As the baby boomer population begins to age, so too do their eyes. Now in their late 50’s and into their 60’s, many are developing cataracts, a common occurrence which affects 50% of the U.S. population by age 80.
“What we are finding is baby boomers with cataracts are typically still employed, and they want to return to work as quickly as possible,” explained ophthalmologist Thomas Henderson, M.D. “Laser cataract surgery provides not only greater precision, but also quick recovery for patients. Many patients comment on how soon they were able to return to life as normal.”
Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness worldwide. A cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Symptoms of cataracts may include cloudy or blurry vision, colors seem faded, glare, a halo may appear around lights, poor night vision, double vision, and frequent prescription changes in your eyeglasses or contact lenses.
 |
| Normal Vision |
 |
| Vision with Cataract |
Ophthalmologist Clayton Falknor, M.D. offered, “Baby boomers are more interested than prior generations in achieving partial or complete glasses independence after cataract surgery. With the benefits of laser cataract surgery and advances in lens implant technologies, such as toric lenses for astigmatism management and multifocal lenses for reduced need for reading glasses, this outcome is increasingly encountered.”
To determine if you have cataracts, you should contact your eye doctor and schedule a comprehensive dilated eye exam. In addition to cataracts, your eye doctor can check for other age-related issues such as macular degeneration and glaucoma. Early detection and treatment for eye diseases may save your sight.
SOURCE: http://www.nei.nih.gov/health/cataract/cataract_facts.asp
A red, inflamed eyelid could be caused by an infection at the root of the eyelashes – that is a stye. More commonly though, a red, swollen eyelid is caused by an infection of the oil gland in the cartilage plate that reinforces the back of the eyelid. This is called a chalazion. Chalazions are much more common than styes – perhaps 10 times more common.
The initial treatment for a stye or a chalazion is heat for 10 minutes, four times a day, for two days. If the problem is not resolved in two days and especially if it is a chalazion, it needs intense antibiotic treatment to kill the infection quickly.
A stye will disappear on its own if antibiotics are started by day 3, but chalazions will form scar tissue in the cartilage plate within the first five days. Then there will be a lump present on the lid for many months, perhaps even a year or more. Once the scar tissue forms, the only treatment is to cut out the scar tissue. It is far better to treat early if you do not want an ugly lump and a minor office surgery.
If you have a growth or swelling of any kind on your eyelids, make an appointment with your ophthalmologist.
Some research indicates sun exposure has the potential for damage to the lens and retina of the eye.
Aside from that, the white of the eye can be affected as well. The most common issues are pinguecula, pterygium and, more rarely, cancer.
Pinguecula may appear as a raised yellowish or grayish bump on the inner or outer side of the white of the eye. It may occasionally be irritated or dry out and make contact lens wear less comfortable. In and of themselves, they are not dangerous and we can treat the inflammation and drying effectively with topical eye drops. The only way to remove them is surgically, which is rarely necessary unless they become a concern cosmetically.
Pterygium is another benign growth on the inner and outer whites of the eye. They are vascularized growths that creep onto the colored portion of the eye. Pterygium may affect vision by inducing astigmatism or, if quite large, may even block vision directly. They also can be easily irritated and surgery is necessary to remove them.
Pinguecula and Pterygium are most common in people who spend a lot of time outdoors. Wearing good sunglasses with UVA, B and C protection is important to prevent them. If you develop a growth on your eye, make an appointment with your eye doctor.
If you have ever noticed that you can see more looking through an open doorway than you can see looking through the door’s peephole, you will understand why we dilate pupils.
When the pupil is small, we cannot see the details of the lens and the view of the retina is compromised. When we cannot see, we cannot adequately follow the progress of conditions such as diabetes, cataracts, macular degeneration, and the risk of retinal tears and detachments in the peripheral retina and we may miss important details that could lead to loss of vision.
We also dilate to understand a potential source of error in eyeglass prescriptions. Individuals with astigmatism or who are far-sighted tend to overfocus. When we dilate the pupil, we can relax that tendency and get a more accurate and comfortable prescription for eyeglasses.
We do not have anything to replace pupil dilation completely, but we have a partial substitute with the OPTOMAP — photography that gives a 210-degree view of the inside of the eye or 80% of the retina. This allows us to see somethings in better detail than a dilated exam, but there is still 20% we cannot see. At least every other year, we still need to dilate to look at the details of the lens that the OPTOMAP cannot see.
It should be noted that OPTOMAP, when used to avoid dilation, is not covered by insurance and you may pay out of pocket for the convenience of no dilation. In summary, though it may be inconvenient and a bit uncomfortable, dilation allows us to take better care of your eyes.
Historically, a cataract was ready to remove when it was “ripe.” This antiquated term was used to delay surgery until the cataract was advanced. Thankfully, that era has passed. Today, wonderful improvements in both cataract surgery and lens implants, including laser cataract surgery, routinely provide excellent vision, (often without glasses, depending upon the implant).
Medicare pays for cataract surgery when vision is 20/40 or worse. If cataracts interfere with something important, such as driving or reading, Medicare may pay for surgery earlier. The key is that the symptoms must be caused by the cataract, interfere with important life activities and must not be correctable by simpler means such as new glasses.
If your vision is worse than 20/40 but meets your needs, a delay in cataract surgery usually will not harm your eye or make the surgery more difficult. Medicare has recently found that cataract surgery by itself reduces the risk of falling and breaking a hip by 20%. Do not wait so long that your cataract is visible or “ripe” in the old sense and risk breaking a hip. Instead, see your eye doctor regularly to monitor your cataract, and when the time is right, enjoy your best possible vision for the rest of your life.
The lens inside your eye is normally clear at birth and leaves the pupil dark. The lens gradually loses its transparency as we age. The increasing whiteness of the lens, visible in the pupil in advanced cases, is a cataract.
There is a genetic component to cataract formation, and there clearly is an aging component. Extensive exposure to sunlight, smoking, poor diets, and disease, such as diabetes, play a role in the growth of cataracts.
However, there are factors that might help prevent a cataract or at least slow its growth.
It is not practical to try to choose your parents or not get older. But, it would be good to wear a hat and/or sunglasses outdoors, eat an ideal diet, and consider vitamin and antioxidant supplementation. Also, do not smoke or drink to excess and do control any other chronic diseases well, especially diabetes.
Most people as they age have some degree of cataract and many of these limit vision and lifestyle by creating significant glare when driving or loss of fine detail at distance or near. Fortunately, cataract surgery can restore excellent visual function and, depending upon the options chosen, can reduce the need to wear glasses at distance or near.
If you are concerned that you may have cataract, seek an evaluation by an ophthalmologist who offers the latest options. At the Eye Clinic of Austin, we seek to offer you the options that we believe will be best you and for your vision—the same that we would choose for our family or ourselves in similar circumstances.
The short answer is: They have the same main ingredient in the same amount and concentration. The long answer adds: Nothing else in the bottle needs to be the same. So they might be equally effective as the branded, nearly as effective, or less effective than the branded.
It's much like comparing two different brands of vanilla ice cream. To be vanilla ice cream, it must contain vanilla. But every brand has a different recipe leading to subtle changes in texture and taste. Those subtle differences might affect the most important measurement: how much you like that ice cream. Likely, you have a real favorite, maybe Blue Bell, not just any generic vanilla ice cream.
Branded eye drops must go through a very expensive FDA approval process to get on the market. The reason the generics are less expensive is that they are required only to have the same concentration of the active ingredient. They do not have to prove they are as effective as the brand name. This makes for a difference in price and probable differences in effectiveness. Less effect is important in many patients and critical in some. Because neither you nor I have control over which generic is dispensed to you, control of your problem may vary over time.
Sometimes any vanilla ice cream is OK, but usually your favorite is best. Cost is important; so is proven effectiveness. Choose wisely. If you're experiencing chronic dry eye though, then make an appointment with your ophthalmologist to determine if you have dry eye disease.
