Injury Prevention

What You Should Know: Emergency Eye Care

February 20, 2022 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

An eye emergency constitutes an event that puts your eyesight at risk. Any such event requires immediate professional treatment to prevent permanent vision loss. Examples of eye emergencies include:

Loss of Vision: If you experience any form of vision loss, even if you are not experiencing pain, contact your eye doctor immediately. In fact, loss of vision is one of the most significant indicators of an eye emergency. Lack of pain in no way diminishes the seriousness of the situation.

Torn or Cut Eyelid: If you experience a cut or torn eyelid, apply gentle pressure with a clean, dry cloth until the bleeding subsides. Then rinse the area with water, cover with a clean bandage, apply a cold compress over the bandage to reduce pain and swelling, and seek medical help immediately.

Scratched Eye: If any direct damage occurs to your eyeball, DO NOT apply any pressure to stop the bleeding. Gently place a cold compress over the affected eye to reduce swelling and help control any bleeding and seek medical help immediately.

Protruding Eye: Any bulging of a single eye, especially in children, is a very serious sign and requires immediate professional attention. Contact your eye doctor immediately.

Foreign Object Under the Eyelid: First of all, DO NOT rub your eye if something becomes stuck under your eyelid. Try to wash it out with water. If that does not work, contact your eye doctor immediately.

Chemicals in the Eye: If any chemicals come into contact with your eye, immediately flush the eye with cool tap water. Turn your head to the side, with the affected eye facing down. Hold the eyelid open and allow the water to run over the eye. Do this for 15 minutes. After flushing the eye, seek immediate medical attention.

Foreign Object Embedded in the Eye: First and foremost, as hard as it may be to resist, DO NOT try to remove the object or apply pressure to the eye. Leave the object in place and bandage the eye. Then cover the healthy eye with a clean cloth or gauze and seek immediate medical attention.

There is a general theme when it comes to eye emergencies; if you experience an eye emergency, seek immediate medical attention and contact your eye doctor – ophthalmologist or optometrist – right away. If you are unable to reach your eye care physician, have a family member or friend drive you to the nearest emergency room. And remember the following advise.

•DO NOT rub your eye.

•DO NOT attempt to remove a foreign object that is in contact with the cornea or that is embedded in the eye.

•DO NOT use dry cotton or sharp objects on the eye.

•DO NOT contaminate a burn. Avoid breathing on the affected area.

If you have any questions about what you have just read or if you would like to learn more about AAEC’s Emergency Eye Care Services, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Samuel Boles and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010.

Located in Annapolis, Maryland, the Anne Arundel Eye Center offers comprehensive specialized ophthalmic exams as well as diagnostic pre and post-surgical eye care. Specializing in glaucoma and cataracts, Dr. Boles has helped restore and preserve thousands of patients’ vision.

Sources:

Emergency Eye Care ClearVue.org

Retinal Detachment: Definition, Symptoms, and Treatment

December 1, 2018 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

A retinal detachment refers to a separation of the retina – the light-sensitive membrane in the back of the eye – from its supporting layers. This serious medical condition is typically caused by trauma, diabetes or an inflammatory disorder.

Symptoms of Retinal Detachment

• Flashes of light (Especially in peripheral vision)

• Blurred/blurry vision

• Floaters in the eye. Also referred to as shadows or spots

• Blindness in a portion of the visual field

The sudden and dramatic appearance of these symptoms is a strong indication that the retina is either tearing or detaching. If you feel you may be experiencing any of the above symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately. Any sudden change in your vision is a serious medical condition that requires prompt medical attention from your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Treatment of Retinal Detachment

Most cases of retinal detachment require one of the following surgeries.

• Freezing (cryopexy): The application of intense cold to the area with an ice probe to form a scar, which holds the retina in place.

• Laser Surgery (photocoagulation): This is used to seal the tears or holes in the retina.

• Pneumatic Retinopexy: The placing of a gas bubble in the eye to help the retina float back into place. Then a laser is used to fix the retina in place.

More extensive cases require more invasive procedures, including:

• Scleral Buckle: This is done to indent the wall of the eye, relieving the tugging of the vitreous on the retina.

• Vitrectomy: This is done to remove gel or scar tissue that may be pulling on the retina.

If you have any questions about what you have just read or if you would like to learn more about your various treatment options, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Samuel Boles and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010.

Led by Dr. Boles, the Anne Arundel Eye Center offers comprehensive specialized ophthalmic exams as well as diagnostic pre and post-surgical eye care. Specializing in glaucoma and cataracts, Dr. Boles has helped restore and preserve thousands of patients’ vision.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

Sources:

Retinal Detachment

Flashers and Floaters in the Eye: What are They and What do They Mean?

November 22, 2018 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

As we age, the eye’s gel-like vitreous begins to dissolve and liquefy, creating a watery center. Occasionally some un-dissolved vitreous particles will float around the now watery center, appearing as spots or what we refer to as floaters.

Floaters in the eye are a fairly common, harmless apparition that will generally fade away in time. Yet, while these floaters are typically common, they can be the first signs of a more serious medical condition, such as retinal detachment.

If you ever see a shower of floaters (spots) accompanied by flashes of light (photopsia), then you should seek immediate medical attention. The sudden and dramatic appearance of these symptoms could indicate that the retina is either tearing or detaching.

Retinal detachments and retinal tears are both emergency conditions that require immediate medical attention. An eye surgeon must reattach or repair the retina to prevent permanent vision loss from occurring.

So if you see floaters in your eye, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor – optometrist or ophthalmologist – at your earliest convenience. Any change in your sight is a serious medical condition that requires prompt attention. If these symptoms appear rapidly and include flashes of light, call your eye doctor right away.

If you have any questions about what you have just read, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Samuel Boles and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

Sources:

Eye Floaters, Flashes and Spots

Eye Care News: Cataracts and Hip Fractures; are they Linked?

August 31, 2012 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

A recent study found that people who had undergone cataract surgery had a 16% lower risk of hip fracture one year after the procedure.

Falls and the resulting bone fractures are a major cause of disability and death among the elderly. Every year in the United, 350,000 people experience a hip fracture. And by the year 2050, this number is expected to be as high as 650,000 hip fractures annually. That is nearly 1,800 hip fractures a day.

Hip Fracture Statistics

Fall-related injuries cost the United States more than $10 billion in healthcare costs in 2000 alone.

90% of all hip fractures in the United States are the result of a fall.

The cost of hip fracture care averages $26,912 per patient.

Only 25% of hip fracture patients make a full recovery.

40% of hip fracture patients require nursing home care.

50% of hip fracture patients need a cane or walker.

24% of hip fracture patients over the age of 50 pass away within 12 months of the injury.

Cataract Surgery & the Prevention of Hip Fractures

A new study suggests that cataract surgery could reduce the possibility of hip fractures in the elderly by as much as 23%. This makes sense considering vision impairment is one of the major risk factors for falls among the elderly.

“Cataract surgery has already been demonstrated to be a cost-effective intervention for visual improvement,” wrote researcher Victoria Tseng, MD, of Brown University, and colleagues in the Journal of the American Medical Association. “The results in this study suggest the need for further investigation of the additional potential benefit of cataract surgery as a cost-effective intervention to decrease the incidence of fractures in the elderly.”

Researchers studied the risk of hip fracture for one year among the more than 1 million Medicare patients age 65 and older who had been diagnosed with cataracts between 2002 and 2009. And of these individuals, 36.9% had cataract surgery during the study period.

13,976 people (1.3%) had a hip fracture during the study.

Researchers found that people who had undergone cataract surgery had a 16% lower risk of hip fracture one year after the procedure.

“In patients with severe cataract, the association between cataract surgery and lower odds of hip fracture was even stronger, with a 23% reduction in the adjusted odds of hip fracture in the cataract surgery group compared with the cataract diagnosis group,” wrote researchers.

What are Cataracts?

As we age, our eyes undergo natural wear and tear, resulting in the clouding of the eye’s natural lens. This clouding is known as cataracts. This is a normal part of the aging process. If we live long enough, we will all develop cataracts at some point in our lives.

“I like to compare it to the clear plastic window in the back of a convertible car,” said board certified ophthalmologist Samuel Boles, M.D. “After years of exposure to sun and weather, the plastic becomes yellow and cloudy.”

Anne Arundel Eye Center: Cataracts Treatment in Annapolis, Maryland

A regional leader in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and cataracts, Anne Arundel Eye Center offers a wide range of advanced procedures to improve and preserve your vision. Anne Arundel Eye Center provides complete medical eye exams as well as diagnostic surgical eye care. Should you require surgery, your comfort and wellbeing are our top priority. From pre-op testing to post-op care, you can be assured you’re in expert hands.

To learn more about Cataracts, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrist Dr. Nathan Frank, and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

You can also follow Anne Arundel Eye Center on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

Sources:

Cataract Surgery May Help Prevent Hip Fractures

Falls and Hip Fractures

A Look at Computer Vision Syndrome

March 9, 2012 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

In honor of March being Save Your Vision Month, we are going to take a look at a very real problem that many Americans are unaware that they face – Computer Vision Syndrome.

Prolonged computer use causes an individual to look straight ahead for long periods of time, blink less often, and use specific vision skills, which add further demands to the visual system. All of these factors can lead to several issues, including eye strain, blurred vision, and dry eye.

Each one of the above symptoms contributes to Computer Vision Syndrome, which the American Optometric Association defines as “the complex of eye and vision problems related to near work that are experienced during or related to computer use.”

Factors Leading to Computer Vision Syndrome and How to Correct Them

1. Computer Screen Resolution: Poor resolution means poor clarity, which can lead to eyestrain. Be sure to set your resolution to the highest possible resolution your monitor allows.

2. Computer Screen Contrast: Poor contrast can make text difficult to read, leading to eyestrain. Adjust the contrast between the characters on the monitor and the background so the letters are easily read.

3. Computer Screen Glare and Reflections: Glare can put extra strain on your eyes. To reduce glare, eliminate bright light sources from your peripheral vision and position your monitor perpendicular to windows or other bright light sources.

4. Image Refresh Rates: The images on your screen should not flicker. If this occurs, consider upgrading to a monitor with a higher refresh rate, like an LCD monitor.

5. Distance Computer Sits from You: Be sure to situate your computer at a distance that is comfortable for you.

6. Inadequate Glasses Prescription: Is your current prescription effective? If not, it could be causing putting increased strain on your eyes. Be sure to schedule regular comprehensive eye exams to ensure your eyes are healthy and that you have the correct eyeglass or contact lens prescription

7. Repetitive Tasks: Staring at a computer screen for long periods of time can be very detrimental to your vision. Be sure to take periodic breaks and let your eyes focus on objects far away.

Just like any other muscle in the body, your eyes require regular exercise to keep them healthy.

“Patients are often amazed by the improved visual comfort at their computer by making a few minor adjustments. If that doesn’t do the trick, one may want to look into glasses specifically made to optimize visual clarity at 22 to 24 inches or even consider Gunnar Eyewear,” said Dr. Kevin Johnson of Peepers of Severna Park.

For more information on Gunnar Eyewear, visit http://www.gunnars.com. Click here for Gunner Eyewear Coupons.

If you have any questions about what you have just read or if you would like to learn more about Computer Vision Syndrome, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrist Dr. Nathan Frank, and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today!

Cast your vote now for Anne Arundel Eye Center, Dr. Boles and Dr. Frank in Chesapeake Family Magazine’s Favorite Docs 2012! Voting ends on March 15th.

Dr. Boles and everyone else at the Anne Arundel Eye Center proudly support the efforts of The Polakoff Foundation and their role in the ongoing fight against glaucoma. Click here to purchase tickets online for the Polakoff Foundation’s Mardi Gras Celebration to help raise money to aid the fight against blindness.

Glaucoma and Cataracts may be a natural part of aging. Losing your vision doesn’t have to be.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

You can also follow Anne Arundel Eye Center on Facebook, Twitter,Google+, and YouTube as well!

Sources:

Save Your Vision Month: Healthy Vision at the Computer American Optometric Association