What to Do at What Age for Your Eyes

August is National Eye Exam month and although each individual’s eyes are different, there are recommended times in your life in which to receive an eye exam. Here’s a summary of what to do at what age for your eye care:

INFANTS: All babies should receive an eye exam soon after birth. It’s also recommended to receive another exam between ages 6 to 12 months.

PRESCHOOL: At age 3, it’s important for children to receive a visual acuity test. The test results can show lazy eye or refractive errors, like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.

SCHOOL AGE: Upon entering the 1st grade, another eye exam should be performed. As your child gets older, if any suspected vision issues or problems come up, then another exam should be performed. In this age group, nearsightedness is most common which can be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses, depending on the child’s age.

TEENAGERS & EARLY 20s: Teenagers with corrective lenses should receive an annual eye exam in order to determine changes in prescription and to detect any other issues. By the time people reach their early 20’s, vision development will typically remain steady. For this age group it’s also important to remember to protect eyes during activities and playing sports.

ADULTS 25 to 40: Vision changes little at this age, so this is the recommended time for LASIK eye surgery. For those without prescription lenses or a family history of eye disease, it’s best to receive at least one complete eye exam in your 20s and two complete exams in your 30s. During pregnancy, women may have vision fluctuations.

ADULTS 40 to 65: This is a time when many eye diseases may begin to emerge. At age 40, a comprehensive eye exam should be scheduled to check for any signs of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and other problems. You should continue to schedule exams every two years or more often based on feedback from your ophthalmologist about any problems your eyes have.

65 AND UP: By age 65, 1 in 3 Americans will have a vision-impairing eye disease such as glaucoma and cataracts. Preventive eye exams should be an important annual appointment to help find any issues or continue treatment of any known problems as your ophthalmologist recommends. Vision may be saved or prolonged if eye disease is detected early on.

Source: American Academy of Ophthalmology

LASIK vs PRK

Refractive errors occur when the cornea of your eye, or the front part of your eye, is misshaped. These refractive errors produce nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism. Laser vision correction is the procedure through which a laser is used to reshape the cornea of the eye, in order to achieve better vision.

While the actual correction of the cornea is completed with a laser, the steps leading up to this correction, and subsequently the healing after, will differ depending on the specific procedure the surgeon chooses for the patients’ eyes. The two main procedures most commonly used are LASIK (Laser-Assisted Sin-Situ-Keratomileusis) or PRK (Photorefractive Keratectomy).

LASIK and PRK

Most people have heard of LASIK; however, in some cases, LASIK isn’t the best procedure for them. This can be due to a multitude of reasons, but most often if their cornea is too thin, LASIK will not be advised. This is why visiting an ophthalmologist that performs more than just LASIK is so important. Other procedures, such as PRK, can be recommended and performed to achieve the same, and sometimes even better, results.

The main difference between LASIK and PRK comes during the first step of the process – creating the corneal flap. During LASIK, the surgeon creates flap within the first few layers of the outer surface of the cornea, so that the laser can reach the area that needs to be corrected. This can be done with a microkeratome (a mechanical oscillating blade), or during bladeless LASIK, it can be done with a second laser that separates the outer layer of the cornea. After the primary laser is applied to correct the refractive error, this flap is folded back into place where it bonds readily.

PRK, which is usually performed on patients with thin corneas, removes the surface layer of cells on the cornea. This is why it is often referred to as a surface treatment. After treatment, the body will regenerate new cells to replace the cells removed through a relatively quick healing process. The results of PRK are equal to that of LASIK though the healing times are slightly longer.

Visiting a Qualified Ophthalmologist

Performing LASIK on a patient that is better suited for a procedure like PRK will increase the likelihood of potential risks, such as poor night vision, less than optimal results, or delayed stretching of the cornea called ectasia. To decrease these risks, visit a board-certified ophthalmologist who is skilled at multiple vision correction procedures. This will ensure you the best possible chances to achieve the vision results you are seeking.

Women – More Susceptible to Vision Problems than Men

According to Prevent Blindness America, “Every year, more women than men are diagnosed with eye diseases and conditions such as cataracts, dry eye, Fuchs’ dystrophy, glaucoma, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and Sjögren’s syndrome.  The “Vision Problems in the U.S.” study from Prevent Blindness America (PBA) and the National Eye Institute (NEI) shows that of the more than 3.6 million Americans age 40 and older who suffer from visual impairment, including blindness, 2.3 million are women” (Women Must Take Steps to Avoid Vision Loss, March 27, 2012).

Hereditary diseases aside, these problems are often caused by hormones, or the fluctuations in hormones like pregnancy or menopause. Sometimes they can even be triggered by birth control, which is a hormone regulating medication. Even keeping your eye makeup for too long can cause problems with your eyes.

At the Eye Clinic of Austin, we recommend to our female patients that they pay close attention to their eyesight while pregnant, when changing prescription pills or going on new medication, and to switch out their makeup every six months to a year. If you feel that your glasses or contacts are not helping as much as they used to, make sure to have an eye exam. Mention to your doctor any new prescription changes so that he may accurately diagnose the underlying issue.

Your eyes are how you see the world. Keep them in great health.

Press Release - QuantifEye - June 20, 2012

June 20, 2012

Eye Clinic of Austin Implements QuantifEye - Key New Technology for Macular Pigment Measurement

The Importance of Macular Health

 

A growing number of baby boomers understand the potential effects of aging on their eyesight and are therefore motivated to take action to maintain their independence.  Studies show that today’s “older” Americans are far more active for much longer than previous generations. They stay in the workforce longer and have more hobbies and interests.  Some studies among this group report that loss of independence is actually feared more than death.  So, when older patients are able to drive safely and more confidently, handle bright light easier, read with less strain, and reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration – that is big news.

MACULAR PIGMENT AND MACULAR HEALTH

 

Macular pigment is composed of photo-protectants and antioxidants.  An apple provides a great example of how antioxidants provide protection. The skin of the apple protects the inside until it is sliced open and exposed to oxygen.  When this occurs, the inside turns brown via a process known as oxidation.  A similar process occurs in our eyes over time as we age.

Dr. Thomas Henderson says, “Macular pigments are like the eye’s ʽinternal sunglassesʼ. Thick, dense, ʽinternal sunglassesʼ block the harmful blue part of the light spectrum that damages one’s eyes across their lifetime. We are pleased to be the first ophthalmology practice in Austin to introduce the QuantifEye non-invasive system for measuring macular pigment optical density.”

INTERVIEW/SEGMENT OP:

 

Dr. Henderson is available for in-studio talks about this advanced new technology and how it works, as well as all topics related to healthy vision. Please contact Jonna Kieler at 303.447.9192 for further information or scheduling.

Eye Clinic of Austin

 

Eye Clinic of Austin was founded in January, 1982 by Dr. Thomas Henderson. Dr. Henderson has been involved in all aspects of optical, medical, and surgical patient care, community service through twenty-five years of emergency call at University Medical Center (Brackenridge), drug research and medical lecturing. Dr. Henderson has personally performed over 11,500 cataract and refractive surgery procedures.

Eye Clinic of Austin offers refractive procedures such as blade-free, all-laser LASIK and Intraocular Lens-based procedures such as cataract surgery. Eye Clinic of Austin also provides general eye care such as medical, laser and surgical glaucoma management, diabetic eye care, dry eye relief, as well as a full-service optical shop, and routine and specialty contact lens care and fitting. The doctors at Eye Clinic of Austin include Thomas T. Henderson, MD, FACS, Clayton L. Falknor, MD, and Melanie Prosise, OD.

Floaters (and Flashes)

A Word from Dr. Thomas Henderson

 

Even when we are young we can see “floaters” or drifting spots before our eyes.  I know I did when I was in 3rd grade, lying on the grass looking at the cloud pictures.  I saw lines and squiggles and occasional dots, which were the shadows cast by the supporting structure of the vitreous jelly that fills the back of the eye, in front of the retina.  Even as  adults we are able to see these “common” floaters under the right circumstances of bright light and a plain background, but mostly our brains have learned how to ignore them.

However, about half of people over age 50, and some people younger, will experience new onset “floaters and flashes”.   Risk factors other than age include trauma to the eye and high myopia or near-sightedness.  The major event that causes floaters is the separation of vitreous from its normal position on the surface of the retina, which occurs from the wear and tear of moving our eyes many thousands of times a day over many years.  The major connection point of the vitreous to the optic nerve head at the back of the eye begins to come forward from its usual position flat on the retina and casts its moving shadow on the retina as the eye moves and stops, and the vitreous sloshes around.  The attachment actually is ring-shaped and can sometimes be experienced that way, but usually is noted as a bug or a fly that “isn’t there”.  While the vitreous is sloshing, some of the nerve fibers at the lower border of the optic nerve can get tugged on and stimulated, causing a flash of light.  Characteristically, this is experienced in the dark or in dim lighting as a quick flash of light in our peripheral vision on one side, moving from above toward the horizon.  These flashes go away over several months as the vitreous completely separates from the optic nerve, but the attachment point, the floater, is an intrinsic part of the structure of the eye and will never go away completely.   It will gradually drift to a different location and be noticed much less often over time.  The combination of age 50 +, a single large floater and a typical light flash is almost always a vitreous separation, but….

Two percent of new vitreous separations will develop a retinal tear, and 1 in 1000 vitreous separations or about 1 in 20 retinal tears will cause a retinal detachment which can lead to a major loss of eyesight and require major eye surgery to repair.  When the vitreous sloshes and tears the retina, usually a blood vessel will be crossed, and there will be many new floaters, large blobs, streaks, or blotches, breaking down into many fine dots and tiny donuts as the red cells cast their individual shadows.  There might even be a non-typical flash as the sloshing vitreous tugs on the end of the tag of torn retina.  If these symptoms occur, it is urgent to be examined quickly to find the tear and have it treated to prevent progression to a retinal detachment.  When the retina detaches from the inner wall of the eye, the retina is without its normal blood supply and therefore can’t work properly where it is detached.  What people experience is a dark area beginning in the far peripheral, usually inferior vision, which expands over time as more retina falls off.  Small detachments are much easier to repair than big detachments, so it is critical to be examined as soon as practical, that evening or the next morning to try to obtain the best result.

The problem is that when the floaters and flashes begin, the person experiencing them can’t look at their own retina to see if it is the usual vitreous separation or the beginnings of a retinal tear.  The wise thing to do is to have your ophthalmologist look to see if there is a tear, and to schedule a follow up exam in the future to check if a retinal tear has occurred without symptoms, or an emergency follow-up for a new increase in floaters, maybe with a different flash, or worse, a new dark area in the peripheral vision.  Fortunately, most new floaters are just a vitreous separation and one has a chance to make friends with their newest gift from Mother Nature and Father Time.  At Eye Clinic of Austin we can examine your eye to determine whether your problem is the common vitreous separation or the uncommon, potentially vision threatening, retinal tear or retinal detachment.