You may remember a blog I wrote a while back which answered this age old questions.
Well, Dr. Eyenstein and I decided to tackle it in vlog form as well. Enjoy!
Well, Dr. Eyenstein and I decided to tackle it in vlog form as well. Enjoy!
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
For Your Eyes Only
After much deliberating and significant dilly dallying, I've decided to make a transition into video blogs... I hear the cool kids call them vlogs.
For Your Eyes Only is going to be a series of vlogs discussing basically anything and everything related to eyes, much like this blog has been.
Here's a little preview of what to expect... ENJOY!
For Your Eyes Only is going to be a series of vlogs discussing basically anything and everything related to eyes, much like this blog has been.
Here's a little preview of what to expect... ENJOY!
Wednesday, January 22, 2014
The Path of Least Resistance
Over the past few weeks I've had some distressing discussions and experiences at my new office, Highstreet Eyecare, in Abbotsford BC (shameless self promotion). These incidents are what compelled me back to my blog today.
I'll refer to one specific phone conversation which, I think, fairly represents the other similar situations as well.
A very pleasant young lady (in her mid-20's) called the office with some questions about her vision. I'll briefly summarize the conversation...
--
Young lady: I've noticed some changes in my vision. I can't see as well with my glasses on anymore. I recently went back to the place where I usually buy my glasses. They did an eye exam and said they couldn't get my vision to 20/20.
Me: Do you know if it was an optometrist who did the exam?
YL: I'm not sure. What's the difference between an optometrist and the people I get my glasses from?
Me: (I proceeded to explain the differences between optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians. I explained how they are all different from the many random optical stores that have no accreditation what so ever. I also compared a complete eye exam, which includes a thorough assessment of ocular health as well as a refraction for a glasses prescription, and vision testing, which is essentially the automated refraction many unaccredited places will conduct unlawfully refer to as an eye exam.)
YL: Oh, I didn't know any of that. They just checked my vision and said the new glasses would make my vision better.
Me: (I explained again all the different things we would examine to determine her prescription and rule out any underlying conditions that could be limiting her vision)
YL: Ok. I'll see...
--
You'll see??? If I'm not mistaken, isn't that exactly what you're having trouble with right now... Seeing?!
Ok, I didn't say that. I can be a little sarcastic and condescending sometimes, but I'm not mean. Especially not to my patients.
These types of conversations bring to light many different concerns. A few of which I will try to address here.
But first, lets time a quick step back... way back... back into time... (Blackstreet reference... anyone?)
A few years ago, when I had first started practicing optometry, I wrote multiple blogs about the impending changes that my profession was about to endure. Changes that were brought on by crony politicians, whose only concern was to fill their pockets with little regard for the public, whom they were elected to serve (I'll try not to name any names... but, lets just say it was a certain "Health Minister"... who's name may or may not start with Kevin... and end with Falcon...). These were changes which ultimately contributed to the lowering of health care standards in British Columbia. And they were changes which led to the fall of a childhood hero from his perch upon a pedestal... I'll never look at Trevor Linden the same way again. But, I digress...
Today, ONLY in British Columbia, a person can walk into any store operated by any individual with absolutely zero credentials and no experience in eye care to buy glasses or contact lenses without a valid prescription. I think that makes it hard to disagree that our standards of health care, at least eye care, are lower than those of any other place in North America.
The Health Minister defended himself by saying that the average individual who has healthy eyes should not have to bother with regular exams and those who do have eye conditions will simply know to have their eyes checked regularly. So much for preventative care. I wonder if Mr. Falcon would be so kind as to describe the symptoms of the early stages of glaucoma, a disease which is one of the leading causes of blindness and affects tens of millions of people worldwide... Oh that's right, there aren't any! It is a silent disease. By the time a patient notices the symptoms, there has already been irreparable, irreversible damage. But I'm sure the average person would somehow know, right?
There is also supposed to be a regulation which, loosely translated, states that if an optical store cannot improve a person's vision to 20/20 or sees any reason for concern, they must send that patient over to an optometrist or ophthalmologist for further testing. Clearly, in the case of the young lady in the above conversation (and many others), they have not been doing that. Which means there are a lot of people walking around with a lower quality vision than they deserve AND, more importantly, potentially suffering from a vision threatening condition.
So, what needs to be done?
I've spent a lot of time pointing fingers at different people for tearing down the foundations of our health care. And there definitely are a lot people who are responsible for the failure of our system. Yes, the big companies and the crony politicians play their part. And they play it well. But, it is important to understand that WE must also bear some responsibility. By we, I mean both health care providers AND the public. It is absolutely my responsibility as a health professional to educate my patients and the public about their health. If I don't do it, then who else will? But, it is also the responsibility of the individual to actively seek out what is best for them. To ask questions, get regular exams, and do what ever else necessary to keep yourself healthy. If you don't, who else will?
Too often, I hear patients say "I've had issues for a long time, but I kept putting it off". As terrible as it sounds, I can understand, I can relate. We build routines for ourselves and follow them, often blindly (pardon the pun). Call it complacency, laziness, or anything else... We put important things off because it means going out of our way or changing our schedule.
Our bodies are made up, at the most basic level, of cells and nerves and chemical reactions. All of which are following the path of least resistance. So it is only human nature that we do what is easiest for us, to follow the simple route. But on our highest level, we are able to make the decisions about what's best for us. And I urge you, when it comes to your health, whether its your eyes or your teeth or your heart, take the time to get it done. And get it done right.
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave comments or questions. I'm always happy to discuss!
I'll refer to one specific phone conversation which, I think, fairly represents the other similar situations as well.
A very pleasant young lady (in her mid-20's) called the office with some questions about her vision. I'll briefly summarize the conversation...
--
Young lady: I've noticed some changes in my vision. I can't see as well with my glasses on anymore. I recently went back to the place where I usually buy my glasses. They did an eye exam and said they couldn't get my vision to 20/20.
Me: Do you know if it was an optometrist who did the exam?
YL: I'm not sure. What's the difference between an optometrist and the people I get my glasses from?
Me: (I proceeded to explain the differences between optometrists, ophthalmologists, and opticians. I explained how they are all different from the many random optical stores that have no accreditation what so ever. I also compared a complete eye exam, which includes a thorough assessment of ocular health as well as a refraction for a glasses prescription, and vision testing, which is essentially the automated refraction many unaccredited places will conduct unlawfully refer to as an eye exam.)
YL: Oh, I didn't know any of that. They just checked my vision and said the new glasses would make my vision better.
Me: (I explained again all the different things we would examine to determine her prescription and rule out any underlying conditions that could be limiting her vision)
YL: Ok. I'll see...
--
You'll see??? If I'm not mistaken, isn't that exactly what you're having trouble with right now... Seeing?!
Ok, I didn't say that. I can be a little sarcastic and condescending sometimes, but I'm not mean. Especially not to my patients.
These types of conversations bring to light many different concerns. A few of which I will try to address here.
But first, lets time a quick step back... way back... back into time... (Blackstreet reference... anyone?)
A few years ago, when I had first started practicing optometry, I wrote multiple blogs about the impending changes that my profession was about to endure. Changes that were brought on by crony politicians, whose only concern was to fill their pockets with little regard for the public, whom they were elected to serve (I'll try not to name any names... but, lets just say it was a certain "Health Minister"... who's name may or may not start with Kevin... and end with Falcon...). These were changes which ultimately contributed to the lowering of health care standards in British Columbia. And they were changes which led to the fall of a childhood hero from his perch upon a pedestal... I'll never look at Trevor Linden the same way again. But, I digress...
Today, ONLY in British Columbia, a person can walk into any store operated by any individual with absolutely zero credentials and no experience in eye care to buy glasses or contact lenses without a valid prescription. I think that makes it hard to disagree that our standards of health care, at least eye care, are lower than those of any other place in North America.
The Health Minister defended himself by saying that the average individual who has healthy eyes should not have to bother with regular exams and those who do have eye conditions will simply know to have their eyes checked regularly. So much for preventative care. I wonder if Mr. Falcon would be so kind as to describe the symptoms of the early stages of glaucoma, a disease which is one of the leading causes of blindness and affects tens of millions of people worldwide... Oh that's right, there aren't any! It is a silent disease. By the time a patient notices the symptoms, there has already been irreparable, irreversible damage. But I'm sure the average person would somehow know, right?
There is also supposed to be a regulation which, loosely translated, states that if an optical store cannot improve a person's vision to 20/20 or sees any reason for concern, they must send that patient over to an optometrist or ophthalmologist for further testing. Clearly, in the case of the young lady in the above conversation (and many others), they have not been doing that. Which means there are a lot of people walking around with a lower quality vision than they deserve AND, more importantly, potentially suffering from a vision threatening condition.
So, what needs to be done?
I've spent a lot of time pointing fingers at different people for tearing down the foundations of our health care. And there definitely are a lot people who are responsible for the failure of our system. Yes, the big companies and the crony politicians play their part. And they play it well. But, it is important to understand that WE must also bear some responsibility. By we, I mean both health care providers AND the public. It is absolutely my responsibility as a health professional to educate my patients and the public about their health. If I don't do it, then who else will? But, it is also the responsibility of the individual to actively seek out what is best for them. To ask questions, get regular exams, and do what ever else necessary to keep yourself healthy. If you don't, who else will?
Too often, I hear patients say "I've had issues for a long time, but I kept putting it off". As terrible as it sounds, I can understand, I can relate. We build routines for ourselves and follow them, often blindly (pardon the pun). Call it complacency, laziness, or anything else... We put important things off because it means going out of our way or changing our schedule.
Our bodies are made up, at the most basic level, of cells and nerves and chemical reactions. All of which are following the path of least resistance. So it is only human nature that we do what is easiest for us, to follow the simple route. But on our highest level, we are able to make the decisions about what's best for us. And I urge you, when it comes to your health, whether its your eyes or your teeth or your heart, take the time to get it done. And get it done right.
Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave comments or questions. I'm always happy to discuss!
Monday, March 4, 2013
Contact Lens Addicts Anonymous
Its been a while since I've written a blog post. So long, in fact, that blogger.com emailed to tell me that my site had developed virtual cobwebs... kidding!
Well, I'm back. And its all thanks to a crazy day at the office. This past Sunday (yes, I work Sundays... and yes, I am a little bit crazy... thank you for asking), I felt like I was working in some sort of contact lens emergency clinic. It was like Clearly Contacts was having a sale on eye infections or something! I'm sure the Liberal government backed them on it and I must have missed Trevor's ads on TV...
Moving on...
A while back, I wrote a blog titled Contact Lens Addicts, which explained how some patients become so dependent on their contact lenses that they put themselves at risk of suffering many different problems, some of which could lead to permanent vision loss. Well, Sunday was like a Contact Lens Addicts Anonymous meeting at Metropolis Eye Care.
The CL-AA meeting started with a pleasant, 50-something woman whose contact lens had folded up and tucked itself so far behind her upper eyelid that I almost wished I had a third hand to help flip her eyelid, and/or hold a q-tip, and/or grab the forceps.
Now, lets just take a quick second to answer the question that is likely swirling around in some of your minds... No, the contact lens cannot go so far back that it ends up behind the eyeball. Luckily, the conjunctiva (the thin skin that covers the eye ball) actually folds over itself and covers the inside of the eyelids as well. Effectively creating a natural contact lens catching contraption (and you thought conjunctiva was hard to say).
Next up was a very friendly lady in her mid-thirties who is actually quite good at taking care of her contact lenses. She doesn't over wear them, she replaces them on schedule, and she's good at cleaning them every night (sounds too good to be true, but I believed her). However, despite all of the regular care and maintenance, she managed to fall asleep in her lenses.
Now, we all know that one night stands are a bad idea (right?). Well, sleeping with your contacts is a lot like a one night stand... There's usually booze involved, it seems like a good idea at the time, you wake up in the morning with something feeling itchy and/or irritated (we're talking about eyes folks!), and then you're doing the walk of shame... into my exam room!
Even for someone who takes care of her contacts, one night with her lenses was enough to cause a small corneal ulcer, secondary to a bacterial infection. Yes, an ulcer. Yes, its as unpleasant as it sounds.
Last, and certainly not least, is the poor little girl who forced me out of blog-writing retirement to tell you her unfortunate story. A 16 year old kid who has been wearing Ortho-K lenses. I won't go into detail, but basically these are lenses you only wear at night while sleeping. Hopefully the "only wear at night while sleeping" part raised a red flag or two for most of you. To make matters worse, she was fit for and bought the lenses overseas, so I have no idea what she's been wearing. Not all that different than buying contacts online without being fit for them by a professional, might I add. But I digress...
The poor kid was in so much pain, she could not open her eye if her life depended on it. When I finally got a look, this is what I saw...
A very red and upset eye with a large, central corneal ulcer. Long story-short, she is and will be in need of a lot of eye drops (as much as every 30-60 minutes all day AND night) and maybe even some oral medications. The worst part of it is that when the infection is finally controlled, this ulcer will likely leave a large scar right in the center of her vision thus causing a permanent decrease in vision in that eye.
These were just three of the multiple cases I dealt with during the CL-AA meeting on Sunday.
Its extremely important to understand the consequences of taking our vision for granted. Online sales and deregulation have made it easy to overlook the fact that contact lenses are actually medical devices. They are pieces of plastic that we put on our eye ball to help improve our vision. We should not lose sight of that (pun intended).
I am genuinely concerned and upset about this young girl and so many other patients who suffer from serious issues due to improper contact lens wear and poor ocular hygiene. So, if you or your kids wear contacts, be sure to have the lenses fit by a professional and never hesitate to come in and have your eyes checked if you think something is wrong. As with most things, if we catch it early, its much easier to treat.
Please feel free to comment here and message me via Facebook or email if you have any questions or comments.
Note: The pictures are not of my patients, but are accurate representations of their respective issues.
Well, I'm back. And its all thanks to a crazy day at the office. This past Sunday (yes, I work Sundays... and yes, I am a little bit crazy... thank you for asking), I felt like I was working in some sort of contact lens emergency clinic. It was like Clearly Contacts was having a sale on eye infections or something! I'm sure the Liberal government backed them on it and I must have missed Trevor's ads on TV...
Moving on...
A while back, I wrote a blog titled Contact Lens Addicts, which explained how some patients become so dependent on their contact lenses that they put themselves at risk of suffering many different problems, some of which could lead to permanent vision loss. Well, Sunday was like a Contact Lens Addicts Anonymous meeting at Metropolis Eye Care.
The CL-AA meeting started with a pleasant, 50-something woman whose contact lens had folded up and tucked itself so far behind her upper eyelid that I almost wished I had a third hand to help flip her eyelid, and/or hold a q-tip, and/or grab the forceps.
Now, lets just take a quick second to answer the question that is likely swirling around in some of your minds... No, the contact lens cannot go so far back that it ends up behind the eyeball. Luckily, the conjunctiva (the thin skin that covers the eye ball) actually folds over itself and covers the inside of the eyelids as well. Effectively creating a natural contact lens catching contraption (and you thought conjunctiva was hard to say).
Next up was a very friendly lady in her mid-thirties who is actually quite good at taking care of her contact lenses. She doesn't over wear them, she replaces them on schedule, and she's good at cleaning them every night (sounds too good to be true, but I believed her). However, despite all of the regular care and maintenance, she managed to fall asleep in her lenses.
Now, we all know that one night stands are a bad idea (right?). Well, sleeping with your contacts is a lot like a one night stand... There's usually booze involved, it seems like a good idea at the time, you wake up in the morning with something feeling itchy and/or irritated (we're talking about eyes folks!), and then you're doing the walk of shame... into my exam room!
Even for someone who takes care of her contacts, one night with her lenses was enough to cause a small corneal ulcer, secondary to a bacterial infection. Yes, an ulcer. Yes, its as unpleasant as it sounds.
The poor kid was in so much pain, she could not open her eye if her life depended on it. When I finally got a look, this is what I saw...
These were just three of the multiple cases I dealt with during the CL-AA meeting on Sunday.
Its extremely important to understand the consequences of taking our vision for granted. Online sales and deregulation have made it easy to overlook the fact that contact lenses are actually medical devices. They are pieces of plastic that we put on our eye ball to help improve our vision. We should not lose sight of that (pun intended).
I am genuinely concerned and upset about this young girl and so many other patients who suffer from serious issues due to improper contact lens wear and poor ocular hygiene. So, if you or your kids wear contacts, be sure to have the lenses fit by a professional and never hesitate to come in and have your eyes checked if you think something is wrong. As with most things, if we catch it early, its much easier to treat.
Please feel free to comment here and message me via Facebook or email if you have any questions or comments.
Note: The pictures are not of my patients, but are accurate representations of their respective issues.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Eye-Heart Connection
Happy New Year! I hope everyone enjoyed their new year's eve celebrations. And hopefully there weren't too many cork-to-eye incidents.
You may have heard the saying "The eyes are windows to the soul". I've looked into a lot of eyes but I'm not sure how many souls I've seen. So I thought we could re-phrase that statement a little. How does "The eyes are windows to your overall systemic health" sound? I guess thats not as magical, but its proably a little more accurate.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me this picture and asked "do you know about this?"
Well, yes Harvinder, of course I do! But, thanks for asking :)
I spend a lot of time on a daily basis explaining to patients how the eyes can present signs for all sorts of systemic health issues especially those related to blood vessels. The one I stress the most is diabetes because it is seen most commonly and can have profound visual consequences. However, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anemia, and more can all be detected by changes in the blood vessels inside the eye.
In patients who have cholesterol build up in larger arteries, it is possible for small pieces of plaque to break off and travel through the blood stream into the eye (these are called emboli). The emboli can get stuck in the small blood vessels and cause a blockage.
The particular signs mentioned in the article above are called xanthelasma. These are elevated patches around the eyelids due to fatty deposits under the skin. These are usually considered to be benign but as the article mentions, recent studies have shown a link to higher rates of heart disease. To read the full New York Times article click here.
Another ocular sign which is related to cholesterol is arcus senilis. This is a very common finding in older patients and is due to cholesterol deposits in the cornea (the clear dome at the front of the eye). Patients with arcus will develop a greyish ring around the outer part of the cornea. While arcus is related to cholesterol, it does not necessarily indicate high cholesterol or heart disease.
If there is ever any concern about systemic health issues affecting vision or eye health, please visit your friendly neighborhood optometrist and they will be happy to do a detailed examination :)
And as always, regular eye exams are recommended for all!
You may have heard the saying "The eyes are windows to the soul". I've looked into a lot of eyes but I'm not sure how many souls I've seen. So I thought we could re-phrase that statement a little. How does "The eyes are windows to your overall systemic health" sound? I guess thats not as magical, but its proably a little more accurate.
A couple of weeks ago, a friend sent me this picture and asked "do you know about this?"
I spend a lot of time on a daily basis explaining to patients how the eyes can present signs for all sorts of systemic health issues especially those related to blood vessels. The one I stress the most is diabetes because it is seen most commonly and can have profound visual consequences. However, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anemia, and more can all be detected by changes in the blood vessels inside the eye.
In patients who have cholesterol build up in larger arteries, it is possible for small pieces of plaque to break off and travel through the blood stream into the eye (these are called emboli). The emboli can get stuck in the small blood vessels and cause a blockage.
The particular signs mentioned in the article above are called xanthelasma. These are elevated patches around the eyelids due to fatty deposits under the skin. These are usually considered to be benign but as the article mentions, recent studies have shown a link to higher rates of heart disease. To read the full New York Times article click here.
Another ocular sign which is related to cholesterol is arcus senilis. This is a very common finding in older patients and is due to cholesterol deposits in the cornea (the clear dome at the front of the eye). Patients with arcus will develop a greyish ring around the outer part of the cornea. While arcus is related to cholesterol, it does not necessarily indicate high cholesterol or heart disease.
If there is ever any concern about systemic health issues affecting vision or eye health, please visit your friendly neighborhood optometrist and they will be happy to do a detailed examination :)
And as always, regular eye exams are recommended for all!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wheat is The Enemy!
Wheat a minute... I mean, wait a minute! Wheat is what? I thought that whole wheat was the almighty, the healthy choice, the answer to all our dietary fiber needs. Well according to Dr. William Davis in his book "Wheat Belly", wheat is the exact opposite. Apparently, due countless genetic modifications which have made wheat ubiquitous in modern western society, the popular grain can be linked to an innumerable variety of diseases including, but not limited to, obesity, diabetes, colitis, celiac disease, heart disease, dementia, schizophrenia, ADHD, and even hair loss!
Now I'm not going to sit here and say that I believe every word that Dr. Davis has to say about my beloved breads, buns, and bagels, but he did make some impressive arguments on many different levels. However, at the end of the day, this blog is about eyes. And there are some undeniable truths in the book that relate to our vision.
The main topic I want to touch on is the conversation Dr. Davis has about wheat's ability to raise blood sugar and, in turn, cause diabetes. I take diabetes very very seriously. I've seen many patients suffer visual and other physical consequences due to diabetes. Well, apparently wheat (even the whole grain variety) has a remarkable ability to significantly affect blood sugar. Even more than plain table sugar! That's a little shocking to someone who eats two slices of toast at breakfast and two more slices in a sandwich at lunch!
I have written a blog in the past about all the different ways diabetes can affect vision. Here's the short version: cataracts, retinal bleeding and swelling, glaucoma, and detached retinas. These are all possible at varying degrees and can potentially lead to permanent blindness. And all thanks to poorly controlled blood sugar.
I have to admit, I was impressed by some points that were made in the book. So I decided to give the no wheat deal a try for a little while, much to chagrin of some people close to me. Its been a couple of weeks and, other than a few early difficulties, its going surprisingly well. I'll let you know how it goes...
Now I'm not going to sit here and say that I believe every word that Dr. Davis has to say about my beloved breads, buns, and bagels, but he did make some impressive arguments on many different levels. However, at the end of the day, this blog is about eyes. And there are some undeniable truths in the book that relate to our vision.
The main topic I want to touch on is the conversation Dr. Davis has about wheat's ability to raise blood sugar and, in turn, cause diabetes. I take diabetes very very seriously. I've seen many patients suffer visual and other physical consequences due to diabetes. Well, apparently wheat (even the whole grain variety) has a remarkable ability to significantly affect blood sugar. Even more than plain table sugar! That's a little shocking to someone who eats two slices of toast at breakfast and two more slices in a sandwich at lunch!
I have written a blog in the past about all the different ways diabetes can affect vision. Here's the short version: cataracts, retinal bleeding and swelling, glaucoma, and detached retinas. These are all possible at varying degrees and can potentially lead to permanent blindness. And all thanks to poorly controlled blood sugar.
 |
| Healthy Retina |
 |
| Severe Diabetic Retinopathy |
Monday, October 31, 2011
Amare Stoudemire's Goggles
I'm sure most Vancouver hockey fans still remember quite vividly the injury that Manny Malhotra sustained last season. At that time, I wrote a blog about the possbile consequences of traumatic injuries to the eyes. Corneal abrasions, glaucoma, retinal detachments, cataracts... these are all serious and real possibilities.
While Manny's injury was serious and required multiple surgeries, he was (and we were) very fortunate that he was able to recover vision and return to play.
But its not only hockey players that need to be aware of these types of injuries. Even in sports like basketball, players need to be cautious. And, as Amare Stoudemire will tell you, its not just the ball you need to watch out for
Call it karma, call it bad luck, I just call it unfortunate... But a few months later, in February 2009, Amare was hit in the same eye again. This time he suffered a detached retina and required surgery. He was out for 8 weeks which meant he had to miss the remainder of the regular season. When he returned, Amare made sure to keep the goggles on.
Here's a video of Amare discussing his injury and the importance of eye health and protective eye wear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA-SemX-mzU
Special thanks to Dr. J. Armani.
While Manny's injury was serious and required multiple surgeries, he was (and we were) very fortunate that he was able to recover vision and return to play.
But its not only hockey players that need to be aware of these types of injuries. Even in sports like basketball, players need to be cautious. And, as Amare Stoudemire will tell you, its not just the ball you need to watch out for
During the pre-season in October 2008, Stoudemire was accidentally poked in the right eye by his teammate Boris Diaw. He temporarily lost vision in that eye and suffered a torn iris. This is something I did not mention in my blog about Manny, but let me tell you now, this is very painful!
After this major scare, Amare swore that he would wear protective eyewear for the rest of his career. He did for a little while, but found the goggles to be annoying so he stopped after a few games.
Call it karma, call it bad luck, I just call it unfortunate... But a few months later, in February 2009, Amare was hit in the same eye again. This time he suffered a detached retina and required surgery. He was out for 8 weeks which meant he had to miss the remainder of the regular season. When he returned, Amare made sure to keep the goggles on.
Here's a video of Amare discussing his injury and the importance of eye health and protective eye wear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qA-SemX-mzU
Protect your eyes!
Special thanks to Dr. J. Armani.
Monday, October 17, 2011
Like Pulling Teeth
This past weekend I had the wonderful pleasure of attending the American Academy of Optometry's annual conference in Boston. I had the chance to reconnect with a lot of classmates and friends, as well as visit my school and attend lectures at the meeting. One evening, as we were enjoying a night out on the town, a current 4th year student approached me and said "Harbir, you need write a blog about the importance of regular eye exams!". I told him that I'm sure I've mentioned it a few times already. "Yeah, but why is it that people are willing to go the dentist to get their teeth cleaned every 6 months but they refuse to have their eye health checked every 2 years?!" (Yes, he was both inquisitive and exclamatory all at the same time).
This particular discussion has been a long time coming. I talk about it daily with patients, friends, family, and random unsuspecting people walking down the street who I unwittingly coerce into coversation. But, to this day, I have avoided writing about it because I was afraid that I would end up writing a novel, or it would open up a can of worms, or that all the dentists in the world would hate me and I would never be able to recieve adequate oral care (I guess its a good thing I've never had a cavity!). But, with this recent encouragement from the enthusiastic intern, I decided to give it a shot. And I will try to keep it short!
Less 24 hours after being newly inspired, I had the most convient and fortuitous encounter with friend of a friend who just happened to be a dental student. True story. After restraining myself to allow an appropriate amount of time to become acquainted (maybe 30 or 40 seconds), I jumped at the chance to talk about having my teeth examined bi-annually.
Allow me to summarize.
Harbir: Why do dentists have patients come back every 6 months to have their teeth checked?
Dental student: Because we can.
Ok fine, thats not exactly what she said. But, the gist of the story was, dentists have convinced the world that having your teeth scraped with sharp tools and gargling fluoride every six months are absolutely necessary. When, in fact, according to my new acquaintance who now probably hates me, there is no direct correlation between oral hygeine and dental health. Having your teeth cleaned is not the important part. The few minutes at the end of the visit where the dentist pokes and prods around with another sharp instrument, thats the important part. But even that doesn't need to happen every 6 months. Nonetheless, oral care professionals have done an amazing job of convincing people that these regular visits are obligatory.
I'm not mad at them. In fact, I applaud them. I reach out to them and ask them how I can convince my patients to have their eye health examined more frequently.
I know this is a bit crude but honestly, what happens when your teeth fall out? You get new ones. Crowns, or veneers, or dentures. In any case, you can smile and bite and eat again. But what happens when you lose your vision? Nothing. Once its gone, its gone.
But we don't clean or polish. We refract and dilate. Maybe thats not as exciting for patients. Maybe we should start a new division of eye care where we have people come in to have their eye lids cleansed and eye drops instilled every six months. We'll call it ocular hygeine. Maybe then I'll have patients in my chair more regularly so I can check for silent eye diseases like glaucoma that can cause irreversible vision loss in asymptomatic patients. Because convincing people of the latter alone does not seem to be enough.
Note: This blog was not inteded to question the importance of the dental profession. It was just a reference to help outline the importance of regular eye exams.
This particular discussion has been a long time coming. I talk about it daily with patients, friends, family, and random unsuspecting people walking down the street who I unwittingly coerce into coversation. But, to this day, I have avoided writing about it because I was afraid that I would end up writing a novel, or it would open up a can of worms, or that all the dentists in the world would hate me and I would never be able to recieve adequate oral care (I guess its a good thing I've never had a cavity!). But, with this recent encouragement from the enthusiastic intern, I decided to give it a shot. And I will try to keep it short!
Less 24 hours after being newly inspired, I had the most convient and fortuitous encounter with friend of a friend who just happened to be a dental student. True story. After restraining myself to allow an appropriate amount of time to become acquainted (maybe 30 or 40 seconds), I jumped at the chance to talk about having my teeth examined bi-annually.
Allow me to summarize.
Harbir: Why do dentists have patients come back every 6 months to have their teeth checked?
Dental student: Because we can.
Ok fine, thats not exactly what she said. But, the gist of the story was, dentists have convinced the world that having your teeth scraped with sharp tools and gargling fluoride every six months are absolutely necessary. When, in fact, according to my new acquaintance who now probably hates me, there is no direct correlation between oral hygeine and dental health. Having your teeth cleaned is not the important part. The few minutes at the end of the visit where the dentist pokes and prods around with another sharp instrument, thats the important part. But even that doesn't need to happen every 6 months. Nonetheless, oral care professionals have done an amazing job of convincing people that these regular visits are obligatory.
I'm not mad at them. In fact, I applaud them. I reach out to them and ask them how I can convince my patients to have their eye health examined more frequently.
I know this is a bit crude but honestly, what happens when your teeth fall out? You get new ones. Crowns, or veneers, or dentures. In any case, you can smile and bite and eat again. But what happens when you lose your vision? Nothing. Once its gone, its gone.
But we don't clean or polish. We refract and dilate. Maybe thats not as exciting for patients. Maybe we should start a new division of eye care where we have people come in to have their eye lids cleansed and eye drops instilled every six months. We'll call it ocular hygeine. Maybe then I'll have patients in my chair more regularly so I can check for silent eye diseases like glaucoma that can cause irreversible vision loss in asymptomatic patients. Because convincing people of the latter alone does not seem to be enough.
Note: This blog was not inteded to question the importance of the dental profession. It was just a reference to help outline the importance of regular eye exams.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Why Do We Blink?
In my first year of optometry school, as part of the practical portion of our studies, we used to do vision screenings on kids in elementary schools around Boston. So picture me, the tall optometric freshman, kneeling down to examine the eyes of this adorable little 6 year old girl when she steps back and asks out loud "Harbir, why do we blink?". The whole classroom stopped and looked up at me...
I paused for a second, gathered as much information as I could from my 3 months of eye-related education, and began to answer. Well, cute little blonde-haired girl whose name I don't remember, there are 3 main reasons for blinking:
Number 1 is protection. Our eyelids and eyelashes provide a protective barrier against foreign objects such as dust, rocks, bits of metal, fruit flies, etc...
The second reason is lubrication. Every time we blink, our eyelids squeeze out small amounts of oil, water, and mucus to line the surface of the eye. Studies have shown that when we are engaged in activities that require more attention, we tend to blink less. That is why spending a lot of time on the computer can lead to dry eyes. So as soon as you're done reading this blog, get off the computer! Then come back and share it with all your friends :)
And last, but not least, the third reason for blinking is irrigation or removal of tears and waste. Our eyelids act similar to squeegees, the wonderful onomatopoeically named tool that helps smoothly remove water from car windows and such. Each time we blink, the lids pull tight and sweep tears and debris off the surface of the eye and towards the drainage duct which is located at the inner corner of the eye.
And that's why we blink.
I paused for a second, gathered as much information as I could from my 3 months of eye-related education, and began to answer. Well, cute little blonde-haired girl whose name I don't remember, there are 3 main reasons for blinking:
Number 1 is protection. Our eyelids and eyelashes provide a protective barrier against foreign objects such as dust, rocks, bits of metal, fruit flies, etc...
The second reason is lubrication. Every time we blink, our eyelids squeeze out small amounts of oil, water, and mucus to line the surface of the eye. Studies have shown that when we are engaged in activities that require more attention, we tend to blink less. That is why spending a lot of time on the computer can lead to dry eyes. So as soon as you're done reading this blog, get off the computer! Then come back and share it with all your friends :)
And last, but not least, the third reason for blinking is irrigation or removal of tears and waste. Our eyelids act similar to squeegees, the wonderful onomatopoeically named tool that helps smoothly remove water from car windows and such. Each time we blink, the lids pull tight and sweep tears and debris off the surface of the eye and towards the drainage duct which is located at the inner corner of the eye.
And that's why we blink.
Thursday, September 1, 2011
The Importance of Early Eye Exams for Kids
Since its back to school season, I thought it would be a good idea to write a little bit about childrens vision. I've been seeing a lot of kids in the past couple of weeks, most of whom are bright, young, happy, and healthy. Its actually kind of a fun experience for me. I get to hear a lot of interesting stories about their summertime activities. I find myself living vicariously through my young friends since I've spent most of my summer locked up in my dark exam room!
While most of the kids I see are returning for their annual check up, some are coming in to experience the fun and excitement of a Dr. Sian eye exam for the first time. Parents who are bringing their kids in for the first time will often ask me "When should my child have his/her first eye exam?". The answer is usually a bit surprising.
The American Optometric Association (AOA) and the Canadian Association of Optometrists (CAO) both agree that a child's first eye exam should be at 6 months of age. Of course, we don't expect the little munchkins to be able to read letters or even complain about blurry vision. But, it is vital at this age to make sure that the major structures of the eye are developing normally. One significant concern at this age is retinoblastoma, which is a tumor of the retina, the back surface of the eye. If caught early enough, it is possible to prevent the spread of the cancer to other parts of the body and, hopefully, save the affected eye.
A few years back there was a remarkable story of a person who detected a tumor in a baby's eye just by viewing photgraph and noticing that one of the pupils seemed to have a white reflection. This simple sign probably saved the baby's life.
Here's the story:
Interestingly enough, one of the tests we do on children, called the Bruckner test, actually mimics this same reflex seen with camera flashes. Simply by watching how light reflects off of the the retina, we can determine the general health of the eye, the shape of the eye (astigmatism), and a potential prescription for glasses (if necessary)
After 6 months, it is recommended that children have annual check ups to make sure everything is developing well.
In Canada, our health care system is based on prevention. In BC, Kids eye exams are free up to the age of 18. Regular check ups mean earlier detection and easier treatment.
Check Yearly, See Clearly!
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to write to me or visit your friendly local optometrist :)
Also, take a peak at the following websites, they are very informative.
BCAO:
http://www.optometrists.bc.ca/code/navigate.aspx?Id=3
CAO:
http://www.opto.ca/en/parents/parents-corner.html
AOA:
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