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Thank you very much for taking the time to sign up for the No Blur! EyeMail Newsletter. The No Blur! EyeMail Newsletter is sent out approximately four times per year. The newsletter will contain the most recent developments in eyecare today, interesting information about your eyes, as well as a fun item. You can view the previous No Blur! EyeMails by clicking the online archive icon above. You can also send any comments or suggestions about the No Blur! EyeMail down in the related links section below.

 
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A Message From Dr. Maller

This is a very exciting month for me. Later this month I will be attending, once again, the GOS - Global Orthokeratology Symposium. This will be the third occasion for this event and if the prior meetings are any indication of things to come, the depth and breadth of this meeting will be incredible. At last year's meeting, over 600 Orthokeratologists from 37 countries were in attendance. I had the opportunity to speak with clinicians and researchers from around the world all with a common goal in mind - to further the science and art of Orthokeratology. Despite the fact that I have been providing Orthokeratology services for almost 15 years now, having access to the current research data, much of which hasn't even made it to publication yet, is clinically invaluable to me as this continues to refine my perspective and understanding of this wonderful procedure. I look forward to exchanging ideas with my worldwide colleagues. You can read more about Orthokeratology right here.

Dr. Maller

 

Refractive Lens Exchange Surgery

Refractive lens exchange (also known as Clear Lens Exchange) surgery has become more common place among the refractive surgical procedures available. The nature of this procedure is the crystalline lens inside the eye is removed and replaced with a plastice intraocular lens that now neutralizes the prescription of the eye. One of the advantages to this procedure is that the refractive state of the cornea is not altered by incisions or laser ablations. Additionally, this procedure is really very closely related to a cataract surgical procedure which has a very long history of safety. Since the accommodative function is lost with this procedure, many factors would need to be considered if a younger person is considering this type of procedure. A report published in the June issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology sites another concern over this procedure. Performing a retrospective study, the authors found the incidence of subsequent retinal detachment to be elevated by this procedure. The authors concluded that this increased risk could be reduced by proper patient selection.

 

A Progressive, Polycarbonate, Transition Lens - A New Breed

A new spectacle lens is now available. Combining several different technologies all into one lens, the Varilux Liberty Airwear Transitions V with ESP is here. It is a progressive lens that incorporates Transition technology (the ability to darken in the sun and lighten indoors) while being made from polycarbonate (the most impact resistant material used for spectacles) material. This combination of features has been long awaited.

 

Macular Degeneration - A New Drug Available?

A new drug aimed at preserving vision that is being compromised by Macular Degeneration may soon be on the market. The drug Lucentis appears to hold promise according to data just released from the FDA Phase 3 clinical trials. The drug performed admirably in patients who suffer with the "wet" variety of Macular Degeneration. The one-year data will be presented later this month to the American Society of Retina Specialists.

 

Eating Disorder And Blindness

In a recent case report, a 33 year old woman with a 17 year history of an eating disorder lost one eye while the other eye was severely damaged. The start of the problem began with a Vitamin A deficiency as a result of the eating disorder. This led to a cascade of problems causing the total loss of one of her eyes, despite surgical attempts to save the eye. Her other eye improved somewhat after Vitamin A replacement therapy was initiated. Good nutrition is vital to maintaining good eye health.

 

Back To School

Although we are in the middle of summer, school will be starting soon. According to a recently released National Eye Institute (NEI) report, only about one-third of the nation's children are having their vision tested. Since undetected vision problems in children can have a large impact on normal development, negatively affect performance both academically and socially, as well as long-lasting implications to the child's life, routine vision testing is very important for this part of our population. In my clinical experience, children, being very adaptable, rarely complain that they are not seeing well. This is true even for the children that are already wearing a correction and know what it means to have sharp vision. Commonly, I will ask a child "How are you seeing with your glasses," to be answered, "good." I will then proceed to check their acuity and find it to be significantly decreased to the point that the parent in the room will ask "How are you even able to see that I am your mother?" When getting all the supplies ready for school to start, don't forget to have their eyes checked. You can learn even more about children's vision here.

 

Just For Fun - Znax

Sometimes while on the web, I will come across some item that is just fun. I have incorporated this into the website because everyone should have a little fun occasionally. I have decided to put at least one "fun" thing into each newsletter. I hope that you enjoy it. This particular item is a 5 minute puzzle game. The game consists of a board of tiles 10 x 10. There are 4 different colored tiles; Green, Blue, Red, and Yellow. The object of the game is to form a square (rectangle) as large as possible by clicking the 4 corners of the square. The only requirement is that the 4 tiles that you click must be the same color. The larger the square formed the more points you will receive. Once you have clicked the 4th tile of the square you are awarded points and all the tiles contained within the square disappear and are replaced with new tiles. Although, once you have gotten a "feel" for the game, scoring 100,000 should be relatively simple, achieving scores over 250,000 will take real strategy. Good Luck! You can find this puzzle at Znax.