Eye Care Articles

Premium IOLs or intraocular lenses are lenses that are placed in the eye during cataract surgery. The lens placement is designed to restore the natural lens shape. These lenses can also be placed as a vision correction device called refractive lens exchange. Premium IOLs offer advanced features beyond the single vision IOL’s that are also offered. These features include aspheric, toric, accommodating, and multifocal IOL’s.

Understanding Premium IOL Types

Aspheric Lenses

These lenses closely match the natural curve of the eye. Typical lenses were uniformly curved making it easier to manufacture, but at the same time increasing the chance of causing imperfections in vision. Aspheric lenses help to reduce imperfections and improve clarity, especially at nighttime.

Toric IOLs

These lenses are specifically designed to help correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism.
 

Accommodating IOLs

Accommodating IOL’s can tilt slightly forward when you look at objects that are close to the eye. This helps to improve visibility when you are performing actions like reading a book. While they are not necessarily as sharp as bifocals, patients have a reduced need to use reading glasses while still maintaining excellent distance vision.
 

Multifocal IOLs

If you require a bifocal or trifocal lens in your glasses, this may be a likely choice for you. Different portions of the lens allow for better vision at different ranges. However, there are some overall sacrifices with vision clarity at a distance.

Eye disease that is caused by diabetes is currently the number one cause of blindness and vision loss. Due to the increased risk in diabetic patients, doctors recommend that people over 30 with diabetes get an annual dilated eye exam. Diabetic patients under 30 should get this exam five years after they have been diagnosed.

Diabetic retinopathy is a condition that is caused by damage to the retina. Patients that have diabetes may also have experienced extended periods of time where their blood sugar was elevated. The high levels of blood sugar damage the retina’s walls which leave them susceptible to leaking. When fluid accumulates in the retina or macula, it causes vision loss.

To make these matters worse, if prolonged high blood sugar levels are seen again, the retina will be oxygen-depleted. This causes the abnormal growth of new blood vessels. This condition is called neovascularization. This blood vessel type is weak and prone to leaking. As these blood vessels leak, they introduce blood into the eye. Excessive bleeding into the eye can cause blindness.
 

Treatment

While a healthy diet and exercise can be beneficial to your optical health, diabetic retinopathy is a condition that is caused by damage to the retinal wall. While this damage can sometimes be corrected, simple diet changes won’t reverse the effects.

It is essential to catch the condition in the earlier stages to reduce the effects. This can also help patients understand the importance of monitoring their blood sugar so that repeat events can be limited. Treatment options are even more successful when diabetic retinopathy is caught early. These options include vitrectomy, scatter photocoagulation and focal photocoagulation.

During both scatter, and focal photocoagulation the doctor will use lasers to help alleviate the condition. The lasers make small burns on the retina aimed at the blood vessels. These burns will help to seal the blood vessels to prevent more leakage and stop them from growing larger.

When using scatter photocoagulation, hundreds of small burns are made in a specific pattern during two additional appointments. Scatter coagulation should be used on patients who do not have advanced diabetic retinopathy.

Focal photocoagulation specifically targets the leaking blood vessels that are in the macula. Unfortunately, this procedure is not aimed to correct the blurry vision associated with diabetic retinopathy, but it does stop it from progressing further. Once the retina has detached, neither form of photocoagulation can be used.

Vitrectomy is a surgery that helps to remove scar tissue and/or the fluid that is clouded with blood that has been leaked into the eye. This operation is the most successful when performed before the disease has progressed too far. When the operation only targets removing the fluid, success rates are very high for the procedure. When the procedure also aims to reattach the retina, the failure rate is around 50%.

Millions of patients are diagnosed with diseases and conditions of the eye every year. Some of which may not display symptoms until there is irreversible damage to the patient’s vision. The outcome of eye disease can range from temporary discomfort to total loss of vision, which is why all eye problems and diseases should be taken seriously and regular eye check-ups are absolutely essential.

What Are The Causes of Eye Disease?

The main causes of eye problems can be divided into five groups:
 

• Inflammation of the eye and surrounding structures caused by a bacterial, viral, parasitic or fungal infection.

• Injuries to the eye and surrounding structures, either as a result of trauma or an object in the eye.

• Genetically inherited eye diseases, many of which may only manifest later in life and affect the structures and the functioning of the eye which therefore can impair visual abilities. In some cases, however, children are born with these conditions.

• Diseases or conditions, such as migraine or diabetes, which can affect other organs of the body, such as the eyes.

• External causes, such as allergies or eye strain due to over-use, or as a side effect of medication.

What Are The Symptoms of Eye Disease?

The three symptoms indicative of eye disease are changes in vision, changes in the appearance of the eye, or an abnormal sensation or pain in the eye.

Changes in vision can include the following symptoms:
 

• Nearsightedness is caused by an elongation of the eyeball over time, making it difficult to clearly see objects far away.

• Farsightedness is caused by the shortening of the eyeball, making it difficult to see objects that are close-by clearly.

• Blurry or hazy vision, or loss of specific areas of vision, which can affect one or both eyes and is the most common vision symptom. Any sudden changes in vision should be a cause of concern.

• Double vision means a single clear image appears to repeat itself. This could be accompanied by other symptoms like headaches, nausea, a droopy eyelid, and misalignment of the eyes.

• Floaters are specks or strands that seem to float across the field of vision. These are shadows cast by cells inside the clear fluid that fills the eye. These are usually harmless, but should be checked out as they could point to something serious such as retinal detachment.

Eyelid rejuvenation surgery is a medical procedure that is designed to reduce the appearance of bagginess from the lower eyelids and sagging from the upper eyelids. This operation is often used for cosmetic surgery to reduce the appearance of aging.

This surgery can also be considered when the eyelids are interfering with a patient’s ability to see. Sometimes a sagging upper eyelid can partially obscure the eyeball, interfere with a person’s ability to look in certain directions or interfere with their peripheral vision.
 

Why Do My Eyelids Sag?

As our skin ages, it often loses its elasticity. This doesn’t allow the skin to rebound back to its original shape and we see the appearance of wrinkles and bulges that aren’t due to weight gain. While these wrinkles can occur all over the body, they typically first appear in the face and eyes. Any additional skin on or near the eyelids can cause the eyelid to sag or droop over the eyelashes and into the frame of vision.

The eyelids also contain some fat to protect and cushion the eyeball. The fat is held in place by a thin membrane. As we age, the membrane can weaken and will no longer keep the fat in place. This fat can create bulges in the upper and lower eyelids.
 

What Can I Do About Eyelid Sag or Bulging?

There are several non-surgical treatments on the market to help treat sagging skin or reduce the appearance of wrinkles, but it is important to use additional caution when applying any product near the eyes. Always make sure that the product is designed to be used in the predetermined area. If you have questions about a specific product, you should contact your health care provider.

Many individuals find that non-surgical options don’t have enough or any effect on their eyelids. In these instances, they can consider working with a licensed medical professional to weigh their options. Eyelid rejuvenation (blepharoplasty) is also commonly called an eye lift.

There are several different methods for achieving your desired results. Typically, an incision is made into the eyelid, and then the excess skin or fat cells are removed by laser or scalpel. Additionally, your surgeon may suggest that you also get laser resurfacing done in combination with your surgery.
 

What to Expect

Eyelid surgery can be done in a local office or a surgery center. If you are completing the operation in an office environment, you can probably expect that you will be treated with a local anesthetic and an oral sedative. If you are in a surgery center, it’s likely that you will receive an intravenous anesthetic. The surgery takes about two hours to complete if you are getting all four eyelids done (upper and lower lids). When you are getting all four eyelids corrected, the surgeon will likely opt to work on both upper eyelids first and then move to the lower eyelids. While the upper eyelids will have three to six stitches, the lower eyelids may not have any. The stitches should remain in place for three to six days.

LASIK (laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis) is the most popular refractive surgical procedure. In this procedure, a laser is used to permanently change the shape of the cornea (the clear covering on the front of the eye) to correct common vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia. This improves vision and reduces a person's need for glasses or contact lenses.

LASIK uses an excimer laser (an ultraviolet laser) to remove a thin layer of corneal tissue, giving the cornea a new shape, so that light rays are focused clearly on the retina. In the case of a nearsighted person, the goal of LASIK is to flatten the too-steep cornea; with farsighted people, a steeper cornea is desired. LASIK can also correct astigmatism by smoothing an irregular cornea into a more normal shape.

LASIK is an outpatient surgical procedure with no need to stay at the surgery center overnight, as it will take 10 to 15 minutes to perform for each eye. The procedure is done while the patient is awake, but the patient may request mild sedation. The only anesthetic used is eye drops that numb the surface of the eye. LASIK can be done on one or both eyes during the same session.
 

How to Prepare for LASIK Eye Surgery?

Before LASIK eye surgery, the eye surgeon will evaluate the patient’s medical history and perform a full eye examination, including measuring corneal thickness, refraction, corneal mapping, eye pressure, and pupil dilation. Afterward, the surgeon will discuss what to expect during and after the procedure.

On the day of the surgery, eat a light meal before going to the doctor and take all prescribed medications, if any. Do not wear eye makeup, creams, perfumes, or lotions on the day before and the day of surgery, or have any bulky hair accessories that will interfere with positioning the head under the laser.

Contact lenses shouldn't be worn for at least three days prior to the evaluation. In the case of rigid gas permeable contact lenses, they should not be worn for at least three weeks before. Patients should arrange for a ride home from the place of surgery, as their vision might be blurry.