Practical Eye Health Tips for COVID

There are some practical eye health tips and precautions that you should consider to stay safe from COVID risk. We suggest thinking about:

• If You Wear Contact Lenses, Consider Switching to Glasses for a While. There's no evidence that wearing contact lenses increases your risk of Coronavirus infection, but if you wear contacts, you tend to touch your eyes more than average. Wearing glasses decreases the likelihood and need to touch your eyes.
• Wearing Glasses May Add a Layer of Protection. Eyeglasses or sunglasses can shield your eyes from infected respiratory droplets in the air, but they don’t provide 100% security. The virus can still reach your eyes from the exposed sides, tops and bottoms of your glasses. If you’re caring for a sick patient or potentially exposed person, safety goggles may offer a stronger defense. 
• Stock Up on Eye Drops and Medicine Prescriptions If You Can. If possible try to stock up on critical medications and eye drops, so that you’ll have enough to get by if you are quarantined or if your pharmacy is unable to fill your refills. If your insurance allows you to get more than 1 month of essential eye medicine, such as glaucoma drops, you should do so. Some insurers will approve a 3-month supply of medication in times of natural disaster. Ask your pharmacist or our office for help if you have trouble getting approval from your insurance company. And as always, request a refill as soon as you’re due. Don’t wait until the last minute to contact your pharmacy. 
• Avoid Rubbing Your Eyes. Everyone rubs their eyes! We all do it and it can be a tough to stop. But-doing so will lower your risk of infection. If you feel an urge to itch or rub your eye or even to adjust your glasses, use a tissue instead of your fingers. Dry eyes can lead to more rubbing, so consider adding moisturizing drops to your eye routine. If you must touch your eyes for any reason-even to administer eye medicine-wash your hands first with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Then wash them again afterwards.

We look forward to seeing you soon for your regular eye exams for eye health & vision! In the meantime if you, a friend or relative should need help for a contact lens irritation, red eye or contact lens problem, PLEASE CALL 508-730-2020 and we can provide you with either a TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visit & Consultation or schedule an appointment for a personal visit at Center for Sight. Visit us at Center for Sight or Facebook.com/CenterForSightFallRiver/.

COVID Eye Safety & Contact Lenses-What to Know!

COVID Eye Safety & Contact Lenses

The traditional “best practices” for wearing contact lenses safely may not be sufficient to completely prevent COVID-19 spread, as wearing contact lenses requires a great deal of finger manipulation around the eyelids, nose and mouth in order to insert the lenses. Contact lens wearers often touch their eyes, mouth and nose, putting wearers at risk for contracting the virus. Even with the best care and hygiene the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) recently published recommendations for corona virus eye safety that strongly suggested not wearing contact lenses and keeping everything away from patients’ eyes. That said, you can choose to keep wearing your contact lenses but:

1. Wash your hands carefully and thoroughly with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, followed by hand drying with unused paper towels. This should occur before every contact lens insertion and removal. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. People should avoid touching their face, including their eyes, nose and mouth, with unwashed hands.
2. Disinfect or dispose your contact lenses as prescribed by your doctor. Either dispose of your daily disposable lenses each evening, or regularly disinfect your monthly and two-week lenses according to instructions.
3. Discontinue lens wear if sick. Consistent with recommendations for other types of illness, those who feel ill with cold or flu-like symptoms should cease contact lens wear.

We look forward to seeing you soon for your regular eye exams for eye health & vision! In the meantime if you, a friend or relative should need help for a contact lens irritation, red eye or contact lens, PLEASE CALL 508-730-2020 and we can provide you with either a TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visit & Consultation or schedule an appointment for a personal visit at Center for Sight. Visit us at Center for Sight at our Eye Care Blog, or on Facebook.

Pink Eye Conjunctivitis & COVID-19 Coronavirus

Pink eye, known medically as conjunctivitis is an inflammation or infection of the outer membrane of the eyeball and the inner eyelid that causes redness and irritation in and around the eyes. It can be caused by allergies or a bacterial or viral infection. Conjunctivitis can be extremely contagious and is spread by contact with eye secretions from someone who is infected. The American Academy of Ophthalmology alerted us that COVID-19 Coronavirus might cause a pink eye conjunctivitis that looks like any other viral conjunctivitis. Viral conjunctivitis is common in patients who have colds, the flu and other types of viral infection. However, our patients should keep in mind that careful evaluation of the reported information suggests that only between 1-3% of those infected with COVID-19 actually develop pink eye conjunctivitis. We are here to help!

If you, someone you know, a friend, or a relative develops eye redness and thinks they might have pink eye conjunctivitis-PLEASE CALL US-508-730-2020 and we can advise you whether to schedule a TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visit & Consultation, schedule a visit to our office where we use using social distancing and sanitary hygienic disinfecting procedures or even ask you to schedule a visit with your primary care physician if you also have a fever, cough or shortness of breath.

We look forward to seeing you soon for your regular eye exams for eye health & vision! In the meantime if you, a friend or relative should need help for a contact lens irritation, red eye or contact lens, PLEASE CALL 508-730-2020 and we can provide you with either a TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visit & Consultation or schedule an appointment for a personal visit at Center for Sight. Visit us at Center for Sight at our Eye Care Blog, or on Facebook.

TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visits for Eye Problems

TeleEye Health Virtual Visits

At Center for Sight we are often able to provide help for certain eye problems & conditions through the use of TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visits & Consultation without having to come to our office. TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visits use electronic & digital communications and software to provide clinical services to patients without an in-person visit. By using your home computer and webcam, or even your phone, we are able to visualize and evaluate urgent eye problems such as a minor eye accident, red eyes, eye pain, irritation, sensitivity to light, eye discharge, matter in eyes, eyelid redness, crusting, eyelids stuck together, excessive tearing, eyes burning, watering, feeling gritty, eyes itching, allergy eyes, eyelid swelling, eyelid lumps or eyelid bumps-and then help you, or if needed, schedule you to come in for an actual office visit. TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visits are covered by almost all insurance plans and help avoid an unnecessary trip to the emergency room or our office.

COVID Guidelines You Should Remember!

We are all dealing with the day to day issues and safety concerns created by the COVID-19 virus. As time goes on, and it appears as if we may have reached the peak, sometimes there can be a degree of relaxation of the necessary guidelines and good practices to stop the spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) offers these general guidelines for preventing the spread of corona virus and protecting your health:

·        Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

·        You should especially wash your hands before eating, after using the restroom, sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose.

·        If you can’t get to a sink, use a hand sanitizer that has at least 60% alcohol.

·        Avoid touching your face-particularly your eyes, nose, and mouth.

·        If you cough or sneeze, cover your face with your elbow or a tissue. If you use a tissue, throw it away promptly. Then go wash your hands.

·        Avoid close contact with sick people. If you think someone has a respiratory infection, it’s safest to stay 6 feet away.

·        Stay home when you are sick.

·        Regularly disinfect commonly touched surfaces and items in your house, such as doorknobs and counter tops.

We look forward to seeing you soon for your regular eye exams for eye health & vision! In the meantime if you, a friend or relative should need help for an urgent eye problem such as an eye accident, red eyes, eye pain, irritation, sensitivity to light, eye discharge, matter in eyes, eyelid redness, crusting, eyelids stuck together, excessive tearing, eyes burning, watering, feeling gritty, eyes itching, allergy eyes, eyelid swelling, eyelid lumps or eyelid bumps, PLEASE CALL 508-730-2020 and we can provide you with either a TeleEyeHealth Virtual Visit & Consultation or schedule an appointment for a personal visit at Center for Sight.

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

Contact Lenses for Itchy Eyes

Eye allergies and itchy eyes are quite common. Many prescription and over the counter eye drops are helpful for symptomatic relief of itchy eyes on a temporary basis. Typically allergy sufferers must remove their contact lenses and even discontinue them during the peak seasonal allergy periods. Recently, a study was undertaken to determine the possibility of using a contact lens as a drug delivery system for eye allergy medication. The study was reported in the Cornea Journal in which etafilcon A (Acuvue 2) contact lenses were loaded with ketotifen-an antihistamine-to determine whether itchy eye relief could be achieved while correcting vision. The study concluded that effective ocular allergy treatment could be achieved with this antihistamine-contact lens delivery system and offers potential for contact lens wearers suffering from ocular allergies.

If you or someone you know needs a contact lens exam or suffers from itchy eyes, please schedule an eye exam at Center for Sight 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver.

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

Christmas Plants Treat Eye Tumors?

German researchers reporting in Science Signaling have identified a compound in the berries of the Coralberry plant that appears to be able to destroy Uveal Melanoma, the most common and an aggressive type of eye cancer. The Coralberry is a very common plant we use for Christmas and holiday decorations! The leaves of the plant contain bacteria that produce a toxin that inhibits a cancer cell molecule called Gq protein and thus is destructive to the cancer. It also appears that the toxin may be effective against skin cancer as well. At this time the investigation is still in the laboratory but researchers hope to make it into a pharmaceutical in the near future.

If you notice pigmented or non pigmented lesions or dry scaly patches on your eyelids or around your eyes please let us know when you schedule your eye exam at Center for Sight 508-730-2020, visit Center for Sight or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver.

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