Fort Lauderdale, Florida Ophthalmologist & Eye Surgeon
In recent months, I’ve been writing more to increase the awareness of serious eye issues.
In light of this, it’s an absolute privilege to contribute to the Ophthalmology Times.
My first piece there is on Macular Degeneration which is a subject I’ve now written and spoken about a number of times.
For those interested, please take a look at the piece.
I hope to contribute more articles there.
The last day of January is also the final day of Glaucoma Awareness Month. I hope that via my blog posts and YouTube Videos your awareness of Glacuoma is now significantly increased.
Here is my final Glaucoma Awareness video for the year outlining treatment of it.
Out of this, I hope you will be more proactive when it comes to your eyes. Don’t just wait for something to happen to them, especially if you’re over 50.
As for what I will talk about next, unfortunately there are many other ailments that can affect the eyes. Depending on who you hold be, February is Low Vision Awareness Month or Age-Related Macular Degeneration Awareness month,
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is one of the leading, if not the number one cause of blindness among older people. As dangerous as glaucoma is, macular degeneration among the elderly simply can not be ignored.
When it comes to smoking and the health dangers it poses, first and foremost it’s about the lungs.
It seems reasonable that this is the case, but the eyes are also part of the equation.
As I’ve written previously, a healthy lifestyle is good for the eyes and the reverse is also true, to the extent that the eyes are actually a barometer of the body’s overall health.
Because illnesses such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy aren’t on the radar of people, it’s not on their radar when it comes to smoking.
If you said to someone, there could be a good chance you may lose your eyesight from smoking, do you think they would continue to do so?
As an ophthalmologist, I have many tools at my disposal to gauge the health of my patients’ eyes not just pre-surgery but post-surgery.
Once such tool is Ocular Coherence Tomography which we refer to as OCT.
The tool is used to examine the retina and the eye’s anterior segment. It is great for assessing macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic eye disease.
First introduced in 1991, we are so fortunate to live in an age like today where sophisticated technology like this can be harnessed. I use this tool everyday to get a thorough appreciation and understanding of the patient’s eye.
This time of year, New Year’s Resolutions are very popular. A New Year signals a new start and all we pledge to stop putting off all the things we didn’t get round to.
A common theme of many resolutions is lifestyle – I want to go to bed earlier, eat less or work out more.
But could working out be bad for you?
A Korean study revealed that vigorous exercise could increase one’s chances of macular degeneration.
They found that men who exercised for five or more days a week had a 54% higher chance of it.
Before you cease to ever work out again, note the study depended on self-reporting which is notoriously unreliable and it was only an observational study.
Notwithstanding, what to make of this? Like I’ve written previously, anything good for your body is good for your eyes and vice versa.
If you put intense strain on your body, the body could well react adversely. Could running, working out and any form of exercise give you a heart attack? Possibly, but there are so many personal variables at play that it’s almost impossible to generalize.
Ultimately it’s all about balance and moderation. If you run a marathon, your body is clearly in great shape. Do it every day and you’re going to start feeling the strain.
Everyone knows that eating carrots is great for the eyes, but if you start to eat a ridiculous amount of them everyday you will begin to suffer side effects from it.
And this is the underlying message. Not that exercise is bad for the eyes, but vigorous exercise could be overdoing it.
Anything too much without balance and moderation is putting your body at risk.
Just like being overweight isn’t healthy, so too being underweight isn’t healthy either. It’s about striking that middle ground.
Good luck keeping those resolutions!
When a doctor is looking after a patient, they may only be there to examine and advise on their eyes, feet, teeth, skin, heart or whatever it may be but in reality you care about all of them.
You develop a bond with the patient and you truly care for their well-being.
This was evidence in Michigan when a doctor carried his patient through the snow so she could make her appointment. She is suffering from macular degeneration and wasn’t up to walking through the snow.
That is special and shows the lengths doctors will go to to make sure their patients are ok.
Normally people try to make sure that everything is ok and don’t want to convey any weaknesses or vulnerabilities. Often they won’t even go to the doctor and put it off until they can do so no longer, so a doctor is in a unique position.
It is important that a doctor doesn’t overstep his or her bounds. Exceptional circumstances won’t be a problem but often the lines are blurred and it’s not clear-cut.
Here it was and Dr Gindzin did an amazing and wonderful thing!
When food and diet is discussed, it’s usually always in reference to our weight.
What foods will help us lose weight? What food will see us put on weight?
As an ophthalmologist, I can tell you that diet has a significant impact on our eyes.
In this great article by Joy Bauer, she discusses how foods can affect macular degeneration.
Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Beta-Carotene, Zinc, Lutein, Zeaxanthin, Omega-3 fatty acids and the B Vitamins all help our eyes in a variety of different way.
Many of these foods also have a positive impact on our eyes in terms of preventing cataracts.
If you already have a balanced diet you wouldn’t have to change your diet too much in order to receive a decent intake of these vitamins, but if you eat a lot of low-quality carbs and sugars you may want to consider cutting down on them. It’s no coincidence that drinking a lot of alcohol will also have a adverse impact on your vision.
So eat well and you are sure to take great care of your eyes!
Macular degeneration is a subject I’ve written and spoken about previously as it’s an issue I’m very passionate about. The damage it can cause is significant.
Please watch this video and find out what you can do to avoid it.
Unfortunately many are only aware of how damaging it is until it’s too late.
It may not be as well known as cataracts or glaucoma but the damage that can be caused to the eye as result of Macular Degeneration is just as damaging.
It is the most common cause of blindness in people older than 50.
As we get older and our body doesn’t respond as it used to, the last thing we want is a loss of, or any sort of damage to our eyesight.
This is why it’s absolutely critical that once a person reaches this age, they have regular eye tests, especially for those people who don’t wear glasses.
If you want to find out more about this debilitating ailment you can do so at my website.