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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.

Fears and Misconceptions of LASIK – Is the Price Worth it in the Long Run?

We have personally seen many different types of people come through our Free LASIK Consultation. Some people question technology, some concern themselves with safety, and many are concerned that the cost of the procedure may not outweigh the benefits. Since our website deals largely with the issues of technology and safety, let’s address the issue of cost versus benefits.

First, let’s look at the benefits of a laser vision correction procedure, like LASIK or PRK:

It is possible for a patient to achieve 20/20 eyesight, or even better, with laser vision correction. You could live your life waking up and seeing immediately instead of searching for your glasses. You can experience the spontaneity of life, such as jumping in a swimming pool, playing in the rain, or going out on a windy day, without the fear of how any of these actions may affect your contacts and your ability to see. You can take a nap, free from the worry of taking your contacts out of your eyes first. You don’t have to rush to the store every time you are out of contact lens solution or order more glasses when yours accidentally break. You will be able to see life, naturally.

Is all that worth the cost of LASIK? 

Our patients think so. 

"As someone who has worn glasses/contacts for over 12 years, I can honestly say that the LASIK procedure completely changed my life! Waking up in the morning and being able to see the clock without having to squint or put on my glasses was incredible to me. If you are thinking about having LASIK, I totally recommend it, it is so worth it! The staff at the Eye Clinic of Austin are so great and they really make you feel at ease."

- Lauren S.

However, some people have heard that people who have had LASIK eventually return to wearing glasses. How can this be if they have already had their vision corrected?

Let’s clear up one fact – LASIK or laser vision correction will NOT give you excellent vision for your whole lifetime. 

Wait – what?

It’s true. Your eyes are living organs and there are certain, inevitable conditions that occur due to aging. One of these conditions is known as Presbyopia. Presbyopia is when the natural lenses in your eyes begin to harden. When you are young, your lenses are flexible so they can adjust to seeing near and far. As you age, these lenses harden. When they lose their flexibility, bifocals or reading glasses are used to help your eyes adjust.

Another inevitable is cataracts. Everyone will develop cataracts as they age. The affect that a cataract has on your vision depends largely upon the degree to which they form. Some people will never notice the affect while others may go blind.

The age at which you develop cataracts and/or presbyopia is not predetermined. For some, the symptoms of presbyopia can begin appearing as early as 40. For others, they may not have any side effects until 50 or older. For cataracts, most don’t appear until your early 60s or even into your 70s.

So back to the question – is the cost of LASIK worth it in the long run?

Let’s say you are nearsighted and you purchase disposable contact lenses every month. Then you have to purchase cleaning solution each month. If you lose a contact, tear it, it falls out, etc., then you have to replace your monthly supply faster than anticipated. You also have to get a pair of glasses for the times you don’t have contacts or if you have an eye infection or you’ve worn your contacts for too long. These glasses can easily be lost or broken, so it’s not just a one-time expense.  

This is a cost you have to pay, every month, consistently for 20 or more years. You are stuck with plastic on your eyes and the constraints they present just so you don’t have to compromise the ability to see.

Or you can have laser vision correction and have your procedure paid off in two years or less. You'll gain the extra money in your budget and excellent eyesight to view life as it is. You’ll also gain the spontaneity that life has to offer because you can see clearly, naturally.

A Little Friday Afternoon Humor

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.

LASIK and Your Retina

Some patients think that because they are having LASIK, issues with their retina will also be corrected.  This is a misconception.  The work we do in LASIK is on the cornea, outside and at the front of the eye, and not on the retina, which is inside and at the back of the eye.

Light is reflected off objects and is refracted by the cornea of your eye.  When the cornea is perfectly shaped, this light will focus directly onto your retina. If the cornea is misshapen, the light will not focus perfectly onto your retina.  This imperfect focus is called refractive error - nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism - and causes doubled vision, blurry vision, or fuzzy images.

LASIK works by reshaping the cornea so that the light will be more perfectly focused onto your retina.  An advanced laser guided by a skillful surgeon removes corneal tissue and changes the cornea’s shape to improve its focus.  The laser affects only the cornea and not the retina; therefore, LASIK does not correct any retinal issues you may be experiencing.  If you have a problem with the retina that affects the quality of your vision, LASIK is almost certainly not the correct option to help that problem.

A board-certified surgeon should carefully analyze your eyes prior to approving you for LASIK surgery. Most of the risks associated with LASIK have been markedly reduced by advances in technology.   The risk of negative effects, such as doubled vision, blurry vision, halos or starbursts, may be increased by operating on less than excellent candidates, but negative effects will occur occasionally despite the best patients, surgeons, equipment, and intentions.  Everyone will experience a degree of dry eye, which resolves in most people without significant difficulty through careful screening and by thoughtful and cooperative management of the postoperative process. EyeClinic of Austin has recently become an accredited Dry Eye Center by using tear osmolarity as the most advanced way to diagnose and manage dry eye symptoms.  We use tear osmolarity to screen for unsuspected dry eye preoperatively and to help us resolve postoperative dry eye more successfully.

To learn more about LASIK and how to find out if you’re a good candidate for laser vision correction, please visit our website.

How Optomap Helps Eye Clinic of Austin Provide Better Eye Care

A Word from Dr. Thomas Henderson

Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the health of the eye and the visual system.  As a physician and a patient, the more I can see, the better I can understand, the better the solution to a problem.

Optomap is a unique, high definition, digital imaging system which combines scanning lasers with a specially shaped (ellipsoidal) mirror to create a panoramic 200 degree image of the retina inside the eye.  The effect of the wide field is like sticking your head inside a doorway and looking at the walls instead of peeking through a keyhole.

Dr.Melanie Prosise often uses the Optomap as a convenience for her patients so that she can see most of the retina without having to dilate pupils.  Dr. Clayton Falknor and I frequently use it to document the important medical details of a particular abnormality of the retina.  The most common photographs are of the optic nerve head for glaucoma, the central retina for dry or wet macular degeneration, the whole retina for diabetic retinopathy, a particular pigmented “freckle”, and other areas of interest.  It is much better to compare detailed photographs after 3 months to detect change quickly, or after a number of years to prove hoped for stability, than to rely upon vague descriptions or drawings in the medical record.  We will soon receive an upgrade to the Optomap image management software that will make this even easier.

The most important use of the Optomap is to improve care by helping me improve my communication with the patient.  For example, in “wet” macular degeneration, I can describe how a new blood vessel has formed under the retina near the line of sight, is leaking blood, causing scar tissue and possible loss of sight.  It is better if I can make a drawing or use a model.  It is the by far the best if I can show a patient a photograph of their eye so they can see the reality of the blood under their central retina, causing distortion and threatening their sight.  In this way we can understand the problem better and develop a better plan together—and ultimately have a better chance for a better result.

The next time you are in, we might use the Optomap to help provide you with better eye care.