Category: Eye Health

What if computer screens had glasses instead of the people staring at the monitors? That concept is not too far afield from technology being developed by UC Berkeley computer and vision scientists. The researchers are developing computer algorithms to compensate for an individual’s visual impairment, and creating vision-correcting displays that enable users to see text…

Several times each week patients call our Optometry clinics with symptoms of new floaters in their vision and/or flashes of light. The sudden onset of these symptoms can be concerning and for good reason - they can signal something very serious like a retinal tear or detachment. More commonly, they signify an aging change in…

Macular degeneration is a visually devastating disease that primarily affects poeple over the age of 75.  Waste products produced by the retina are normally filtered out of the eye.  In macular degeneration, however, the waste products are not properly filtered from the eye and are left in the retina.  In early stages of the disease,…

The probability of blindness due to the serious eye disease glaucoma has decreased by nearly half since 1980, according to a study published last month in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. The researchers speculate that advances in diagnosis and therapy are likely causes for the decrease, but caution that a significant proportion of patients…

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…