Articles Archives - Page 2 of 7 - Pointe Vision Care

What are Eye Sties

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Sure, there are a lot more serious eye problems to have, but no one wants a stye in their eye, either. They’re unattractive and, much of the time, painful, too. If you’ve suffered from a stye before, you probably wonder how to treat it and why it developed in the first place. We got the facts about sties from VSP network doctor Jan McVey, OD.

The Why Behind the Stye
It may seem strange, but even your eyelids have oil glands and sweat pores. And, sometimes, they can get plugged up. The blocked opening walls off the stuff inside. When that happens, it can get infected with bacteria and pus, and then you’ve got a stye.

Stye Timetable
How long do sties last? Most get better in about a week, but some stubborn ones can hang on for months. The good thing is sties are a generally mild condition that eye doctors can easily treat. Dr. McVey has been serving Phoenix-area patients for over 25 years and reports complete success with treating sties. Even stubborn ones are treatable, though they don’t look or feel good.

Is a Stye in Your Eye?
You’ll probably be able to tell by an inflamed spot on your eyelid. It can then puff up like a big pimple and comes with pain and irritation. But, never self-diagnose. These symptoms should be clue #1 to call your eye doctor.

What’s Underlying Sties
A lot of things can cause a stye, and some are completely in your control. Thorough eye makeup removal is important to overall eyelid health and hygiene. But, sometimes, overactive oil glands can make it downright impossible for it all to escape skin tissue. And, in cases, a nasty inflammatory eyelid disease known as blepharitis can cause sties, too.

Stye Protocol
Treating sties depends entirely on how serious the condition is. The first step, according to Dr. McVey, is to use a simple hot compress. Just soak a clean cloth in hot water and put it on your eye for about 10 minutes, four to five times a day – this can open up the blocked gland. But, if you don’t see improvement in a week or so, call your eye doctor for help – he or she might give you either topical or oral antibiotics. Surgery might even be in order to remove the blockage in the worst cases.

Goodbye to Sties
Dr. McVey says there is no sure-fire way to prevent sties, but basic cleanliness is the top priority. Routine washing of hands and face is the best step for a lifetime of stye-free eyes.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Ocular Migraines

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Most people are familiar with classic migraines, but ocular migraines are less well-known. An ocular migraine is a condition where the blood vessels in the optic nerve at the back of your eye tighten and swell, resulting in various visual distortions. While classic migraines usually result in intense headaches, sensitivity to light and loud sounds, or nausea, ocular migraines are not necessarily painful.

If you’ve never had an ocular migraine before, your first one can be frightening. Although sudden vision impairment can also be a sign of stroke or carotid artery disease, true ocular migraines don’t actually indicate or cause any damage to your eyes or brain. You can often tell if you’re about to experience one if you start to lose your ability to see the focal point of your vision. For example, you might be able to see a street sign but not be able to read the text on it. The onset of an ocular migraine can last anywhere from about three to eight minutes.

The aura stage, or “light show” as many sufferers call it, usually follows the onset. This stage affects more than just the focal point of your vision. You might see something that looks like a lightning bolt moving about in your peripheral and central vision. Some people compare this stage of an ocular migraine to looking through a kaleidoscope. Everything appears very fluid, and you can become quite disoriented. Retinal detachment displays similar “light shows,” only these types of light flashes typically last for only a split second and come in flurry form, rather than kaleidoscope form.

The causes of ocular migraines differ from person to person, and sometimes they are just unexplainable. Some say chocolate or caffeine triggers them, while others believe stress and certain medications are a factor. Still, other sufferers say they experience ocular migraines randomly. Once an ocular migraine has begun, it’s difficult and sometimes impossible to stop. The migraine aura typically disappears in about 30 to 40 minutes, and headaches (if you get them) come about 10 to 15 minutes after the aura stage.

My advice to those who suffer from ocular migraines is to just relax and enjoy the show. The more relaxed you can be, the better the odds are that you won’t bring on a stress-induced headache—a common side effect—when the show is over.

Other than that, just be aware of what’s happening and be sure to contact your primary care physician or eye doctor as soon as possible if you notice any of the symptoms above.

This is a guest article by Matthew Alpert, O.D., who is the lead optometrist at Alpert Vision Care in Woodland Hills, CA.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Ocular Hypertension

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Doctors use the term “hypertension” to describe the both general condition called high blood pressure as well as the specific condition called high intraocular pressure (IOP). Ocular hypertension is a condition where the pressure in your eyes, or your IOP, is too high. Continually high pressure within the eye can eventually damage the optic nerve and lead to glaucoma or permanent vision loss.

Some possible causes of ocular hypertension include:

High blood pressure
Stress
Certain medications
A diet with excess salt, hydrogenated oils, trans fats, red meat, alcohol, and sugar
Eye trauma
Smoking
Diabetes
Other eye conditions
Heart disease

Other factors, such as age, race, and genetics, can also contribute to ocular hypertension. People over 40, African-Americans, and those with a family history of hypertension or glaucoma are at higher risk of having high IOP. Generally, women are more prone to develop hypertension than men, and men are more prone to develop glaucoma than women.

Ocular hypertension is a result of disruptions in the aqueous humour, the fluid substance that fills the anterior chamber of the eye and helps to keep the cornea functioning properly. If your eye produces too much aqueous or has trouble draining enough of it, your IOP will be high.

An eye doctor can detect high IOP and high blood pressure, in addition to other health conditions, during an eye exam just by looking at the blood vessels in the eye. Unfortunately, outside of getting an eye exam, there are usually no noticeable symptoms of ocular hypertension until it is too late to prevent damage. Without treatment, it can lead to bleeding in the eye, blurred vision, damage to the optic nerve, glaucoma, and vision loss.

If you find that your peripheral vision is becoming blurry, schedule a visit to your eye doctor immediately because this could be a sign of glaucoma. Although eye drops or prescription medications can’t reverse the effects of glaucoma, they can prevent the damage from getting worse. They can also help prevent hypertension from turning into glaucoma.

There is no guaranteed way to prevent hypertension, but maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and visiting your eye doctor at least once a year are all smart ways to guard against hypertension and other eye conditions.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Genes and Vision Problems

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Ah, the wonderful world of genetics. There’s the classic “family nose,” the disarming blue eyes, or the shock of thick, curly hair at birth. True, some things run in families. What about vision problems?

Some do. Others tend to be influenced by environmental or other factors, says J.P. Lowery, O.D., M.Ed. Dr. Lowery is chief of pediatrics at Pacific University College of Optometry in Forest Grove, Oregon.

She says, “Nearsightedness and farsightedness have a strong genetic component, especially if a parent is very nearsighted or farsighted. If both parents are nearsighted or farsighted, there’s a good chance their child will be the same.”

But vision isn’t all in the genes, Dr. Lowery continues. “There are some significant environmental influences, such as near-point work like reading, that are associated with nearsightedness, especially when it develops later in the teens and 20s.” Some studies suggest that students who spend a lot of time reading develop nearsightedness more quickly than others do.

Some Genetically-Linked Eye Problems:

Nearsightedness
Farsightedness
Color vision deficiency (a.k.a., color blindness)
Retinitis pigmentosa, a rare progressive decline of the retina

Some Eye Problems that Have Mixed Causes:

Glaucoma (fluid build-up in the eye that damages the optic nerve)
Age-related macular degeneration (progressive decline of part of the retina)
Amblyopia (“lazy eye”)
Strabismus (when eyes are aligned in different directions; aka cross eyed)

Amblyopia and strabismus usually show up in very early childhood, and there’s great success treating them with patches, special eyewear, vision training and/or surgery.

If you’re curious about your family’s vision history and how it might impact your children, see an eye doctor. Dr. Lowery says, “As a pediatric eye specialist, I can tell you that many of the serious vision problems that young children develop could be prevented if all parents brought their babies in for routine eye exams at six months.” You might be surprised how easy an eye exam on an infant can be, but the right doctor with child-friendly tools can get it done in a snap.

Dr. Lowery recommends additional exams around 3 years old, then just before kindergarten. Yearly eye exams should continue for life.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Effects of Presbyopia

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Many a 40-something guy or gal has experienced that seemingly sudden shortening of the arms. No, the arms don’t actually shrink, but somehow, they don’t seem long enough to get that newspaper or book far enough away to read. That’s how the actual condition of age-related farsightedness (where you can’t see very well close-up), or presbyopia, also got the nickname “long-arm sight.” Or maybe you’ve heard it referred to as TMB syndrome – too many birthdays.

Okay, so maybe if you’re in that 40-something group, none of this is humorous at all. Another sign of aging never is! If you’ve gone your whole life without needing glasses, the news that you do can be especially surprising and a bit shocking.

But it’s a completely normal part of aging. Dennis Wilcoxon, O.D., of St. Petersburg, Florida, explains more.

“The term presbyopia comes from a Greek word meaning ‘old eye,’ and it describes a predictable process in which the lens of the eye gradually becomes rigid and inflexible over time,” says Dr. Wilcoxon. “For most people, the process becomes noticeable somewhere between 38 and 42 years of age. At that point, the muscles that control the focusing of the lens aren’t able to control it as effectively, and we begin losing our ability to focus on nearby objects, such as the daily newspaper.”

While prevention is the order of the day in healthcare, it won’t help with this aging process. But correction is usually easy – if a little damaging to the ego. For people who have existing vision correction needs, the most common treatment calls for bifocal or progressive glasses or contacts. For newbies to the vision correction world, reading glasses may be the ticket.

It’s not hard to figure out if you might be developing presbyopia. “The symptoms are pretty easy to identify,” says Dr. Wilcoxon. “One common symptom is the gradual realization that you have to hold reading materials farther away from your eyes than you used to. Another sign is eyestrain when you’re doing close-up work, or the need for more light in order to read.”

The doctor continues, “This is a progressive condition, which means that it will gradually worsen over time. But patients can rest assured that its effects are easily treatable. During regular annual checkups, your eye care doctor can accurately measure your near vision and prescribe glasses or contacts that will compensate for the loss of focusing ability.”

So, don’t let presbyopia cause added distress as you age. It’s only natural! If you’re holding things farther away to see them, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor today.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Dry Eye Syndrome

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Every time you blink, your healthy eyes get a bath from a fluid that’s a combination of oil, water, and mucus. This fluid, or tears, helps protect and moisturize the eyes. When something irritates your eyes or interferes with the production of tears, it can result in irritated dry eyes that are vulnerable to corneal abrasions.

Dry eyes are actually very common. More than 20 million Americans suffer from this annoying and sometimes painful condition. If you think you have dry eyes, check out some of these common symptoms and possible causes. Once you understand the culprit, you can begin to make changes to relieve your burning eyes, once and for all.

Symptoms of Dry Eyes:

Dry, itchy, or burning eyes
A scratching sensation, or feeling like there’s grit in the eyes
Sensitivity to light causing squinting and blinking
Difficulty focusing because of dryness
Both eyes are usually affected
Watery eyes (a little-known fact!)

How to Treat Dry Eyes:

Avoid drafts and use a humidifier to put moisture back into dry air.
If allergies are causing your eyes to itch and dry out, try lubricating, preservative-free eye drops formulated for people with allergies.
Check the side effects of your medications. If you’re taking one that causes dry eyes, your doctor may need to change your prescription, or she may recommend that you begin using eye drops to lubricate your eyes.
Don’t wear your contacts for too long, keep them clean, and always wash your hands before handling them.
Take frequent breaks from computer work or reading, and keep your eyes lubricated by remembering to blink often.
Turn off ceiling fans when possible.
Lay a warm, damp washcloth across your eyelids for a couple minutes.
Ask your VSP network doctor about punctual plugs which block tears from draining from the eye.

Helpful Tips:

For a refreshing sensation, cool your eye drops in the refrigerator about an hour before using them.
Check expiration dates on your eye drops.
Never share eye drops.
Drink plenty of water.
Wear sunglasses outside to protect your eyes from wind and sun.
Take an omega-3 fatty-acid supplement; shown to restore lipids-they’re a key component of tears.

Common Causes of Dry Eyes:

Dry air caused by indoor heaters
Allergies
Some medications like antihistamines, antidepressants, and birth-control pills
Poor fitting or dirty contacts
Long hours spent reading or staring at a computer screen
Blocked tear ducts
For more details on what causes dry eyes, read Why Are My Eyes So Dry?

With a few simple changes you could begin to notice a real improvement. If after one month your eyes are still bothering you, make sure to see your eye doctor—severe cases can lead to eye damage and vision loss. During your eye exam, your doctor can check for vision problems and signs of health conditions that could be causing your dry eyes. An accurate diagnosis is important because symptoms of dry eye can be caused by other things like allergies or uncorrected refractive error or astigmatism.

This is a guest blog post by Dr. Michelle Calder-Cardwell, owner and lead optometrist at Urban Optiques Vision & Eyewear in Northville, MI.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Do You Have Presbyopia or Farsightedness

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

The symptoms of farsightedness and presbyopia are similar, but these two conditions aren’t the same thing. Both can lead to headaches, eye strain, overall fatigue, and trouble seeing things up close, but the reasons behind these symptoms are different.

Farsightedness, or hyperopia, occurs when an irregularly-shaped eye prevents light from properly lining up with the retina. The result is that it’s hard to see things close up. People of any age, including babies, can be farsighted.

Presbyopia is an age-related condition in which the lens of the eye becomes less flexible. Seeing details like words in a book or an online article or adjusting focus between far-away and nearby objects is difficult. This condition is most common in people between the ages of 40 and 50. To learn more about presbyopia, read Presbyopia: The 40-something Eyesight Challenge.

There’s no fail-safe way to prevent farsightedness or presbyopia. Maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting yearly eye exams are the best ways to guard against eye trouble, but sometimes, there’s just no way to get around it. Thankfully, there are very effective ways to treat both of these conditions.

Your VSP network doctor can prescribe corrective lenses to improve your near vision and your ability to transition between far-away and nearby objects. If you’re farsighted, your eye doctor will likely prescribe lenses that change the way light comes into the eye. Laser surgery may be another option for treating farsightedness.

The most common way to treat presbyopia is with bifocals or progressive lenses but reading glasses and multifocal contact lenses are two other options.

See your eye doctor if you think you might be farsighted or presbyopic so you can work together to find the best solution for your eyes.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

Allergy Eyes

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

High levels of pollen, mold, dust, and other irritants can make for miserable eyes! These airborne allergens may be the primary culprit of watery, itchy eyes, but relief may be closer than you think.

If allergens are making you weepy, your eyes are telling you something. “Pay attention to your eyes,” explains Amy Treski, OD, a VSP network doctor at Optique Boutique in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. “Itching, redness, and swelling of the eyes and eyelids, are common allergy symptoms—itching being the most uncomfortable and swelling the most persistent symptom.” For some immediate relief on days when your allergies are mild, try some do-it-yourself remedies.

DIY Remedies for Mild Cases

Keep the windows shut in your car and home—especially in the early morning hours when pollination tends to occur.
Wear wrap-around glasses or sunglasses to keep pollen out of your eyes.
Place a cold compress over your eyes to soothe discomfort.
Use artificial tears or lubricating eye drops to flush out any irritants.
Try an over-the-counter remedy like allergy eye drops, oral antihistamines, or other medication for mild allergies.

Did You Know?

Contact lens wearers should wait at least 15 minutes after using any allergy eye drops before putting in lenses.

It’s important to note that allergy eye drops can offer immediate relief, but with long-term use, they can weaken blood vessels in your eyes and make your eyes redder.

What to Do for Severe Allergies

Prescription drops may be the answer if you suffer from allergies with persistent, moderate to severe symptoms. “There are prescription medications that have a dual action of a mast cell stabilizer and an antihistamine—this blocks the effect of allergens and quickly relieves itching to offer long-lasting relief,” says Dr. Treski.

Dr. Treski suggests visiting your VSP network doctor if allergy symptoms are prolonged or get worse. Your doctor will be able to determine if what you’re experiencing is caused by seasonal allergies or other irritants.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

10 Steps for Eye Relief

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

Have extra time on your hands now that you’re retired, or are you planning on what you will do with your time when retirement finally comes? Wherever you’re at with your free time, additional time on a tablet, phone, or digital device may be becoming a bigger part of your daily routine. According to a recent study done by the Pew Research Center, adults aged 60 and older – a group increasingly populated by Baby Boomers – now spend more than half of their daily leisure time, four hours and 16 minutes, in front of screens, mostly watching TV or videos.

Even though this time may be spent at leisure, your eyes are still hard at work. That additional exposure can contribute to digital eye strain, due to blue light exposure – yikes. Blue light is a range of light that contains the highest amount of energy in the visible light spectrum. This high-energy light is emitted by smartphones, tablets, TVs, computer monitors, LED and CFL lighting, and the sun. How does blue light exposure contribute to digital eye strain? Two ways, actually:

When blue light enters the eye, it scatters before reaching the retina. Our eyes work overtime trying to focus this scattered light, which they cannot do. All that work can lead to strain and fatigue.
Depending on brightness, this out-of-focus blue light can appear as glare. The more blue light in the environment, the greater the glare.

It’s more important than ever to make sure your eyes are ready to combat these types of harsh conditions by making sure your choice of eyewear offers the type of defense you need to continue to enjoy your time (and freedom!) online. Adding an anti-reflective coating like TechShield Blue AB to your lenses, or choosing a light-reactive lens like SunSync Elite, can help reduce blue light exposure, which can contribute to digital eye strain in as little as two hours of screen time. Taking this preventative step can help you work, play, and connect confidently on the digital device of your choice.

No matter how much time you’re online, be sure to see your eye doctor for yearly eye exams and to discuss how to keep your eyes healthy for years to come.

Already have an RX and prefer to shop online? Use your benefits at Eyeconic, VSP’s in-network online retailer.

Sudden Vision Loss

August 22, 2022/in Articles /by David Richardson

There’s the old saying, when one door shuts, another one opens. For a retired guy and avid golfer, the door that shut was sight in his left eye. The door that opened: a big clue into a big-time cardiovascular problem.

Ken Calderwood, retired aircraft parts supervisor in Lawndale, California, is a pretty tall guy. At 6’2”, he usually feels bigger than most things around him. But that day on the golf course, he probably felt pretty helpless – and disoriented. Just as he was about to putt, the nine-handicap golfer suddenly couldn’t see out of his left eye.

He remembers, “Everything went dark in that eye – like a window shade had been pulled over it.”

Naturally, he was scared. Ken dropped his putter right there on the green. He squinted. He blinked. He tried to reassure himself as anxiety took hold. The “blindness” lasted only about two minutes, but it seemed like forever. Shaken, he resumed his game.

But later, he did a smart thing – he told his wife Laura about the mysterious episode. And then, Laura did a smart thing too. She insisted her husband make a beeline to their friend and eye doctor, Sandra Horwitz, OD.

Come morning, Ken was sitting in the exam chair. But he wasn’t there long. Instead, at the urgent insistence of Dr. Horwitz, he was on his way to his medical doctor. That’s because Ken’s eye doctor knew immediately how serious the sudden and brief vision loss could be.

Dr. Horwitz recalls, “As soon as I heard Ken’s story and examined his eyes, I suspected that his temporary loss of vision might be a symptom of a blockage in a blood vessel – probably in one of the carotid arteries that run down both sides of the neck and supply blood to the brain.”

At his medical doctor’s office, Ken shared once again the details of the strange event. A quick ultrasound was all it took to reveal the real story: both of Ken’s carotid arteries were 90% blocked. The classic build-up of fatty tissues had given its first clue through Ken’s eyes.

Fast forward a few hours and Ken found himself getting prepped for emergency surgery. A few weeks later, a second operation finished the clean-up job.

“My surgery took place back in February of 2001,” says Ken today, “and I haven’t had any problems with my vision since. I’m 67 now, and my golf game is strong as ever – thanks to Dr. Horwitz, who’s a terrific eye doctor and a great friend.

“I’m a big guy, and Sandy’s barely five feet tall. Whenever I tell people how that exam uncovered my health problem, I call her ‘the little eye doctor who saved my life!’”

For Dr. Horwitz, Ken’s ordeal is just another reason why eye exams are important – to your eyes, and your life. Don’t wait to schedule your next appointment.

Information received through VSP Vision Care channels is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, medical recommendations, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your eye doctor, physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.

DIY Remedies for Mild Cases

Did You Know?

What to Do for Severe Allergies

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