Allergy Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of eye allergies include redness, itching, burning, and watery eyes. Other common signs of allergies may include sneezing, itching, runny nose, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and headache from sinus congestion. An allergic reaction occurs when the body treats something that is normally harmless, like pollen, as if it were a harmful to the body like a virus.
Treatment
Avoidance
The easiest treatment for allergies is to try to avoid coming in contact with the substance you are allergic to. For example, if you know you are allergic to cedar pollen, it makes sense to keep the windows in your home closed and use central air conditioning or heat to filter the cedar pollen out of the air. You should also use air filters that are specifically designed for pollen and pet dander. Remember to change your filters out on a regular basis so they continue to work effectively. When riding in or driving your car, make sure to keep the windows rolled up and use the air conditioner.
Over the Counter Medications
There are many over the counter medications (OTC) that you can use to try and relieve your allergy symptoms. Some of these work quite well in the short term, but some may not be used for long periods of time.
Artificial Tears
Artificial tears have two uses in allergy relief. They may be used to flush pollens from the eye and they also are helpful in relieving the dry eye caused by oral antihistamines. Just a few examples include: GenTeal, Optive, Systane, Tears Naturale, Refresh Tears, Thera Tears, Bion Tears, and Refresh Endura.
Decongestants
Decongestants are vasoconstrictors. They are the drops that “Get the red out.” Decongestants work by making the blood vessels in your eye constrict or become smaller in diameter, thereby reducing your redness. They treat your symptoms only, not the underlying cause. In fact, your eyes may become redder, if they are used for more than a few days. This is called rebound redness. Examples include: Visine, Naphcon, Opcon.
Antihistamines
Over the counter antihistamine eye drops are generally only available in combination with a decongestant. If you want an antihistamine eye drop without worrying about the side effects of rebound redness caused by the decongestant, you will need to get a prescription for one of the newer antihistamines. In addition the OTC antihistamines generally need to be used four times a day. This can be inconvenient for contact lens wearers. You should never instill any medication in your eye while wearing contact lenses. You must wait at least 15 minutes after instilling a drop before you insert your contact lenses. The newer antihistamines have a much more convenient dosage schedule, generally just twice a day, once in the morning, before contact lens insertion, and once in the evening, after contact lens removal. The OTC medications do have the advantage of being less expensive for people who don’t have prescription drug coverage. Examples of Antihistamine/Decongestant Combination Drugs include: Naphcon A, Opcon A.
Prescription Medications
When you visit your optometrist he or she has several treatment options available for combating allergens. Sometimes one or more medications may be prescribed to provide you with your optimum treatment regimen.
Mast Cell Stabilizer
Mast cell stabilizers can virtually prevent the outbreak of an allergic reaction. However, it may take several weeks before this type of medication may become effective. A mast cell stabilizer must be prescribed either before a person will be exposed to an allergen or in conjunction with another more quickly acting medication until it can become effective.
Antihistamines
Antihistamines generally provide quick relief for most allergy sufferers. The advantage of prescription antihistamines is the convenient twice a day dosing. Examples of such antihistamines include Patanol, Pataday, Zaditor, and Optivar. These particular antihistamines also have the advantage of having mast cell stabilizing properties.
Corticosteroids
Sometimes it is necessary to prescribe stronger anti-inflammatory medications, such as corticosteroids, especially if there is a large amount of inflammation present. These medications are generally not used for long periods of time since they can, on rare occasions, cause cataracts. In addition, they can cause increased eye pressure in which can lead to glaucoma in susceptible individuals.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
As an alternative to corticosteroids, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may be prescribed to relieve the swelling and inflammation that may be associated with seasonal allergies. Many of the current NSAIDs on the market are very effective not only in relieving the inflammation associated with allergies, but also the itching.
Suffer No More
If you usually “suffer” from allergies at certain times of the year, there is no reason for you to continue to do so. There clearly are a number of treatment options available that can be tailored to your specific needs. Be sure to let your doctor know what you expect from your treatment also let your doctor know how intense your symptoms are. Is your allergy a first time event or does it occurs at the same time every year? Let your optometrist know if you are taking oral antihistamines. The better the information is that you provide your doctor, the better treatment plan he or she will be able to devise for you.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Preventing Diabetic Retinopathy
Today in the United States nearly 21 million children and adults have been diagnosed with diabetes, while another 54 million are at risk for the disease. Unfortunately there are more than 6 million undiagnosed diabetics in the United States. According to the American Diabetic Association, the number of people diagnosed with diabetes, both type 1 and type 2, increases by 6% each year. This means that that the population of diabetics doubles in the every 15 years. According to the American Optometric Association’s 2007 American Eye-Q® survey, more than 60 percent of adults know that diabetes is detectable through a comprehensive eye examination. However, only 32 percent of adults who do not wear vision correction have seen a doctor of optometry in the past two years. With nearly two-thirds of adults not receiving regular, comprehensive eye examinations, millions of Americans are not only putting their vision, but also their health, at risk. In fact, diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults 20 to 74 years old. Diabetes is estimated to cause from 12,000 to 24,000 new cases of vision loss each year. Two complications of diabetes, cataracts and glaucoma, can also lead to a loss of vision. However, both are easily detectable with routine vision care. Annual Eye Exams Mean Early Detection An annual eye exam can serve as the first line of detection for diabetes because high blood sugar can cause blurry vision and a significant eye glass prescription change. The eye is the only place in the body that blood vessels can be seen directly in the human body. Complications from diabetes arise when weakening occurs in the walls of the tiny blood vessels found in the retina. This causes microaneurysms to form. These microaneursyms tend to leak fluid, sometimes causing diabetic macular edema. The macula is the portion of the retina that allows a person to see fine detail. If leakage or swelling occurs in the macula, the resulting vision loss can be devastating. If a diabetic has numerous microaneurysms, hemorrhages, and leakages, this can cause neovascularization. Neovascularization is the growth of new blood vessels in the retina. These new blood vessels hemorrhage very easily and can cause further devastating vision loss. Treatment Options For Diabetic Retinopathy Early detection is critical in maintaining healthy vision. . The earlier problems are detected and treated, the better outcome a person is likely to have. Several treatment options are available for diabetic retinopathy. Focal laser treatment is used to treat small areas of hemorrhage. Larger areas of hemorrhage may need to be treated using scatter laser therapy. In scatter treatment, a laser beam is used to produce many tiny burns scattered throughout the retina, sparing the macula. This slows the growth of new blood vessels and the development of hemorrhage and scar tissue. The newest line of defense in the treatment of diabetic retinopathy lies in the use of VEGF inhibitors injected into the eye. New blood vessel growth in the retina and increased leakage of fluid from retinal blood vessels is due to the presence of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor or VEGF. Three new drugs are available to help inhibit VEGF. These new drugs are Macugen, Lucentis, and Avastin. Studies of these new drugs are showing promising results. Researchers from the Johns Hopkins University-Wilmer Eye Institute reported results indicating that Lucentis injections are useful as a treatment for diabetic retinopathy based on the findings in a small clinical trial in which there was significant visual improvement in people with early stages of proliferative diabetic retinopathy that received Lucentis Injections. In particular, those patients with thickening in their macula noticed dramatic improvement within a week after treatment, which actually continued to improve with repeated therapeutic injections. Similar results have been reported with Avastin Injections. Control Is The Key to Good Health Several factors influence whether someone with diabetes develops diabetic retinopathy. These include blood sugar control, blood pressure levels, and length of time with diabetes. The Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT) showed that better control of blood sugar levels slows the onset and progression of retinopathy. The people with diabetes who kept their blood sugar levels as close to normal as possible also had much less kidney and nerve disease. Better control also reduces the need for sight-saving laser surgery. Other studies have shown that controlling elevated blood pressure and cholesterol can also reduce the risk of vision loss. Controlling these will help your overall health as well as help protect your vision. Links:
http://www.austinretina.com/base.html
http://www.eyemdlink.com/Condition.asp?ConditionID=3
Monday, January 19, 2009
Help For Computer Vision Syndrome
Computer Vision Syndrome, or CVS, refers to the vision problems associated with the use of a computer monitor or video display terminal (VDT). The most common symptoms include dry, tired and burning eyes, difficulty focusing, eye strain, double vision, headaches, blurred vision, as well as, neck and shoulder pain.
The American Optometric Association recently conducted a telephone survey of 1,000 American consumers’ use of computers and hand held devices. The survey found:
- Forty-two percent of Americans spend three or more hours each day in front of a computer or handheld device.
- Forty-one percent have complained of eye strain and 45 percent suffer from neck or back pain from prolonged computer or hand held device use.
- Special computer glasses and other computer products are available to help reduce glare and discomfort, but only 11 percent of Americans currently use these devices.
Some suggestions to alleviate the symptoms include:
Limit the amount of time you continuously use the computer. Practicing the 20/20 rule (look away from the computer every 20 minutes for 20 seconds) will minimize the development of eye-focusing problems and eye irritation caused by infrequent blinking.
Check the height and arrangement of the computer. More comfortable computer viewing can be achieved when the eyes are looking downward. Optimally, the computer screen should be 15 to 20 degrees below eye level (about 4 or 5 inches) as measured from the center of the screen and 20 to 28 inches from the eyes.
Check for glare on the computer screen. Windows or other light sources should not be directly visible when sitting in front of the monitor. When this occurs, turn the desk or computer to prevent glare on the screen.
Reduce the amount of lighting in the room to match the computer screen. A desk lamp can be substituted for a bright overhead light or a dimmer switch can be installed to give flexible control of room lighting. Turn three-way bulbs to the lowest setting.
Keep Blinking. To minimize the chances of developing dry eye when using a computer, make an effort to blink frequently. Blinking keeps the front surface of the eye moist. Artificial tears may also be used throughout the day to increase the moisture of the eyes.
Upgrade to a Large Flat Panel Display. The new LCD flat panel displays are much better than the old CRT displays and are easier on the eyes. They have an anti-reflective coating and do not have issues with flicker like their predecessors. If you must use a CRT, be sure to set the refresh rate to highest possible setting. When selecting an LCD monitor be sure to select one with the best possible resolution. Resolution is related to the “dot pitch” of the display. You will get a sharper image with a lower dot pitch display. Try to choose a display with a dot pitch of .28 mm or lower.
Consider Computer Eyewear. Computer users normally sit 20 to 26 inches from their computer. This is considered to be an intermediate zone of vision — closer than driving ("distance") vision, but farther away than reading ("near") vision. For this reason distance glasses and normal reading glasses may not work well at this intermediate distance. Computer users attempting to use their normal bifocal or progressive lenses may end up with neck and shoulder pain when they attempt to view their computer monitor through the lower portion of their lenses by lifting their chins up. Better options include single vision reading glasses set for the individual user’s computer distance, computer progressives, or a bifocal with the top portion of the lens set for the computer distance and the bottom for close work.
Computer Vision Syndrome affects not only millions of office workers, but also students and the retired who use computers on a daily basis. Only when the eyes are able to focus clearly at the appropriate distance, will computer users begin to feel relief from eyestrain. This can be achieved through the use of eyewear designed for use specifically at the computer. Further relief can be achieved by minimizing glare from overhead lights and windows. LCD monitors with their antireflective coatings and high resolution can provide even more relief. If you are suffer from symptoms of CVS, make an appointment with your eye doctor. He or she can help map out a plan to help you find relief.
Links:
http://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/irritated.htm
http://www.allaboutvision.com/cvs/faqs.htm
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