What To Expect On Your Next Visit To Your Eye Care Practitioner During COVID-19 Pandemic

Taking care of your health is critical and you may have concerns related to eye health as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The offices of Ophthalmologists and Optometrists are resuming the delivery of comprehensive eye and vision care and implementing new protocols to provide care in a safe and healthy environment.

While changes vary from state-to-state as well as individual practice locations, patients should expect that their eye doctors, like all medical professionals, are adhering to federal, state and local health directives regarding infection prevention measures and implementing appropriate safety procedures to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission within the office. These not only include strict protocols for cleaning and sterilization, but measures to effectively manage patient flow and encourage physical distancing. Patients should expect screenings for symptoms of COVID-19 and taking patients’ temperature upon their arrival at the facility, limiting the number of guests allowed in waiting rooms and requiring everyone to wear a facemask and/or gloves before entering the office.

Prior to the appointment, you should be asked a series of questions such as whether you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, whether you have been exposed to anyone who has an active COVID infection, and whether you have any of the typical symptoms of a COVID-19 infection including fever, cough, shortness of breath, or some impairment of your sense of taste or smell. You may also be asked about recent travel history. If there is a concern that you may have COVID-19 infection, then the appointment may be rescheduled to a later date.

Once you get to the office, you will be interviewed again to see if you have any symptoms suggestive of COVID-19 infection. You may be asked to have your temperature taken with a non-contact thermometer and to wash your hands or scrub your hands with hand sanitizer before entering the office. You may be asked not to bring any family members or assistants with you.

Every patient (and anyone accompanying the patient) is required to wear a mask, and the mask must be worn properly, covering both the nose and mouth. The mask must be worn through the entire visit, and conversations with the doctor or staff will be limited. The tests that are used to monitor glaucoma may be performed with modified protocols to minimize the time you spend at the office.

How to Prepare for Your Eye Doctor Visit

  • Don’t go if you’re feeling sick. If you wake up with a cough or a sore throat, it’s probably best to reschedule your appointment and call your primary physician. Your routine eye exam can wait. Don’t be surprised if someone takes your temperature upon arrival to ensure safety for everyone.
  •  Fill out forms in advance. If possible, fill out your intake forms online before your appointment. This will limit your face-to-face contact and your overall time within the office. Any additional information that’s requested by your doctor can also be done over the phone.
  • Follow social distancing guidelines. There may be new procedures in place to help with social distancing, from markers on the ground indicating where to stand, to a limited number of people allowed in certain areas. Depending upon the office location, you may need to call from your car to check in. Every office is different, so be sure to check with your doctor’s office about their requirements.
  • Go alone to your appointment. Most offices are only allowing the patient to enter the office, with the exception of those who require a caregiver or a guardian to attend the appointment with them. This limits the amount of people going in and out of the office, and helps maintain a more sterile, clean environment.
  • Wear a mask to your appointment. Depending on your state, a mask may either be mandated or highly recommended when you are in public places. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention highly advises people to wear a mask covering their nose and their mouth in order to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

As your eye care doctors begin reopening and operations proceed under a “new normal,” your ophthalmologist and/or optometrist are working to ensure the continued safe delivery of essential eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

To know exactly what to expect during your appointment, call your doctor’s office to find out how to best prepare for your visit.

How to Avoid Your Glasses from Fogging Up While Wearing a Mask

Leaving your house these days means a whole new normal.  Needing to make sure if you have your mask, your gloves, and hand sanitizer? Now because of masks, millions of eyeglass wearers are discovering the annoyance of mask-induced foggy lenses.

Why do glasses fog up in the first place?

Here’s the simple science behind it. When warm air hits a cool surface, condensation can form. When your warm moist breath escapes through the top of the mask, it hits the lenses of your glasses and causes them to fog up. While we can’t control what’s going on around us, the good news is, we can eliminate the foggy glasses problem. Here are a few helpful tips.
 

1. Wash your glasses in soapy water

Wash your glasses or sunglasses lenses with soapy water and shake off the excess moisture. Let your glasses air dry or gently dry the lenses with a clean microfiber cloth.

Using this method, the lenses shouldn’t fog up once you put on the mask and glasses because cleaning the lenses with soapy water leaves thin film. To avoid damage, don’t clean your lenses with products like toothpaste or shaving cream.

 

2. Make sure the mask fits well

When a face mask fits correctly, it should fit snugly against your face. You should not have air going out the top.  A loose-fitting mask lets exhaled air travel toward your glasses, but a snugly fitting mask can shoot that air out of the bottom or sides of the mask and away from your glasses.

If it feels too loose, you can adjust the ear loops or the ties so that the mask fits more snugly. If you feel any air going in or out of your mask, that’s another sign that it’s too loose and needs to be tightened.

For a better fit, use masks equipped with moldable pieces around the nose (such as a metal strip) or masks that come in various sizes.
 

3. Seal/tape your mask (carefully)

Going along the same lines as making sure your mask fits properly, another tip that doctors use is tape to prevent their glasses from fogging up. Be sure to test the tape on a different part of your body to make sure you are not allergic. If you don’t break out in hives or any other concerning symptoms, you can move on to taping your mask. You can use almost any kind of tape, but stay away from duct tape, and packing tape to be safe. Once you’ve found a safe kind of tape, you can tape your mask across the bridge of your nose, as well as across your cheeks.

One important thing to know is if the tape doesn’t work for you, it may be because of any anti-glare, anti-fingerprint, or anti-smudge coatings that you have on your glasses already. There are special antifog wipes for these anti-glare coated lenses (Hilco – OptiPlus Lens Wipes).
 

4. Tuck a small tissue into the mask

Attaching a small tissue to the inside of the mask will absorb moisture that otherwise would find its way to the lenses.  Place a folded tissue at the top of your mask and tape it there.
 

5. Adjust your glasses

If your glasses have nose pads, you can tweak the pads so that the frames sit slightly farther from your face, this will allow that hot air to escape instead of getting trapped between your face and the lenses of the glasses.

By altering the nose pads there may be a slight change in your vision if you wear glasses with progressive lenses or lenses with a strong prescription. If that happens, you might need to hold your head at a different angle to compensate for the vision change.
 

6. Use de-fogging products

Applying over-the-counter anti-fogging sprays, waxes and gels to your non-coated lenses before putting on your glasses can quickly disperse tiny fog droplets when you’re wearing a mask. Some work better with different body chemistry, so you may need to try a few brands to see which one works best for you. 

Do not use anti-fogging products made for cars or other purposes, as they may ruin your prescription lenses.
 

7. Breathe downward

Well, it might be awkward, but breathing downward can be a quick anti-fog fix, this sends the air away from your glasses. Breath downward by holding your upper lip over your lower lip. Then blow air downward, as if you’re playing a flute.
 

8. Check Out Anti-Fog Lenses

For a more permanent solution, you could consider buying lenses made with anti-fog coating that gives you a hassle-free answer to foggy lenses, regardless of whether the obstructed vision is triggered by a face mask or something else.

Where The Land Meets The Sea 

On Robert Louis Stevenson’s first visit to the Monterey Peninsula of California he was overwhelmed by its vistas and beauty.  He wrote to friends that what he had observed was the perfect confluence of land and sea.  

At this writing I am vacationing with my family in a home that sits on the very same beach that allowed Stevenson the awesome privilege of observing the horseshoe of Carmel Bay with Point Lobos rising out of the morning fog in the distance.  

My daughter Blythe holds binoculars up to her eyes and watches a family of otters play joyously in and out of the kelp.  They’re not alone.  My wife Patty is laughing as she checks out a group of sea lions in their own game of tag, and the sound of their barking makes me smile.  Later that day I’ll hear the appreciative ooh and aah of my family as they watch the sun knife its way into the ocean with its promise to rise again in the morning. 

We’ve had our dinner and my son Tom tells me about the stars that dot the sky.  “Dad” he says, “I wish you could see them.”  There’s the constant North Star that always serves sailors on a dark night along with the supporting cast of constellations lead by Scorpio.  I can hear the love in Tom’s voice when he again says, “I’d give anything if you could just look at all this beauty Dad.”   

I must confess that I’d like to wish on those stars and maybe have my vision for oh-let’s say-one day.  I think I’d start with the faces of the people I love and then move on taking in nature and all its glory.  It would mean so much if I could see the innocence of a beautiful child’s smiling face.  If I am lucky, there might be a rain shower followed by all the colors of a rainbow. 

I am not complaining, I’ve enjoyed a world of four senses that most of you never take the time to truly appreciate.  On this vacation I am on sensory overload with smell, taste, sound, and touch.  So again, let me reiterate that I am not complaining.  What I’ve come to understand is that sight is the dominant sense.  It offers all of you a perspective on the world that I can only imagine.   

So, the old chestnut really is true.  Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder and at the Discovery Eye Foundation, our researchers work tirelessly every day to ensure that you and those you love have the chance to consider and appreciate all of the beauty that surrounds us. 

With your help our efforts will continue to preserve vision and eliminate blindness for people around the world. 

Donate today to help support the Discovery Eye Foundation! 

DonateNow

Tom Sullivan
DEF’s Ambassador of Vision
sullivanvision.com

Blinking – Why is it so important?

Blinking is something we all do every minute, whether we think about it or not. The average person blinks 15-20 times per minute, or about 1,200 times per hour.

So why do we unconsciously move our eyelids over our eyeballs so many times? Because it’s extremely important for your eyes and vision.

Although you may not think of blinking as a major component of your health care routine, if you didn’t blink for extended periods you’d be at higher risk of eye infection.  You would also have uncomfortable, dry eyes and would have decreased clarity of vision. The most important benefit of blinking is that it cleans the surface of your eye of any debris and washes it away with fresh tears. The thin coating of tears helps sharpen your vision, clearing and brightening the image your retina receives. Blinking also nourishes your eye with oxygen and nutrients, keeping your eyes healthy and comfortable.

Blinking wipes and renews your tear film, the smooth, moist layer covering our eyeballs.

The tears have 3 important layers.  The inner most is the mucous layer that contains ‘mucins’ to keep the tears attached to the surface cells of the cornea.  This material is produced by ‘goblet cells’ in the conjunctiva.  The next layer is aqueous or ‘water-like’ that is produced by the lacrimal gland located in the upper-outer quadrant of the eye region. Finally, the outer layer is lipid or ‘oil-like’ that prevents the other layers from evaporating. These lipids are produced by tiny glands along the lid margins, next to the eyelashes.  If any of these layers are absent or abnormal, then the cornea becomes vulnerable to damage.

The tears contain many protein components such as lysozyme, which function like natural antibiotics. The tear film also contains many nutrients and amino acids to nourish the cells of the cornea, which is the clear, dome-like structure on the front of the eye.

Besides keeping your eyes lubricated, the tear film also:

  • Helps form an almost perfectly smooth front optical surface on the cornea helping light to focus properly.
  • Washes away debris.
  • Transfers oxygen from the atmosphere to the cornea, since the cornea lacks blood vessels to deliver it directly.
  • Provides a pathway for white blood cells when there is an injury to the eye’s surface.
  • Prevents infection due to presence of lysozyme and other antibacterial enzymes.

Your eyelids also play a significant role, aside from protecting your eye and keeping things dark while you sleep. There is also a slight horizontal movement of the eyelid that pushes debris toward the tear ducts, which are the small openings at the inner corners of the eyes through which tears drain into your nose. That is why your nose runs when you cry.

Blinking exercises are a great way to keep your eyes moist. Blinking stimulates tear production and gives our eyes a chance to wash away any debris that has accumulated on the surface of the eye. Individuals who spend a lot of time on the computer or reading a lot tend to blink less often than they should. Therefore, if your eyes feel dry and irritated when using the computer or reading, then look away and do the following blinking exercises.

Blinking Exercises for Dry and Irritated Eyes:

  1. Close your eyes quickly and tightly. Squeeze your facial muscles around your eyes for three to five seconds. Open your eyes slowly and relax your facial muscles. Keep your eyes open for another three to five seconds and repeat the squeezing process five to seven times.
  2. Use the 10-10 rule and every 10 minutes look at away from your computer and intentionally blink 10 times. Then resume your activities.

June is Cataract Awareness Month

June is Cataract Awareness Month. This is a time to raise cataract awareness and help to educate people about one of the leading causes of treatable vision loss in the United States. There are 24 million Americans over the age of 40 who are affected by cataracts, so it seems fitting that an entire month should be dedicated to cataract education and awareness.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens, which blocks or changes the passage of light into the eye. The lens of the eye is located behind the pupil and the colored iris, and is normally transparent. Vision may become blurry or dim because the cataract stops light from properly passing through to the retina. Generally, a cataract does not cause pain, redness or tearing, but does cause increasing difficulty in seeing clearly.

 

Here is an overview of Cataracts:

View Video

 

Cataract symptoms:

  • Cloudy
  • Night vision
  • Glare
  • Halo
  • New glasses
  • Yellow tint
  • Double vision

Some Risk factors for cataracts include:

  • Older age
  • Intense heat or long-term exposure to UV rays from the sun
  • Certain diseases, such as diabetes
  • Inflammation in the eye
  • Hereditary influences
  • Long-term steroid use
  • Eye injuries
  • Eye diseases
  • Smoking

Cataracts can be easily diagnosed and visiting your eye doctor regularly is important in helping protect your eyes from further damage. An annual eye exam is recommended for everyone over the age of 60, and bi-annual exams for adults between 41-60 years to check for developing eye or vision problems.

 

There are a few treatment options, below is one of the newest options:
View Video

 

There is no proven way to prevent age-related cataracts. However, choosing a healthy lifestyle can slow the progression of cataracts. Some ways to delay the progression of cataracts include avoiding smoking, reducing exposure to UV rays, eating healthy foods, and wearing proper eye protection to avoid eye injury.

For more information and where you can find support for Cataracts click here .

Coronavirus and Your Eyes: What you should know

Coronavirus (COVID-19) can cause mild to severe respiratory illness. Symptoms such as fever, cough, shortness of breath and pink eye can show up 2 to 14 days after a person is exposed. People with severe infections can develop pneumonia and even die from complications of the illness.

To cut your personal risk of contracting the COVID-19, avoid touching your eyes, nose, mouth and face with unwashed hands. It is the mucous membranes (membranes that line various cavities in the body) that are most susceptible to transmission of the virus.

To avoid infecting others with the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended the use of face masks to be worn when out in public. Face masks can reduce the spread of coronavirus by people who are infected but have no symptoms of the virus (asymptomatic). Face masks, however, do not protect your eyes from infection.

Here are a few tips on how to protect yourself and others:

1. Practice safe hygiene and social distancing — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offer these general guidelines to slow the spread of disease:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and hot water for at least 20 seconds. (Singing Happy Birthday twice is about 20 seconds)
  •  You should especially wash your hands before eating, after using the restroom, sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose.
  • If you can’t get to a sink, use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your face — particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • If you cough or sneeze, cover your face with your elbow or a tissue. If you use a tissue, throw it away promptly. Then go wash your hands.
  • Avoid close contact with sick people. If you think someone has a respiratory infection, it’s safest to stay 6 feet away.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Regularly disinfect commonly touched surfaces and items in your house, such as doorknobs, refrigerator door handles and counter tops.

2. Coronavirus may cause pink eye, so avoid touching eye discharge — Someone may have pink eye but it doesn’t mean that person is infected with coronavirus. But a recent study suggests that up to one third of people hospitalized with coronavirus experience eye problems, such as viral pink eye or conjunctivitis. It’s important to know that the virus can spread by touching fluid from an infected person’s eyes, or from objects that carry the fluid.

3. Avoid rubbing your eyes — We all tend to do it and natural habits can be hard to break but doing so will lower your risk of infection. Use a tissue instead of your fingers when you feel the urge to rub your eye or even to adjust your glasses. Dry eyes can lead to more rubbing, so consider adding moisturizing drops to your eye routine. If you must touch your eyes for any reason wash your hands first with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Then wash them again afterwards.

4. If you wear contact lenses, consider switching to glasses for a while — There’s no evidence that wearing contact lenses increases your risk of coronavirus infection although contact lens wearers touch their eyes more than the average person. Substituting glasses for contacts can decrease irritation and will lower the chances of you touching your eye. If you choose to continue wearing contact lenses, follow these hygiene tips.

5. Make sure you are well supplied on eye medicine prescriptions if you can — During this pandemic experts have advised patients to stock up on critical medications, enough to get by if you are quarantined or if supplies become limited. If your insurance allows you to get more than 1 month of essential eye medicine, such as glaucoma drops, you should do so. Some insurers will approve a 3-month supply of medication in times of natural disaster. Ask your pharmacist or ophthalmologist for help if you have trouble getting approval from your insurance company. Don’t wait until the last minute to contact your pharmacy, request a refill as soon as you’re due.

 

IF YOU’RE NOT FEELING WELL – Call your family doctor. If you suspect you may have pink eye (conjunctivitis), call an eye doctor near you. It is suggested that patients not go directly to medical or eye care facilities without a prior phone call to help to decrease the possible spread of the virus. A phone call allows the health facility to prepare for your visit and diagnose and treat you in a proper manner.
You may feel nervous about going to the doctor’s office during this pandemic. But treatment for eye emergencies should not be delayed. Ophthalmologists, like all medical professionals, follow strict hygiene and disinfection guidelines.

Ophthalmologists are available to treat urgent eye issues, deliver eye injections and provide critical care. Call your ophthalmologist or other medical doctor as soon as possible in the following situations:

  • You have macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy and get regular eye injections.
  • You notice changes in your vision (like blurry, wavy or blank spots in your field of vision).
  • You experience an eye injury, even if it seems minor.
  • You suddenly lose some vision.
  • You have eye pain, headache, red eye, nausea and vomiting.

Protect yourself and the eye care team by following these precautions:

  • Wear a mask to a medical appointment. The mask should cover your nose and mouth.
  • If you have a cough or a fever, or have been in close contact with someone who has these symptoms, you must call your doctor’s office ahead of time and let them know. After you speak with the health care profession, it may be decided that your visit is not an emergency, and you can be treated at home. If you arrive sick at the doctor’s office, you should wear a protective covering or mask, and they may want you to wait in a special room away from other patients.
  • If you need to cough or sneeze during your exam, move back from the microscope. Bury your face in the crook of your arm or cover your face with a tissue. Wash your hands with soap and water right away.

For more Coronavirus information visit: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus

For more information about the Discovery Eye Foundations new research for Coronavirus vaccine visit: www.discoveryeye.org/covid-19-emergency-research/

WARZONE

A SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM DEF’S AMBASSADOR OF VISION

At this writing, the death toll from CoronaVirus (COVID-19) has just surpassed 60,000 with over 1 million cases reported in the US. It is almost impossible to comprehend the scope of this horrific pandemic, and the price that is being paid by healthcare professionals along with so many families who are unable to say goodbye to their loved ones who have often been forced to die alone.

At the same time, it was striking to learn that the four month death toll from the virus has just eclipsed the number of lives lost in the entire Vietnam War. We have heard the pandemic described as a war fought against a hidden enemy. While healthcare professionals confront the enemy in overcrowded hospitals across our country, there are others working just as hard in search of solutions that will allow us to return to our treasured normal way of life.

Researchers are quiet heroes laboring in laboratories in virtual anonymity, but with the same urgency as the healthcare professionals serving on the front lines of the battlefield. Whether it is in search of a vaccine or of a drug that may increase the possibility of overcoming the virus, the Discovery Eye Foundation is presently funding some of the critical efforts. As in past wars, all of us must do our part in the effort to defeat an enemy that continues its death march across the entire American landscape. No city or town, state or county, is immune from the icy hand of this most Grim Reaper.

I was attending college at the height of the Vietnam War, and I remember watching the evening news as the death toll continued to mount. Somehow, I found myself numb and somewhat insulated even as the numbers of casualties kept rising. It all changed when two of my friends from high school were lost during the 1968 Tet Offensive. Death became oh-so-real. We cannot allow the constant media exposure to dampen our awareness and our commitment to finding a cure and achieving complete victory in this all-out war.

When you contribute to Discovery Eye Foundations COVID-19 Emergency Fund, your funds go directly into the hands of the researchers. Even more important, their work will begin immediately. Your generosity has allowed us to be difference makers in the preservation of vision. Please join us as we enter the fight and turn our attention to finding answers to this most lethal and present danger.

To help the Discovery Eye Foundation join the fight against COVID-19, donate today!

DonateNow

Tom Sullivan
DEF’s Ambassador of Vision
sullivanvision.com

10 TOP EYE HEALTHY FOODS

Are you eating the foods that are best for your eyes? Eating a diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains can help not only your heart but also your eyes. This isn’t surprising: Your eyes rely on tiny arteries for oxygen and nutrients, just as the heart relies on much larger arteries. Keeping those arteries healthy will help your eyes.

Do your eyes have all the nutrients they need to help prevent cataracts, macular degeneration, glaucoma and other sight issues?

Read on to learn which foods boost your eye health and help protect against sight-threatening diseases.

 

1. FISH

Many fish are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Oily fish are fish that have oil in their gut and body tissue, so eating them offers higher levels of omega-3-rich fish oil. The fish that contains the most beneficial levels of omega-3s include:

        • Tuna
        • Salmon
        • Trout
        • Mackerel
        • Sardines
        • Herring
        • Anchovies

 

2. NUTS & LEGUMES

Some studies have found that fish oil can reverse dry eye, including dry eye caused by spending too much time on a computer.

Nuts are also rich in omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts also contain a high level of vitamin E, which can protect the eye from age-related damage.

Nuts and legumes that are good for eye health include:

        • Walnuts
        • Brazil nuts
        • Cashews
        • Peanuts
        • Lentils

 

3. SEEDS

Like nuts and legumes, seeds are high in omega-3s and are a rich source of vitamin E.

Seeds high in omega-3 include:

      • Chia seeds
      • Flax seeds
      • Hemp seeds

 

 

4. CITRUS FOODS

Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C.  Just like vitamin E, vitamin C is an antioxidant that is recommended to fight age-related eye damage.

Vitamin C-rich citrus fruits include:

        • Lemons
        • Oranges
        • Grapefruits

 

5. DARK LEAFY VEGETABLES

Leafy green vegetables are rich in both lutein and zeaxanthin, can reduce the risk of age-related sight loss and are also a good source of eye-friendly vitamin C.

Well-known leafy greens include:

        • Spinach
        • Kale
        • Collards

 

6. CARROTS

Carrots are rich in both Vitamin A and beta carotene. Beta carotene gives carrots their orange color.

Vitamin A plays an essential role in vision. It is a component of a protein called rhodopsin, which helps the retina to absorb light.

Research on beta carotene’s role in vision is mixed, though the body needs this nutrient to make vitamin A.

 

7. SWEET POTATOES

Like carrots, sweet potatoes are rich in beta carotene. They are also a good source of the antioxidant vitamin E.

 

 

 

 

8. BEEF

Beef is rich in zinc, which has been linked to better long-term eye health. Zinc can help delay age-related sight loss and macular degeneration.

The eye itself contains high levels of zinc, particularly in the retina, and the vascular tissue surrounding the retina.

Meats such as chicken breast and pork loin also contain        zinc, but at lower levels than beef.

 

9. EGGS

Eggs are an excellent source of lutein and zeaxanthin, which can reduce the risk of age-related sight loss. Eggs are also good sources of vitamins C and E, and zinc.

 

 

 

 

10. WATER

It may come as no surprise that a fluid essential to life is also vital to eye health.

Drinking plenty of water can prevent dehydration, which may reduce the symptoms of dry eyes.

 

 

 

A healthy diet is essential for eye health. Maintaining a diet high in antioxidants can prevent the development of serious eye conditions and ensure your eyes work their best.

Try to eat a variety of whole, unprocessed foods on a daily basis. See your doctor if you experience problems with your eyes, as early intervention can prevent more serious conditions from developing.

Click here for eye healthy recipes – EYE COOK
Here you will find recipes that are rich with vitamins and nutrients for better vision and health! 

OUR EYES WORK LIKE CAMERA’S!

The inner workings of the human eye are complex, but at the same time, fascinating. Have you wondered how exactly they do work or what are the major parts of the eyeball involved in creating vision? Let’s find out.

These tiny cameras spend every day processing millions of pieces of information at lightning fast speeds, and turn them into the simple images we see almost instantly.

In reality, this process is anything but simple. The eye has several distinct parts, each of which has specific responsibilities that work together like a machine.

The eyeball is just like a camera. In fact, human eyes are part of a classification known as “camera-type eyes.” And just like a camera, it can’t function without the presence of light.  As light hits the eyes, it’s focused by the eye in a way similar to a camera lens. This process allows the images we see to appear clear and sharp rather than blurry.

There are specific parts of the eye that make this focusing process possible. Each beam of light that hits the eye goes through a series of steps:

Step 1: Light passes through a thin layer of moisture

Step 2: Light hits the cornea.  The cornea is transparent, and is the first layer to begin focusing light within the eye. The cornea is connected to the sclera, which is a tough fiber on the outside of the eye that acts as protection.

Step 3: Behind the cornea is another liquid layer known as the aqueous humor, and its job is to maintain pressure levels in the front of the eye as light is passing through.

Step 4: Once light has passed through the aqueous humor, it has finally reached the pupil. The pupil is the round entryway of the colored iris.

Step 5: Once the pupil determines how much light it will let inside your eye, the job passes to the lens. The lens factors in the amount of light the pupil lets in, and figures out how far away you are from the object that the light is reflecting off of, or the object you’re trying to see. From there, the lens focuses your image into an accurate view of what you’re looking at. Part of this process is controlled by muscles in the lens called ciliary muscles, which expand and contract to pull on the lens and allow it to focus properly.

Step 6: As light reaches the center of the eye passes through another layer of moisture, called the vitreous, or vitreous humor. Then, it reaches the final stop in the process: The Retina.

The retina is the back of the eye. If the lens in your eye is most like a camera, the retina is most like its film – this is where the final product is projected. The retina has several parts:

  • Macula: The center of the retina. The center point of the macula is called the fovea, and it has the most photoreceptors and nerve endings of any part of the eye.
  • Photoreceptors: Split into two designations – rods and cones.
    • Cones are in the macula. When there is bright light, cones provide clear, sharp central vision and detect colors and fine details.
    • Rods are located outside the macula and extend all the way to the outer edge of the retina. They provide peripheral or side vision. Rods also allow the eyes to detect motion and help us see in dim light and at night.

  • Retinal pigment epithelium: Abbreviated RPE, this is a tissue layer below the rods and cones which absorbs any extra, unneeded light.
  • Choroid: The choroid is behind the retina, and is in charge of making sure the retina and RPE have enough nutrition flowing from small blood vessels.

Once the photoreceptors have converted light into an electronic signal, they send a signal to the brain’s visual command center and you have vision. It’s amazing what even small parts of our bodies can do.

 

How the Eye Works

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month

National Glaucoma Awareness Month reminds all of us to get regular eye exams and show support for those suffering from this condition.  Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness.  Glaucoma is often called “the sneak thief of sight” because glaucoma has few symptoms or warning signs in its early stages. It can be diagnosed only by a full eye exam by an eye care practitioner.

Glaucoma is a disease where pressure builds up and damages the eye’s optic nerve. Types of this disease include the common Primary Open Angle Glaucoma, which causes peripheral eyesight to slowly diminish and is age-related. Angle Closure Glaucoma, where the fluid drainage system is narrow and closed so that the aqueous fluid remains in the front chamber of the eye and intraocular pressure rises; and Low Tension Glaucoma, where the optic nerve becomes damaged in spite of the intraocular pressures being within the normal range. There’s currently no way to restore vision lost from glaucoma because once the nerve cells become damaged, they do not regenerate.

 

A few important facts you should know about Glaucoma in adults:

  • More patients than ever are affected – Over 3 million people in the U.S. have glaucoma, and the number is rising.
  • Glaucoma can affect people of all ages – The most common form of glaucoma, Primary Open Angle Glaucoma, becomes more prevalent with increasing age. However, glaucoma can strike anyone, even infants and children but it is rare.
  • Demographics do play a role – Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness among African Americans; it’s also highly prevalent in Hispanics over the age 65.
  • Is glaucoma hereditary? The risk of developing Primary Open–Angle Glaucoma is up to nine times more likely if parents or siblings have the disease.
  • Hope for future glaucoma patients – Although there is no cure for any form of glaucoma, early diagnosis and treatment help control the disease and slow the process of vision loss or blindness.

Newer Glaucoma Treatments 

Glaucoma treatment usually begins with the use of topical (eye drop) medications which lower the intraocular pressure. Within the past two years, two new topical medications have been approved for the treatment of glaucoma: VYZULTA® and Rhopressa®. VYZULTA® is a modification of a class of medications currently used to treat glaucoma – the prostaglandin analogs. This drug helps lower intraocular pressure by increasing the drainage of fluid (aqueous humor) from the eye.

Rhopressa® is part of a new class of drugs used to treat glaucoma called Rho kinase inhibitors. Rhopressa®, like VYZULTA®, also lowers intraocular pressure by increasing aqueous outflow. Both Rhopressa® and VYZULTA® are dosed once daily and pose few, if any, systemic safety concerns.
 

Laser

Using a laser to make a small opening in the iris to help with fluid drainage usually cures Angle-Closure Glaucoma.  This procedure is called a laser peripheral iridotomy.

For Primary Open Angel Glaucoma, when eye drops are not enough to reduce the pressure then a procedure called Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty (SLT) can be used. The SLT reduces intraocular pressure by stimulating increased outflow of fluid from the eye. SLT offers an improved safety profile compared to older glaucoma laser therapies and may lower eye pressure by as much as 20 to 30 percent. It is typically used as the next step in patients whose glaucoma is uncontrolled on medical therapy. Because of its excellent benefit-to-risk profile, however, SLT can sometimes be used in place of medications, especially in patients who have difficulty with their eye drops.
 

Surgery

When other treatments fail, there are many surgical therapies to lower the eye pressure. These surgical approaches, which are riskier than medical therapy or lasers, are usually employed when non-surgical means do not work well enough to stop vision loss.
 

MIGS

The goal of Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) is to reduce intraocular pressure by enhancing the eye’s own internal aqueous humor drainage system. Some MIGS can be performed as stand-alone procedures, while others are typically done along with cataract surgery in patients with visually significant cataracts and mild to moderate glaucoma.

There are now a variety of recently FDA approved MIGS available for use in this country. MIGS typically are performed through a small incision in the eye with minimal tissue trauma and offer a favorable safety profile as well as more rapid visual recovery than traditional glaucoma surgery. There are many well qualified glaucoma specialists that perform the MIGS procedure.

 

Glaucoma Treatment Overview


 

National Glaucoma Awareness Month reminds all of us to get regular eye exams. Don’t let glaucoma steal your sight!  The best way to protect your sight is to get an annual comprehensive eye examination.

Thanks to funding from private philanthropists, DEF’s research continues to make great strides toward cures and treatment for glaucoma.  If you would like to support DEF’s sight saving research please donate today!

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