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It’s that time of year again. The air is colder, nights are longer, and the thermostat is higher. Winter has arrived, and for many people, this means dry eyes. Many people experience irritation, scratchiness, and blurry vision of dry eyes during the winter months. Not only is this due to the relatively dry air outside, but the conditions inside are created by heaters. Luckily, in most cases, there are some simple home remedies that can help you with dry eyes through the winter with a little more comfort.

1. Keep eye drops (artificial tears) handy. One of the quickest ways to alleviate dry eyes is with the use of eye drops designed for replacing moisture in the eyes. Make sure to follow the directions on the label before applying.
2. Wear protective eyewear when outside. The winter wind can wreak havoc on your eyes. Finding a functional, and perhaps a fashionable, form of eye protection may help alleviate dry eyes.
3. Stay hydrated. Making sure your body has enough fluids to produce eye moisture is essential
4. Use a humidifier. The heat from your furnace can evaporate any existing moisture in the air quickly. Using humidifiers can help negate this effect.
5. Enjoy the comfort of a warm damp cloth over your eyes. Not only will this feel relaxing after a long day, but gently laying a compress over your eyes can help reduce the dryness. It is important to note that dry eyes may have underlying causes such as medication side effects.

If these home remedies do not relieve your symptoms or your dry eyes are chronic, it may be a good idea to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor. Although rare, vision loss can occur in some cases.

True or False: The Longer You’ve had Diabetes, the Higher the Chance of Developing Trouble in the Back of the Eyes

Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of vision loss and eye problems in the working-age population in our country.

The answer is true: The key thing to remember about Diabetic Eye Disease is the longer you’ve had Diabetes, the higher the chance of developing problems in the back of the eyes. Diabetes causes trouble in the retina and eyesight issues in a number of ways. Primarily, when you’ve had Diabetes for many years, this results in damage to the small blood vessels in the back of your eyes.

So when these blood vessels are damaged, the eye is not getting enough Oxygen and that leads to a series of events that can cause loss of eyesight. For example, you can get fluid build-up in the macula, which is the very center part of the retina. That can cause trouble with reading, driving, and normal activities.

In addition, abnormal blood vessels can grow in the back of the eyes. These blood vessels can proliferate, they’re very fragile, they can cause bleeding and scarring, and even a detached retina, which can cause patients to go blind. The key to Diabetic Retinopathy is to watch your blood sugar.

Controlling your blood sugar will reduce the risk of severe vision loss by more than 50%. Now once you have Diabetic Retinopathy, it’s very important to see a retina specialist because we have excellent treatments now that can stabilize the vision and in many patients, improve vision. If you are having vision issues at night or during the day, give our team a call by phone at (877) 852-8463 to book an appointment. Our ophthalmologists and optometrists offer various types of vision care solutions such as diabetic retinopathy treatments, LASIK eye surgery, keratoconus treatments, and cataract surgery. Do you have diabetes? Our doctors will work with you to develop a vision care strategy to improve your sight and life.

Author

Surendar Purohit, M.D.
Vitreoretinal Specialist

Implantable Collamer Lens (ICL) Surgery

If you’re nearsighted or have myopia, you can benefit by having a permanent lens implanted surgically. The lens is implanted in the eye by an ophthalmologist during an implantable Collamer lens (ICL) eye surgery. The lens is designed to correct your vision by adjusting how light comes in through the eye. It’s placed behind the iris, where it works naturally with your body to provide clearer vision in both low light and daylight.

Can Anyone Get ICL Surgery?

Typically, the procedure is used with patients who are between 21 and their mid-50s. If you’re older than 50, you may consider another vision correction procedure, but it will be left to the discretion of your doctor. The EVO Visian ICL and Toric ICL are usually used with patients who have large degrees of nearsightedness.

Some patients opt for LASIK surgery instead, but an ICL eye surgery is ideal for patients who have thin corneas and are not eligible for LASIK surgery.

Is An ICL Surgery Risky?

No surgery is without risk. Your doctor can review the risks and complications with ICL implant surgeries with you, and you and your doctor can decide if a Visian ICL or Toric ICL is right for your vision correction needs. If you are researching what an ICL surgery is, you will need to be aware that the procedure features minor risks including infections, retinal detachments, intraocular pressure, cataracts, loss of corneal endothelial cells, and inflammation of the eye.

What Are the Side Effects Of ICL Surgery?

After ICL Surgery, most patients do not experience side effects. There may be some temporary blurry vision or light sensitivity, but that is expected and will subside with time. Your Specialty Eye Institute doctor will review the healing process with you when you come in for a consult, and after the surgery is completed.

Does Insurance Pay For ICL Surgery?

Depending on your insurance plan, an ICL implant surgery may be considered an elective surgery – but they may be able to reduce the cost for you. We can help you check your costs with your insurance, and may be able to help you finance the cost of the surgery. Talk to our team during your consultation about financing options and costs.

Can It Correct Astigmatism?

While classic ICLs cannot correct astigmatism, the Visian Toric ICL is designed to help those with astigmatism. The process of surgery may reduce it.

The History of the Implantable Collamer Lens

The first recorded uses of implantable lenses date back to World War II, where British air pilots would get plastic bits from airplane canopies stuck in their eyes. Doctors noticed that the body didn’t treat it as a foreign object, and eventually learned that you could place pieces of plastic into the eye to fix vision problems. Of course, today, it’s much more complicated – and safe. The Visian ICL is one of the best new implantable Collamer lens (ICL) implants you can get and can help correct vision issues.

What Will Happen During ICL Surgery?

How Long Does An ICL Surgery Take?

ICL eye surgery only takes about half an hour or less, but the patient will need to stay for a few hours for pre-op and post-op recovery. You will not be able to drive after the procedure, so transportation will need to be arranged beforehand.

Can I Get ICLs in Both Eyes During the Same Procedure?

You can get implants at the same time – your doctor will review your options with you during your consultation. If you need to space out the procedures, most patients will schedule two appointments, one each a few weeks away.

ICL Eye Surgery & Treatments

Post-op care changes from patient to patient, but it’s generally the same process for most. Talk with your doctor about your specific needs after an ICL surgery. If you have questions about what ICL eye surgery is and the benefits of receiving treatment, contact our team of doctors. Our staff of ophthalmologists and doctors offer innovative implantable Collamer lens (ICL) eye surgery to clients. Our staff is dedicated to developing custom eye care solutions that are designed to improve or maintain your vision. In addition, our doctors offer other types of eye care options such as cataract eye surgery, diabetic retinopathy treatments, astigmatism surgery, blepharoplasty treatments, and retinal detachment surgery. Give our doctors a call by phone at (877) 852-8463 to schedule an appointment. Our team will discuss the advantages of receiving an ICL eye surgery or a different type of treatment to enhance your vision.

Are You a Candidate for LASIK?

LASIK—which stands for laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis—is a common type of laser vision correction procedure. The first step in the LASIK surgery process is determining whether you’re a good candidate. The LASIK candidacy process helps the doctors at Specialty Eye Institute provide the highest-quality, most personalized vision care to every patient who walks through our doors.

More than 25% of our patients are deemed ineligible for LASIK surgery. Ineligible candidates may qualify for one of the other vision correction procedures we offer, like Visian ICL, PRK, or Custom Lens Replacement. If you don’t qualify for any of these procedures, our team will help you find the right alternative treatment option.

Tips & Insights: Take the LASIK Self-Test

Why You Might Not Be a Candidate for LASIK

Some patients aren’t LASIK candidates for various reasons. While doctors can sometimes determine patient candidacy during the initial LASIK consultation, other scenarios call for a thorough preoperative eye exam. Your doctor can determine at any point during the exam that you’re not a LASIK candidate. Here are the top five reasons why patients don’t qualify for LASIK candidacy:

1. Corneal Thickness

LASIK reshapes the cornea by using a laser beam to remove small amounts of damaged corneal tissue. The higher a patient’s vision prescription, the more tissue the laser must remove to correct their vision. LASIK also creates a corneal flap—a thin layer of the cornea that’s generally between 110 and 150 microns thick. The average cornea is thinnest in the center and becomes thicker around the edges. A healthy cornea is roughly 535 to 550 microns thick in the center.

Before undergoing LASIK, your doctor will estimate how thick your corneas will be after the procedure. If your corneas are thinner than average, you may not be a LASIK candidate. That’s because you wouldn’t have enough tissue remaining to maintain the cornea’s strength after the procedure. A patient who has thick corneas but a high vision prescription also may not be a LASIK candidate.

2. Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a vision condition that weakens and thins the cornea over time, causing the eye’s surface to become distorted. It occurs in patients of all ages. Patients who have keratoconus shouldn’t undergo LASIK surgery because it will cause the cornea to become even weaker and thinner. During the preoperative exam, your doctor will analyze your corneas’ thickness using advanced technology to determine whether you have keratoconus.

We offer treatments to help slow and stop the progression of keratoconus. Available treatment options include Scleral Lenses and CXL (corneal cross-linking).

3. Dry Eye

Patients who suffer from chronic dry eye also don’t qualify for LASIK. Your Specialty Eye Institute doctor will recommend treating your dry eye symptoms before seeking laser vision correction surgery. Since LASIK causes temporary eye dryness for four to six weeks—and can even cause permanent eye dryness—your doctor may recommend that you forgo laser vision correction surgery altogether.

PRK is an alternative vision correction procedure that is less likely to cause or exacerbate eye dryness.

4. Cataracts

A cataract occurs when the eye’s natural lens becomes cloudy, causing it to blur vision. Since cataracts typically develop as a result of aging, they’re most common in older adults. However, they can also develop as a result of eye trauma or medication.

Patients who have cataracts aren’t good LASIK candidates because a clouded lens due to cataracts can’t be corrected by LASIK surgery. Thankfully, modern cataract technology can often provide vision correction comparable to LASIK.

Tips & Insights: Take the Cataract Self-Test

5. Other Eye Diseases and Health Conditions

Additional reasons for not being a good LASIK candidate include the following:

• You are under the age of 17
• You have another vision condition, like macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, or glaucoma
• You take certain prescription medications that could interfere with laser vision correction
• You have an unstable prescription
• You are pregnant or nursing

Your Expectations About Laser Vision Correction

It’s important to set realistic expectations before undergoing LASIK surgery. The goal of LASIK surgery is to reduce or eliminate one’s need for prescription glasses and contact lenses. Functional vision is the goal, which means having 20/40 vision or better in both eyes. Don’t go into the procedure expecting it to completely fix all your vision problems.

Determining Your Candidacy for LASIK

Before pursuing LASIK surgery, schedule an appointment with your local Specialty Eye Institute provider to receive a thorough assessment of your eyes, determine your candidacy for the LASIK procedure, and set expectations. This is a time for you to ask questions and address any concerns you have about the procedure. Your doctor will outline potential risks and have you sign consent forms asserting that you have acknowledged those risks. Your doctor may also require you to watch a video that discusses potential risks in more detail.

Request an Appointment with Our Expert Doctors & Surgeons

LASIK Risks

LASIK is a relatively low-risk procedure. However, it still comes with some potential risks that you should be aware of before pursuing surgery. Some risks of this laser vision correction include the following:

1. Dry Eye: LASIK surgery can cause temporary or permanent eye dryness. Our doctors recommend using artificial tears to help lubricate the eyes during the recovery process to prevent dry eye problems. Take the Dry Eye Self-Test.
2. Glare Halos and Double Vision: You may notice a glare or halo effect around car headlights when driving at night. This side effect typically only lasts for the first few weeks after your LASIK procedure but can last longer in some patients. A second laser correction procedure can improve this condition in some cases.
3. Over and Under-Corrections: Your doctor may over-correct or under-correct your prescription due to human error or the inability to predict how your eyes will heal. Over and under-corrections can be corrected after the eyes have fully healed, but there’s no guarantee.
4. Corneal Flap Issues: Some LASIK procedures can cause the outermost layer of cornea tissue to grow abnormally underneath the corneal flap during the healing process. This abnormal growth is known as epithelial ingrowth. It can be treated surgically but may occur more than once.
5. Vision Loss or Changes: Unforeseen surgical complications can cause a patient to experience vision changes and even vision loss after the procedure. This risk is uncommon but still possible.
6. Neuropathic Corneal Pain (NCP): NCP is a condition that occurs in roughly 0.1% of LASIK patients. It causes oversensitivity in the eyes, face, or head. There is no known cause of NCP.

The FDA and LASIK

The Patient-Reported Outcomes With LASIK (PROWL) 

In October 2009, the National Eye Institute (NEI), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the FDA launched the LASIK Quality of Life Collaboration Project (LQOLCP) to examine the potential risk of severe problems occurring in patients after LASIK surgery. The project’s goal was to develop a tool that would:

1. Help determine the percentage of patients who have trouble performing normal activities after undergoing a LASIK procedure
2. Identify predictors for those patients

The PROWL studies assessed visual symptoms in patients before and after LASIK surgery to identify changes over time. The studies also measured the impact of symptoms on the performance of normal activities.  The results showed that less than 1% of study participants experienced significant difficulty with or an inability to perform normal activities without corrective lenses due to any one visual symptom (starbursts, ghosting, halos, glare) after LASIK surgery. More than 95% of participants were satisfied with their vision following LASIK surgery.

The Decision Checklist

In July 2022, the FDA drafted a document recommending that doctors share a decision checklist with their patients. The document—which is now finalized as of January 23rd, 2023—focuses on the risks associated with LASIK surgery and notes that some patients have become severely depressed due to post-surgery complications. The decision checklist states that certain chronic conditions like diabetes and some medications may put patients at risk for poor outcomes. The FDA is currently collecting LASIK concerns regarding this drafted document.

If you have questions or concerns regarding the safety of LASIK surgery, contact Specialty Eye Institute today to speak with one of our eye doctors.

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