Dry Eye – About Dry Eye & Treatment

July 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

One of the few potential downsides of living in the beautiful state of Colorado

Dry eye is an extremely common condition, particularly in the semiarid climate of Colorado, and a common chief complaint of patients presenting to our clinic. The symptoms of dry eye range from mild ocular irritation or a sensation of the eyelids feeling heavy, to severe ocular foreign body sensation, blurry vision, and debilitating discomfort. If left untreated, the long term sequelae of dry eye leads to the breakdown of the ocular surface resulting in the potential for corneal scarring, conjunctival inflammation, compromised vision, and ocular pain.

…Read the full post
[Continue reading…]

Finding a Computer & Other Spring Cleaning

June 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Spring has sprung and so has my computer! At the COGS meeting last week, it would not turn on. After hours of trying to start it, removing the battery and replacing it, pounding on it, dropping it on the table, etc. it finally came on. Once it spins up the hard-drive, it works fine. Our IT guru thinks the motherboard has some kind of short. So I now race home on battery and plug it in but I cannot turn it off or it will be hours – days before I can beat it into submission to start again.

…Read the full post
[Continue reading…]

Colorado Laser Surgeons and Spivack Vision Center®

May 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

As most of you know, Spivack Vision Center® (SVC) and Colorado Laser Surgeons (CLS) merged over two years ago. We have endeavored to create the same culture of optometric co-management at SVC that existed with CLS. Merging two cultures has been more challenging than was anticipated. After two years, we feel we have accomplished that goal.

…Read the full post
[Continue reading…]

Advances in Lasik – The Femtosecond (IntraLase) Laser

April 10, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Flaps in Lasik were traditionally made with a high speed blade, contained in a device called a microkeratome. Bladed keratomes have a good safety record, but complications can occur. Because flap creation is responsible for the majority of LASIK complications and safety issues, it is the source of most patients’ fear of the procedure. Addressing this problem, the Femtosecond (Intralase) laser was approved by the FDA in 2001. After a slow period of adoption, Intralase is gaining significant market share. There have now been 3 million flaps created with FS, almost half of all flaps now created.

…Read the full post
[Continue reading…]

Eye Allergy Overview

April 9, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Springtime in Colorado is well on its way and along with that typi- cally comes seasonal allergies. We are already seeing several allergic conjunctivitis cases present in our clinics. With new medications available on the market, an overall update on allergic conjunctivitis treatment may be helpful.

Etiology:

  • Type I hypersensitivity reaction to specific airborne allergens. Conjunctival mast cells degranulation releases histamine and proinflammatory mediators into the tear film and tissues. This causes dilation of conjunctival vessels leading to red eyes, overall edema of tissues, and significant itch.
  • Seasonal Allergic Conjuctivitis – related to hay fever. This is caused by seasonal allergens such as tree pollen, weeds, grasses, and fungal spores
…Read the full post
[Continue reading…]

Neovascular Glaucoma

April 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

by Gary Belen, M.D.

About neovascular glaucoma

Neovascular glaucoma (NVG) is a potentially devastating result of serious underlying ocular and/or systemic diseases. Most cases of NVG are preceded by ischemic disease of the retina, and the subsequent release of diffusible angiogenic factors which promote new blood vessel growth. It is imperative to make the diagnosis early, and then initiate immediate and aggressive treatment. A delayed diagnosis or poor management can result in complete loss of vision, and possibly even loss of the globe itself.

…Read the full post
[Continue reading…]