Elisabeth S. Swan, O.D.

Diabetes is a leading cause of blindness across the United States. Adults living with diabetes suffer eye-related afflictions including blindness at much higher rates than the rest of the population.

Mary Gaines, Director of the Diabetes Centers at Baptist Hospital and Middle Tennessee Medical Center, notes that for early detection of a debilitating eye disease patients with diabetes need an annual dilated examination.

If you know someone who suffers from diabetes, please encourage a call to schedule a complete eye examination
at our office.

According to the website of the American Optometric Association (AOA), “The most common cancer involving the eye in young children is retinoblastoma.”

Retinoblastoma can be hereditary. If there are any cases of it in your family, be sure to have your child’s eyes checked. One in every 20,000 children develops this fast-growing cancer and early detection of malignancy can make a huge difference to outcomes.

According to a report in MIT’s Technology Review, research may be needed to see if there is a link between headache and eyestrain and a condition known as “vergence-accommodation conflict.” Vergence is how you move your eyes in or out to look at objects at different distances.

Some 3D movie viewers complain of headaches and eyestrain, leading vision researchers to examine what occurs visually while viewing such images. Vergence-accommodation conflict results when viewers of 3D movies are required to focus at one distance and verge at another.

Eye inflammation in the area called the uvea is the third leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed world. Uveitis, pronounced you-vee-itis, is a treatable condition but left untreated, it can cause scarring and blindness.

Although additional studies are needed to clarify the relationship between smoking and uveitis, it is an established fact that cigarette smoking causes vascular inflammation.

A recent study indicates that a history of smoking “appears to be a risk factor for uveitis.” Researchers found that people who smoke or have smoked in the past are twice as likely to develop this condition.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, schedule an eye health exam with Dr. Swan soon!

Gardeners are twitching with anticipation over the warming soil and longer days. This year, why not plant a garden for your eyes?

You may think that cataracts and age-related macular degeneration only afflict the elderly. But the earlier you begin preventative measures—such as improved diet–the less likely you’ll be to suffer from loss of sight later. Introducing your children to foods that are good for the eyes will help them become lifelong practitioners of good eating, too, and reap vision rewards well into old age.

Carotenoids, organic pigments found in plants, absorb blue light. Two such carotenoids are especially helpful in protecting the retina and keeping cells healthy: lutein and zeaxanthin. Both combat lens oxidation and, according to a recent study, help decrease cataract formation.

So, what to plant in that eye garden? Fortunately, several foods containing carotenoids are so easy to grow that children can plant and tend them. Collards, spinach, turnip greens and kale are leafy greens rich in lutein and zeaxanthin. Broccoli is also good and a popular gardener’s choice. Other vegetables include corn, peas, beans, and lettuce. You can get a health benefit from as little as ½ cup of cooked greens per day.

Start planning your garden now and get children involved, too. Chances are, they’ll be a lot more excited about eating vegetables they’ve grown themselves! Remember to protect their eyesight by making sure they wear their sunhats and sunglasses while working outdoors. At Swan Family Vision Care, we can help you in determining the right balanced diet to meet your visual needs. Call us for a checkup.

People who can only see the world in black, grey, and white have a condition called achromatopsia. It is a more severe form of color vision deficiency, the inability to distinguish certain shades of color.

Being unable to differentiate between shades of red and green is most common, followed by blues and yellows. If the cause of the deficiency is inherited, it affects both eyes. If the cause is injury or illness, it usually affects just one eye.

As First Lady Michelle Obama launches her U.S. campaign against childhood obesity with its related early-onset diabetes issues, specialists in Wales are combating one of diabetes’ side effects, severely damaged blood vessels in the eye.

This condition, known as diabetic retinopathy, has been far more common in older people but is now affecting an increasing number of people in their late teens and 20′s. According to a BBC report, diabetes has almost doubled in eight years and vision care professionals are dealing with younger and younger patients. This trend mirrors figures in the U.S. indicating that the link between obesity, diabetes and eye disease is not just a domestic issue.

Diabetes can cause damage to the blood vessels in the eye and even blindness. Poor management of the condition is a likely factor in the trend toward younger patients. Younger people are less likely to accept advice on diet and lifestyle. They also often fail to acknowledge vision problems until they become more severe.

Younger children in Wales are now being diagnosed with diabetes, too. But awareness often lags behind disease trends. Many parents don’t anticipate that their child could be vulnerable and don’t request screening.

Early detection is key to prevention of eye disease at any age. The Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Service for Wales now offers countrywide clinics to assess for damage.

When the optic nerve loses its protective sheath, it can be more easily damaged resulting in blurred vision, blind spots, pain, or impaired color vision. If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, give us a call as this condition can lead to vision loss.

Optic neuritis is more common in women under 45 and people with multiple sclerosis where nerve coverings are under attack by the body’s immune system.

Glaucoma, the second leading cause of blindness in the U.S., is most often associated with the elderly. But Prevent Blindness America, a Chicago-based nonprofit organization working to prevent blindness and preserve sight, cautions that glaucoma can appear at any age.

The disease slowly damages the optic nerve causing peripheral vision loss. If untreated, central vision can also be compromised or lost.

Groups that are most likely to develop glaucoma include people over forty and those with a family history of glaucoma. African Americans and Hispanics are at increased risk. Also, a congenital form of glaucoma can emerge in much younger people.

Glaucoma is sometimes referred to as “the sneak thief of sight”, as generally there are no obvious warning signs. Unusually high pressure in the eye can be an early indicator and this is why a comprehensive eye examination includes a test for eye pressure. For those who have been identified as at risk for glaucoma, an annual dilated eye examination is recommended.

There is no cure for glaucoma and it cannot currently be prevented. Nor can vision that is lost be restored. But when diagnosed and treated early, glaucoma’s effects on the eyes and vision can be mitigated.

Sometimes other people are the first to notice an unattractive spot on your eyelid. That bump, most likely a sty, is technically called a hordeolum, an infection of the sebaceous gland in the eyelid. It is often caused by a staphylococcus bacteria infecting an oil gland or eyelash follicle on the rim of the eyelid.

Oil glands contribute to the tears that wet the eye and stop surface drying. Dirt, fatigue, poor diet, conjunctivitis, blepharitis, or a blocked gland duct can all contribute to such an infection. Sometimes inflamed and painful for a few days, they usually come to a point and discharge by themselves. Soaking the eye with a hot compress for ten to fifteen minutes a few times a day
(two to four times) can help liquefy and drain the secretions.

Sometimes the sty points on the inside of the eyelid where the tears will wash away the exudations when it bursts. If it points on the outside it can, with care and proper sterilizing precautions, be lanced and drained.

In some cases, a persistent blockage becomes a hardened mass inside the rim of the eyelid. This is called a chalazion. Sometimes chalazia resolve themselves within a few weeks or months. Others must be treated by an appropriate eye health professional, either with antibiotics, steroid injections, or with minor surgery.

It is always prudent to consult with an eye health professional as early as possible to choose a proper course of action.