand the way the brain works, more and more theories are being put out. The biggest problem with the theory of vision is that unlike a video camera that records exactly what is in front of it, the way a person sees is defined by the way the brain interprets the visual images. Every brain is different, like a fingerprint, and there is absolutely no conclusive way to determine if what two people are seeing is actually the same thing. Colors, for example, can always be interpreted in different ways. When person A looks at the color purple he understands that he is looking at purple as his brain understands it. When person B looks at the same color, he will agree that yes, that color is purple, but in fact he could be seeing purple the way person A sees orange. They have both been raised to understand that the exact hue and 'color' of that imagery is defined as “purple,” and so they wi...

Gyroscope Therapeutics, a gene-therapy development company in the UK, has launched the first gene therapy clinical trial for the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The 10-participant, Phase 1/2 study is being led by Dr. Robert MacLaren , professor of ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, and will be taking place at three locations in the UK. “There are currently limited treatments for dry AMD, which in many cases will progress to the wet form several years later,” says Dr. MacLaren, who is also the lead investigator for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa and choroideremia gene therapy clinical trials. “We now know a lot about the role of the complement system in AMD and also how to deliver gene therapies safely to the fovea in patients with good visual acuity. Hence it is logical now to explore early preventative interventions that might have an impact in stopping progression of this disease.” The emerging Gyroscope treatment was developed to slow the progress of dr...

With the increase in accessibility and usage of digital devices , there has also been an increase in concern. What effects are they having on the body ? Is this affecting children’s mental development ? What are the long-term implications of this much screen time? While these questions cannot be definitively answered yet, progress has been made in identifying common issues and complaints. What Is Digital Eye Strain? The eyes are one of the areas most affected by screen time. Common complaints associated with long hours spent on devices include tired eyes, eye strain, dryness, irritation, and blurred vision. Other complaints include headaches and shoulder, neck and back pain. This group of symptoms has come to be recognized as computer vision syndrome, or digital eye strain . Digital eye strain is defined by the American Optometric Association as “a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer, tablet, e-reader and cell phone use.” New Research on Cau...

Many people do not know the meaning behind 20 20 vision . 20 20 Eyesight refers to how well someone can see clearly up to 20ft. In countries that use the metric system, 20/20 is actually referred to as 6/6. When your doctor tells you have 20-20 vision, this does not really mean you have prefect eyesight. Being able to see up to these distances is, of course, very useful. However, there are other things to consider when you want to take your Eye Care Health into consideration. You might be interested in taking a Vision Test to see how well you perform. Figuring how well your peripheral awareness is or eye coordination, depth perception, side vision, focuses, and even color vision is all equally important in determining how healthy your eyes are. In fact, color vision is very important in figuring out your visual ability. To test your visual acuity (your ability to see items and wording at a distance) , you will use a Snellen Chart . Almost everyone knows what this eye chart loo...

As long as you learn to treat your eyes correctly, you can maintain the Best Eyesight possible. Our eyes are priceless possessions that we often tend to neglect. Aging Eyesight is not an excuse to neglect your eyes either. You can Rebuild Your Vision and enjoy reading, watching your favorite movies, and extra time at the computer, without those nasty headaches or watery eyes. A Rebuild Your Vision program is precisely what you need if you find yourself having problems with poor eyesight . Millions of people across America are known to have Problems with Eyesight . However, many can be avoided at an early stage. To begin with, there are a number of eyesight exercises to help maintain the best eyesight and get back to doing a lot of things without the need for Eyeglasses . You can do these simple exercises at any time of the day. Exercising the eyes strengthens the ocular muscles, thereby Improving Your Eyesight In addition, it is prudent to maintain a diet rich in Eye Healt...

March is National Nutrition Month, and this can mean different things for different people. For some, it means eating better to improve their overall health. It means getting more or less of a specific ingredient for others. When it comes to people with occasional dry eye , it means getting the right group of nutrients that can relieve their daily struggles and symptoms. As a sports-registered dietitian, Chrissy Barth knows the importance of nutrition, and she learned how effective a high-quality nutritional supplement can be for her occasional dry eye. Chrissy’s Story Barth’s symptoms began in 2013. Her dryness became so severe, it began keeping her awake at night and causing corneal abrasions. While drops gave her temporary relief, they required her to keep them with her 24/7. Her busy schedule keeps her on the move, and if she happened to forget her drops, she would be left with discomfort and frustration. “I have to deal with the burning and irritation of my dry eyes until I’m a...

If you enjoy a tall cold one, why not get juiced a different way. Getting juiced on juicing protects your eyesight . Try a tall cold glass of juice, or a fruit smoothie. Fruit and vegetable juices give you all the Eye Health Antioxidants vitamins, carotenoids and minerals that eating them does, with the advantage that you are enjoying them raw and in greater concentration. Heat can destroy some nutrients, so taking them as raw juices will help you better Protect Your Eyesight . You can make many juices with your blender, especially if you use the softer fruits such as grapes, blueberries, raspberries, plums, peaches, nectarines, and strawberries. Make a smoothie by adding a banana to thicken things up. If you use purple or red grapes instead of green ones, along with blueberries, you’ll be adding anthocyanins to your system, which can help Improve Your Night Vision and strengthen the capillaries in your eyes. Vegetable juices will require a juicer. A quality juicer will cost...

Diabetes and its impact are well-known among the healthcare community, including eye care professionals (ECPs). However, it seems that in recent months, there have been more and more conversations being had about it and the ECP’s role in the scheme of patient care. Sites like Review of Optometry , Optometry Times , Healio , and New Grad Optometry have all agreed that ODs have an opportunity to play an important part in caring for patients with diabetes and make a difference. How ODs Can Get Involved Dr. Kevin Cornwell wrote, “Our patients frequently ask us how they can optimize or maintain their ocular health. Many times, these patients are interested in or are already supplementing with over-the-counter eye vitamins such as AREDS formula or Ocuvite. While these antioxidant supplements are appropriate in most cases of early to moderate age-related macular degeneration, there is a lower hanging fruit known as Type 2 diabetes that needs to be addressed among our patients. Unfortuna...

The Foundation Fighting Blindness has announced the launch of The Free Family AMD Research Program, which is providing funding for 10 research projects over five years for the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) therapies. With an anchor investment from Dr. H. James & Carole Free, along with matching funds from the Foundation Fighting Blindness, this exciting program will begin in July 2019. In addition to the new research being made possible by The Free Family AMD Research Program, the Foundation is also funding an additional $3.5 million for 11 other AMD research projects. AMD affects more than 10 million people in the U.S. and approximately 150 million people worldwide. Advanced cases of the retinal disease can cause devastating central vision loss, leaving people unable to read, drive, and recognize faces. AMD is the leading cause of blindness for people over 50 years of age in developed countries. “We are thrilled to continue to deepen our partnership with...

The eyes are two of the most sensitive organs in the human body, and as such they need as much care and attention as you can possibly give them. Macular Degeneration , Cataracts , and Glaucoma Information are just three of the progressive Eye Diseases that can be either prevented or slowed down through the use of proper nutrition. If you want to Protect Your Eyesight , here are some of the best supplements for eye health on the market today. Lutein is an Eye Supplement that most people have never heard about, but there have been conclusive clinical trials done that show the efficacy of this simple Eye Vision Improvement Supplement and its profound effect on Eye Care Health , especially in protecting the eyes against the damaging effects of blue light. Most Lutein for Vision supplements available today are natural extracts made from the petals of marigold flowers. Lutein works by promoting the development of the lens, essentially creating a shield that protects the eyes against...