The post Detecting Macular Degeneration In Its Earliest Stages first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

The post Saving Lives One Eye at a Time first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

The post Can A Laser Pointer Really Damage Your Eyes? first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

The post Why Do You Keep Talking About My “glands?” first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

“My eyes feel great!”

-Lynne, a week after her procedure

Do you:

• have dry, irritated eyes?
• find “sleep” or “crust” in your eyes; especially upon wakening?
• suffer from red eyes?
• sensitive to bright sunlight?
• have the feeling of something in your eyes more often than not?
• have eyelashes that are brittle and/or fall out?
• find relief from heat packs and/or lid scrubs?
• rub your eyes throughout the day? If you say no, ask your spouse or friend. I was surprised at the answer given me.
• find lubricating eye drops help….but only for a short period of time?
• have vision that fluctuates throughout the day and fluctuates as you blink?
• suffer from styes?

If so, you may suffer from blepharitis. Eye doctors have known about blepharitis for decades and we were all trained to tell patients “wash your lashes with baby shampoo every day.” Our frustration has come from the minimal improvement seen.

Over the past handful of years, there has been a veritable explosion in blepharitis diagnosis and treatment options. Some simple and some extravagant. Some cheap and some costing nearly $2000. Blepharitis can not be cured but it can be managed.

Why am I excited about all the new treatment options for blepharitis? Because I suffer with it. For years, my eyes have felt like there is something in them. I have tried nearly every treatment available…even some of the more weird options. This new treatment is the real deal.

After treatment, my eyes are no longer a constant light red due to chronic inflammation. When I wake up, I no longer spend the first hour digging around at the inside corner of each eye to get out little crusties. After I quit rubbing my eyes, I had two staff members independently say “hey, you rub your eyes a lot less these days.” “Really? I didn’t know I rubbed them at all.” I also love walking outside without sunglasses and no longer having my eyes immediately burn, sting and water.

“I have only used wetting drops 2x today; usually by now I would have used them at least a half dozen times.”   -Rebecca, a few days after her procedure

We are excited to now offer microblepharoexfoliation with the BlephEX system. The procedure is performed in office; takes about 10 minutes; and patients can drive home afterwards. This procedure allows us to remove the biofilm of debris from the lids and lashes. This film prevents the body’s natural antibodies from being able to do their job. Many patients with blepharitis come to see us multiple times per year for recurrent infections.

I encourage you to visit the BlephEX website which contains a wealth of information. Click here  That’s a great site but I want to show you some of our own personal patients from here in Prescott.

First up is a sweet lady whose eyes are irritated nearly every day. Eye drops help for a few minutes but don’t give lasting relief. When it would really bother her, I would prescribe some medication which would help for a few weeks but nothing has given long term relief. We were only able to treat the symptoms and not the cause.

Moderate blepharitis with flakes and build up before

A clean, healthy start after BlephEX

I know you’re thinking “wait, that second photo is brighter and at a different angle.” I’m not a photographer…just an eye doctor with a camera :)

 

Now you’re probably also thinking, “I could just wash my eyelids with baby shampoo or lid scrubs from the store like Dr. Google and all my previous eye doctors said.” True. And that’s a great daily habit akin to brushing and flossing your teeth. But you still need to see the dentist for the deep cleaning.

 

Here are photos of my friend, Lynne. She was diagnosed with blepharitis decades ago and religiously uses Ocusoft eyelid scrubs every night. Notice the waxy buildup along the base of her lashes despite being the most committed eyelid scrub patient I’ve ever met.

Mild Blepharitis Before

Mild Blepharitis After

After BlephEX, her lids and lashes are perfectly clean and clear. No more biofilm buildup. She will continue her lid scrubs (akin to brushing and flossing daily) and we will repeat the deep clean procedure probably every 6-12 months.

 

Here’s a video of one of our patients who has had uncontrolled blepharitis for too long and is now miserable. Sorry for the poor quality video. What we see in her case is debris floating around in the tear film. Every time she blinks there are chunks floating around in her tears. The tear film isn’t clear because the quality of tears is poor. This helps to explain why her vision is clear, then blurry, then clear throughout the day. Her lashes have also become thin and brittle due to chronic inflammation. If you look along her lower eyelid, you will notice divots or dents where her glands have quit functioning and atrophied.

 

 

After seeing too many patients like this, eye doctors around the world have begun focusing on prevention and wellness with early treatment. We are excited to be a part of that movement.

The post New treatment for dry, scratchy, irritated eyes with BlephEX first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

The post Testing From The Eyes All The Way Back Through The Brain first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

Scleral lens on left. Normal RGP on right.

A scleral contact lens gets its name from the fact that it is large enough to bridge the entire cornea and rest on the sclera (the strong and tough white part of the eye). This has two great benefits. First it covers any imperfection in the cornea. Cornea irregularities can make vision uncorrectable with glasses. These irregularities can be caused by diseases such as keratoconus and pellucid marginal degeneration or from past surgery such as LASIK or radial keratotomy aka “RK.”

Topography showing kerataconus

The second benefit is that the lens holds a constant reservoir of sterile saline up against the delicate cornea. This prevents the cornea from drying out and is the reason we sometimes use the lens as a “shell” to protect and heal excessively dry corneas. Rather than the cornea being exposed to open air and drying out, it is bathed in sterile saline.

Because the lenses are used for more than simply correcting eye sight, they are often covered by medical insurance as a medically necessary device. Our insurance specialists will be happy to discuss your plan coverage with you.

The customization of these lenses is like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. A typical fitting consists of 3-4 visits ranging from 30 minutes-2 hours. Because the lens settles on the eye over time, the doctor will fit the lens on your eye and then let it settle before finalizing adjustments. The lens is analyzed using a medical microscope, corneal topographer and with our digital scanning laser. Adjustments are made in microns (one inch = 25,400 microns for reference).

Lens edge as measured with scanning laser

Scleral lenses are made of rigid gas permeable, “GP” or “RGP” materials. Today’s materials allow oxygen to be transmitted through the lenses at a rate high enough to maintain proper ocular health. Higher even than many soft contact lenses.

The most difficult part of wearing a scleral lens is learning how to insert the lens because it is so large. However, once it is in comfort is terrific. Many patients can wear their lenses all day; even in our dry high altitude Prescott air.

Scleral lenses have allowed us to save the career of a Dentist in her 40s. She brought in disability papers for our doctors to sign because she could not see clearly enough to work. He was able to get her seeing better than she has in over a decade and is back to providing high quality care.

We have helped multiple patients avoid corneal transplants because they can see so well and are comfortable in their lenses. Call us today to schedule a consultation.

Here’s a quick video showing how to insert, remove and care for lenses:

“….he highly praised your skill and kept asking for your name.” -patient describing their conversation with surgeon in California after being successfully fit with scleral contact lenses in our office

The post Scleral Contact Lenses: Bigger Really Is Better in Texas AND Arizona first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

Brother #1 noticed some “gnats” moving around in his vision like he was looking through a snow globe. After they didn’t go away for a few days he called his older brother, the eye doctor, who told him he needed to be seen immediately. Long story short he had a large retinal detachment. Same day major surgery with significant recovery no doubt saved his eye but vision is now 20/100.

Brother #2 texted me: “What are you doing today?” “Running like crazy. Full schedule of patients. What’s going on?” “I have some new floaters.” “Alright dilate yourself (brother #2 is the eye doctor after all) and stop in during your lunch break.” It’s always an extra honor when an eye doctor trusts me with such a serious condition.

My staff was not impressed when I told them I was squeezing in yet another patient. I assured them that he will dilate himself so we don’t have to wait the 20 minutes for the drops to work and I don’t have to explain what’s going on–he already knows. All to well.

Turns out brother #2 had a retinal tear in his right eye. Fortunately no fluid had accumulated underneath causing a retinal detachment. A 10 minute laser procedure to “spot weld” the area around the tear and he was back to work.

Quick action meant his vision was saved.

If you experience new floaters or flashes of light, you have to come in immediately.

The post New floaters? You HAVE to come in today. first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

Listen: we love gadgets, gizmos, and technology more than anyone and love implementing it into our office. However, there is a huge difference between flashy computerized whatchamadoodles to look cool vs. useful high tech.

If I were running an optical business online, or with hundreds of locations around the world, I would absolutely implement the measuring by computer image only. Why? I could bring someone in off the street and within 5 minutes teach them how to run the computer. It is difficult and expensive to train opticians on all the subtleties of frame selection, adjustment and measurements.

Our product is caring, and we care about achieving the perfect fit. Every time.

The post Why don’t y’all use one of those computerized eyeglasses measuring gizmos? first appeared on Premier Eye Center.

The problem that this difference creates is called aniseikonia. The problem with aniseikonia is more than just how do you spell it or say it. The problem is that one eye sees an image of one size and the other eye sees an image of a different size. When your brain tries to put these two images together, it gets confused and mad leading to eyestrain, double vision, and headaches.

Enter the SHAW lens. 

Eyeglasses made with the SHAW lens are the only spectacles available that correct aniseikonia. Enough flowery prose; let me tell you about a few of our patients.

Annie (not her real name) was a sweet 10 year old when I first saw her as a patient. Her father, a local general surgeon, had chatted with me about her over the past few years. She has amblyopia or “lazy eye” due to a big difference in prescription between the two eyes. She would never wear her glasses and no amount of patching or drops or visits to specialists over the past 4 years could get her seeing better. Long story short: we put her in SHAW lenses and every time I see her around town, she’s smiling and wearing her glasses. Her vision is improved and she’s starting to use both eyes together.

Bob is a retired Californian in his early 70s. He’s worn glasses since the 3rd grade and never goes a waking moment without his specs. He is very far sighted with lots of astigmatism and a moderate difference in prescription between the two eyes. Three days after picking up his glasses, I received this email:

“You need to know this is the first time in some 50 years or so of wearing glasses that I have not suffered from what was thought to be irritable bowel syndrome,  some levels of nausea and other tension related issues. It is like a whole new world for me emotionally.  You can use that statement  plus my name and reference if you want to do so.”

Above is a printout for Bob’s glasses using the SHAW software. On the left is a standard set of progressives and the right is his SHAW optimized lenses. This shows that we have doubled the field of vision Bob can use with both eyes together. On the bottom, the red dots moving to green show him going from double vision to clear, comfortable and single vision.

With a money back guarantee (which we have never had a patient take us up on because they all love their lenses) we love ’em. Learn more at www.shawlens.com

The post Do you have a big difference in prescription between your eyes? first appeared on Premier Eye Center.