Annapolis

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

Posterior Capsule Opacification Treatment in Annapolis

February 13, 2020 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

As we age, our eyes undergo natural wear and tear, resulting in the clouding of the eye’s natural lens, known as cataracts. This is a normal part of the aging process. However, when the symptoms of a cataract persist and become bothersome, cataract surgery can often be used to help improve vision. This involves removing the cloudy lens and, in most cases, replacing it with a crystal clear, intraocular lens implant (IOL).

Cataract surgery has the highest success rate of any surgery practiced today. Still, many patients develop what is known as Posterior Capsule Opacification (PCO), or an After Cataract. While PCO rates have declined in recent years, as a result of advances in surgical techniques and intraocular lens materials, PCO is common and is essentially a normal side effect of successful cataract surgery.

Posterior Capsule Opacification Annapolis

Posterior Capsule Opacification can develop over the clear posterior capsule anywhere from a few months to a few years after cataract surgery. PCO results from the growth and abnormal proliferation of lens epithelial cells (LECs) on the capsule after cataract surgery. Eventually, these cells migrate to the center of the posterior capsule, causing blurred or blurry vision.

Posterior Capsule Opacification Treatment in Annapolis

A simple examination should be able to diagnose your issue and, if the problem is found to be Posterior Capsule Opacification, YAG laser capsulotomy can be used to rectify the situation. This procedure involves a few simple steps:

The eye is dilated using eye drops.
The hazy posterior capsule is removed using a laser.
Drops may be used to reduce inflammation following the procedure.

YAG laser capsulotomy takes only a few minutes and is painless. Patients may resume normal activities immediately following the procedure. However, as with any eye procedure, if your vision does not improve or if it worsens, call your Annapolis eye doctor immediately. Any sudden change in your vision is a serious medical condition that requires prompt medical attention from your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

If you have any questions about Posterior Capsule Opacification Treatment in Annapolis, or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact Dr. Boles, Dr. Nicole Regis, Dr. Kathryn Turner and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today.

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

Custom Cataract Surgery in Annapolis Using the LenSx® Laser

September 1, 2015 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

Over the years, our eyes age right along with the rest of our body, resulting in the clouding of the eye’s natural lens – Cataracts. By the age of 80, more than half of all Americans will develop a cataract, but don’t worry. Cataracts are very treatable. In fact, cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the country and has the highest success rate of any surgery practiced today.

If your cataract begins to affect your quality of life, inhibiting you from performing normal daily tasks, such as driving, reading, or watching TV, cataract surgery may be your best treatment option. Cataract surgery involves removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a crystal clear lens implant, called an intraocular lens (IOL).

The LenSx® Laser: A Cataract Surgery Even Goldilocks Would Approve

You all know the story. Goldilocks wanders into the home of Three Bears and begins to treat the place like her own. First she tries their porridge, but she’s picky. The first is too hot, the second is too cold, but the third is just right. Then she moves on to the chairs, with similar results, and then the beds. That Goldilocks sure was picky. But we are positive even she would love the LenSx® Laser. It’s the most technologically advanced option for cataract patients today, allowing your ophthalmologist to create a cataract surgery that’s 100% unique to you. It’s just right.

First, the LenSx^® Laser captures precise, hi-res images of your eye and plots a surgery that is unique to you. Next, a bladeless, computer-controlled femtosecond laser helps the surgeon perform your surgery with exacting, individualized precision not possible with traditional cataract surgery methods.

A femtosecond laser is one that emits pulses with durations between a few femtoseconds and hundreds of femtoseconds.

The LenSx® Laser is the most technologically advanced option today, allowing your ophthalmologist to create a cataract surgery that’s 100% unique to you.

“The LenSx Laser offers significant improvement of precision, safety, and accuracy for even better results and I recommend this as an option for all of my patients,” said board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Medical Director of the Anne Arundel Eye Center in Annapolis, Maryland.

The LenSx^® Laser was the first femtosecond laser system to receive FDA approvals for use in cataract surgery.

Custom Cataract Surgery in Annapolis Using the LenSx® Laser

The Anne Arundel Eye Center (AAEC) is a regional leader in the diagnosis and treatment of cataracts. Dr. Boles utilizes the LenSx® Laser to create a cataract surgery that’s 100% unique to each patient.

Contact Us

If you have any questions about Cataract Surgery Using the LenSx® Laser or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center (AAEC), please contact Board Certified Ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Dr. Kathryn Gurganus Turner, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or Click Here to fill out our contact form.

You can also follow AAEC on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

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

Cataract Surgery with One of Annapolis’ Top Docs

November 5, 2014 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

A normal part of the aging process, cataracts are typically nothing to worry about. In fact, cataracts are very treatable and cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the country. More than three million Americans undergo cataract surgery each and every year.

How Cataract Surgery Works

Today, cataract surgery is often performed using lasers, which help improve precision, safety, and accuracy.

Under local anesthesia, your eye doctor will make a small incision on the side of your cornea before using ultrasound vibrations to break the natural lens into small pieces. These fragments are removed and a crystal clear intraocular lens (IOL) is put into place. This lens is permanent and needs no special care.

Cataract surgery is a painless outpatient procedure and has the highest success rate of any surgery practiced today. Most patients can resume their normal, everyday function, including driving, in very little time.

“When Do I Need Cataract Surgery?”

Most cataract patients have the same question; “When do I need cataract surgery?”

As long as the cataract does not directly affect quality of life – inhibiting daily activities, like reading, driving, etc. – it does not need to be removed. If the cataract is causing blurred vision that makes it difficult to perform simple, everyday tasks, then cataract surgery may be appropriate.

Cataract Surgery in Annapolis

If your cataract has begun affecting your quality of life, schedule an appointment with the Anne Arundel Eye Center (AAEC) at your earliest convenience, or, better yet, see your Primary Eye Doctor for a comprehensive exam and eye glasses check (aka Refraction). If glasses do not help your vision enough, your doctor will make an appropriate recommendation for you.

AAEC is a regional leader in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and cataracts. A consultation with board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles will help guide you through your decision and determine if cataract surgery is right for you at this stage.

When the time comes to have cataract surgery, you want to make sure you are in good hands. That is why so many patients in Maryland choose Dr. Boles. Voted one of Annapolis’ Top Docs 2013-2014, a peer survey conducted by What’s Up? Magazine, Dr. Boles does utilizes the LenSx^® Laser, the most technologically advanced option for cataract patients today, to create a cataract surgery that’s 100% unique to each patient.

Click Here to see the difference between traditional surgery and laser assisted cataract surgery.

Dr. Boles and the eye care specialists at AAEC have helped restore and preserve thousands of patients’ vision. They can help you too!

If you have any questions about Cataract Treatment or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please Dr. Boles, Dr. Kathryn Gurganus Turner, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or Clicking Here. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

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

Cataract Surgery in Annapolis

August 14, 2014 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

Over time, the eye’s natural lens may become cloudy. This is known as a cataract and is a normal part of the aging process. By age 80, more than half of all Americans will develop a cataract.

“We should all be so lucky to develop cataracts in our lifetime, as this would mean we have lived a long and healthy life,” explains board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Medical Director of Anne Arundel Eye Center in Annapolis, Maryland.

Don’t worry; cataracts are very treatable. In fact, Cataract surgery is one of the most common operations performed in the United States. And with a 98% success rate, it is also the most successful surgery performed today. Most patients can even resume their normal, everyday function in very little time following this painless outpatient procedure.

Cataract Surgery in Annapolis

The Anne Arundel Eye Center is a regional leader in the diagnosis and treatme nt of glaucoma and cataracts. Dr. Boles and the eye care specialists at AAEC have helped restore and preserve thousands of patients’ vision. So, if your cataract begins affecting your quality of life, schedule an appointment with Dr. Boles at your earliest convenience. He will help you determine if cataract surgery is necessary and, if it is, he will schedule your surgery.

Staffed by caring and knowledgeable professionals, Anne Arundel Eyes Center’s state-of-the-art treatment center is dedicated to making the best eye care accessible to everyone.

During cataract surgery, the cloudy lens is removed and replaced by a crystal clear intraocular lens (IOL). Underlocal anesthesia, Dr. Boles makes a small incision on the side of your cornea. Then ultrasound vibrations are used to break the lens into small pieces. These fragments are removed before the IOL is put into place. This lens is permanent and needs no special care.

Dr. Boles utilizes the LenSx^® Laser, the most technologically advanced option for cataract patients today, to create a cataract surgery that’s 100% unique to each patient. Click Here to learn more about the LenSx Laser.

“The LenSx Laser offers significant improvement of precision, safety, and accuracy for even better results and I recommend this as an option for all of my patients,” said Dr. Boles.

If you have any questions about Cataract Surgery in Annapolis or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact Board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Dr. Kathryn Gurganus Turner, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

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