In 2015, approximately 600,000 people underwent Laser-Assisted In Situ Keratomileusis (LASIK) or other types of laser eye surgery to improve their vision. Whether suffering from nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, the lure of a life without glasses or contacts is understandable, especially when you consider the 95% success rate of refractive surgery1.
The temperature is dropping, it’s getting darker earlier and nothing sounds better than snuggling up by the fire with hot chocolate and a book. Yes, winter is coming! From more time spent inside to trying to keep the wind from whipping snow in your eyes, the return of winter weather brings with it hazards that you may have forgotten about over the course of the last year. Before you hit the slopes or start building snowmen, it’s a good idea to prepare your eyes for the risks that come with seasonal changes in weather and activities.
The human body is a vastly complicated organism. For those outside the medical field, remembering all the different parts of a cell or describing exactly what the pancreas does can be just as complicated. So when you pick up a bottle of sunscreen and read “hyaluronic acid” in the ingredients, your first thought is not likely to be “oh, that’s a naturally occurring polymer with anti-inflammatory and superior water-binding properties!”
This November, we are bringing awareness to National Diabetic Eye Disease Month. Diabetes affects 380 million people worldwide and is a leading cause of kidney failure, amputations, heart failure, stroke, and most pertinent, blindness. Defined by the inability of the body to produce or process insulin correctly, resulting in higher than normal blood sugar1, diabetes has three classifications:
- Type 1: The pancreas does not produce insulin.
- Type 2: The body doesn’t process insulin correctly.
- Gestational: A pregnant woman’s body does not produce insulin or use the insulin it needs correctly. It can occur in women who have never had diabetes and typically goes away after the baby is born.
If you have any type of diabetes, you may be at risk of developing diabetic eye disease.
Paragon becomes the first patent holder to survive a post grant review challenge
PORTLAND, Ore., Nov. 21, 2016 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) – Paragon BioTeck, Inc., (Paragon) announces a monumental ruling handed down by the United States Patent and Trademark Office affirming claims made by Paragon in the patent for its R-phenylephrine hydrochloride formulation. Paragon is a privately held pharmaceutical and medical device company specializing in the development and commercialization of ophthalmic pharmaceuticals, devices and therapies.
Leslie O’Dell, OD, FAAO, tells Women in Optometry about opening the Dry Eye Center of Pennsylvania, a practice dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease. As part of Wheatlyn EyeCare, an established comprehensive optometric practice, O’Dell’s Dry Eye Center adds a much needed specialty to the already thriving clinic.
Paul S. Koch, MD, co-founder and medical director of Koch Eye Associates, and Thandeka Myeni, MD, MPH, a practicing ophthalmologist in Warwick, RI, combine their expertise in this article on Glaucoma Today to explore punctal occlusion, nutritional supplementation and individualized treatment plans for their dry eye disease patients.
Now that October is here, Halloween is fast approaching and winter will be following tight on its heels. But before the deluge of merriment and its accompanying housecleaning and decorating activities begins, you should consider celebrating another fall occasion: Eye Injury Prevention Month!
“My practice has changed greatly,” states Paul M. Karpecki, OD, FAAO, while speaking about emerging technologies in the treatment of dry eye during a 2015 reception hosted by Paragon BioTeck, Inc.
Fall is a time of damp streets and changing colors, when the bright pinks and oranges of spring and summer give way to the rusts and ambers of falling leaves. So if all those vibrant, pollen-filled plants are gone and even the trees are giving up, you might be wondering, “why the heck am I still sneezing!?”