Best Wishes From Discovery Eye Foundation

As 2015 draws to a close, we want to thank you for reading this blog and trusting us to answer your questions. This blog is the product of a great group of eye care professionals and Discovery Eye Foundation (DEF) staff. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to DEF to show your appreciation.

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New year 2016 and old year 2015 written on sandy beach with waves

We look forward to continuing to provide you with the most current information on vision, eye diseases, resources and personal stories in 2016.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy 2016!

12/29/15

Susan DeRemerSusan DeRemer, CFRE
Vice President of Development
Discovery Eye Foundation

#GivingTuesday for Discovery Eye Foundation

Four years ago #GivingTuesday was started to use some of the focus on holiday shopping and direct donations to charities that had been providing services, information, education, research, etc. to benefit people throughout the year. It was a way for people to show appreciation and support for nonprofit organizations that had helped them or engaged in something they were passionate about.

giving for eye research

Discovery Eye Foundation started this blog almost two years ago to provide consistently updated information on vision, eye health, nutrition and other eye-related information to people with eye diseases or those that wanted to keep their eyes healthy. DEF is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been supporting eye research since 1971. Hopefully, you have enjoyed reading this blog and found the information and comments useful.

In honor of #GivingTuesday, please show your support for this blog and DEF eye research by making a donation today!

Thank you.

11/30/15

Susan DeRemerSusan DeRemer, CFRE
Vice President of Development
Discovery Eye Foundation

Corneal Transplant Surgery Terms Defined

The following list of corneal transplant surgery terms is provided by the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF) website. They have more information on corneal transplants, as well as being a leader in information on keratoconus.

Corneal Transplant Surgery Terms Defined

Medical terminology is a language of its own. It can be confusing and alarming if you don’t know what the words mean. This will help you sort out the language of transplant surgery.
corneal transplant-original size
Atopic or Atopy – conditions associated with allergy like: asthma, eczema, hayfever

Decentration – off centered position

Donor tissue – the part of the cornea that is transplanted. The eye tissue removed upon a donor’s death for transplantation.

Epikeratophakia – a thin disk of donor cornea is sutured to the patient’s cornea after the patient’s epithelium (top layer) has been removed to add thickness.

Filaments – string or ribbon-like threads of epithelial cells and mucous that attach to the outer surface of the cornea.

Graft-host junction – where the donor cornea and patient’s cornea meet and are sutured.

Host tissue – cornea of the patient, the part of the patient’s cornea that is left in place when the central portion is removed to be replaced with the donor tissue.

Hydrops – a condition in which the back surface of a thin cornea ruptures, allowing fluid to waterlog the cornea, making it opaque instead of clear.

Keratic precipitates (KPs) – inflammatory cells that adhere to the innermost layer of the cornea and signal a rejection episode.

Kerato – (prefix) pertaining to the cornea

Keratometer – a device used to measure corneal curvature.
corneal structure
Keratomileusis – patient’s cornea is removed, frozen, reshaped on a computer assisted lathe- then returned to it’s original position.

Keratophakia – the surgical removal part of the surface of the cornea and its replacement with a donor cornea that is reshaped and transplanted to the patient’s cornea.

Keratoplasty – (corneal transplant) is the excision of all layers of the central portion of the cornea and replacement with a clear cornea from a human donor.

Lamellar Keratoplasty – (Non-Penetrating Keratoplasty) the outer two thirds of the cornea is removed and replaced with donor cornea.

LASIK – “laser assisted in situ keratomileusis.” It is a refractive surgery procedure for the correction vision in which a thin layer of the front of the cornea is lifted surgically and the underlying cornea is reshaped using an excimer laser. It is not a procedure applicable to keratoconus.

Penetrating Keratoplasty – (corneal transplant) full thickness layers of the cornea are replaced with a full thickness layer from a donor. The entire thickness of cornea is removed and replaced by full thickness donor corneal tissue.

Sutures – stitches, usually of a nylon material that are used to sew the new cornea tissue in place.

Trephine – a surgical instrument, a cutting tool, used to make a precise circular cut in tissue.

8/6/15


Cathy Warren, RNCatherine Warren, RN
Executive Director
National Keratoconus Foundation
A program of the Discovery Eye Foundation

The Emotional Toll of Keratoconus

The stories that people share about their vision loss help remind everyone not to take your vision for granted. The following article is from the Keratoconus Group Blog, and is used with their permission. It reveals the emotional toll of keratoconus, while trying to find the most comfortable treatment option that will allow you to see.

A New Lease on Life

My keratoconus story begins just as one major life event ended and another was just starting.

Rene and family - emotional toll of keratoconus,
Rene Vasquez with his son Ernie and Wife Jennifer

I finished my dissertation and successfully defended it in June of 2007 then set off across the country with my then girlfriend (now wife) to start new jobs. Everything was on the upswing and all appeared normal. However, it had been about a year since my last visit to the optometrist and being in a new place, I had to go through the dubious task of finding one.

I ended up getting an appointment with the optometrist at our local Walmart as I had broken my only pair of glasses and needed a quick replacement. The visit was going normal (or so I thought) until he came back into the exam room after checking on something. It was with a grave expression that he told me that he noted some concerning findings and I should probably speak with someone who had more experience with keratoconus.

For the next hour or so, I was in a panic that I was going blind. That is until I got online to get more details on what this was all about. After reading into the late evening, a great many eye-related issues over the past several years suddenly made sense. I immediately recalled my many complaints about my night time driving becoming more bothersome because oncoming headlights were blinding. It was on the many forums where I first learned of the terms halos and ghosting, which I would become all too familiar with in subsequent years. Lastly, I had tried to switch from glasses to soft contact lenses roughly a year before my move and was not able to do it. I didn’t know it then but my left contact kept sliding off because of my enlarged cone. In retrospect, I still cannot fathom how my optometrist did not recognize the symptoms.

After a little research, I found a local optometrist who had experience with KC. He basically wanted to put me in RGP lenses and call it a day. This was a horrible experience and I will save everyone the gory details. Suffice it to say, I would stay in glasses until February of this year–nearly 7.5 years since my initial diagnosis.

Little by little I was becoming aware that my vision was getting worse. Night time driving was becoming near impossible, reading on the computer (which is a huge bulk of my job) was increasingly difficult and the photophobia was simply impossible to ignore–especially at stores and restaurants that used brutal florescent lighting. I did have tomography scans done yearly and thankfully the progression was slow, but it was still progression. Something had to change.

Vasquez family - emotional toll of keratoconus
Vasquez family at the beach

After leaving my optometrist for several philosophical reasons, I was able to find a group outside of my area, but still within driving distance, who were expert with patients with KC. It was there that I learned about scleral lenses and how they could be of benefit. My ophthalmologist and I also discussed cross-linking, but decided that since FDA approval is around the corner, we have the luxury of time to wait. However, he strongly encouraged me to switch to the scleral lenses.

I am ever thankful that he did. My life, in just a few short weeks, has been irrevocably changed. We are still working out the fine tuning, but the vision restored is unbelievable. I never thought I would see this well again. Overall, vision is 20/25 and I’ve also noted that my peripheral vision is back to normal. Also, and most thankfully, my night time vision and ability to drive safely have been restored. It is still unbelievable what these lenses have done for me and my overall quality of life.

There is the old cliché that you don’t know what you have until it is lost. I am still amazed how I didn’t truly realize how bad my vision had gotten until I got the sclerals. For those with KC and are on the fence as to how best to deal with it, please don’t hesitate to talk with your doctor to find the best solution for you.

7/30/15

Rene Vasquez - emotional toll of keratoconusRene Vasquez
Keratoconus Advocate

All Eyes Are Not Created Equal

Animals With Unique Eyes

Vision, while it is important to humans to carry out daily tasks, is a matter of life and death to animals in the wild. Predators need powerful, accurate vision to stalk their targets, while prey animals have developed a wide field of vision that is sensitive to movement, alerting them of danger. For each animal, their vision is a product of their environment and may have evolved over time. Here are some animals with unique eyes.
tasier - animals with unique eyes
The tarsier is a small mammal about the size of a squirrel with eyes that are the largest of any mammal relative to body size, and weighing more than its brain. For a human to have eyes in the same proportion to body size, our eyes would be the size of grapefruits! The other unusual thing about a tarsier’s eyes is that they do NOT rotate in the eye socket. The tarsier must use his very flexible neck to rotate his head 180 degrees to see around him. He has great night vision, but very poor color vision, which is common with most nocturnal animals.
owl - animals with unique eyes
Another animal with relatively large fixed eyes is the owl. He also has a layer of tissue in the eye called the tapetum lucidum. This tissue is commonly found in nocturnal animals and deep sea animals in the back of the eye immediately behind the retina. It reflects visible light back through the retina, increasing the light available to see. Also because the eyes are fixed, owls can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees in both directions and 90 degrees vertically to look around.
chameleon - animals with unique eyes
A chameleon’s eyelids are fused, covering almost the entire eyeball except for the pupil. What is more unique is that the eyes work independently of each other and the chameleon can process the completely different images at the same time. However, when the chameleon spots potential prey, it focuses both eyes in the same direction, using stereoscopic vision for precise distance and depth perception. They have a full 360 degree field of vision and can see ultraviolet light.
goat - animals with unique eyes
Goats, along with most other hooved animals, have horizontal rectangular pupils. These pupils give them a field of vision of 320-340 degrees. Because of the special shape and large size of these pupils, the goat is able to have more control on how much light enters the eye, so they can see more easily at night.
dragonfly - animals with unique eyes
Dragonflies have compound eyes that almost cover their heads and give them a full 360 degree filed of vision. The large part of their eyes is made up of 30,000 visual units called ommatidia (a cluster of light-sensing photoreceptor cells with a lens). dragonfly eyes - animals with unique eyesThis gives them very acute vision, even in low light. What makes their vision even more remarkable is that they also have three smaller eyes call ocelli which can detect movement faster than the larger eyes, sending the information to the dragonfly’s motor center allowing for spilt second reaction times.
leaf-tailed gecko - animals with unique eyes
One of the most unusual eyes is that of the leaf-tailed gecko. The pupils are vertical with a series of “pinholes” that widen at night, allowing as much light as possible into the eye. Since they also have a more photoreceptor cells than most animals, they have incredible night vision. The eyes also have a series of intricate eye patterns to help with camouflage since there is no eyelid. Their eyes are protected by a transparent membrane, which they clean with their tongues.
jaguar - animals with unique eyes
Cats such as lions, tigers jaguars and leopards have extremely sharp night vision due to the fact they have the tapetum lucidum reflective tissue and far more rods (the light sensors of the eye) than cones (the color sensors of the eye) in their eyes compared to humans. However, because of the reduced number of cones, they can only distinguish a very limited range of colors.
manits shrimp - animals with unique eyes
The mantis shrimp has compound eyes like the dragonfly but with only 10,000 ommatidia per eye. However, each row of ommatidia has a particular function – some are for detecting light, others for detecting colors, etc. Mantis shrimp (who are not actually shrimp) have remarkable color vision with 12 types of color receptors (humans have three) as well as ultraviolet, infrared and polarized light vision. This means they have the most complex eyesight of any animal. Each of the manits shrimp’s eyes sit at the end of stalks allowing them to move independently from each other and the ability to rotate up to 70 degrees. Finally, unlike humans, the visual information is processed by the eyes themselves instead of the brain.
colossal squid - animals with unique eyes
While the tarsier has the largest eyes relative to its size, the colossal squid has the largest eyes in the animal kingdom. Each of the colossal squid’s eyes can be as large as a foot in diameter. These exceptionally large eyes allow them to see well in dim light conditions, 2000 meters below the ocean surface. Also each eye has a built-in “flashlight” which can produce light so that whenever the squid focuses it eyes to the front, there is enough light for it to see its prey in the dark.

These are just a few of the animals with varied and unique vision. If you know of any others, please share them in the comments section below.

7/14/15

Susan DeRemerSusan DeRemer, CFRE
Vice President of Development
Discovery Eye Foundation

May Is Healthy Vision Month

May Is Healthy Vision Month

It’s Healthy Vision Month! Make Your Vision Last a Lifetime.

When it comes to our health, we often visit our doctor or nurse regularly to make sure our bodies are healthy. But what about our eyes? They’re not always top of mind, but they’re just as important.

During Healthy Vision Month, held each May, the National Eye Institute (NEI) reminds you to make your eye health a priority and encourages you to take important steps to protect your sight.
healthy vision month
Get a dilated eye exam. Getting a dilated eye exam is the only way to detect eye diseases early, because with many, there are no warning signs. Talk to your eye care professional about how often you should have one. If you want to see what your eye care professional sees during a dilated eye exam, check out NEI’s new eye exam animation!
Healthy-Lifestyle-FB-Cover-Photo_2015
Live a healthy lifestyle. Eating healthy foods, maintaining a healthy weight, managing chronic conditions, and not smoking can lower your risk of eye disease.
healthy vision month
Know your family history. Talk to your family members about their eye health history. It’s important to know if anyone has been diagnosed with an eye disease, since many are hereditary. This will help to determine if you are at higher risk for developing an eye disease yourself.
Protective-Eyewear-FB-Cover-Photo_2015
Use protective eyewear. Protect your eyes when doing chores around the house, playing sports, or on the job to prevent eye injuries from happening. This includes wearing safety glasses, goggles, safety shields, and eye guards that are made of polycarbonate.
Wear-Sunglasses-FB-Cover-Photo_2015
Wear sunglasses. When purchasing sunglasses, look for ones that block out 99 to 100% of both UVA and UVB radiation, so you can keep your eyes healthy. Prolonged exposure to sunlight can increase your risk for getting an eye disease. A wide-brimmed hat offers great protection, too!

These steps can help you keep your eyes healthy and prevent vision loss and blindness from eye disease.

To learn more about Healthy Vision Month and find additional eye health information, visit www.nei.nih.gov/hvm.

5/5/15

NEI LogoNational Eye Institute
National Institute of Health

The Future of Keratoconus

The National Keratoconus Foundation, a program of the Discovery Eye Foundation, has been serving the keratoconus (KC) community for over 27 years. They have been a leading source of information on KC, while also providing support and educational programs, such as the OC Keratoconus Seminar this Saturday, March 14th. One of the reasons for the timely, quality information they are able to share, are their relationships with leading eye care professionals around the world.
future of keratoconus
We are happy to report that a new professional organization for eye care professionals treating KC and other forms of corneal ectasia has been formed, the International Keratoconus Academy of Eye Care Professionals. It is our hope that we can join together in in providing accurate information on KC as well as find future treatments and cures, defining the future of keratoconus. Here is more information about the new organization.

Establishment of the International Keratoconus Academy of Eye Care Professionals

The International Keratoconus Academy of Eye Care Professionals (IKA) was recently established to promote ongoing professional education and scientific development in the area of keratoconus and other forms of corneal ectasia. Its mission is to promote and develop the knowledge base and awareness of the state of the art pertaining to the diagnosis and management of keratoconus and other forms of corneal ectasia. And further to promote the awareness and understanding of the most appropriate and effective treatment strategies for the management of these diseases. According to S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO, co-founder and president,” I.K.A. is dedicated to providing comprehensive education to the eye care professions and to foster ongoing clinical research in order to improve the lives of patients suffering from these diseases. “

I.K.A. will accomplish its mission by providing an array of educational initiatives which will include live events, web-based education, social media activities and publications in the professional literature. It will also be dedicated to supporting ongoing clinical research. I.K.A. will function as a complementary entity to other organizations that support patients with these diseases such as the National Keratoconus Foundation (NKCF). These organizations will work cooperatively to establish a comprehensive effort to advance knowledge, awareness and quality of care.

The founding executive board of the International Keratoconus Academy of Eye Care Professionals is comprised of a group of highly regarded experts in the field including:

  • S. Barry Eiden, OD, FAAO
  • Andrew Morgenstern, OD, FAAO
  • Timothy McMahon, OD, FAAO
  • Joseph Barr, OD, FAAO
  • William Tullo, OD, FAAO
  • Clark Chang, OD, FAAO
  • Eric Donnenfeld, MD
  • Yaron Rabinowitz, MD

An international physician’s advisory board comprised of expert optometrists and ophthalmologists is being formed. For more information or questions about IKA, please contact them at info@keratoconusacademy.com.

3/10/15

Susan DeRemerSusan DeRemer
Vice President of Development
Discovery Eye Foundation