Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment with VEGF Injections

Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) is a common cause of vision loss in patients with diabetes and diabetic retinopathy. In fact it is one of the most frequent causes of vision problems in diabetics. Until recently diabetic laser treatment was the preferred treatment option for diabetic macular edema. According to researchers reporting in the American Journal of Ophthalmology reviewing and publishing an analysis of studies on Diabetic Maculopathy published between January 1, 1985 and July 31, 2013, although laser photocoagulation has been the standard treatment for DME for nearly 3 decades, there is increasing evidence that better outcomes can be achieved with anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (anti-VEGF) injections such as Lucentis® and Eylea®.

Results of Diabetic Macular Edema Treatment with Anti VEGF Injections
The number of patients with DME gaining an improvement of seeing an additional 10-15 letters on the eye chart was at least 2 times greater for those patients treated with the anti-VEGF injections as compared to being treated with laser treatments. Thus, the researchers concluded that anti-VEGF therapy is superior to laser photocoagulation for treatment of moderate to severe visual impairment caused by DME.

If you or someone you know has diabetes and is concerned about their risk of Diabetic Macular Edema (DME) or Diabetic Retinopathy, it is critical that they have regular dilated eye exams. Please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Compliance Key to Diabetic Eye Exam Effectiveness

Patients with diabetes hold a key to preventing vision loss from the disease by maintaining careful compliance with their eye doctor’s recommendations regarding having regular eye exams. Although there is no cure for diabetic retinopathy, with careful management of risk factors such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol levels, moderation of alcohol consumption and routine exercise along with regular annual dilated eye exams, the potential vision loss from diabetes and associated diabetic eye problems can be minimized. BUT-this requires that patients do their part and keep a strict schedule and compliance with the recommendations for diabetic eye exams and testing.

Research on Diabetic Eye Exam Compliance
Researchers reporting in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, studied and identified variables that predict adherence with annual eye examinations using the Compliance with Annual Diabetic Eye Exams Survey (CADEES), a new questionnaire designed to measure health beliefs related to diabetic retinopathy and annual eye examinations.

A number of factors seemed to impact diabetic patient compliance with annual eye exams including a) whether they thought their insurance would pay for the eye exam, b) whether it was difficult to schedule or physically get to an eye exam appointment with their eye doctor, c) whether patients had been counseled and made obtaining an eye examination a top priority and d) whether they had been previously told that they had signs of diabetic retinopathy.

In addition, clinicians can also help patients with compliance with the diabetic eye exams by carefully and thoroughly counseling those newly diagnosed and those with poorly controlled blood sugar patients more diligently about the importance of annual eye examinations and discussing and helping patients remove perceived barriers and misconceptions.

If you or someone you know has diabetes they need to have regular annual dilated eye exams to prevent vision loss from diabetic eye diseases and problems. Please share this information with anyone you know who is diabetic and ask them to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Eat Fruit & Reduce Diabetic Risk

What does eating fruit have to do with reducing your risk of diabetes? Based on research from the Harvard School of Public health quite a bit! Researchers from the Harvard School of Public Health identified that eating certain whole fruits may reduce the risk for Type 2 diabetes, even though fruit juice consumption may actually increase the risk of diabetes.

Research on Diabetes & Eating Fruits
Investigators combined data from 3 studies: the Nurses' Health Study of more than 66,000 patients, the Nurses' Health Study II of more than 85,000 patients and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with over 36,000 patients. The participants in all 3 studies completed questionnaires assessing health and lifestyle factors, including diet, every 2 years.

The researchers excluded participants with a baseline diagnosis of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer, as well as those who had missing data for fruit or fruit juice consumption or an extremely high or low caloric intake, and those who had an unclear date of diabetes diagnosis.

The analysis was adjusted for personal, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors for diabetes.

The researchers concluded that every 3 servings of fruit per week were associated with a lower risk for Type 2 diabetes. When the researchers looked at individual types of fruit in a multivariate analysis, adjusted for the same factors, they found that 3 servings per week of some fruits were more closely associated with reduced risk of diabetes especially blueberries, grapes and apples.

If you or someone you know has a question about eating fruit and risk of diabetes or diabetic eye disease and problems, please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Diabetic Eye Problems Still Troubling

Diabetes continues to be the leading cause of new cases of blindness in adults 20-74 years of age in the United States. This is clearly related to the continuing surge in the number of additional cases of diabetes diagnosed each year. According to the Centers for Disease Control, diabetes affects more than 26 million people in the United States and 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 and prevent vision loss.

Vision Loss from Diabetes Can Be Prevented
The vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented if it's caught early and treated in time. The abnormal blood vessel leakage and growth can be treated with a range of options including diabetic laser treatment, but preferably injections of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor drugs such as Lucentis® and Eylea®. Patients have an important role to play and still have a way to go. 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, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Helpful Eye Injury Facts to Know

Knowing some information and facts about eye injury and how to prevent it can be helpful to almost anyone. While some eye injury risks are common sense, other facts might actually surprise you. One of the most important facts to know about eye injury is that it can be prevented in 90% of the cases simply by wearing appropriate protective eyewear. What is troubling is that according to a survey by the American Academy of Ophthalmology, only 35 percent of people say that they always wear protective eyewear when performing home repairs or maintenance and even less wear protective eyewear while playing sports!

Eye Injury Facts and Myths

• Who is more likely to have an eye injury-men or women? Men!
• Are eye injuries more common on the job or at home? Nearly half of all eye injuries occurred in the home! In fact more than 40 percent of eye injuries were caused by projects and activities such as home repairs, yard work, cleaning and cooking. More than a third of injuries in the home occurred in living areas such as the kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living or family room.
• More than 40 percent of eye injuries every year are related to sports or recreational activities.
• Eyes can be damaged by sun exposure, not just chemicals, dust or objects.
• Among people who have had eye injuries, more than 78 percent of people were not wearing eyewear at the time of injury!

If you or someone you know is concerned about eye injury and wants to learn more about preventing eye injuries and protective eyewear, please feel free to call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Use Caution with Decorative Contact Lenses for Halloween

Many of your friends and family like to use decorative contact lenses as part of their Halloween costumes. Fashion or decorative contact lenses give you the ability to change your “look” by changing your eye color or even creating patterns or logos on your eyes without correcting vision. BUT, decorative contact lenses need to be used with caution and a sound understanding of how to use them safely and avoid eye problems and injury.

Facts & Tips for Halloween Contact Lens Eye Safety

• Decorative contact lenses are not cosmetics or “over the counter” merchandise. They are medical devices regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Places that advertise them as cosmetics or sell them without a prescription are breaking the law.
• They are not “one size fits all.” An eye doctor, either an optometrist or an ophthalmologist, must measure each eye to properly fit the lenses and evaluate how your eye responds to contact lens wear. A poor fit can cause serious eye damage, including;

1. a scratched cornea
2. a corneal infection
3. pink eye conjunctivitis
4. decreased vision
5. blindness

• Places that sell decorative lenses without a prescription may give you few or no instructions on how to clean and care for your lenses. Failure to use the proper solution and care regimen to keep contact lenses clean and moist can lead to infections.

Where NOT to Buy Decorative Contact Lenses

• street vendors
• salons or beauty supply stores
• boutiques
• flea markets
• novelty stores
• Halloween stores
• record or video stores
• convenience stores
• beach shops
• Internet (unless the site requires a prescription)

These are not authorized distributors of contact lenses, which are prescription devices by federal law.

How to Buy Decorative Contact Lenses Safely. Get an eye exam from a licensed eye doctor, either an ophthalmologist or optometrist, even if you feel your vision is perfect to make sure your eyes are healthy enough to wear contacts. Get a valid prescription that includes the brand name, lens measurements, and an expiration date. But don’t expect your eye doctor to prescribe anime, or circle, lenses. These bigger-than-normal lenses that give the wearer a wide-eyed, doll-like look have not been approved by FDA. Buy the lenses from a seller that requires you to provide a prescription, whether you go in person or shop online. Follow directions for cleaning, disinfecting, and wearing the lenses, and visit your eye doctor for follow-up eye exams. See your eye doctor right away if you have signs of possible eye infection including:

• redness
• eye pain that doesn’t go away after a short time
• decrease in vision

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 someone you know wishes to learn more or be fit with any type of contact lenses-including decorative contacts-please schedule an eye exam at The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.

Cataract Surgery: Turning Back the Clock

HI, my name is Nancy and I would like to tell you about my recent surgery at The Eye care and Surgery Center. I can sum it up in one word, OUTSTANDING! From Dr. Jacobs and his staff, to the surgery center nurses and staff, all were wonderful. I cannot tell you how fantastic it is to see clearly at a distance for the first time in 53 years. And when they say the surgery is painless it truly is. Again the whole experience was painless, fast and gives you back great vision. I love it.


Nancy D

If you or someone you know has a question about cataracts, laser cataract surgery & lens implants please call The Eye Care & Surgery Center at 908-789-8999, visit The Eye Care & Surgery Center, Google+ or facebook.com/eyecareandsurgerycenter to schedule an appointment.

The Eye Care & Surgery Center is located 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, and is conveniently located for patients from throughout central and northern New Jersey.