Category: Eye Health

One of the most common questions I am asked during an eye exam is “Doc, what can I do to protect my eyes against cataracts?”  My advice has always remained the same, UV protection! New research from the National Eye Institute may change my tried and true answer. Data from the Physicians’ Health Study (PHS)…

Have you ever wondered what triggers us to get tired every night and what wakes us up in the morning (Besides that pesky alarm clock)?  It’s our circadian rhythm and it is regulated, in large part, by our eyes. Certain retinal cells, called intrinsically regulated ganglion photoreceptor cells, become inactivated when they absorb blue light. …

Do you ever wake up in the morning with crusty, scaly eyelids? Combined with your bed-head and morning breath, it’s not a pretty picture – but good news, your optometrist may be able to help you treat that “sleep” in your eyes.   Other symptoms of blepharitis include flakes and a general redness, puffiness, or scaliness…

Carrots?  Forget carrots!  Fish is the new food to eat for healthy eyes!  Fish, especially cold water fish like salmon and tuna, are packed with eye loving omega-3 fatty acids.  Omega-3 fatty acids are an essential part of our diet. Why? Our bodies can’t produce omega-3’s, but we need them for things like regulating blood…

The eyes are one of our most remarkable and precious organs, yet their origins have been shrouded in mystery until quite recently.  Professor Trevor Lamb of The Vision Centre and Australian National University, has completed a major scientific review of the origin of the eye.  The article summarizes the findings of hundreds of scientists around…

Vitreomacular adhesion (VMA) is a condition in which the vitreous gel of the eye is adhering abnormally to the underlying retina in the macula area that controls central vision.  It is a common finding in older eyes. A new injectable treatment for resolving symptomatic vitreomacular adhesion promises to help a significant number of patients avoid…

Protecting your eyes from ultraviolet radiation is just as important as putting on sunscreen to protect your skin. Many age-related eye diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration, may be partially caused by UV exposure throughout your life, so protecting your eyes today may save your vision later in life. How Does UV Harm the…

A research team led by Dr. Robert Hess from McGill University and the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (RI-MUHC) has used the popular puzzle video game Tetris in an innovative approach to treat adult amblyopia, commonly known as “lazy eye”. By distributing information between the two eyes in a complementary fashion, the…

Blind mice can see again, after Oxford University researchers transplanted developing cells into their eyes and found they could re-form the entire light-sensitive layer of the retina.  Videos show the nocturnal mice, which once didn't notice the difference between light and dark at all, now run from the light and prefer to be in the…

Have you ever looked back at your high school pictures and wondered who was that person?  Whether it was the mullet or those geeky glasses, life is different now. You have changed for better or worse.  It is sometimes hard to remember what it was like back then. The same is true for my practice…