Eyelid Inflammation, Infection & Blepharitis

“Eyelid inflammation, called blepharitis is a common and ongoing condition where the eyelids become inflamed and swollen, with oily particles and bacteria coating the eyelid margin near the base of the eyelashes,” explained Center for Sight Ophthalmologist Gregory Hofeldt, M.D. “This eyelid condition is a problem and annoying because it causes irritation, itchiness, redness, and stinging or burning of the eyes,” Dr. Hofeldt shared. While the underlying causes of blepharitis aren't completely understood, it can be associated with a bacterial eye infection, symptoms of dry eyes or certain types of skin conditions such as acne rosacea. Blepharitis is often a chronic, or ongoing, condition, but it can be controlled with one of more types of treatment that may include warm compresses, eyelid scrubs, antibiotic ointment, nutritional therapy and good overall eyebrow, scalp and hair hygiene.

If you or someone you know suffers from eyelid inflammation, infection or blepharitis please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, or visiting 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. 

Fall River LASIK Surgeon on Astigmatism

“LASIK for Astigmatism is not only possible-but we use it all the time as an excellent way to correct vision”, said Fall River LASIK Surgeon Keegan Johnson, M.D. of Center for Sight.. “Astigmatism correction can be confusing to patients. A number of people are under the incorrect impression that having astigmatism means you can’t have Laser Eye Surgery such as LASIK to correct your vision,” commented Dr. Johnson.

Here is what you need to know about LASIK and astigmatism. First, astigmatism is one of the common types of refractive problems that cause blurry vision. Common refractive-or eye focus problems-include nearsightedness or myopia, farsightedness or hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia.

Astigmatism usually results from an unequal curvature of the cornea-the outermost clear dome in the front of the eye-that causes the eye to have two different curvatures and thus two different focal points. This can make images look more blurry at a specific orientation so that things horizontally are blurred or things vertically are blurred, depending on the direction of the astigmatism. Astigmatism can be very annoying visually and can even cause headaches and many visual symptoms apart from the blurriness itself. The visual distortions caused by astigmatism in healthy eyes are correctable with eyeglasses, contact lenses and Laser Vision Correction such as LASIK. Astigmatism has been correctable with Laser Eye Surgery for more than 15 years in the United States. “Today, as LASIK surgeons, we are able to accurately measure and treat all types of astigmatism with high degrees of precision and predictability”, said Dr. Johnson.

If you or someone you know has astigmatism and would like to be less dependent or possibly even free from the hassle of glasses and contact lenses for seeing at distance, please call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, or visit www.center-for-sight.com or www.facebook.com/centerforsightfallriver to schedule an appointment for a Free Evaluation for Laser Eye Surgery for the Laser Vision Correction of astigmatism.

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

Cataracts & Night Driving Problems in Fall River

Corneal Specialist & Cataract Surgeon Keegan Johnson, M.D. of Center for Sight in Fall River offered some thoughts about night driving and cataracts. “Patients often tell me that one of the most troubling things about their vision with cataracts is how disturbed they are while driving at night,” said Dr. Johnson. “Driving at night is already difficult enough as reduced lighting can cause you to misjudge distances and boundaries like the edge of the road as well as simply causing an overall dimming of your vision,” Dr. Johnson further explained. “So, if have been told that you have the beginning of a cataract and you are becoming fearful of night driving  with cataracts, it might well be time to consider whether cataract surgery might be a good option to help you regain your night driving comfort level,” Dr. Johnson recommended.

If you or someone you know feels they have night driving problems that might be related to cataracts or has a question about cataracts, cataract surgery or lens implants please feel free to schedule an eye exam by calling Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visiting 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. 

Contact Lenses & Self Esteem for Teens

Contact lenses can play an important role in helping adolescents-especially teenagers-with some difficult times for their self esteem and self image. “Teens and tweens are often quite challenged during adolescence by the “Trifecta of Awkwardness-braces, acnes and glasses!” commented Fall River Contact Lens Specialist Dr. Fatima Raposo, an eye doctor at Center for Sight. “Teenagers often experience the peer pressure and insecurity created by concerns about appearance at these ages,” Dr. Raposo explained.

Not being able to play sports or worrying about how they look can leave many teens feeling anxious, stressed out and unhappy. “We love fitting children and adolescents in this age group with contact lenses because we routinely see that teens who wear contact lenses benefit beyond simply correcting their vision. They typically improve in how they feel about their physical appearance, their acceptance among friends and of course their ability to play sports,” further explained Dr. Raposo.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more about contact lenses or schedule an appointment for a contact lens fitting please call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, or visiting 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.

Eyelid Inflammation, Infection & Blepharitis

“Eyelid inflammation, called blepharitis is a common and ongoing condition where the eyelids become inflamed and swollen, with oily particles and bacteria coating the eyelid margin near the base of the eyelashes,” explained Center for Sight Ophthalmologist Gregory Hofeldt, M.D. “This eyelid condition is a problem and annoying because it causes irritation, itchiness, redness, and stinging or burning of the eyes,” Dr. Hofeldt shared. While the underlying causes of blepharitis aren't completely understood, it can be associated with a bacterial eye infection, symptoms of dry eyes or certain types of skin conditions such as acne rosacea. Blepharitis is often a chronic, or ongoing, condition, but it can be controlled with one of more types of treatment that may include warm compresses, eyelid scrubs, antibiotic ointment, nutritional therapy and good overall eyebrow, scalp and hair hygiene.

If you or someone you know suffers from eyelid inflammation, infection or blepharitis please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, or visiting 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 at 508-730-2020 for patients wishing to learn more about LASIK in Massachusetts or Rhode Island.

Cataract Surgery with Diabetes in Fall River

If you suffer from diabetes, develop a cataract and need cataract surgery in Fall River you will be in good hands at Center for Sight. According to Retina Specialist & Cataract Surgeon Robert Kelly, M.D., “Diabetes is a known risk factor for developing cataracts. Fortunately, cataract surgery can be successfully performed for patients with diabetes and even for diabetic patients at risk for or who have developed diabetic retinopathy-a serious threat to vision and a leading cause of new blindness.”

Researchers believe that the abnormal carbohydrate and sugar metabolism that is the hallmark of diabetes causes the sugars and metabolic byproducts to damage the crystalline lens of the eye and form a cataract. “It is not uncommon for diabetic patients to need cataract surgery-often at an earlier age than others who are not diabetic. While diabetes is known to cause difficulty with wound healing, the type of cataract surgery we perform today using a tiny incision, no stitches and with eye drops for anesthesia, really poses no additional risk to diabetic patients compared to non diabetic patients, “shared Dr. Kelly.

Dr. Kelly further stressed, “It is important that diabetics considering cataract surgery have a careful evaluation of the retina-especially the macula-using ocular coherence tomography (OCT) to identify the presence of diabetic macular edema (DME), a known finding in diabetic retinopathy that can cause less then optimal results after cataract surgery.” In addition, in certain situations cataract surgeons may elect to take an added precaution of placing an injection of VEGF inhibitor such as Eyelea® or Lucentis® into the vitreous of the eye to prevent new blood vessel growth. Other than these considerations diabetic cataract surgery can offer patients good results. Early diagnosis and treatment is the key to preserving eye health and vision with diabetes. See your eye doctor regularly as he or she requests.

If you or someone you know has questions about diabetes and cataract surgery please feel free to call Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visiting 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. 

Eye Exams in Fall River for Diabetic Retinopathy

Center for Sight Retina Specialist Robert Kelly, M.D. advised patients with diabetes to have regular eye exams to help preserve eye health and vision. “Regular eye exams are the best way to help prevent vision loss from diabetic retinopathy,” said Fall River Retina Specialist Robert Kelly, M.D. “The eye examinations for diabetic retinopathy need to be thorough and when necessary include advanced testing such as retinal photography, fluorescein angiography and ocular coherence tomography, or OCT in order to really document how the retina and it’s blood vessels are functioning,” Dr. Kelly further explained. “Depending on the severity and the risk of progression of each patient’s diabetic retinopathy we will advise them of the frequency and intervals for their exams. But, patients with diabetes need to know that it is terribly important to keep their appointments.”

Vision loss from diabetes and especially catastrophic vision loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented with early detection, diagnosis and treatment. If you or someone you know has diabetes or even elevated blood sugar levels they should work to prevent diabetic eye disease and problems with regular eye exams by calling Center for Sight at 508-730-2020, visiting 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.