Archived General Topics Articles
Emphasizing Family Eye care
At our eye center, the emphasis is always on family because we want to be an integral part of yours. We want to know how the children are coming along, find out about your fantastic vacations, and also discover who might be next in line to be married. We also invite you to come in with family members during your visit because it offers so many beneficial advantages. For example, an extra set of ears can go along way. Yes, you are hearing correctly, an eye doctor raving about ears. An accompanying family member can help you remember any care instructions such as when your contacts need to be changed or how often you need to take a certain eye drop. That family member can also further assist you by asking questions that are pertinent to your eye care. Also should we discover a condition of the eyes that tends to run in the family such as glaucoma or macular degeneration, we can readily screen family members for the condition. The best way to protect vision is through early detection as so many eye conditions have little symptoms at their early stages. I also find that family members make great fashion advisors. They don’t mind telling you which eyeglass frame doesn’t look good on you and which one just suits you right. This gives you the extra piece of mind that you made a good decision on your selection. The last thing I wanted to mention is family members make great drivers. That really comes in handy to help you get back home should you have your pupils dilated during your examination or if you had to have a same-day operative procedure on your eye. Overall, we love for you to allow us to be a part of your family. So schedule your visit today to allow us to take care of your eyes and along the way we can learn wonderful things about all of us in a warm family setting.
An Eye Opening Experience: The Reason To Dilate The Eyes
A dilated eye examination is very important as it allows for a good evaluation of the internal components of the eye that are essential for seeing. What specifically becomes dilated is the pupil and it represents the dark circle located in the center of the iris. The job of the pupil is to regulate the amount of light that gets into the eye. In low light situations the pupil enlarges to help more light get into the eye to allow us to see better. When in bright light settings such as when a doctor peers into the eye with light, the complete opposite occurs and the pupil constricts making the examination difficult. Pupils are dilated by use of dilation drops that act either by paralyzing the muscle that constricts the pupil or by stimulating the muscle that widens the pupil. The dilation drops usually have a little sting which can often be lessened by initial placement of a numbing drop into the eye. The length of time that dilation drops take to work can usually be from 10 to 30 minutes. As the pupil dilates, near vision blurs making it difficult to read waiting room magazines. Once full dilation of the pupils is achieved, the eyes can be examined more thoroughly. Dilation exams can often aid in the diagnosis of common eye conditions such as cataracts, glaucoma, floaters, and macular degeneration. In addition, disorders that can affect the whole body such as diabetes or high blood pressure may be first discovered or monitored with a dilated eye examination. It generally takes a few hours for the dilation drops to wear off. During this time the eyes will be particularly sensitive to bright lights and the vision will be slightly blurred. It is recommended that a person brings dark sunglasses and/or a driver when coming in to an ophthalmologist for a comprehensive dilated eye examination.
Long Term Steroid Use Can Harm Eyes
Steroids are potent drugs that prevent damage to the body by reversing inflammation. Inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease often respond well to steroid treatment. Even though our bodies produce steroids normally, the amount of steroids given medically to reverse inflammation is often a far greater amount. Therefore, it is common to get side effects from using steroids especially if they are being used for long periods of time. The eye in particular can be vulnerable to side effects from steroid use. One such side effect is premature cataract formation in which the lens of the eye starts to become cloudy causing loss and glare in vision. Another side effect of steroid use is pressure rise in the eyes resulting in a condition called glaucoma where peripheral vision can become compromised. Therefore, patients on or previously on steroid treatment should be carefully monitored by an ophthalmologist. An ophthalmologist is an eye doctor medically trained to recognize and manage eye disorders such as cataracts and glaucoma.
Arthritis May Affect The Eyes
When people think of arthritis, the first thing that comes to mind is achy painful joints. But a vast majority of patients with arthritic conditions will tell you that their eyes also can be involved. One such common ailment is Dry Eye Syndrome. In this condition, the eyes feel gritty and tired. In addition, the eyes may also tear on and off during the day. Fortunately, patients can be well managed with a regimen of artificial tears, Restasis eye drops, and tear-drain plugs. Dry Eye Syndrome is particularly seen with the arthritic condition called Sjogren’s Syndrome. Other eye problems associated with arthritic disease include Scleritis and Iritis. Red and painful eyes are common manifestations of these two inflammatory conditions of the eyes. Serious vision loss can result if not diagnosed promptly and treated appropriately. Scleritis and Iritis are known to be linked to arthritic conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis and Ankylosing Spondylitis. Even therapies for arthritis can bring on eye problems. One such therapy and mainstay for severe arthritis treatment is oral steroids. Unfortunately, use of oral steroids for greater than 6 weeks can lead to cataracts or glaucoma. Also, patients undergoing plaquenil therapy for their arthritic condition should be monitored regularly as this drug is capable of causing retinal problems in the eye. As can be seen, there are many eye conditions associated with arthritic disease. For good eye health, it is recommended that patients being treated for arthritic conditions arrange to visit their Ophthalmologist regularly.
Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage: Medicare Part D
As a result of the Medicare Modernization Act, Medicare now offers prescription drug coverage in a voluntary program called Medicare Part D. This program attempts to offset the high costs of brand name and generic prescription drugs. All individuals with medicare are eligible regardless of their health condition or income status. Enrollment for Medicare Part D has already begun for year 2006 with the last day to sign up without paying penalties being May 15, 2006. It is however best to sign up before December 31, 2005 in order to avoid missing any days of coverage for the upcoming year. The coverage will be provided by private insurance companies or can be a stand alone plan to a person’s existing Medicare coverage. Individuals just have to choose a drug coverage plan that meets their needs relative to their health and income circumstance. Under standard Medicare coverage, individuals will be responsible for a monthly premium that averages $35 (deducted from beneficiary’s social security check for an annual total of $420), a deductible of no more than $250, 25% of the cost of drugs from $250 to $2,250, 100% of the costs between $2,250 and $3,600, and 5% of the costs of drugs in the amount higher than $3,600 in a year. So lets say a Medicare beneficiary has an annual expense for prescription drugs of $2,000. The individual must first pay the $250 deductible. This leaves an outstanding balance of $1750. Medicare would like for the individual to pay 25% of that amount which comes to $437.50. Therefore the amount of money a Medicare beneficiary saves annually under the new Medicare Part D program in this example would be $2000 minus [$250 deductible + $437.50 out of pocket expense for drugs + $420 annual premium] which equals $892.50. As one can see, there is considerable savings possible by enrolling. If you are a Medicare beneficiary and would like additional assistance in selecting a Medicare Part D coverage plan please feel free to call my office at (724) 695-5510. My knowledgeable staff and I would be pleased to assist you. Additional information can also be found on the website http://www.medicare.gov or by calling 1-800 MEDICARE.
