Category Archives: Eye Disease

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Watcing the Transit of Venus? Do it safely.

Is it okay to look directly at the sun if you squint or look through the “slits” of your eyes?

Fiction.  Never look directly at the sun with your naked eyes. You can damage your eyes. Likewise, viewing the sun with either binoculars or a telescope can direct the sun’s magnified rays directly into your eyeball and cause serious injury―think about what happens to ants under a magnifying glass.

Sunglasses do not provide sufficient protection. If you know someone who works in plumbing or construction, ask them if they have any #14 welder’s glass. You can look directly at the sun through this material without risking injury.

UV light from the sun can cause sunburn of your cornea (photokeratitis) and the retina of your eyes, which is called “solar retinopathy.” Over a long time, it can also increase your chance of cataracts (a clouding of the lens of the eye) and damage to your retina that might lead to total blindness. Sunscreen protects your skin from overexposure to UV rays. Proper lenses can safely block UV radiation and protect your eyes.

Here is a link to a site with some great tips on viewing the transit of Venus.

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Ophthalmology journal study takes first broad look at glaucoma risk in Asian Americans

A new study funded by the National Eye Institute confirms what we have known in Hawaii for years.  Asian Americans are at a much greater risk for Normal Tension Glaucoma (NTG) than non-Asian Americans.

“The risk of NTG was three to 10 times higher in Japanese Americans than other Asian ethnicities studied, and nearly all of the Asian sub-groups were at higher risk than non-Asian Americans. With NTG, the optic nerve and vision sustain damage even though the pressure within the eye remains within “normal” levels. Among Asian Americans, OAG rates were highest among Japanese Americans (about 9.5 percent), followed by Indian and Pakistani Americans (about 7.7 percent).”

http://www.aao.org/newsroom/release/20110401.cfm

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November is Diabetes Awareness Month

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy

As eye doctors, we see the effects of diabetes in the eye on a daily basis.   The most common complication we see is diabetic retinopathy.   With diabetic retinopathy, the retinal blood vessels leak blood, other fluids or show signs of oxygen deprivation, all of which can cause damage to the retina and result in vision loss.   As a result of diabetes, we also see other ocular complications such as prescription changes, cataracts and glaucoma.

Here are couple of facts about diabetes:

  • Nearly 24 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes.
  • Another 57 million Americans have pre-diabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
  • One out of every 3 children (and 1 in 2 minority children) born in the United States today will face a future with diabetes if current trends continue.
  • People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to become blind than are people without diabetes.
  • Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among adults.
  • Almost half of all people with diabetes will develop some degree of diabetic eye disease.

Things to remember:

  • Diabetic eye disease often has no symptoms.
  • Early detection and timely treatment of diabetic eye disese can reduce your risk of vision loss and blindness.
  • All people with diabetes should have an eye exam at least once a year.
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