eyegotcha

Thanks to Pennsylvania passing a law allowing us to use our own lab, we are now back in network with Davis Vision (Versant).

Drusen – What is it? “Drusen” is the plural of the German word “druse” which means node. In medical terms drusen refers to small yellowish deposits of cellular debris that at accumulate under the retina – the light-sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye, that is essential to vision, sometimes drusen will form on the optic nerve. Drusen occur in most people over the age of 60 and are more common in women than men. A few small drusen can be a harmless sign of age, but more numerous and larger ones may indicate an early stage of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). – A condition that seriously impairs vision. It is a leading cause of blindness in people over 65. Drusen do not cause AMD, but is one early sign of dry AMD. Types of drusen that have been identified: • Soft drusen-As the condition progresses to the advanced stages drusen get larger, bleeding occurs and the light-sensitive cells that make up the macula become scarred. Soft drusen may result in a softening of the macula. The macula is a structure in the center of the retina that process stimuli in the central field of vision (straight ahead vision). • Hard Drusen-Small deposits that tend to be spread out. Typically do not cause problems and do not require any intervention. • Optic nerve drusen-In many cases this is benign. Optic nerve drusen is more common in children. If vision is affected it is peripheral vision. Risk factors: • Being female and/or Caucasian • Family history of AMD • High Cholesterol or cardiovascular disease • Smoking • Over the age of 65 Symptoms: • Distortion of straight lines in your field of vision • Difficulty adapting from bright lights to low lights • Hazy or blurry vision • Blank spot in central vision Sources: www.times-news.com www.health.harvard.edu www.nvisioncenters.com www.mayoclinic.org www.healthline.com Image: www.maculacenter.com

Relationships are a lot like algebra. Have you ever looked at your X and wondered Y?

Halloween Safety 2020 Over the past several years I have written about the dangers of a Halloween. Dangers such as cosmetic contact lenses costumes trick-or-treating and automobiles. Halloween 2020 has its own safety tips in the era of Co-vid 19. After many fun activities for families postponed or canceled this year, many communities have decided to allow Halloween festivities to go on by following CDC guidelines. Many traditional Halloween activities can be high-risk for spreading viruses, there are several safer, alternative ways to participate in Halloween activities. The CDC has released a list consisting of risk levels for Halloween 2020 click here http://bit.ly/37jtOC8 In addition to Co-vid related Halloween safety just a reminder of common Halloween injuries. • Be sure costumes and masks give those little ghosts and goblins have a clear view of traffic, are not running out in the streets and are visible to drivers by having a flashlight or glow in the dark costumes or accessories. • If a sword, cane or stick is part of a costume make sure it is not sharp or long. A child may be easily hurt by these accessories if he or she stumbles or trips causing puncture wounds or injuries that penetrate the eye. • The most common eye specific injuries during Halloween is caused by decorative contact lenses. Contact lenses found in novelty shops, salons, Halloween shops or online are not FDA-approved and are being sold illegally. Contact lenses are medical devices and should be treated as such. Decorative or cosmetic lenses have also been found to contain chlorine. • It isn’t uncommon for children to break glow sticks, splashing the liquid into their eyes. Some glow sticks contain a chemical called dibutyl phthalate and hydrogen peroxide. If your child has gotten this substance in their eyes, the liquid from the glows sticks doesn’t usually cause serve long term injury, but can cause alarming eye pain.

Who can guess???

Are you joking? 1. Did you hear that there’s a web page for people who suffer from chronic eye pain? 2. What do you call it when an apple user looks you in the eye? 3. What do you call a fish with no eyes? 4. What happens after you rub ketchup in your eye? 5. Where do rabbits get their eyes checked? Answers: 1. It’s a site for sore eyes 2. iContact 3. Fishually impaired. 4. You feel silly in Heinz sight. 5. At the Hop-ticians.

Kelli Robbins is with Devlin Robinson and 3 others at Fogo de Chão (Pittsburgh). Yesterday at 2:04 AM · Pittsburgh, PA · Esteemed guests and valued members offer sincere #Congratulations to fellow #Rotarian and #Senator Elect Devlin Robinson on his victory on Tuesday! #DemocracyInAction #WeArePeopleofAction

Eyegotcha Trivia Election Edition 1. It takes 270 electoral votes for a candidate to secure victory in the Electoral College. 2. President Zachary Taylor never once voted prior to his electoral victory. 3. Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest person to become President at 42 years of age. 4. Only about 60% of eligible voters turn out on average for a Presidential election. 5. Gerald Ford is the only person to have served as President and Vice President without having been elected to either office.

The office will be closing at 1 pm today, October 30th and reopening Monday at 9am. Have a safe and happy Halloween everyone!

Focus on Healthy Vision for your New Year’s Resolutions in 2021 For many people the New Year means making New Year’s resolutions to improve health and wellness such as losing weight or getting more sleep. Healthy habits that help support retina health. In 2021 everyone is encouraged to add these healthy eye habits: 1, Get regular dilated retina exams. 2. Eat nutritious foods including dark leafy greens and fish 3. Quit smoking 4. Control your blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol. 5. Stay active and maintain a healthy weight. 6. No the symptoms and risk factors for retinal diseases. 7. Wear eye protection if you are working with particles, flying objects, dust or chemicals. 8. Consider blue light filtering and or blocking glasses as many or spending more time in front of the screen. #eyegotcha #healthyvision Source: https://www.newswise.com/articles/focus-on-healthy-vision-with-six-new-year-s-resolutions-from-retina-specialists Image: www.Shape.com

Eyegotcha trivia - New Year Edition 1. The first New Year’s Eve ball to drop in Times Square was in 1907. 2. German immigrants introduced the baby new year to the United States. 3. Guy Lombardo was the first broadcast host of the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebrations. 4. The first New Year celebrations date back to Julius Caesar. 5. Americans drink close to 360 million glasses of sparkling wine during New Year’s celebrations.