Monday, February 28, 2011

Ask People You Trust for Your Cataract Surgeon

One of the best sources of helping you find a top Cataract Surgeon is to ask people you trust. This should include friends, family and co-workers as well as your personal primary care physician. In addition, if you have a trusted optometrist who knows your eyes, their input is valuable as well. Consider all of these opinions together and look for common names when selecting an experienced, trusted cataract surgeon for your surgery.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Blood Glucose Measures Can Predict Diabetic Retinopathy

Researchers from Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale in Villejuif, France studied how glucose levels might predict the risk of diabetic retinopathy.The goal was to study the frequency of diabetic retinopathy in individuals 10 years after measuring baseline levels of fasting plasma glucose and hemoglobin A1C and to evaluate whether there were certain levels of the glucose measurements that could be used to predict whether patients would develop diabetic retinopathy. A clear relationship was found between certain threshold levels of fasting blood glucose level and hemoglobin A1C level and the predisposition to develop diabetic retinopathy. This information provides useful values for physicians treating diabetic patients to strive for in order to help patients with diabetes avoid the retinal complications of diabetes.


Archives of Ophthalmology: February 2011

Macular Degeneration (ARMD) and Omega-3 Fatty Acids

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ARMD can be very dangerous for the Retina and about 2 million Americans above 40 years of age have some kind of ARMD. Research published in the December 2010 edition of Ophthalmology confirmed that Omega-3 Fatty Acids which are present in eye’s Retina and a diet rich in consumption of these Omega-3 Fatty Acids could go a long way in making preserving eye health and vision and help to prevent any sort of vision damage. This study has found that Omega-3 Fatty Acids help in preventing the Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) found in elderly people.


Ophthalmology: December 2010

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

How to Choose a Cataract Surgeon

Question:
I thought I needed new glasses so I went to my regular eye doctor for an exam. She told me that I had a noticeable cataract in one eye and a cataract starting in the other eye and wanted to send me to an eye surgeon she recommended. I don’t know this person and I really don’t know any eye surgeons because I never needed eye surgery. I looked in my insurance book and there is a list of eye doctors who do cataract surgery and offer cataract operations. I don’t know how to find a good cataract surgeon. Any suggestions?

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Glaucoma Risk in Women

Researchers from Rotterdam, Holland reported that women's risk of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) decreased significantly as body mass index (BMI) increased, according to data from their large cohort study. For every unit increase in body mass index, women had a 7% lower risk of glaucoma. Other lifestyle factors did not significantly influence either open-angle glaucoma or intraocular pressure (IOP) in men or women. Patients were categorized according to baseline values for socioeconomic status, education, smoking history, alcohol intake, and the measures of BMI and waist-to-hip ratio. Other studies of potentially modifiable risk factors for glaucoma have yielded mixed results, particularly with respect to obesity. Some studies have shown an inverse association between obesity and glaucoma but a positive association with IOP. The use of Goldmann applanation tonometry to assess intraocular pressure could have led to overestimation of values in obese women.
Archives of Ophthalmology:February 2011

Monday, February 14, 2011

Cataract Surgery & Dry Eyes: What You Need to Know Part I

Eye surgeons from around the world were presented some interesting information about cataract surgery at the Hawaiian Eye 2011 meeting. A report was discussed in which the results of a prospective multicenter study that assessed the prevalence of dry eye in 272 eyes that underwent cataract surgery. The study found that more than 60% of eyes had abnormal tear breakup time, 50% of eyes had central corneal staining and 21.3% of eyes had low Schirmer's test results all of which are diagnostic signs of dry eye or dry eye syndrome.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Cataract Surgery, Diabetes & Prostate Medication Update on aboutcataractsurgery.com

Medical Management Services Group
North Andover, Massachusetts, (2/11/11) Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C., managers of the cataract surgery & lens implant information and cataract surgeon directory website http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com/ has incorporated additional new informational content about diabetes and cataract surgery and the potential for complications of cataract surgery for those taking certain prostate medications for an enlarged prostate.


“Diabetes is a known risk factor for developing a cataract. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (http://www.cdc.gov/) recently reported that an alarming of Americans has diabetes or “prediabetes”. With more than 1 in 4 Americans over the age of 65 having full blown diabetes, it is very likely that more and more diabetics will seek consultation with cataract surgeons regarding cataracts and cataract surgery,” said Katherine Carlisle, the Managing Partner of http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com/.

“In addition, we now know the incidence of problems with an enlarged prostate gland (BPH) is at least 50% for men in their fifties and about 80% for men in their eighties with about 50% of all men with BPH having some degree of urinary flow problem and 25% of all men being treated with prostate medication by the age of 80. We are aware of the potential difficulty and complications for men taking certain prostate medications before cataract surgery.”

“With the population of diabetics and those taking prostate medication growing rapidly-and those same people entering the age of cataract formation and needing cataract surgery, we thought it was timely to offer additional information to http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com/ visitors about these topics as they relate to cataract surgery,” said Ms. Carlisle.

In order to provide eye care consumers with the most unbiased information, unlike many websites offering information about cataracts, cataract surgery, cataract surgeons or intraocular lens implants (IOL), http://www.aboutcataractsurgery.com/ does not accept funding, support or advertising from pharmaceutical, medical device, laser or lens implant companies.

CONTACT: Katie Carlisle, Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.
978.470.8217, or email, katie@aboutcataractsurgery.com

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Macular Degeneration (ARMD) Awareness Month in Greater Boston At D’Ambrosio Eye Care

D'Ambrosio Eye Care
Lancaster, Massachusetts (2/1/2011) D’Ambrosio Eye Care wishes to announce that Prevent Blindness America has designated February as National Age Related Macular Degeneration Awareness Month.


Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment and blindness in Americans older than 50, affecting more than two million people. Although ARMD is incurable, there are new treatments that can, at a minimum, prevent further vision loss from the disease and in many cases actually help recover lost vision,” commented Francis A. D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D., a Boston area eye physician and surgeon and Medical Director of D’Ambrosio Eye Care.

ARMD causes central vision to blur, but leaves peripheral vision intact. It is progressive and painless. There are two types of ARMD: dry and wet. Approximately 90 percent of people with ARMD have the dry form which results in gradual vision loss. Although only 10 percent of people with ARMD have the wet form, it generally progresses much quicker than the dry form. Wet AMD is characterized by the growth of abnormal retinal blood vessels that leak blood or fluid, causing rapid and severe central vision loss.

Patients can often reduce the risk of developing ARMD by not smoking as well as working to eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fish, fruit and green leafy vegetables, avoiding foods with trans fats, exercising and controlling blood pressure and weight.

“We are fortunate to be able to offer Anti-Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF) drugs that inhibit the development of unwanted blood vessels that cause wet ARMD as these agents are effective in helping to prevent further visual loss and even improve vision,” said Dr. D’Ambrosio Jr.

Patients older than 50 are encouraged to have a comprehensive, dilated eye examination every one to two years to ensure that ARMD is detected and treated early. The key to successful treatment is early detection and intervention.

D'Ambrosio Eye Care is a leading Massachusetts eye care practice with offices in Lancaster, Acton and Gardner, staffed by a team of Ophthalmologists, Optometrists, Opticians, technical and administrative staff who provide eye examinations for adults and children, cataract surgery and Intraocular Lens Implants (IOL), laser vision correction such as LASIK, diagnosis and treatment of cornea disease including cornea transplants, management of eye inflammation, ocular inflammatory disease and uveitis and diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the retina including diabetes and age related macular degeneration, diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma as well as contact lenses, eyeglasses and optical services.

Francis A. D’Ambrosio, Jr., M.D. is a founding member of the LASIK Eye Surgery Patient Information and LASIK Surgeon Directory at www.seewithlasik.com and the Cataract Surgery, Intraocular Lens Implant (IOL) and Cataract Surgeon Directory at www.aboutcataractsurgery.com.

For additional information, contact Jude Seppa, D'Ambrosio Eye Care, 479 Old Union Turnpike, Lancaster, Massachusetts 01523, Judith.Seppa@dambrosioeyecare.com, 1.800.325.3937x345.

SOURCE: Medical Management Services Group, L.L.C.