Lehigh Valley Center For Sight

We all know how important it is to eat right, exercise regularly and get enough sleep. But, it’s also important to see your doctor for an annual checkup. Routine medical visits can help doctors diagnose and treat serious medical conditions. Some serious medical conditions can lead to vision loss, and if they’re detected early enough, your doctor can help manage or treat the condition. Below you’ll find the most common health conditions that can lead to vision loss and risk factors to watch for. Diabetic Retinopathy According to the American Diabetes Association , living with diabetes can put you at risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. This occurs when blood vessels in the retina become swollen or leak when blood sugar levels are too high. In severe cases, new blood vessels can form and create scar tissue which blocks vision. Monitoring your blood sugar and blood pressure levels can help prevent retinopathy. Cataracts If your vision is blurry, you could be suffering from catar...

The other day I just could not work on the computer. My eyes were hurting and I simply could not focus on anything. I had this problem for the last few weeks but just ignored it thinking I was working too hard, but today it was just unbearable. My eyes were red, they were painful and I had blurry vision. The doctor took one look and said I had dry eyes and I needed treatment ASAP. I panicked but then he said that there was no cause of panic and that proper treatment would help me get rid of the problem. So I asked what are dry eyes? It's a condition where the eye is not able to produce enough tears or the tears produced evaporate quickly and cannot lubricate the eyes. For clear vision, the front surface of the eye needs to remain healthy and tears help maintain them. Dry eye is a common problem in adults which can become chronic if not attended to. Symptoms of dry eyes: Symptoms include An itchy or scratchy feeling similar to when something is in your eye There is a bu...

As winter shifts to spring, and flowers, grasses and trees begin to bloom, spring can take a toll on your eyes if you suffer from seasonal allergies. The spring season has a marked increase in pollen and allergens in the air, resulting in symptoms for allergy sufferers. What are allergies? According to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America , an allergy occurs when the body’s immune system sees a substance as harmful and overreacts to it. The substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens. When someone has allergies, their immune system responds, resulting in an allergic reaction. What can you do when you are suffering from eye allergies? By making some minor changes to your environment and activities, you can significantly reduce the amount of allergens you come in contact with, and lessen the symptoms you’re experiencing. Stay Inside. Keep your windows in your home and car closed. This will help to keep your surroundings clean during high pollen seasons. You...

It’s no secret, your body goes through some major changes during pregnancy. A lesser known fact is some expecting women experience vision changes pre-and post-partum. How come my vision changed after I had a baby? Approximately 20 percent of women experience this, according to Arian Fartash, OD. “The reason is because a lot of hormone changes go on when you’re pregnant.” Hormones play a significant role in fluid retention so when estrogen levels are elevated, women tend to retain more water than usual. Just as many women will experience swollen feet, your eyes can swell too which could cause vision changes. The fluid retention can change the shape of the cornea which changes the way light passes through the eye, distorting one’s vision. “It starts at the beginning of pregnancy, when your hormones are going all over the place,” said Dr. Fartash. Your vision may return to normal once the hormones level out, but you could also experience the change permanently. Dr. Fartash explains...

Most adults can remember a time from their childhoods where they observed another child wearing a pirate-like eye patch – and not at Halloween. In fact, maybe they were the child wearing the eye patch. Whether the child was the observer or the wearer, the chances are that the eye patch was worn to treat what is colloquially called “lazy eye,” a condition known to medical specialists as amblyopia where one eye is weaker than the other. Amblyopia occurs in about 3 percent of children and has traditionally been treated by “patching,” or covering the stronger eye with a patch in order to encourage the weaker eye to work harder and thus to gain greater eye-brain connection. Though patching is an effective treatment, compliance can be a major issue. And even if children are perfectly compliant, in the process of treating a visual problem, patching may bring with it emotional and social problems; namely,  through self-consciousness a child may feel or bullying the child may receive for we...

Dr. Christopher Brittain, Genentech medical director, discusses his company’s port delivery system, a tiny capsule implanted into the eye, for delivery of Lucentis® over a period of a few months. The device is currently in a Phase 2 clinical trial. The image below shows the port implanted into an eye. https://www.lvcenter4sight.com/arvo-2018-port-delivery-system-designed-to-reduce-burden-of-lucentis-injections-for-wet-amd/

Moms are often the chief medical officers of their households and the first line of defense when it comes to their family’s health. They are on call 24 hours, through every stage of life, and most of it goes unacknowledged because they make it look so easy. To mothers of all kinds, thank you for doing the hardest job in the world. Thank you for working tirelessly to care for others day after day, for never giving up on those who look up to you, and for understanding the powerful connection a mother figure can have in a person’s life. Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Lehigh Valley Center For Sight. https://www.lvcenter4sight.com/mothers-day-we-see-you-mom/