Judy’s Cataract Surgery Story

“I waited and waited to have cataract surgery because I was scared. I waited so long I couldn’t drive anymore and nothing looked right. I was referred to Dr. Confino by a neighbor who had her cataracts done by him and was so happy and not even wearing glasses anymore, for anything. I went to see Dr. Confino and was told I could have the same type of lenses as my friend so I would most likely not need glasses anymore either. The procedure was painless, could not believe how long I waited to do it and it was that easy. The next day I was in his office for my post appointment, I was seeing like never before and asking him could he do the next eye that day even though I knew I had to wait a  couple of weeks for my next scheduled appointment. Don’t wait. I see great and now my friend and I both don’t need glasses to drive, yes I am driving again, or to read. Bless you Dr. Confino, Jerette and all the people at your office for making this so easy.”-Judy

If you or someone you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about 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.

Migraines Affect Retina Too!

If you suffer from migraine headaches you know the painful debilitating effect they can have on your life. Migraine headaches are one of the most common problems seen in emergency departments and doctors' offices. Migraines are believed to be due to changes in the brain and surrounding blood vessels. Your optic nerve and the nerve fiber layer of the retina are extensions of the brain. Until recently there were few studies to understand if and how the retina was affected by migraine headaches. Using a testing method we actually use in our office called Optical Coherence tomography (OCT), researchers evaluated whether there were structural changes and damage to the nerve fiber layer of patients who suffered from chronic migraines. The researchers reported findings in the Journal of Neurology that showed that chronic migraine suffers had significantly thinner nerve fiber layers and that degree to which they were thinned was inversely proportional to the frequency of their migraine headaches. That is, the more frequent the headaches, the greater the changes and damage to the retina. They believe that although migraine is an episodic and recurrent disease, its chronic nature might cause permanent structural abnormalities involving not only the brain, but also the retina. Thus, it is important to get help to control your migraines not just because of the pain and disability but to avoid compromising the retina.

If you or someone you know suffers from migraines or headaches of any type and has not a recent eye exam 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.

A LASIK Experience Story

“Both my sister and I have worn glasses since we were small. My sister went to have LASIK after she waited years to gather the courage to do it. So when she decided it was time I was taking bets to see if she would go through with it. She did and could not stop raving about how great Dr. Confino and his staff were. They made her feel at ease from the first visit to the end of her procedure and now she was seeing 20/20 and rubbing it in my face. I decided to take the plunge and went to Dr. Confino. I was told I too qualified, and I made an appointment for my LASIK that very night. The next day when I went for for them to check my eyes, they told me I was 20/15!! Now I don’t stop rubbing THAT in my sister’s face and we are both telling everyone.”-KS

If you or someone you know is tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses for seeing at distance and would like to find out if LASIK might be a good vision correction option, 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.

LASIK & Soft Contact Lens Vision

Vision with Laser Vision Correction after Wearing Soft Contacts

If you wear soft contact lenses and been thinking about LASIK you know the benefit of not having to wear eyeglasses for seeing clearly at distance. But, you may wonder how well LASIK will correct your vision. Another common question is how long you may have to go without wearing your contacts before you can have LASIK, and will that change your results.  A recent Study reported in the journal of the British Contact Lens Association, Contact Lenses & Anterior Eye compared the vision results of soft contact lens wearers with both LASIK and PRK among groups of people who had stopped wearing their soft contacts for 2 weeks before their laser vision correction, others 24 hours before laser vision correction and those who didn’t wear contact lenses at all prior to laser vision correction.

Results of Laser Vision Correction Compared to Soft Contact Lenses

The patients who had stopped wearing their contacts 2 weeks before having laser eye surgery to correct nearsightedness, vision without glasses was significantly better at one month, and at six months after having laser vision correction was even better than those who had never worn contacts, but only glasses!

If you are a soft contact lens wearer thinking about LASIK or PRK please schedule a free consultation 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.

Things You Should Know About Cataracts

Cataracts seem to be a more common eye health and vision problem that we hear about today. In part this is because as patients age you are no longer willing to accept the limitations that decreased vision from cataracts can impose on your day to day activities. This, combined with ability to restore vision loss from cataracts in a safe, effective and predictable manner with cataract surgery and lens implants for vision correction motivates more patients, at early ages, to seek solutions to help us maintain an active, engaged and productive lifestyle.

About Cataracts

Approximately 25 million Americans have cataracts, which cause cloudy, blurry or dim vision and often develop with advancing age. As everyone grows older, the lenses of their eyes thicken and become cloudier. Eventually, they may find it more difficult to read street signs. Colors may seem dull. These symptoms may signal cataracts, which affect about 70 percent of people by age 75. Fortunately, cataracts can be corrected with surgery. Ophthalmologists who are cataract surgeons perform around three million cataract surgeries each year to restore vision to those patients. Here are some facts people should know about cataracts.

• Age isn’t the only risk factor for cataracts. Though most everyone will develop cataracts with age, recent studies show that lifestyle and behavior can influence when and how severely you develop cataracts. Diabetes, extensive exposure to sunlight, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and certain ethnicities have all been linked to increased risk of cataracts. Eye injuries, prior eye surgery and long-term use of steroid medication, perhaps for asthma, allergies or breathing problems or arthritis- can also result in cataracts. If you have any of these and are experiencing blurry or cloudy vision, difficulty with night vision especially glare or haloes, you should schedule an eye exam and alert your eye doctor.
• Cataracts cannot be prevented, but you can lower your risk. Wearing UV-blocking sunglasses and brimmed hats when outside can help. Several studies suggest that eating more vitamin C-rich foods may delay how fast cataracts form. Also, avoid smoking cigarettes, which have been shown to increase the risk of cataract development.
• Surgery may help improve more than just your vision. During the procedure, the natural clouded lens is replaced with an artificial lens called an intraocular lens, or IOL, which should improve your vision significantly. Patients have a variety of lenses to choose from, each with different benefits. Lens implants today can correct a full range of vision and help you see clearly at far, arm’s length and near-without being dependent on eyeglasses! While this is great for many patients, studies have shown that cataract surgery can improve quality of life and reduce the risk of falling which is a potentially serious risk and problem for seniors. If you think a cataract is possibly interfering with your ability to see well you should schedule an eye exam and alert your eye doctor.

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about 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.

Bill G’s LASIK Experience

“I decided to get LASIK because I am a firefighter and contacts weren’t cutting it anymore. I asked some of my buddies where I should go and over and over was told Dr. Confino. I did my research saw that Dr. Confino came highly recommended and is a Top Doc. I went to see him and after a thorough exam was told I could have LASIK. I was also informed that because I am a first responder I was entitled to a discount. That made it even better. I had it done, it was painless. The next day I was driving myself to the office for my visit and was told I was already 20/20. It was the best decision I ever made.” - Bill G.

If you or someone you know is tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses for seeing at distance and would like to find out if LASIK might be a good vision correction option, 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.

Vision Problems in Preschool Children

Vision problems and visual impairment in preschool children can lead to learning and development problems that impacts long term academic and even social success. Researchers reporting in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology studied the prevalence, demographic and geographic variations of visual impairment in kids and projected what might lie ahead.

In 2015, more than 174 000 children aged 3 to 5 years in the United States were visually impaired. Almost 121 000 of these cases (69%) arose from simple uncorrected refractive error, and 43 000 (25%) from bilateral amblyopia. The number of preschool children with visual impairment is projected to increase by 26% in 2060. Hispanic white children will account for the largest number and proportion of cases, followed by African American children.

This study suggests that the number of preschool children with visual impairment is projected to increase disproportionally, especially among minority populations. Vision screening for refractive error and related eye diseases may prevent a high proportion of preschool children from experiencing unnecessary visual impairment and associated developmental delays.