Stents for Glaucoma Treatment

Microinvasive Glaucoma Surgery (MIGS) utilizes tiny stents to help control the eye pressure or intraocular pressure if you have glaucoma and have cataracts, and might need cataract surgery. In the U.S., over 20% of patients undergoing cataract surgery have a concurrent diagnosis of glaucoma, which represents approximately 700,000 patients each year who may be candidates for this type of glaucoma treatment. Most patients with glaucoma are treated with eye drops to lower their pressure, have laser treatments for glaucoma and if necessary have surgery for glaucoma treatment. The problem with eye drops for glaucoma is that patient compliance is often not consistent and may be as low as 50% after the first year-thus additional treatment options such as laser treatment for glaucoma of MIGS might be a better way for some patients to keep their eye pressure under control.

If you or someone you know has questions about micro invasive glaucoma surgery for patients with cataracts and having cataract surgery, please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island

Risks of Contact Lenses for Halloween

Center for Sight wants to make Fall River residents aware that the improper use of decorative cosmetic contactlenses for Halloween poses risks to eye health and vision. The Food and Drug Administration, regulates all contact lenses as medical devices that require a prescription and proper fitting by an eye-care professional. Even someone with perfect vision would still require an eye exam and a prescription in order to wear any kind of contacts, including cosmetic decorative contact lenses for Halloween. Some websites advertise decorative contacts as if they were fashion accessories or toys with fanciful, playful packaging in order to attract teens and young adults, especially girls.

The Problem with Decorative Cosmetic Contact Lenses

The problem is not that people use decorative, non-corrective contact lenses, but that they buy the devices without a prescription through unlicensed vendors on the Internet or at flea markets and specialty shops.

The Eye Health & Vision Risks with Decorative Cosmetic Contact Lenses

The risks of using improper cosmetic non-corrective decorative contacts are significant to eye health and vision. The buyer of these over-the-counter contact lenses faces a range of risks including scratched corneas or corneal abrasions, “pink eye” conjunctivitis and more serious types of blinding infection as a result of a corneal ulcer or keratitis.

The safe and effective use ofcontact lenses-whether decorative or not-requires proper fitting and education about their care to prevent the potential for serious eye problems from becoming a reality. If you or a friend would like to learn more about contact lenses of any type including decorative contacts please call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island. 

Injections for Diabetic Macular Edema

At Center for Sight we are fortunate to be able to offer injections of Vascular Endothelial Growth Inhibitor (VEGF) drugs-such as Lucentis® & Eyelea®-that are helpful to treat and reverse the effects of Diabetic Macular Edema. Diabetic Macular Edema is a common cause of vision loss in diabetics suffering from the effects of diabetic retinopathy.

Frequency & Duration of Injection Treatment for Diabetic Macular Edema

Researchers reporting in the British Journal of Ophthalmology shared helpful information about the importance of the VEGF inhibitor injection frequency in the treatment of diabetic macular edema. The study confirmed that patients need to be patient as their ophthalmologists and retina specialists plan and schedule their examinations, testing and visits as sometime the best results can only be achieved with multiple injections over some period of time. In general good long term results are achieved by about 4 months of injection treatment, but 20% of patients with persistent Diabetic Macular Edema at 12 months achieved a dry macula with considerable restoration of vision with sustained treatment through 24 months suggesting that persistent Diabetic Macular Edema at 4-12 months should be not used as a stopping criterion for treatment.

If you or someone you know has questions about injections of Lucentis® and Eyelea® to treat Diabetic Macular Edema, please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment.

Center for Sight is conveniently located at 1565 North Main Street, Suite 406, Fall River, Massachusetts 02720 for patients from Massachusetts or Rhode Island.