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Cataract and Glaucoma Specialist

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Home > Archives for insomnia

Can Cataract Surgery Cure Insomnia? New Research Says Yes!

February 16, 2016 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

“Many people – surgeons included – see sight problems and sleepless nights as two separate issues, when in fact…they could be linked.”

The Link between Cataracts and Insomnia

What do cataracts and insomnia have in common? It turns out, much more than you would think.

Several scientists are claiming that cataract surgery could be a cure for insomnia. Because cataracts restrict light from passing clearly through the lens, including blue light, this light never reaches the area of the brain that sets our body clock (suprachaismatic nucleus). It is theorized that this could be a contributing factor to insomnia. To prove this theory, researchers at the Nara Medical University studied 1,037 subjects, 174 of whom cataract surgery, using wristwatch-style sleep trackers to record duration and quality of sleep. The study found that those who already had the surgery slept better and remained asleep for longer than those who had not yet had the surgery.

“There is mounting evidence that cataract surgery really can have an effect on people’s sleep problems and I’ve seen it in my own patients,” says ophthalmic surgeon James Ball from the Optegra Eye Hospital Yorkshire.

About Cataracts

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. Infact, by the age of 80, more than half of all Americans will have a cataract. It’s a natural part of the aging process. Over time, a proteins build up in the lens they begin to form protein clumps, which obscure normal vision. These clumps, or deposits, prevent light from passing clearly through the lens, causing images to appear cloudy or blurry, especially at night.

The good news: cataracts are very treatable and cataract surgery is the most frequently performed operation in the United States. And with a 98% success rate, it is also has the highest success rate of any surgery practiced today.

About Insomnia

Insomnia is a common health problem, affecting 30-40% of adults, according to the American Sleep Association. While most suffer from occasional insomnia, 10% suffers from what is known as chronic insomnia (symptoms at least 3 nights per week). However, because of differentiations in individual sleep patterns and levels of fatigue, insomnia can be difficult to diagnose. It can be mild to severe depending on how often it occurs and for how long.

Cataract Surgery and Insomnia

Signs and Symptoms

There are numerous signs and symptoms of insomnia:

  • Difficulty falling asleep
  • Waking during the night
  • Failure to return to sleep after waking
  • Waking up too early
  • Feeling tired even after a long night’s sleep
  • Irritability
  • Problems concentrating
  • Memory issues
  • Feeling depressed

If you feel you suffer from insomnia, contact your healthcare provider.

About Cataract Surgery

Cataract surgery is a painless outpatient procedure that involves removing the clouded lens and, in most cases, replacing it with a clear, intraocular lens implant (IOL). most patients can resume their normal, everyday function in very little time and can even drive a few days after surgery.

Schedule an Appointment with Dr.  Boles

Led by board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles the Anne Arundel Eye Center (AAEC)  is a regional leader in the diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma and cataracts. 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. Under local anesthesia, a small incision is made on in the edge of the cornea and high frequency ultrasound vibrations gently disolves the natural lens into small pieces. These fragments are removed and replaced with an IOL.

Anne Arundel Eye Center always welcomes new patients.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Boles, Dr. Kathryn Gurganus Turner, Dr. Nicole Kershner, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010. AAEC is staffed by caring and knowledgeable professionals who will help guide you on your healing journey.

Filed Under: Cataracts Tagged With: Cataract Surgery, insomnia

Are Your Aging Eyes to Blame for Your Health Problems?

April 10, 2012 by Anne Arundel Eye Center Leave a Comment

Scientists have constantly searched for explanations as to why certain health problems – memory loss, slowed reactions, insomnia, etc. – develop as we age. Now, two doctors from the University of Kansas School of Medicine, Dr. Martin Mainster and Dr. Patricia Turner, believe they have an answer.

Their Hypothesis: The aging eye is to blame for increased health problems in older individuals.

As your eyes age, your lenses gradually yellow and your pupils narrow. This allows less and less light to reach retinal ganglion cells (photoreceptive cells) in the retina. These cells absorb sunlight and transmit messages to a part of the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (S.C.N.), which governs the body’s circadian rhythm.

The S.C.N. initiates the release of the hormone melatonin in the evening and cortisol in the morning. Melatonin, in particular, is believed to have several health-promoting properties. In fact, studies have shown that people with low melatonin secretion have a higher frequency of such illnesses as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.

“We believe the effect is huge and that it’s just beginning to be recognized as a problem,” said Dr. Turner, an ophthalmologist in Leawood, Kansas, who has written extensively on this subject with her husband, Dr. Mainster, a professor of ophthalmology at the University of Kansas Medical School.

Dr. Mainster and Dr. Turner estimated that by age 45, the photoreceptors of the average adult receive just 50 percent of the light needed to fully stimulate the circadian system. By age 55, it drops to 37 percent, and by age 75, to just 17 percent.

Ways to Combat this Problem

  1. Dr. Mainster and Dr. Turner believe people need to make a concerted effort to expose themselves to more sunlight.
  2. Researchers in Sweden believe that cataract surgery results in higher levels of melatonin production. These researchers studied patients who had cataract surgery to remove their clouded lenses and implant clear intraocular lenses. The researchers noticed that incidences of insomnia and daytime sleepiness were greatly reduced.

“We believe that it will eventually be shown that cataract surgery results in higher levels of melatonin, and those people will be less likely to have health problems like cancer and heart disease,” Dr. Turner said.

To learn more about Aging Eyes and Health 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!

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.

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:

Aging of Eyes Is Blamed for Range of Health Woes

Filed Under: Eye Care, Eye Disease, Increased Risk, Maryland Eye Care, Symptoms, Treatment Tagged With: Aging Eyes and Health, annearundeleyecenter.com, Are Your Aging Eyes to Blame for your Health Problems?, circadian rhythm, clouded lenses, daytime sleepiness, Dr. Martin Mainster, Dr. Patricia Turner, facebook, health problems, insomnia, intraocular lenses, memory loss, slowed reactions

Insomnia and the Yellowing of the Eye’s Lens

October 21, 2011 by Anne Arundel Eye Center Leave a Comment

A recent study uncovered a direct link between the yellowing of the eye’s lens and insomnia. The study evaluated participants (970 in total) using a lens autofluorometry, a non-invasive method that determined how much blue light was transmitted to the retina. And because blue light plays a crucial role in regulating the brain’s melatonin levels – which directly affects one’s daily sleep-wake cycle – subjects with lower levels of blue light were more prone to sleep disturbances.

Volunteers were considered to have a sleep disorder if they confirmed that they “often suffer from insomnia” or if they purchased prescription sleeping pills within the last 12 months.

But what was causing these individuals to filter out blue light?

As the lens of the eye becomes more yellowed it filters out more and more blue light. This yellowing occurs naturally as we age and may explain why sleep disorders become more frequent with increasing age. It also may explain why smokers and individuals suffering from diabetes mellitus also experienced higher rates of sleep disorders. Diabetes and smoking have been linked to the pre-mature yellowing of the eye’s lens,

Currently, the only known way to effectively reverse the yellowing process and thus possibly to improve sleep is through cataract surgery.

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 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today!

Led by Dr. Boles, the Anne Arundel Eye Center offers complete 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.

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

Sources:

Can’t Sleep? Maybe it’s due to cataracts. Blog.VisiVite.com

Cataracts Could Cause Insomnia in the Elderly Ivanhoe.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 12 months, Anne Arundel Eye Center, blue light, can't sleep? maybe it's due to cataracts, Cataract Surgery, cataracts could cause insomnia in the elderly, crucial, Diabetes, diagnostic, disorders, Dr. Boles, eye care specialists, facebook, filters, increasing age, insomnia, Insomnia and the Yellowing of the Eye’s Lens, ivanhoe.com, Lens, lens autofluorometry, melatonin levels, mellitus, non-invasive, ophthalmologist samuel boles, participants, patients vision, post-surgical eye care, pre-mature yellowing, regulating, Retina, sleep disorders, sleep disturbances, sleep-wake cycle, sleeping pills, smokes, transmitted, twitter, visivite.com, volunteers, youtube

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