Many people have experienced styes or have at least heard of it. But what really is a stye? How can we prevent or treat them?
Photo credit: Cleveland Clinic
A stye is a bacterial infection which involves one or a few of the glands at the base of your eyelashes. Often, it resembles a boil or a pimple, it may have a white head and be tender to the touch. Styes can be caused by buildup of Meibomian gland secretions or be idiopathic in nature (unknown cause). In rare worst-case scenarios, recurrent styes in the same spot can be a sign of sebaceous gland carcinomas.
It’s important to maintain good eyelid hygiene by using eyelid cleansers and warm compresses daily. This not only helps to prevent styes, but also alleviates symptoms related to dry eye and eyelash mites.
With styes, patients typically notice pain and discomfort that disappears within a few days. However, more serious cases can develop into pre-septal cellulitis with progressively worsening symptoms and require antibiotics.
Warm compresses help to speed up recovery and relieve discomfort, but if you don’t see improvements after 48 hours, you’ll want to contact your optometrist.
Macular degeneration is a condition that affects our macula – the spot on our retina responsible for crisp central vision and color vision. As we age, debris can build up in the macula and create deposits known as ‘drusen’. The drusen are the first signs that macular degeneration are present and can cause blurry vision and distortion to one’s vision.
Symptoms to look out for:
Visual distortion (straight lines seem bent)
Trouble adapting to low light (eg. when entering a dark room)
This condition is most common in patients over 60 years old. Some other risk factors are those with high blood pressure, family history, smokers, Caucasian patients, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.
How can I prevent macular degeneration?
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including diet and exercise is the best way to ensure your eyes stay healthy for as long as possible. The AREDS 2 study has shown that certain vitamins are beneficial in preventing the progression of macular degeneration, however, these vitamins have the best effect in patients who have already began to show signs of macular degeneration.
It is important for everyone to get their eyes examined yearly in order to be able to see as clearly as possible, as well as check for any signs of eye disease or conditions that can affect one’s overall health in addition to the eyes.
Did you know that diabetes is one of the most common causes of blindness?
You may be surprised to learn that optometrists can detect diabetes before primary care doctors and before the patient even knows they have it. This is because the eye is the only organ in our body where we can directly see blood vessels without invasive techniques. Since many systemic diseases affect our arteries and veins, the eye is a great way to look into what is happening inside our body.
Photo source: Cleveland Clinic
Diabetes is becoming an epidemic in North America, and it is important to be aware of its effect on ocular health. Once diagnosed with diabetes, it becomes much more important to receive yearly eye exams, to monitor for diabetic retinopathy. This is a condition in which buildup of sugar in the blood causes blockages or damage to blood vessels, resulting in decreased oxygen supply to the eye. To compensate, new blood vessels develop. However, instead of helping, these new blood vessels are weak and leaky, leading to retinal bleeding. Although a diabetic eye exam is very similar to a regular comprehensive exam, there is more emphasis on inspecting the health of the retina and blood vessels.
How will I know if I have diabetic retinopathy?
Symptoms like floaters, blurred or fluctuating vision, dark spots in your vision, and vision loss could be signs of diabetic retinopathy.
Fortunately, there are ways to prevent diabetic retinopathy. Some of these preventions include:
Yearly eye exams with your optometrist (even if you think your vision is fine!)
Controlling blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol
Proper dosage and compliance of medication provided by your Family Physician
Engaging in regular daily activity and exercise
Eating a balanced and nutritious diet to maintain healthy body weight
Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is an inherited eye disorder that affects the retina – the back of our eyes responsible for capturing light and sending visual signals to the brain. The condition, which is inherited through genetic mutations, can lead to gradual loss of vision as the photoreceptor cells within the retina deteriorate over time. While some individuals may experience slow vision loss over decades, others might face more rapid deterioration.
Symptoms
One of the most distinctive symptoms of RP is night blindness, where individuals struggle to see in low-light conditions or darkness. As RP progresses, it often causes tunnel vision, a narrowing of the visual field, and can even impact color perception.
Treatment
No cure currently exists for RP, but researchers are actively exploring possibilities. Gene therapy aims to introduce normal genes into the retina to replace the mutated ones. Another avenue of research is retinal implants, which seeks to restore vision by using electronic devices to stimulate the remaining normal cells.
Individuals with RP should work closely with eye care professionals to manage their condition. Regular eye exams help track disease progression and determine the best strategies for preserving vision. Additionally, patients can explore low-vision aids and technologies that improve daily life.
Dry eye is a disease pertaining to the ocular surface and instability of the tear film, potentially resulting in inflammation, dryness, or damage. Symptoms of this include burning, itching, dryness, photophobia, tiredness, and blurry vision.
Source: American Academy of Optometry
Dry eye disease (DED) include two distinct types: aqueous deficient dry eye (ADDE) and evaporative dry eye (EDE). In ADDE, high levels of tear evaporation results when lacrimal secretion is reduced although there is normal evaporative conditions from the eye. Comparatively, in EDE, the lacrimal glands function normally, and the increased evaporation of tears is caused by the exposed tear film. Some patients might even have a mixed form of DED as well.
Risk factors for DED include connective tissue disease, Sjögren syndrome, androgen deficiency, Lasik eye surgery, certain environmental conditions (ie. pollution and low humidity), medication use (ie. antihistamines and antidepressants), computer use, and contact lens wear (which has an affect on tear film hemostasis and reduces its thickness). Research has shown that the outbreak of Covid-19 has also contributed to an increase in the likelihood of DED. Covid-19 has resulted in prolonged electronic usage and less outdoor activities, with a reported 44% increase in smartphone usage. Excessive focus on a screen decreases blink rate, decreasing the moisture production in the eye. This causes strain on the ocular surface, and this stress is greater in contact lens users.
Some recommendations for management and treatment of dry eye disease include ocular lubricants (eye drops of various types), warm compresses, expression of the meibomian glands (a process which we offer at Eyelab), lid hygiene, and prescribed drugs.
Source: Towfiqu Barbhuiy on Unsplash
At Eyelab, we have the skill and the technology to accurately provide you a solution corresponding to your unique situation. Book an appointment today to learn more about how we can help!
Allergic conjunctivitis, or eye allergies, happen when the eyes react to something that irritates them. When the eyes try to defend your body from an allergen it triggers the release of histamine from mast cells. As a result, your eyes (usually the eyelids and conjunctiva) become red, swollen, watery, and itchy. You may also wake up in the morning with puffy eyes. People who have eye allergies commonly have nasal allergies as well which causes stuffy nose and sneezing. Both conditions are closely related to seasonal allergies.
What are symptoms of eye allergies?
The most common eye allergy symptoms include:
Itching and watery discharge (teary eyes)
Redness and puffy eyelids
Sensitivity to light
If it’s related to seasonal allergies then both eyes are usually involved. Unlike pink eyes, eye allergies do not spread from person to person.
What causes eye allergies?
Some of the common allergens include:
Household dust
pollen from trees and grass
pet dander
mold
Smoke
Chemical scents such as detergents or perfume
Allergic reactions to perfume, cosmetics or drugs can also cause the eyes to have an allergic response. Some people may have an acute allergic reaction to a new facial product or an eye drop.
Sometimes, the eyes can react to other allergens that don’t necessarily come in direct contact with the eye. These can include specific foods or insect bites or stings.
Most allergic conjunctivitis can be treated with oral or over the counter antihistamine medication, anti-allergy eye drops, or steroid eye drops.
However, not all red and itchy eyes are caused by allergic conjunctivitis. Some people may think they have an eye allergy but in fact they have dry eyes or other types of inflammations. It is important for you to visit your eye care provider to get the proper diagnosis and treatment for your problem.
To improve your overall eye health during these difficult times, it is important to take care of your diet. In the average American diet, there is an excessive amount of omega-6 which we get from processed food. The body’s inflammatory response is impacted by the amount and balance of omega-3 to omega-6 in the cell membrane. To balance that out, it is important to incorporate more fish, such as salmon, arctic char, rainbow trout, tuna, and sardines into our diet. We recommend 3-4 servings of cold-water fish weekly. For vegans, algal oil, flax, chia, hemp, walnut, and avocado are great alternatives.
Source: Eyelab, Doctors of Optometry
Research has shown that the increase of omega-3 intake is beneficial to your ocular health and improve the symptoms of dry eye disease. However, not all omega-3 supplements are made equally. In order to choose the best omega-3 supplements, it is important to consider absorption and purity. Firstly, it is important to consider absorption as there are types of omega-3 that are better and more efficient. It is suggested that omega-3 supplements in the triglyceride form are easier and better for absorption compared to the ethyl ester form. Triglycerides are made of three fatty acids (such as DHA and EPA) with a glycerol backbone, whereas ethyl esters are one fatty acid attached to one ethanol molecule. A big difference is that ethyl esters are made artificially, whereas triglycerides are found in many things in nature, hence there are different chemical properties provided between the two. Most of the omega-3 supplements in the market are in the ethyl esters form.
Before purchasing a fish oil supplement, consider the amount of omega-3 fatty acids EPA+DHA, the taste of the supplement, the source (ensure to look for sustainable sources such as sardines, anchovies, wild squid, mackerels, or vegetarian sources like algae), and whether its in the triglyceride form or the ethyl ester form. Likewise, purity should be a priority to ensure the omega-3 products do not come with unwanted pollutants or heavy metals.
At Eyelab, we offer both soft gel and liquid format of pure triglyceride omega-3 equipped for your personal needs. Book an appointment with us here to learn more about how we can help you with your dry eyes!
This January, our clinic welcomed the New Year with a brand new “toy” — MYAH from Topcon, making us at Eyelab one of the first optometry clinic in Vancouver to measure and chart eye axial length. You may be wondering…what is so great about axial length measurements? Why do we care about how long the eyeball is?
As the eye increases in length, not only does our lens prescription increase, there’s a greater risk of ocular diseases (e.g. glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration). In fact, rapid progression of myopia in children is due to excessive elongation of the eye. Therefore, to monitor the effectiveness of myopia management treatments, axial length measurements are charted at each follow up visit, which serve as the standard of care for our myopia management program. For Ortho-k lens patients, axial length is one the primary measure used to evaluate myopia progression.
MYAH can help us advance our myopia management care in further ways as well as diagnosis and management of dry eye disease.
Dry Eye Assessment
Noninvasive tear break-up time (NIBUT) measurement
At Eyelab, we can evaluate the stability of your tear film by accurately measuring the tear break-up time non-invasively. Typically, tear break-up time is around 10 seconds — with shorter tear break-up time, especially below 5 seconds being indicative of dry eye disease.
Meibomian gland imaging
The meibomian glands are oil glands that are embedded in our eyelids which produce the lipid layer of the tear film and are expressed when we blink. Imaging glands allows doctors to analyze their shape and structure. Healthy glands will appear long and continuous in the image, assisting the production of oil in the eye for lubrication. Contrastingly, unhealthy glands will appear much shorter due to degradation and inspissated, thus producing oil of a “toothpaste” consistency, or be entirely clogged and unable to secrete oil.
Contact Lens Fitting
MYAH Topcon also allows our doctors to simulate fluorescent imaging to observe the Ortho-K and RGP contact lens fit. This noninvasive method is efficient and accurate at evaluating whether the lens will sit comfortably around the eye and provide effective treatment.
After learning about the cool features of the new machine at our clinic, are you curious to try out one of its services for yourself? Don’t hesitate – book an appointment with us today!
You might have heard of Latisse, an eyelash serum promising to deliver naturally longer, thicker, fuller lashes. But what is this magical product and does it work?
Bimatoprost, the active ingredient in Latisse, was originally a prescription medication used to lower eye pressure for glaucoma patients. One peculiar side effect soon caught the attention of eye doctors: patients reported increased eyelash growth during use. Pharmaceuticals quickly took advantage, rebranding the medication for its eyelash enhancing properties. The serum has been on the market since its FDA approval in 2008, claiming to be the secret behind natually lush lashes.
Eyelashes, like other body hair, move through a growth cycle: sprouting, growing, and eventually falling out. Research suggests that Latisse works not only by prolonging the growth phase, which allows eyelashes to grow longer and darker, but also increasing the number of hairs that sprout.
Source: Liam Welch (via Unsplash)
Why use Latisse?
For many people, Latisse is a safe, effective, and convenient alternative to mascara or eyelash extensions, which each has its associated costs and risks. Latisse serum comes with a simple brush applicator that users apply to their lash line once a day, at night. It is an easy-to-use at home treatment that shows results in as little as 4 weeks, and maintains results as long as it’s being used. Studies have shown that after 16 weeks of use, eyelash length increased by 25%, and thickness/fullness increased by 106%!
Potential side effects to consider
Latisse is safe to use for most people, but some may experience the following side effects:
Dryness or redness of the eyes
Darkening of skin around the lashes
In rare cases, changes in eye color
The side effects are not permanent and will resolve when Latisse is discontinued.
Want to try Lattise?
Latisse is a medication and requires a prescription from a doctor. If you are interested or have questions, please book a consultation with our doctors to see if Latisse is suitable for you.
Currently there is no scientific evidence that contact lens wearers have an increased risk of contracting COVID-19 compared with glasses wearers.
What are some of your advice to contact lens wearers?
Good hygiene is important.
Avoid touching your nose, mouth, eyes and face with unwashed hands. Always wash your hands thoroughly before handling your contact lenses. To review proper wearing and caring for contact lenses you can watch this contact lens training video by Acuvue, a leading contact lens company. Also, make sure you are replacing your contact lens cases regularly as well.
Can I continue wearing contact lenses if I’m sick?
If you are sick, temporarily stop contact lens wear.
Contact lens wearers who are ill should temporarily revert to wearing glasses. You can resume use with a fresh pair of contact lenses and lens case once you return to full health. As your eye health practitioner this is also why we always recommend our contact lens wearers to have a pair of glasses even if they mostly wear contact lenses.
Is contact lens disinfecting solution effective against COVID 19?
Hydrogen peroxide-based systems (Such as Clear care) for cleaning, disinfecting, and storing soft and hard contact lenses should be effective against coronavirus.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) there is currently not enough scientific evidence to determine the efficacy of other disinfection methods, such as multipurpose solution and ultrasonic cleaners, against the virus. Hydrogen peroxide-based cleaning system is available at Eyelab.
