Sun Damage to your eyes - prevention can be as simple as a fashion statement.

Summertime and warmer weather is almost upon us.  That means lots and lots of sunshine!  Most of us are really good at putting on SPF so that our skin won't get sunburned.  We forget about putting on sun protection for our eyes.  Thus from the front of the eye to the back of the eye, UV exposure can cause damage over a lifetime that can have dire consequences.

An "eye sunburn" (aka Solar Keratopathy or Solar Keratoconjunctivitis)

Just like your skin can get sunburned, the front of your eyes, (your cornea and conjunctiva) can as well.  This can lead to red eyes that feel gritty, burn, and is accompanied by blurry vision.  If this happens to you, your eye doctor can prescribe eye drops to aid in your comfort and improve your vision.

Our natural lens is designed to absorb UV light so as to protect our retinas.  The result of this absorption is clouding of the lens, also known as a cataract.  Just like UV light ages and damages your skin, it also ages your eyes.   I tell my patients, “Cataracts are sort of like getting wrinkles.”  Consider this:  Two people, exactly the same age with similar health histories live many years.  One person lives most of their life indoors.  The other spends most of their life outdoors.   Both are going to get wrinkles because they are aging. However, the person that spent most of their time indoors is going to have much less wrinkles than the person who spent lots of time outside.  The most common type of cataract is called "nuclear sclerosis".  This is where the lens yellows.     Most individuals over the age of 50 have nuclear sclerosis to some degree.  It's thought that a lifetime of UV exposure precipitates their development.  Cataracts eventually progress until vision is affected and they must be surgically removed.

The yellowing of the lens in a Nuclear Sclerosis Cataract.

The back of your eye can suffer damage from light as well.  As a child, did you ever use a magnifying glass to burn a leaf outside in the sunshine?  Just like this magnifying glass, your eye is a system set up to have a focal point on your retina.  While outside without sunglasses on, the cornea and lens are focusing light onto the retina just like the magnifying glass is focusing rays on the leaf. Thankfully, the cornea and lens bear the burden of absorbing most UV light and thus protects the retina from most of this damage.  However, high frequency blue light is not absorbed by these structures and can still be damaging to the retina.  The lack of sun protection in this scenario can aid in the development of retinal conditions like age-related macular degeneration.

Now you know that you need to wear sunglasses to protect your eyes.   Are all sunglasses created equal? The answer to that is a resounding, “No”.  Wearing sunglasses that lack UV protection is like wearing sheer fabric and hoping not to get sunburned.  When you buy your sunglasses make sure they have a sticker on them that says "100% UVA and UVB protected".  Polarized sunglasses work even better. Polarization actually cuts out all horizontal light from entering the eye.  This takes away lots of glare, which allows fishermen to see fish in the water and eliminates glare from sunshine hitting the rooftops of cars for drivers.  

Protecting your eyes from UV exposure may be as simple as making a fashion statement. At Visual Eyes Optometric, we offer sunglasses in many styles, from many designers, and both with prescribed and non-prescribed lenses.  Put on a pair of sunglasses. You'll look really good...and you'll look really smart. Visit our office in Fairvew near Asheville, NC. We want to be your eye doctor. :-)

What is age-related macular degeneration?

AMD does not stand for Advanced Micro Devices.

Well, it does, but not for the purposes of Eyecare.  When it comes to your eyeballs, AMD (or ARMD) stands for age–related macular degeneration, a disease that by the year 2020 will affect more than 3 million people (Source: http://www.nei.nih.gov/eyedata/pbd4.asp)

Often times when I say the words, "you have macular degeneration," my patients shut out anything else I say because they feel like they just heard "you're going blind."  That's not always the case.  Luckily, the worst case scenario is usually the least likely thing to happen. 

To understand macular degeneration, you have to have a concept of how the retina works.

The retinal pigment epithelium (also called the RPE) is the cellular layer involved with removing cellular debris made by the "seeing" layer of your retina.  In some individuals, the RPE degenerates.  This may be for several reasons (research does not overwhelmingly point to one specific reason): genetics, smoking, Sun damage from UV exposure, lack of protective pigments within the retina, poor nutrition and, a combination of all of the above.

Damaged RPE allows cellular debris to build up.  These pockets of debris are called drusen.  This is called dry or "non-exudative" macular degeneration, which can cause poor vision and of itself - you can't "see through the debris,"

The body tries to fix this situation by bringing in new blood vessels in an effort to introduce new cells to the area that can remedy cellular damage.  The clinical term for this is "Neovascularization".  These new blood vessels are unstable and very leaky. When they leak blood into the retina, vision quickly decreases.  This situation is called "wet" or "exudative" macular degeneration and is the more severe/visually debilitating form to have.

The sooner that neovascularization is caught, the more likely  your vision is to be saved.  

It is likely that there will be some decrease in vision after events such as these, but thankfully, thanks to modern medicine, AMD is no longer the death sentence of vision that it used to be!

So, you think you can see well and you don't have to worry about having AMD? WRONG!  You may have ZERO symptoms until neovascularization occurs.  Thus, it is VERY important to have regular eye exams to monitor eye health!  

Make your eye exam today! You'll be glad you did!

If you are in the Asheville, NC area, I would be honored to make sure that YOU do not have macular degeneration!  I want to be your eye doctor.  You can make an appointment with me by visiting www.visualeyesoptometric.com and clicking on Request Appointment.  

Next week we'll talk about prevention of macular degeneration (A topic so big that it deserves it's own post!)

Until then...

~Haley Perry, OD

Well, it's me again Margaret (a post about where we've been)

It's hard to believe, but it's been since June that this blog has had a post!  What's that you say? Who is writing this anyway?

Let me take a moment to introduce myself to you:  My name is Haley Ammons Perry.  I'm an eye doctor (an optometrist).  And I love eyeballs.  And people.  And chocolate. 

This isn't the first blog I've written.  I've had 2 personal ones before.  One about my pregnancy & one about being  a working mom.  Blogging fell by the wayside when I took on one of the most challenging and rewarding adventures of my life:  Visual Eyes Optometric, my eye care practice in Fairview, NC.  (I almost said THE most rewarding adventure, but I'm a mom, so let's be real here.)

8 months ago, I had staff help me write the blogs prior to this one, all the while saying, "I'm gonna write again someday."  I am excited to announce: Here.I.Am!!!!

I can't wait to share with you some great stuff about your vision,  your eyes, their health, & preventative care! 

See you soon!

& PS: With the threat of the impending snowpocalypse, here is a great pic of 2 handsome subjects (my husband and daughter) displaying excellent preventative care from the suns rays as it bounces off of snow.  Wear your sunglasses in the snow, folks!  Prevent ocular burns, slow progression of macular degeneration and cataracts with this one stylish step in the right direction!