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 With summer vacation coming to an end, many students and parents are beginning to prepare for the upcoming school year. But between purchasing school supplies, signing up for fall activities and sports, orientations, and finishing up last-minute summer trips, many forget to schedule an eye exam prior to the start of the school year. In fact only 50 percent of parents take their children under 12 years old to visit their eye doctor, even though skipping annual visits can lead to vision problems being missed in their early stages.

Making sure your child’s eyes are in good health and are ready for the school year ahead is important, and scheduling a comprehensive eye exam is the only way to diagnose any vision problems or concerns early on. Still not convinced? We’ve compiled a few reasons why you should add a back to school vision exam to your list of things to do before the first day of school.

Vision Dependence in School: Children tend to be visual learners, so schools rely on visuals to keep students engaged. If a child is having problems seeing the chalkboard, reading books, or participating in sports or activities, they tend become frustrated, which leads to learning being negatively impacted. School infirmaries do offer vision checks, but they are often limited in scope and rarely pinpoint issues in a child’s vision. That’s why the best way to keep your child’s vision in check is to take them in for annual eye exams. This way, they’ll be ready to hit the books without worrying about their vision.

Changes in Eyesight: As children get older and use their eyes for more computer work or reading, they can start to experience vision problems. Nearsightedness can develop or worsen between ages 11 and 13, so it’s important to check up on this if your child is having issues seeing what’s on the chalkboard or across the room. Other issues, like farsightedness, strabismus, and astigmatism can also be diagnosed during a comprehensive vision exam.

Set your child up for success in the upcoming school year by checking up on their eye health. Addressing and diagnosing any issues prior to the first day of school will not only keep your child’s vision in check, but also save them from frustration and headaches as the year progresses. Everett and Hurite’s staff can assist you with questions and any other eye concerns you may have. Schedule your back to school appointment by contacting us today!

Ever notice strange shapes moving around in your eye? Are these shapes more prominent when you’re looking at a bright blue sky or a white sheet of paper? These could be eye floaters - small pieces of collagen that are part of a gel in the back of your eye called the vitreous. So what makes these pieces of collagen move from the back to the front of the eye, and what can be done to remove or prevent this from happening? Here are answers to some common questions regarding causes, symptoms, and treatments for eye vitreous floaters.

What Causes Floaters?

It’s no secret that the older we get, the more problems we experience with our eyes. One of these problems could be the breaking down and clumping of the protein fibers that make up the vitreous, which contributes to shadows being cast on the eye. When the vitreous becomes less jelly-like and becomes more of a liquid, the fibers clump and cause the shadows to appear.

Floaters can occur in adults at any age, although they’re more common between the ages of 50 and 75. You’re more likely to get them if you’re nearsighted or have experienced cataract surgery. Floaters can also result from various eye diseases and injuries, tumors, or diabetic retinopathy.

What Are The Symptoms?

Floaters can appear differently in every person who experiences them, but there are a few common symptoms that most patients experience. These symptoms include transparent spots or strings on the eyes, spots that move quickly when looking in different directions, spots that are noticeable when looking at bright lights or plain colors (like a bright, blue sky), or spots that drift out of the line of vision. If you are experiencing these symptoms you should see a specialist as soon as possible to confirm that nothing major is developing in your eye, especially if more severe symptoms develop as well (i.e.new floaters appearing, an abundance of floaters, sudden flashes of light, or peripheral vision loss).

How Can Floaters Be Treated?

While floaters can be annoying, most of the time they are harmless, and will go away over time on their own. However, if floaters are continuously getting worse, you will want to see your doctor about possible treatments. There are no treatments for floaters without risks, however. In the past, a vitrectomy, or a removal of the vitreous, was the best recommendation. However, this procedure has a risk of retinal tearing, retinal detachment and cataract formation. Laser vitreolysis is another treatment and it’s performed in a doctor’s office. A laser is projected into the eye through the pupil to target and break up the large floaters. This procedure also carries the risk of retinal tear and detachment. There is also a medication that can be injected into the eye, but this carries a risk of infection, retinal swelling, and retinal tear or detachment. These are all risks that you and your doctor can discuss if the need for treatment ever arises. Fortunately, the majority of floaters resolve naturally, with little to no hassle!

Experiencing any symptoms of floaters? Concerned about your eye health? We can help! Everett and Hurite’s staff can assist you with questions about floaters, symptoms, treatments, and any other eye concerns you may have. Schedule an appointment by contacting us today!

Image courtesy of pixabay.com

 Eye turns, crossed eyes, wall-eyes, wandering eyes, deviating eye, and more. These common terms are often associated with strabismus, an eye condition that causes one eye to turn in another direction when the patient is focused on a particular object. The eyes should work together as a team, but when one eye veers off in another direction, it could be a sign of strabismus.

According to the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, approximately 4% of Americans have crossed eyes or some other type of strabismus. So what causes strabismus and how can it be corrected? Strabismus surgery is the option many turn to if they have been experiencing deviating eyes. Let’s take a look at strabismus, what may cause it, and how strabismus surgery can correct the problem.

Causes and Symptoms of Strabismus

Strabismus can develop for a variety of reasons, but the most common causes are from genetics, problems with the brain’s fusion center, and muscular or nerve injuries. While adults can develop crossed eyes, this condition is often discovered in babies and is much easier to treat early on. Common symptoms for both adults and children could include headaches, eye strain, unstable vision, or fatigue or discomfort while reading.

Diagnosing Strabismus

Eye care professionals diagnose strabismus when they ask patients to focus their eyes on an object in the distance (about 20 feet away), something nearby (about 13-16 inches away), and by looking up, down, left, and right. While some patients may experience constant strabismus, others may only become cross-eyed intermittently, such as when they are ill or in a stressful situation. Eye doctors can determine if the problem is caused by the patient’s glasses or if it’s an issue with the brain. Prism glasses are recommended for some, while others, who have more of a brain-related problem, may need to undergo surgery to correct the wandering eye.

Strabismus Surgery

Before surgery begins, the surgeon needs to determine which muscles are contributing to the wandering eye and which muscles need to be strengthened or weakened to assist in aligning the eye. In this preoperative test, the surgeon will use prisms to measure the degree of strabismus, which will assist in coming up with the best plan of action during the procedure.

Children undergoing surgery are required to be under general anesthesia, while adults can use either local or general. During surgery, the eyelids are held open and an opening is created on the conjunctiva. Based on the preoperative tests, the muscles are either strengthened, weakened or moved to correct strabismus. While the procedure itself only takes one to two hours, patients will be at the surgery site for a few hours as well for  postoperative recovery. Because this is a common surgery most patients experience quick recovery and improved alignment. 

Our Care

In April, Everett and Hurite’s Pamela Huston and Dr. Darren Hoover presented their latest research on eye muscle surgery at the American Association of Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus meeting in Nashville, Tennessee. A majority of eye muscle surgeries involve weakening the eye muscles and strengthening others, but Huston and Hoover presented a different approach. The folding, also known as plication, of a rectus eye muscle is an alternative method of care that is not used frequently. Through research, Huston and Hoover discovered that success rates were similar, but re-operation rates were lower for patients receiving the plication procedure. This method takes less time, is less painful, and lowers risks of further damage to the patient. The presentation is a great example of how Everett and Hurite considers the latest research and seeks out better care as a whole for our patients.

Concerned about your eye health after experiencing some of the symptoms above? Do you think you may need strabismus surgery? Do you have concerns about your upcoming surgery? Everett and Hurite’s staff can assist you with questions about strabismus and any other eye concerns you may have. Schedule an appointment by contacting us today!

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com 

  Eating a well-balanced diet that provides us with a variety of vitamins and nutrients is essential in efforts to keep ourselves healthy. What we eat not only impacts our bodies - but it also affects our eyes.

Just as certain vitamins help our bodies run more smoothly, certain vitamins can also improve our vision health, helping to reduce the risk of vision loss. Naturally, many of our patients want to ensure they’re getting the nutrition they need to see their best in the years to come. But this begs the question: what specific nutrients are going to be the most helpful in keeping up with our vision needs? And how can you ensure you’re getting enough of them?

Supplements And Your Vision - Yay Or Nay?

Perhaps, as you’ve evaluated your vision needs, you’ve considered using a multivitamin to support your healthy living needs. It’s certainly not uncommon - as many as 68 percent of Americans take dietary supplements. However, using supplements to obtain your vitamins and nutrients should never be a primary strategy in healthy living.

While supplements can help in some cases, they cannot replace the health benefits that come from eating nutritious foods - particularly fruits and vegetables, which contain much needed fiber. Additionally, in the wrong circumstances, a regular high dosage of specific supplements could potentially do more harm than good. 

Doctors - including our team - recommend that you always try to eat the nutrients that will support good vision and overall health. Working with a doctor to determine if a supplement is necessary after making all possible dietary changes will ultimately ensure you make the healthiest decision for your vision and health.

Your Diet And Your Eyes: What To Eat

Now you’re ready to make the dietary changes that will support your eyes - but what do you need to eat? The short and simple answer is “eat the rainbow”. Doctors recommend this approach because eating a variety of colorful foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, is a good way to ensure you are getting all of the nutrients you need. A varied diet will ideally include the following foods:

• Leafy Greens: Leafy greens contain many antioxidants that will help protect your eyes against the damage that could accumulate over time due to exposure to sunlight, cigarette smoke, and air pollution. Leafy greens may also lower your risk of developing glaucoma.  They are also helpful in reducing your risk of age related macular degeneration.
• Berries: Fruit tends to be packed in vitamin C, which known to promote healthy capillary growth throughout the body and assists in the absorption of iron - two important parts of healthy, functioning eyes.
• Almonds: Almonds contain high levels of vitamin E, which may help to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration by up to 25 percent.
• Beans: Beans contain high levels of zinc, which can help protect your retina against some of the aging effects that can lead to vision loss.
• Fatty Fish: Whether you prefer tuna, salmon, or mackerel, a fish dinner is a great thing to include in any eye-healthy diet. These fish are rich in omega-3s, which help regulate the growth of blood vessels. Since some eye conditions are caused by overgrowth or abnormal growth of these blood vessels, this regulation can go a long way in aiding in the prevention of diseases such as age-related macular degeneration and retinopathy.
• Walnuts: Walnuts contain high amounts of omega 3 fatty acids which are helpful in treating dry eyes as well.

These foods aren’t the only ones that will support good vision - but they are some of the foods you can begin eating more of as we enter the spring and summer. And remember: before heading to the drug store and picking up supplements that will benefit your eyes, it’s important to consult your doctor, to ensure you take the right supplement for you and you alone!

Have further questions about how nutrition can support your health? Everett and Hurite’s staff can assist you with any eye concerns you may have and recommend the appropriate foods and vitamins for your needs. Contact us today to schedule an appointment!

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

 New technologies founded within the last decade have assisted medical professionals across all care spectrums in diagnosing patients and treating conditions that may arise. At Everett & Hurite, that new technology is allowing us to take the necessary steps to evaluate and treat a myriad of eye conditions our patients may have. Recently, for example, our offices purchased a new UV therapy that can treat progressive eye diseases like keratoconus - an eye disease that is becoming more and more common, and which requires a specialized approach to ensure proper care is delivered.

What is keratoconus?

Keratoconus is an eye disease that causes the cornea to thin and bulge outward in the shape of a cone. This is due to a weakening of small fibers, or collagen, in the eye that give the cornea its shape. What causes this weakening and eventual bulging remains a mystery - but with an estimated 1 in 750 people in the United States currently diagnosed with keratoconus, it has become one of the most prevalent corneal diseases.

Symptoms include blurred or distorted vision, double vision, sensitivity to light, and nearsightedness. And while an exact cause of the disease is unknown, some speculated causes or contributing factors include genetics, excessive eye rubbing, eye irritation, the use of improperly sized contact lenses, a complication of laser correction vision, or corneal damage.

How can we treat keratoconus?

Treating keratoconus is critical in preventing the worst of its symptoms. One of the best known treatments for keratoconus is cross-corneal linking, which can help to strengthen the cornea. Cross-corneal linking is an FDA approved procedure that assists in the treatment of this disease. Liquid riboflavin, or Vitamin B2, and ultraviolet light are used to stiffen the cornea and halt the progression of keratoconus. The use of riboflavin encourages the enhancement and development of stronger corneal collagen cross-links, while the UV light assists in stiffening the tissues and cells within the cornea itself.

Two processes have been associated with this treatment: epi-on and epi-off:

• The epi-on treatment involves leaving the epithelial layer of the cornea unharmed and is generally less painful with a shorter recovery period.
• Epi-off involves removing the epithelial layer for a much faster approach in applying the liquid riboflavin. This process is more efficient to cross-corneal linking, but the recovery time is longer; there’s a greater chance of infection; and patients may experience more pain during their procedure. This method, however, is the most effective at present.

How can I arrange care for my diagnosis?

As with any health issue, the first step in care for keratoconus is a proper diagnosis. A treatment plan can only be developed upon the completion of a comprehensive exam and, if necessary, follow-up testing. Patients over the age of 14 who receive a diagnosis of keratoconus will be able to begin the discussion about care options with their doctor following a confirmation.

If you have concerns about keratoconus or other eye conditions, we invite you to contact Everett & Hurite to discuss your care options. Our specialized staff will guide you through the process of diagnosing any eye illnesses that may need treatment, and will ensure that your care is properly coordinated based on your individual eye health needs. If you are interested in being examined for keratoconus or a similar condition, contact your nearest location today to schedule an appointment.

Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

 When asked about common health problems today, diabetes likely comes to mind. Caused by the human body failing to produce enough or failing to properly utilize insulin to process the sugars we consume, diabetes afflicted almost 10% of the population as of 2014. More specifically, the Centers for Disease Control And Prevention reported that 29.1 million people - or 9.3% of the population - had diabetes at that time.

In addition to creating extra problems for primary care doctors, nutritionists and other health experts to address, the diabetes epidemic has impacted our practices here in Pittsburgh. This is because diabetes has the ability to damage a sufferer’s vision. Four vision problems and illnesses are tied to diabetes, and ophthalmologists can treat these “diabetic eye diseases” as part of a diabetes management plan.

One local individual who worked with us to address his vision health after a diabetes diagnosis is Fred Pyor, a 52 year old Slippery Rock resident. Though admittedly overweight - a precursor to diabetes - Mr. Pyor was healthy overall, as far as he knew. He even received a clean bill of health at the vision center where he regularly received eye exams to ensure he could wear contacts.

But, “Not going to the proper [eye doctor] might have caused this,” he said when looking back at his initial diabetes diagnosis.

Discovering Diabetes

Mr. Pyor discovered he was living with undiagnosed diabetes on November 22, 2015. A bad infection in his left leg resulted in him being rushed to Butler Memorial Hospital. It was during testing there that he discovered he was living with diabetes. 

“It was life or death for a week,” Mr. Pyor recalls about his battle with both an infection and undiagnosed diabetes. “I had three emergency surgeries.”

Mr. Pyor successfully recovered from his infection, and was eventually discharged. That was when he noticed that his diabetes was impacting his vision. “Before I found out I was a diabetic, I didn’t notice much difference in my eyes,” he remembers. “When I got out of the hospital, I had real blurry vision and trouble focusing. Seeing with dark, dim lights was almost impossible.”

Reading fine print, and seeing objects that were far away were both also very challenging. It was clear that his vision would need special care to ensure it did not worsen further - or become permanent. This is because uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a number of vision problems, due to elevated sugar levels creating problems within the nerves and blood vessels we rely on for clear vision.

So, “My family physician sent me to [local eye doctor] Dr. Balouris for an eye exam, and they sent me to Everett and Hurite.”

A Clear Success

Mr. Pyor’s journey to recovery has been a success - but it’s admittedly one we can’t take all of the credit for. While diabetic eye diseases can be caught and addressed to a certain point by eye doctors, diabetes is ultimately controlled by diet, exercise, and medication as needed. Everett and Hurite’s job was to work alongside Mr. Pyor’s primary care providers, helping to protect his vision as doctor and patient worked on controlling the condition.

Given Mr. Pyor’s poorer health at the time of his diagnosis, he was prescribed oral medication and required up to 75 units of insulin a day after being discharged. He also received monthly injections in both eyes at Everett and Hurite, to help control the swelling that was causing his blurry vision.

Today, he’s still on oral medication - but he’s off of insulin entirely. His average blood sugar level also improved, going from almost twice the healthy maximum in November 2015 to just below the healthy maximum in October 2016. And while his vision does still gets a little blurry if his blood sugar dips too low, he will only need injections in his eyes every four to six months to help prevent high-damage dwelling within them.

“Dr. Kondapalli couldn’t believe how far my vision has come,” Mr. Pyor remembers from when he ceased injections in October last year. “He said this is usually a 3 or 4 year process, and I’m 3 years ahead of the game.”

A Healthier Road Ahead

Mr. Pyor’s journey to a clearer state of health cannot be praised enough, especially because of the efforts he’s taken along the way to make his efforts and healthy living changes stick. Working with a nutritionist empowered him to literally eat his way into a healthier state, and it’s his diet and efforts to stick to it that allowed him to turn his diagnosis around faster than doctors expected.

“If you look at what’s considered a diabetic, I’m not even considered a diabetic anymore in terms of a number game,” he says, citing his average blood sugar levels from the past few months. “I’ll always be labeled one. But through hard work, dieting, exercise, it can be controlled.”

Mr. Pyor noted that one reason he’s been so successful in his efforts is that he’s competitive. “I made diabetes a competition, and by making it a competition I beat it.” That, combined with his support system, allowed him to control what was really just the latest health-related curveball thrown his way.

“I’ve been through a lot of adversity in my life, health wise,” he notes. “I’ve lived through spinal meningitis. I lived through that, I lived through this, I lived through two back fusions. Through hard work you can accomplish anything.”

Fred Pyor is just one of the numerous locals we assist on a daily basis. Our doctors are able to assist patients who come to us or who are referred to us with a range of eye diseases and eye care needs. If you are interested in working with us to manage your vision needs, contact a location near you.

Image courtesy of pixabay.com