Fuchs Dystrophy Risk Factors & Severity

Certain risk factors may predispose patients with Fuchs Dystrophy to greater severity of the disease. Fuchs’ Dystrophy is a type of corneal disease that affects the inner most layer of the cornea-the endothelium. Fuchs’ Dystrophy is slowly progressive and can be found in both eyes and is slightly more common in women than men. While it is possible to observe Fuchs’ Dystrophy in people in their 30’s and 40’s, it usually does not compromise vision until people are in their 50’s or 60’s. The endothelial cells are responsible for pumping water out of the cornea and helping to maintain the corneal transparency. While the reason is poorly understood, in Fuchs’ Dystrophy, the endothelial cells die, which make the endothelium less efficient in its pumping activity. This results in the cornea swelling and distorting vision.

Researchers reporting in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science studied the effects of smoking, and other risk factors, on the development of advanced Fuchs' Endothelial Corneal Dystrophy (FECD) and on central corneal thickness (CCT). As predicted, being female increased the odds of developing advanced Fuchs' endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) by 34% and smoking increased the odds by 30%. Besides reporting that smoking was associated with an increased risk of developing advanced FECD, diabetes was also associated with increased in corneal thickness-reflecting greater risk of corneal swelling.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about Fuchs Dystrophy severity & risk factors, please call The Eye Care & SurgeryCenter at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care &Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Better Vision Quality with LASIK vs. Ortho-K Contact Lenses

Researchers reporting in the journal Cornea compared the differences in visual performance and vision quality between LASIK and Ortho-K for the treatment of low-to-moderate myopia. The results in this study suggest that LASIK provides better visual quality outcomes than Ortho-K for the treatment of low-to-moderate myopia and that for best vision LASIK laser eye surgery is the preferred method of vision correction.

LASIK is a type of laser eye surgery that provides a method of vision correction to help people with common vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism see clearly at distance without being dependent on glasses or contact lenses. Ortho-K or Orthokeratology is a method of contact lens fitting used to temporarily reshape the cornea to allow people to see at distance and be independent of eyeglasses and contacts for periods of time throughout the day.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about LASIK or schedule a Free LASIK Consultation, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Best Age to Fit Kids with Contact Lenses

Parents often wonder about the best age to fit their children with contact lenses in order to give them the most successful and safest wearing experience. Researchers reporting in Eye & Contact Lens: Science and Clinical Practice  studied differences  in current symptoms, compliance, ocular health and adverse events between current successful long–term contact lens wearers fit aschildren or as teenagers. They found that successful contact lens wearers fit as children are no more likely to report previous contact lens–related adverse events, problems with compliance, decreased wearing time, or worse ocular health than those fit as teenagers amd suggest that parents should not rely on age as a primary determinant in fitting children with contact lenses, but should rely on their eye doctor’s recommendations and evaluation of their child.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about the best age to fit children with contact lenses, please call The Eye Care & SurgeryCenter at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Diabetic Retinopathy Risk after Weight Loss Surgery

Even with normal blood sugar after weight loss surgery, there is a continued need to monitor the progression of diabetic retinopathy in order to prevent vision loss. What does weight loss surgery have to do with diabetic retinopathy? Researchers reporting at the American Diabetes Association on a small pilot study found weight-loss surgery might accelerate progression of diabetic retinopathy in some cases. In the study 17.5% of the diabetes patients screened about a year before and again after bariatric surgery suffered a progression of their diabetic retinopathy as compared with the 2% to 4% of the overall diabetes patients who develop retinopathy each year. The opposite impact might have been expected. If you have a condition such as diabetic retinopathy that is the result of the diabetes and the diabetes is in remission, it makes intuitive sense that the progression of the condition would be arrested. A few patients did appear to have regression of their eye disease most remained unchanged after surgery in the study. The patients who did progress had higher pre-surgical glucose levels and the greatest reduction in glucose levels afterward. A rapid reduction in blood glucose after the weight loss surgery-which is called “normoglycemic re-entry” or a temporary anemic episode after the weight loss surgery may actually be responsible for in the progression of preexisting diabetic retinopathy, but the mechanism is really unclear and requires a great deal of further investigation. One fact for sure-even if after weight loss surgery your blood glucose is normal, people with moderate background diabetic retinopathy prior to weight loss surgery should be monitored closely post-surgery for evidence of progression.

If you or someone you know has a question about the need for monitoring diabeticretinopathy even after weight loss surgery rendering blood sugar “normal,” please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

LASIK Safer than Contacts?

At The Eye Care & SurgeryCenter in New Jersey, we provide eye care for a large population of contact lens wearers and are careful to provide proper selection, instruction and follow-up for our patients. We also provide laser eye surgery for the correction of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism for patients from throughout the greater NY and NJ metro area.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just reported that Americans make nearly one million emergency visits to doctors’ offices and emergency rooms annually for eye infections. They indicate that most of these infections are related to improper use and care of contact lenses.

“When people contemplate having Laser Vision correction, one of the primary issues of concern is safety” shared Cornea, Cataract & LASIK Surgeon Joel Confino, M.D.  “These numbers from the CDC clearly indicate that the risk of eye infection related to contact lens wear is much greater than it is for LASIK.  We have endeavored to make the Laser Vision Experience as safe and comfortable as possible for our patients.”

If you or someone you know has questions about contact lenses, contact lens safety and contact lens problems or would like to learn more or schedule a free LASIK consultation please contact us at 800-504-1083, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Diabetic Retinopathy & Cardiovascular Event Risk

The presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy may indicate the risk of future cardiovascular (CV) events such as heart attack or stroke. The relationship between diabetic retinopathy, its 4-year progression, and CV outcomes including CV death or nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke was analyzed in participants in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) Trial who also participated in the ACCORD Eye Study. The diabetic retinopathy was classified as either none, mild, moderate, or severe and whether it was worsening was also graded. The hazard of CV death or nonfatal myocardial infarction or stroke increased by 38% for every category of change in retinopathy severity and steps of progression further raised the hazard. The researchers believe that both the severity of retinopathy and its progression are determinants of predisposition to CV outcomes.

The retina may provide an anatomical index of the effect of metabolic and hemodynamic factors on future CV outcomes.

If you or someone you know wishes to learn more about the presence and severity of diabetic retinopathy as an indicator of cardiovascular event risk can feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Preventing Diabetic Eye Problems

The Eye Care & Surgery Center notes that Prevent Blindness America has designated November as National Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month. Diabetes affects more than 25 million people in the United States and is the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age. Most disturbing is that almost 8 million people ages 40 and older have Diabetic Retinopathy with the potential for vision loss. Although there is no cure for diabetic eye disease, annual eye exams for diabetes patients are essential to help slow the progression of the disease.

Preventing Vision Loss from Diabetic Eye Disease & Retinopathy

The vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented if it's caught early and treated in time. More than one third of those diagnosed with diabetes do not adhere to vision care guidelines recommending a dilated eye exam every year. As part of Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month we are urging people with diabetes to have a dilated eye exam every year. The longer a person has diabetes, the greater his or her risk for developing diabetic retinopathy. However, diabetic retinopathy does not only affect people who have had diabetes for many years, it can also appear within the first year or two after the onset of the disease.

In addition to having regular eye examinations and testing at the direction of your eye doctor, patients can help to reduce the risk of developing diabetic eye disease  by not smoking, controlling their cholesterol and lipid profile and blood pressure, as well as working to eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy vegetables and exercising. 

If you or someone you know has diabetes or even elevated blood sugar levels they should work to prevent diabetic eye disease and problems with regular eye exams by calling The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Injections for Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment

The Eye Care & Surgery Center asks patients to have realistic expectations and understand the necessity of ongoing injection treatments for Diabetic Macular Edema in order to get the best vision and overall results. Researchers reporting in the British Journal of Ophthalmology shared helpful information about the importance of the VEGF inhibitor injection frequency in the treatment of diabetic macular edema. Diabetic Macular Edema is a common cause of vision loss in diabetics suffering from the effects of diabetic retinopathy. Today, we are fortunate to have a number of vascular endothelial growth inhibitor (VEGF) drugs for injection-such as Lucentis® and Eyelea®-that are helpful to treat and reverse the effects of Diabetic Macular Edema. The study confirmed that patients need to be patient as their ophthalmologists and retina specialists plan and schedule their examinations, testing and visits as sometime the best results can only be achieved multiple injections over some period of time. In general good long term results are achieved by about 4 months of injection treatment, but 20% of patients with persistent Diabetic Macular Edema at 12 months achieved a dry macula with considerable restoration of vision with sustained treatment through 24 months suggesting that persistent Diabetic Macular Edema at 4-12 months should not be used as a stopping criterion for treatment.

If you or someone you know would like to know more about the treatment of Diabetic Macular Edema with injections and the necessity of ongoing injection treatments, please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

“All in the Family” LASIK

After seeing how successful my wife’s and daughter’s LASIK treatment was, I decided I also wanted the freedom of not having to wear glasses.  I traveled over 100 miles to have Dr. Confino perform this surgery.  The care, concern and total professionalism of the entire staff and the complete success of my surgery would allow me to recommend anyone who is considering LASER correction, not to hesitate to do so.

Robert B.

Halloween Contact Lens Safety

The Eye Care & Surgery Center advises patients to use caution this Halloween in choosing decorative eye colorchanging contact lenses as part of their costume selections. Turning your eye color from blue to some far out appearance or ghoulish look by using over-the-counter, decorative contact lenses can be a good source of Halloween fun, BUT it can also lead to serious vision-threatening problems. The Food and Drug Administration, regulates all contact lenses as medical devices that require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye care professional. Thus, even someone with perfect vision would still require an eye exam and a prescription in order to wear any kind of contacts, including cosmetic lenses.

Risk & Danger of Non PrescriptionCosmetic Contact Lenses

Some websites advertise no prescription decorative contacts as if they were fashion accessories or toys with fanciful, playful packaging in order to attract teens and young adults, especially girls. The problem is not that people use decorative, noncorrective contacts, but that they buy the devices without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the Internet or at flea markets and specialty shops. The purchasers and users of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces a huge risk including scratched corneas or corneal abrasion, “pink eye” conjunctivitis, infection such as corneal keratitis and corneal ulcer-the latter exposing the wearer to blinding consequences.

The safe and effective use of contact lenses-whether decorative or not-requires proper fitting and education about their care to prevent the potential for serious eye  problems from becoming a reality. If you or a friend would like to learn more about contact lenses of any type including decorative non prescription contacts please The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Cataract Risk: Role of Vitamins & Antioxidants

Your risk of developing cataracts may actually be impacted by vitamin and antioxidant consumption. It may be possible that there is an association between your risk of cataracts and your dietary intake of certain vitamins and antioxidants according to researchers reporting their results in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Generally, studies have been inconsistent regarding the association between blood antioxidants or vitamins and risk of age-related cataract. By performing a meta analysis of 13 different studies researchers found the  lower the  level of vitamin E, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, the  greater the  risk of age-related cataract in Asian populations but not in Western populations, whereas β-Carotene, lycopene, and β-cryptoxanthin  had no significant association with risk of cataract. While these results look somewhat interesting, the question remains whether increasing intake through dietary supplements actually have any role in decreasing the risk of cataract formation.

If you or someone you know would like to know more about the role of vitamins and antioxidants in cataract risk and development, please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

BOTOX® Mechanism May Help with Type 2 Diabetes

The mechanism of action of BOTOX® and understanding how it works may prove to be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. What do BOTOX® and Type 2 Diabetes have to do with each other you ask?  A new study reports that proteins affected by injections of the wrinkle relaxer BOTOX® could help scientists develop new ways to treat Type 2 Diabetes. BOTOX® Cosmetic is best known as an injection for helping patient smooth fine lines and wrinkles in order to look their best. 

BOTOX® is also used as treatment for a number of medical conditions including migraine, urinary incontinence, profuse sweating and crossed eyes, among others. In each of these cases, BOTOX® works because it has a paralyzing effect: that is, it relaxes specific muscles, which then provides the desired effect. BOTOX® accomplishes this effect by blocking certain proteins called SNARE (Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptor) proteins. It turns out that SNARE proteins in the beta cells of the pancreas help the pancreas secrete insulin, thus blocking these proteins in the pancreas could lead to insulin resistance which is the hallmark of Type 2 Diabetes. Understanding this mechanism will hopefully provide researchers with new ways to diagnose and treat Type 2 Diabetes in the future.

If you or someone you know would like to learn about how our understanding of BOTOX® and how it works might be helpful in diagnosing and treating Type 2 Diabetes should feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Glaucoma Laser Treatments Effective Treatment Option

Glaucoma laser treatments are considered an effective treatment option for many patients with glaucoma. Laser treatment for glaucoma is regarded as safe and effective and may be considered as first-line therapy in early to moderate-stage open-angle glaucoma when eye pressure or IOP is less than 35 mm Hg. Recent research presented at the World Glaucoma Congress also indicated that the SLT Laser may also be useful for glaucoma induced by the use of steroids and the ALT and SLT Laser may be useful in treating pigmentary glaucoma. But, the researchers cautioned that the laser treatments are not a cure and that meticulous follow up and monitoring is necessary to ensure that patients continue to do well over time in order to preserve eye health and vision.

If you or someone you know would like to learn about laser treatments for glaucoma should feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Critical Retina Exam Important for Cataract Surgery

Physician Staff at The Eye Care & Surgery Center

Having a critical retina exam as part of your cataract exam before cataract surgery is a good idea based on current research. In fact, patients with cataracts and contemplating cataract surgery should expect their cataract surgeon to perform a thorough and critical retinal exam in order to carefully correlate the degree of vision loss with the density and position of the cataract. When cataract patients report a decrease in vision, it is important to correlate the visual symptoms and visual acuity to the degree of cataract present. If you have a considerable amount of vision loss but only mild cataracts, the actual cause of the vision loss must be identified. In many cases, a careful examination of theretina can reveal underlying pathology such as epiretinal membranes, retinal wrinkling or macular pucker with edema. In fact, some studies report a prevalence of epiretinal membranes in 7% of patients older than 60 years and in 20% of patients aged 75 years or more-the prime demographic for cataract surgery. Therefore, before you have cataract surgery expect to have whatever level of examination and testing your cataract surgeon requests in order to help you get the best results.

If you or someone you know has questions about the need for a critical retina exam before cataract surgery and lens implants please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

25% Off Childrens’ Eyeglasses at The Eye Care & Surgery Center

As parents are getting their children ready for the “Back to School” season, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is pleased to offer a 25% discount on kids eyewear andeyeglasses through September 30, 2014. We are featuring eyeglass frames from Lacoste™, Nike, Hello Kitty, Converse®, Ray Ban®, Nine West, Miraflex and Flexon, to name some of the popular kid’s eyeglasses we offer.  

To schedule an eye exam or eyeglass selection and fitting, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter.

Inflammation Marker Indicates Macular Degeneration Risk

CRP (c-reactive protein) is an inflammation marker that can be tested as part of a routine blood test. We now know that the risk of macular degeneration (AMD) is correlated with the findings of the CRP (c-reactive proteins) test in men and women according to researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston who reported in JAMA Ophthalmology.

The findings of these studies showed that there was a significantly increased risk of AMD for those patients with high versus low CRP levels and those with high CRP levels also had a significantly increased risk of neovascular or Wet AMD-a leading cause of vision loss among seniors. The researchers concluded that elevated levels of CRP predict greater future risk of AMD. It is believed that this information might shed light on underlying mechanisms and could be of clinical help in the identification of persons at high risk of AMD who may benefit from increased adherence to lifestyle recommendations, eye examination schedules and therapeutic protocols.

If you or someone you know has a question about CRP tests and the risk of age related macular degeneration (AMD) please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Time for Kids School Eye Exams

Now is the time to get children ready for heading back to school. An important item on the back to school “readiness” checklist should include an eye exam. While most parents can easily observe that children today operate in a very intense and demanding visual environment as they read, write, play sports, use computers and tablets-but the eye doctors at The Eye Care & Surgery Center want to be sure to remind parents that children use their eyes and vision as critical tools in the learning process.  

The most frequent eye problems we find in school age kids are the common vision problems of nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. Sometimes, not having clear vision in the classroom can lead to the undeserved perception of a behavioral problem or attention problem. What we know is that kids are often unable to verbalize that they have a vision problem as they just don’t recognize it. The earlier a vision problem is detected and treated, the more likely treatment will be successful.

If you or someone you know needs a Back to School eye exam for children, please come in and see us at The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Awareness of Cataract Symptoms Important

The Eye Care & Surgery Center believes people-especially seniors-should be aware of the symptoms of cataracts and how a cataract can impact vision, quality of life and general mobility and safety.

What is a Cataract?

A cataract is a clouding of the crystalline lens of the eye preventing light rays from passing through it easily. Cataracts are not a growth or a film over the eye.

Who Gets Cataracts?

More than 20 million Americans age 40 and older have cataracts and more than half of all Americans over 65 have some degree of cataract development. In fact cataracts are a leading cause of vision loss among seniors.

What Are the Symptoms of Cataracts?

Cataracts cause a clouding and blurring of vision. For many patients a cataract can start out slowly and have little effect on vision at first. But, as the cataract becomes denser, so does the impact on vision. The most common symptoms that bother patients with cataracts can include blurring of vision, sensitivity to light and glare, double vision in one eye, poor night vision, fading or yellowing of colors and frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions.

How Do Cataracts & Vision Loss Affect Daily Life?

Poor vision in seniors is often associated with premature or accelerated mental decline. Reduced vision also challenges the safety and mobility of patients resulting in putting patients at increased risk for orthopedic injury-especially hip fracture. So, helping seniors restore vision with cataract surgery has an important place in securing senior health, well being, mobility, safety and mental state.

When cataracts begin to interfere with daily activities or with patient comfort, mobility and safety, they can be treated surgically. Cataract surgery is one of the safest and most frequently performed surgeries in the United States. Today, we have a full range of lens implants available that allow us to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and even near vision problems after cataract surgery, as well as distance vision, without requiring bifocals or reading glasses for the vast majority of patients.

If you or someone you know has questions about symptoms of cataracts, cataract surgery or lens implants please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

iPad Nook Kindle May Help Glaucoma Patients Read

Patients with glaucoma often read slower when reading silently for long periods of time and are more likely to have their reading speed decrease over time, possibly as a result of the reading fatigue caused by contrast loss and visual field defects. Fortunately, recent studies suggest that technological solutions such as e-readers like the iPad, Nook and Kindle along with the apps that are developed for them may very well help glaucoma patients read more comfortably.

Investigators reporting in Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science shared information about improved reading comfort and performance for glaucoma patients using these devices possible as a result of the ability to enhance contrast, font size and other features of the display screens.

If you or someone you know has questions about help with reading for glaucoma patients by using e-readers such as the iPad, Nook or Kindle should call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Use Caution to Avoid Fireworks Eye Injury on July 4th

The Eye Care & Surgery Center cautions our community to use due caution and take some modest precautions to avoid eye injury from fireworks around the July 4^th holiday. People should fireworks eye safety an important consideration as historically eye injuries from fireworks are the second most frequent injury we see from the emergency room each July 4^th weekend. Some common sense precautions we can take begin with restricting kid’s access to fireworks. The best defense against kids suffering severe eye injuries and burns is to not let kids play with any fireworks. Do not purchase, use or store fireworks of any type and attend only authorized public fireworks displays conducted by licensed operators, but be aware that even professional displays can be dangerous. However, if an eye accident does occur, there are a few things you should know:

·         Do not rub the eye.

·         Do not attempt to rinse out the eye. This can be even more damaging than rubbing.

·         Do not apply pressure to the eye itself-but protecting the eye from further contact with any item, including the person’s hand.

·         Do not stop for medicine! Over-the-counter pain relievers will not do much to relieve pain. Aspirin (should never be given to children) and ibuprofen can thin the blood, increasing bleeding. Take the person to the emergency room at once.

·         Do not apply ointments or drops. They may not be sterile and may make the area around the eye slippery and harder for the doctor to examine.

Once you are seen in the emergency room please feel free to have them call The Eye Care & SurgeryCenter at 908-789-8999 as we always have an eye doctor “on call” to provide consultation and continued care for you.

If you or someone you know has questions about fireworks eye safety and eye injuries please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Macular Degeneration (AMD) Risk Increased with Aspirin Use

The Eye Care & Surgery Center cautions people taking aspirin that while widely used, aspirin may increase your risk of macular degeneration (AMD). Aspirin is routinely taken on an “over-the –counter” basis for headaches, body ache,  fever and even by patients who are at high risk of heart attack due to atherosclerosis, as aspirin has excellent anticoagulant properties.

The Beaver Dam Eye Study found that regular aspirin use 10 years prior to eye examination was associated with late AMD, with estimated incidence of 1.76 percent, compared to 1.03 percent in non-aspirin users. Although these associations appear small they are in fact  statistically significant as regular aspirin use 10 years prior to eye examination was significantly associated with the “wet” form of AMD, which accounts for 10 percent of all AMD cases, but is responsible for the majority of functional blindness attributed to the disease. Another Australian study found that regular aspirin users developed wet AMD an astounding 24.5 percent of the time. Even after adjusting for other risk factors like age, sex, smoking, history of heart disease and body mass index, regular aspirin users still had a higher risk of developing wet AMD. These researchers concluded, “Regular aspirin use is associated with increased risk of incident neovascular [Wet] AMD, independent of history of cardiovascular disease and smoking.”

Alternatives to Aspirin

If you’re a regular aspirin user, you should get a thorough eye exam as soon as possible to determine your AMD status as AMD often doesn’t show any symptoms until well after the problem has advanced. Please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Contact Lenses, Dry Eyes & Birth Control Pills

Birth control pills may make wearing contact lenses less comfortable as dry eye problems can be more troubling. What does having dry eyes have to do with wearing contact lenses and birth control pills? It is noteworthy that there is a relationship between dry eye symptoms in woman using oral contraceptives who wear contact lenses. Researchers reported on a study in Cornea where they evaluated the interaction between oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, contact lens wear and dry eye signs and symptoms in healthy young women. While there were no differences in dry eyes between the phases of the menstrual cycle and no evidence that tear osmolarity-or saltiness-was affected by OCP or contact lens use in the young women, it was clear that the combination of OCP use and contact lens wear together may increase the severity of dry eye symptoms.

If you or someone you know has a question about dry eyes, oral contraceptives or birth control pill use and contact lens wear please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

What is a Hordeolum Eyelid Lump?

There are a number of different types of eyelid lumps and bumps that we see at The Eye Care & Surgery Center. Hordeolum is a common, painful inflammation of the eyelid that is usually caused by a bacterial infection. The infection affects the oil glands in the eyelid and results in a lump. Often, the infected lump drains and heals by itself with no treatment. However, the infection can sometimes spread to other glands in the eyes and can become long lasting. It can also turn into a cyst which is called a chalazion. Hordeolum can be internal, on the inside of the eyelid, or external, on the outside of the eyelid near the eyelashes. Hordeolum on the outside of the eyelid is known as a stye. Hordeolum also can be acute and appear suddenly and heal in a short time, or chronic and long lasting and occurring over time. Common treatments for hordeolum include warm compresses applied at home, prescription and non prescription lid scrubs, antibiotics, steroids, lid massages and others types of treatment.

If you or someone you know has a question about eye lid lumps such as hordeolum, stye or chalzion please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Protect Your Eyes from UV Damage

The Eye Care & Surgery Center wants to advise patients of the importance of protecting their eyes from excessive exposure to UV light from the sun as the potential for cumulative damage to their eyes and sensitive tissue around the eyes is not trivial. While the summer months are a great time to be outdoors-walking, hiking, swimming-going to the beach-and just enjoying our community, there are some common sense precautions along with wearing appropriate UV protective eyewear that everyone people should take. Some precautions regarding UV eye protection include:

• Always wear sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Sunglasses without UV protection may shade the eyes but actually cause the pupils to dilate, allowing in even more harmful rays.

• Wear a brimmed hat along with sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays.

• Choose wrap-around sunglasses to protect the eyes and the skin around the eyes.

• Be aware that although some contact lenses may offer UV protection, they cannot protect the entire eye and the skin around it.

• Choose sunglasses made of unbreakable polycarbonate, especially for children and for those who lead active lifestyles.

• Be sure to ask your doctor about the photosensitizing side effects of any medications that you might take.

• Always wear eye protection when using a tanning bed. According the American Academy of Ophthalmology, tanning beds can produce UV levels up to 100 times more than the sun, which can cause serious damage to the external and internal structures of the eye and eyelids.

At The Eye Care & Surgery Center we have an extensive selection of UV protecting eyeglass lenses available to choose from. Eye protection from UV needs to be complete but doesn’t have to be overly expensive. High quality sunglasses should block out 99-100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation. It is also important to have UV protection in everyday eyewear, which is readily available with a number of UV blocking eyeglass lens materials, specialized coatings and photochromic lenses.

If you or someone you know has a question or concerns about ultraviolet (UV) eye damage and injury and how to select protective eyewear please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading New Jersey eye care practice with offices at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830.

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Omega 3 Supplements May Not Help AMD

Omega 3 supplements have been questioned as playing a beneficial role for patients in the prevention of age related macular degeneration (AMD). Taking diet supplements with antioxidant vitamins C and E, Beta Carotene and   Zinc has been shown to reduce the risk of progression to advanced age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in the Age-Related Eye Disease Study (AREDS). In addition to this “AREDS Supplement Formulation”, some data suggests that increased dietary intake of lutein + zeaxanthin (carotenoids), omega-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (docosahexaenoic acid [DHA] + eicosapentaenoic acid [EPA]), or both might further reduce this risk. 

Researchers from the Age Related Eye Disease 2 (AREDS) Research Group reporting in the Journal of the  American Medical Association concluded that the addition of lutein + zeaxanthin, DHA + EPA, or both to the AREDS formulation did not further reduce risk of progression to advanced AMD but lutein + zeaxanthin could be an appropriate carotenoid substitute in the AREDS formulation for former smokers who were at risk for lung cancer.

If you or someone you know has a question about dietary supplements including Omega 3 fatty acids, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Corneal Specialist on Pinguecula Laser Treatment

Corneal Specialist Joel Confino,M.D. of The Eye Care & Surgery Center commented, “A Pinguecula is a common, non-cancerous growth of the clear, thin tissue covering the eye called the conjunctiva. This growth is usually slightly raised from the surface of the white part of the eye called sclera and while the exact cause is unknown long-term sunlight exposure and eye irritation may be factors.” 

Usually no treatment is needed, however keeping the eye moist with artificial tears may help prevent the area from becoming inflamed. Sometimes the temporary use of mild steroid eye drops can also be helpful. Occasionally the growth may need to be removed for comfort or for cosmetic reasons especially if it grows over the cornea and impairs vision. Laser treatment for Pinguecula may be an option where other types of treatment have not been satisfactory according to researchers reporting in the journal Cornea. The researchers studied patients and treated their Pinguecula with argon laser photocoagulation. Each patient graded the cosmetic outcome on a 5 point-grading scale with 5 being excellent, 4 being good, 3 acceptable, 2 poor and 1 very poor and the surgeons evaluation of treatment outcome was based on objective findings of anterior segment photography and anterior segment optical coherence tomography. The overall cosmetic results were excellent or good in 90.5% of laser-treated cases and the laser treated cases had minimal scarring or hemorrhage. They concluded that argon laser photocoagulation is an effective and safe method for removing a Pinguecula for cosmetic purposes and the laser method facilitates control of the extent and depth of removal and thus minimizes conjunctival defects and other complications.

If you or someone you know has a question about Pinguecula or laser treatment of Pinguecula please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment. 

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Eyewear for Sports Eye Protection

Wearing proper protective eyewear for sports can go a long way to decrease the risk of eye injuries for adults and children who are athletes. The American Academy of Ophthalmology notes that more than 40,000 people suffer from eye injuries related to sports every year with more than 90% of these sports eye injuries being preventable by wearing protective eyewear. The types and scope of eye injuries can include relatively routine corneal abrasions, bruises and contusions of the eyelids-and rather severe eye injuries including inner eye bleeding and retinal detachments. These types of sports eye injuries can result in catastrophic vision loss as well as dramatic lifestyle impairment.

Today, there is specially designed protective eyewear that provides good eye protection for most sports, including basketball, baseball, hockey, football, lacrosse, fencing, paintball, water polo, golf and others. Frame designs must offer proper protection and eyeglass lenses made from polycarbonate materials must be used to provide the highest level of impact protection so that they can withstand a ball or other projectile traveling at 90 miles per hour. These types of protective eyewear, when properly fitted protective eyewear will not interfere with sports performance and serves to help maintain eye safety, health and vision. Regular eyeglasses do not offer proper eye protection.

If you or someone you know has questions or would like help in selecting, fitting or choosing sports protective eyeglasses, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit TheEye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The EyeCare & Surgery Center is staffed by a team of Board Certified NJ Ophthalmologists who are subspecialty Fellowship trained New Jersey eye surgeons, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, surgery for cataracts, intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery including eyelid surgery and facial and skin rejuvenation as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading New Jersey eye care practice with offices at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830

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Dry Eye after Cataract Surgery

Having a temporary dry eye after cataract surgery is somewhat common-especially given that the incidence of mild to moderate dry eye in a cataract aged population prior to cataract surgery-and exacerbated by cataract surgery makes dry eye a rather common complaint among this group.

According to the Prospective Health Assessment of Cataract Patients Ocular Surface (PHACO) Study some 60-75% of a cataract aged population had a meaningful deficiency in their tear film testing. Further, although cataract surgery is quite friendly to the cornea, it does require and incision which has the potential to temporarily interrupt corneal nerves responsible for reflex tearing and tear film integrity as well. This along with some of the solutions used during the cataract procedure can indeed result in a dry eye.

Symptoms & Treatment of Dry Eye after Cataract Surgery

The symptoms of dry eye that one might experience after cataract surgery could include fluctuations of vision, dryness, grittiness, tearing, burning and a general tiredness as well as an overall sandy feeling. The good news is that for the vast majority of patients with dry eye there are potentially helpful treatment options that include specialized artificial tear lubricants and solutions, tiny punctal plugs to help you retain tears and prescription medication that stimulates production of your own tears. In addition there are more technological approaches such as lasers and other methods to treating underlying blepharitis, eyelid gland problems or eyelid inflammation that can contribute to dry eye as well.

If you or someone you know has a question about the symptoms and treatment of dry eye after cataract surgery, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is staffed by a team of Board Certified NJ Ophthalmologists who are subspecialty Fellowship trained New Jersey eye surgeons, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, surgery for cataracts, intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery including eyelid surgery and facial and skin rejuvenation as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear and optical services.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading New Jersey eye care practice with offices at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830

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Eye Health Risks at High Altitude

While most of us don’t spend too much time at very high altitudes there are situations worth mentioning as some patients who spend a great deal of time in high altitudes-skiing, mountain climbing or even just touring-may be concerned about the effects on their eyes, especially if they are at risk for eye problems or diseases related to hypoxia or not enough oxygen.

Researchers from the Tübingen High Altitude Ophthalmology (THAO) reporting in the journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science examined the effect of high altitude on the cornea and on the drainage angle of the eye-a key anatomical landmark for predicting narrow angle glaucoma risk. Using the advanced imaging technique of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) they studied corneal thickness changes and the depth and shape of the “anterior chamber angle” to determine the effects of high altitude. In normal healthy eyes, they found that a significant degree of reversible corneal swelling occurred with increasing altitude but no effect was noted on the size or shape of the eye fluid drainage angle. Since the corneal swelling was reversible it was not damaging. However, for patients with corneal dystrophy problems such as Fuchs Dystrophy, any endothelial dystrophy or compromise there may be some delay in the deswelling of the cornea. For patients who might be at risk for narrow angle glaucoma, the researchers reported that no change in angle depth or shape occurred at the higher altitudes-and thus there was no increase in angle closure glaucoma risk.

If you or someone you know has a question about the potential for eye problems at high altitude please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is staffed by a team of Board Certified NJ Ophthalmologists who are subspecialty Fellowship trained New Jersey eye surgeons, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, surgery for cataracts, intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery including eyelid surgery and facial and skin rejuvenation as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear  and optical services.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Patients Lack Understanding of Diabetic Retinopathy

At The Eye Care & Surgery Center we work to educate patients about their eye problems, conditions, diseases and treatment options as we believe having a solid understanding is important for their eye health and vision. Understanding diabetic retinopathy poses a particular challenge for a great number of patents. A recent study exploring patients’ understanding of the risk factors, cause and controllability of their own diabeticretinopathy revealed considerable misunderstanding, gaps in knowledge and potentially damaging beliefs about the cause and treatment of diabetic retinopathy. Focus groups and interviews were conducted with patients with diabetic retinopathy (DR), nearly half of whom had severe proliferative DR-a serious complication. Most of these patients had also undergone laser treatment. At the conclusion of the study, patients were found to have had a reasonable understanding of the basic risk factors for DR, such as diabetes control, but they were less clear about specific risk factors such as blood pressure and lipid control. Most patients attributed their DR either to poor diabetes control or to failings of the health care system, rather than having a basic understanding of the small blood vessel disease including circulatory and oxygen deprivation that results from the damaged blood vessels in the retina. Some patients believed that their DR was a result of health aspects beyond their control or environmental factors, whereas others were unsure about the cause.

Improving patients' understanding of the major risk factors for DR as well as helping them have a better understanding of the causes of diabetic retinopathy and being able to grasp expectations of realistic outcomes of laser treatment may improve patients' coping mechanisms, adaption to disease and ocular outcomes.

If you or someone you know has a question about the risks or treatment of diabeticretinopathy, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is staffed by a team of Board Certified NJ Ophthalmologists who are subspecialty Fellowship trained New Jersey eye surgeons, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, surgery for cataracts, intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery including eyelid surgery and facial and skin rejuvenation as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear  and optical services.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Bright Red Eye: What Could It Be?

Sometimes patients call The EyeCare & Surgery Center very concerned because they look in the mirror or someone tells them that they have a “bright red eye” or “bleeding eye”. Typically, it seems to start with a cough or a sneeze-or with some heavy lifting-or for no reason at all-and has no pain, blurry vision or discharge. What could it be? We will of course ask you to come in so we can evaluate the problem, but it is possible that it is a subconjunctival hemorrhage.

Subconjunctivalhemorrhage is a benign disorder that is a common cause of acute ocular redness or “bright red eye”. The major risk factors include trauma and contact lens usage in younger patients, whereas among the elderly, systemic vascular diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and arteriosclerosis are more common. In patients in whom subconjunctival hemorrhage is recurrent or persistent, further evaluation, including a workup for systemic hypertension, bleeding disorders, systemic and ocular malignancies and drug side effects, is warranted.

If you or someone you know experiences a “bright red eye” please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is staffed by a team of Board Certified NJ Ophthalmologists who are subspecialty Fellowship trained New Jersey eye surgeons, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, surgery for cataracts, intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery including eyelid surgery and facial and skin rejuvenation as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear  and optical services.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

LASIK for a CEO, Husband & Father

Dear Dr. Confino & Crew:

I spent a long time thinking about the type of letter I wanted to write to you and the staff and after browsing through the "praise" book located in your lobby. I felt the best letter I could write is one speaking to the person who will ultimately read this...the patient. So…

Dear Potential Patient,

While you sit there looking around, keeping yourself busy and now reading this letter, let me introduce myself, I am Sean and like you found myself, filled with excitement and fear, continually challenging my thinking of having LASIK. I am writing this to you to help put some of your thoughts at ease (well as much as a letter can). While I am happy now and will continue to get happier with healing, you owe yourself a reality check on probably the most important decision you will make in your lifetime. This is not like choosing a new car or outfit....let's be honest, it's your eyes. First let me tell you that as I write this letter to you I have 20/15 vision (better than 20/20) but it comes with patience! This is something I want you to continue to remember. I am sure you did as I had and asked all your friends, read as much as you can online and spoke to family about LASIK. Being informed is great but don't get yourself crazy because this is where the seat you choose is most important.
You are sitting in what you may find to be a busy office and please do not take the amount of people as a bad thing. Take it as a compliment to the people and staff you will eventually meet and at some point feel as though are family. The staff in this relationship is what makes the LASIK process great and their attentive nature. In my treatment, I did come upon some complications (not going to lie since we will become LASIK buddies one day). I am not mentioning this to you to put any more fear in your decision but rather make you feel that if you enter into an elective surgery your hope is that IF anything were to happen you get the attention and knowledge you need. It’s not fair for me or you to say that we would/should expect this because no one EXPECTS to have issues. Remember, I am writing to you with great vision now and again PATIENCE is the key. This is a process and the people who will guide you through this process.

Will you be happy? Yes. Is this something that happens overnight? No. But these are the things you will come to learn in your time with the Doctor. What I wanted to impress on you, again as someone just like you, is that you are choosing the right place. Beyond the coffee and donuts it's about the people and their ability to support your needs and be responsive. Take this step knowing again that you are in such hands here.
Best and good luck,
Sean B.

Eating Fish Can Decrease AMD Risk

Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is a common cause of vision loss in seniors and others with certain risk factors, but the risk can be decreased by a diet rich in fish! Recently, researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health found that AMD may be associated with a high dietary fat intake. The results of their study found that eating fish, such as tuna, four times a week, may reduce the risk of macular degeneration. The subjects of the study were participants in the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study who did not have AMD at when the study commenced. After 12 years of follow-up, 567 people with a visual loss of 20/30 or worse were identified. Fat intake was assessed with a food frequency questionnaire. The study found:

·         Those patients whose total dietary fat intake was in the highest quintile had over one and a half times the risk of AMD as those whose fat intake was in the lowest quintile,

·         Linolenic acid consumption was directly associated with the risk of AMD,

·         High intake of docosahexaenoic acid was associated with a modest reduction in the risk of AMD.

·         Those who ate four or more servings of fish a week were at a 35% lower risk of AMD when compared to those who ate fewer than three servings of fish a week.

The researchers concluded that dietary fat intake was associated with an increased risk of age related macular degeneration (AMD) and that this may have been due to the presence of Linolenic acid in the fat. They added that a high intake of fish, a rich source of docosahexaenoic acid, may reduce this risk.

If you or someone you know has a family history of age related macular degeneration or wishes to learn more about their risk of AMD and how to reduce the risk of age related macular degeneration (AMD) by eating fish, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is staffed by a team of Board Certified NJ Ophthalmologists who are subspecialty Fellowship trained New Jersey eye surgeons, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, surgery for cataracts, intraocular lens implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration (AMD) and diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma, reconstructive and cosmetic facial surgery including eyelid surgery and facial and skin rejuvenation as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses, eyewear  and optical services.

With locations at 592 Springfield Avenue, Westfield, New Jersey 07090, 10 Mountain Boulevard, Warren, New Jersey 07059 and 517 Route One South, Suite 1100, Iselin, New Jersey 08830, The Eye Care & Surgery Center is a leading NJ eye care practice conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.