Flashes and Floaters- Signs of Retinal Detachment

Just two weeks ago, a patient walked in the office for her yearly eye exam.  Nothing strange going on- just wanted to see if she needed to update her glasses.  She didn’t expect to be going into emergency surgery for a retinal detachment later that afternoon.

 

Despite a lack of symptoms, this patient was fortunate enough to be caught before the eye damage was irreversible.  This was a good reminder for us to bring to light a few visual phenomenons that should alert you to contact us immediately.

  • Spots – small cloudy specks that become noticeable when they fall in the line of sight
  • Floaters – a dark or grey or spot or speck that passes across your field of vision and moves as you move your eye.
  • Flashes of light- appears as lightning bolts, flickering lights or random sparks in the field of vision.

These three signs can be normal visual occurrences and some- especially floaters- increase gradually with the more birthdays we have.  However- if one of these symptoms suddenly expresses itself, a patient must seen immediately.  Because retinal detachment causes no pain – it’s important to know about these signs.

When a retina detaches the tissue on the back of your eye becomes separated from the supporting tissue. When separated it cannot function and process the information that creates visual images in your brain.  If a retina does not get reattached surgically, the vision loss can be permanent.

 

Please get spots, floaters, and flashes checked out if they suddenly appear in great frequency.Also – remember to stay up to date with yearly visits to the optometrist!

Slow down “birthday induced changes” – part 2

Since today is Dr. McEathron’s birthday- it’s appropriate to communicate more of his tips to slow down age-related vision changes in your eyes.

Eat healthy now – see long term benefits!

Choosing to eat healthy can have a long term impact on your eye health and therefore your age-related vision changes. And, the good news is it certainly goes beyond carrots. Antioxidants and other specific vitamins nutrients can reduce your risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma.  Furthermore, omega-3 essential fatty acids also help alleviate dry eyes and guards against macular damage.

Here are the main vitamins and nutrients that help protect our eyes:
  • Lutein
  • Zeaxanthin
  • Vitamin C
  • Vitamin E
  • Essential fatty acids
  • Zinc
  • Beta carotene
  • Bioflavanoids
Food sources that have high content of the above nutrients:
  • Carrots
  • Sweet potatoes
  • Squash
  • Kale
  • Spinach
  • Blueberries
  • Cherries
  • Legumes
  • Salmon
  • Walnuts
  • Eggs
  • Milk
  • Oysters
  • Beef
For an extra boost – vitamins!

In addition to food sources, there are many supplements on the market that promote eye health and help prevent age-related vision changes.  For example, for individuals at higher risk of eye disease, especially with family history of macular degeneration or glaucoma, Dr. McEathron certainly recommends adding an eye health supplement to your daily routine.  There are many such supplements on the market. However, the supplement should provide at minimum the following for maximum effectiveness as a result:

  • vitamin C (250 to 500 mg)
  • vitamin E (400 IU)
  • zinc (25 to 40 mg)
  • copper (2 mg)
  • vitamin B complex that also contains 400 mcg of folic acid
  • omega-3 fatty acids (2,000 mg)

Finally, after researching and evaluating several brands of eye health vitamins, we chose to offer Biosyntrx to our patients at our office.  Furthermore, they have three formulations:

  • BioTears – support for dry eyes, is also rich in omega 6 essential fatty acids.
  • Eye and Body Complete – includes a broad spectrum of 43 ingredients that consequently eliminates the need for an additional general multi-vitamin supplement.
  • Oculair – rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, specifically targeting eye health but also with whole body benefits.

In conclusion, taking care of your eyes and entire body now through proper nutrition will give substantial benefits as each birthday passes as a result!  Stay tuned for more tips on how to beat those age-related vision changes!