CONTACT LENSES
As an ophthalmologist, I see lots of people with issues and problems with their contact lenses. Some of the most common things I see include: irritation/allergy, scratches, infections, and lens loss (yep, people lose their contacts in their eyes! 👀).
1. Irritation/Allergy - A contact lens is essentially a foreign piece of plastic in your eye. Despite being fitted and smooth, the lens still rubs and debris can collect over time. If not properly cleaned or changed out routinely, contact lenses can cause increased irritation and inflammation of your eyes and lids over time. Your eye can essentially become "allergic" to your lenses. For these patients, allergy drops may help, but I usually recommend a "contact lens holiday" for at least 2 weeks for the eyes to recover, followed by limited contact lens wear to minimize symptoms.
2. Scratches - Worse than irritation is an actual scratch on the surface of your eye, which can be quite painful. Overwearing your lenses (beyond the recommended 6-8 hours a day, especially overnight) can increase your risk for scratches. Thankfully, your eye surface heals pretty quickly and many scratches heal on their own if you just stop wearing your contact lenses for a few days.
3. Infections - This is when bacteria or fungus gets into a scratch on your eye and requires medication to treat. Infections are very painful and serious, as these can affect your vision long term. Please see your eye doctor ASAP for this.
4. Lens Loss - Believe it or not, people do lose their contact lenses in their eyes. Most of the time the lens has fallen out, but I do sometimes find them lodged under the upper eyelid (there is a pocket up there called the fornix) and sweep them out with a cotton tip. And don’t worry, it is impossible for the lens to track back into your brain 🧠- the fornix is a dead end. (I get that question a lot).
I remind all my patients to always have a back up pair of glasses 👓 (so they aren’t “forced” to wear contacts everyday to avoid the above issues) and to consider dailies if they have trouble remembering to clean them properly.
Are you a contact lens wearer? Have you ever had issues?
Reducing Eye Strain - The 20-20-20 Rule
As an eye doctor, I get asked all the time how to improve eye strain and headaches from increased screen time (especially with the kids!):
Here are some top tips:
- Follow the 20-20-20 rule - Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break from your screen and look 20 feet away. This gives your eye muscles a chance to relax.
- Remember to blink - When you are concentrating on work/a movie/a book, your brain forgets to blink. Dry eyes are very uncomfortable and can add to the strain. You can use artificial tears if needed.
- Mind your posture - An unaligned neck or back can trigger headaches.
- Avoid too bright lights or sunlight - The reflection and glare from screens can worsen strain.
- Use a physical book 📖 or paper when able - Another strategy to avoid the above glare issue.
- Hold your digital media at least 18-24 inches away from your face - The closer you hold your phone, the harder your eyes have to focus.
As we go into the summer, encouraging more outdoor play will be especially helpful for children. Not only does this relieve and reduce overall eye strain, but there are also reports of slowing the progression of nearsightedness.
“What is Ophthalmology?”
A new follower messaged me the other day, "What is ophthalmology?" 👁 Sometimes I forget that not everyone knows exactly what I do, so here goes!
An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor 👩🏻⚕️ who has completed 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school, 1 year of internship, 3 years of residency training, and an optional 1-2 years of fellowship (in glaucoma, cornea, oculoplastics, retina, uveitis, pediatrics, or neuro-ophthalmology. Mind-blowing that a little body part has so many subspecialties right? 👁).
On any given day, I can be in clinic seeing patients and helping them with their medications; or doing laser procedures; or in the operating room performing surgeries. I see lots of different eye issues, from dry eye and infections to cataracts and diabetes inside the eyes.
As a glaucoma specialist, the majority of my patients come to me for help managing their eye pressures (I liken glaucoma to systemic hypertension; it's often asymptomatic, but if unmanaged for a long time, can cause major issues like vision loss). I absolutely love what I do. Patients can literally "see" the difference oftentimes 👀 - and it's a privilege to be able to help.
Love what you do. ❤️ Do what you love.
Because those who can see the world are the ones who will change it...
(and yes, that is a Sofia the First remix. 😂👑 “So much to learn and see...!”)
Trauma to the eye
What do you do when you get injured in the eye? In general:
- if you get scratched in the eye (like if debris flies in or someone accidentally pokes you 👈🏼), fight the urge to rub and instead force yourself to blink - this will produce tears 💧 to flush out any debris and moisten your eyes for protection. Thankfully, scratches heal pretty quickly, but you are susceptible to a superimposed bacterial or fungal infection, so see your eye doctor ASAP.
- if you get a chemical in the eye (like pepper spray or tear gas, I go into more detail about these in my post 2 days ago) find a water source and flush it out for at least 10-15 minutes. It may not get all the chemical out (like with pepper spray, you'll need soap or a special wipe to break up the oils), but it'll dilute enough to minimize damage and irritation. Sometimes you can get inflammation in the eye from these chemicals that can affect your vision, so seek medical attention ASAP.
- lastly, if you sustain direct trauma to the eye (i.e. a punch or projectile), again fight the urge to rub or touch it - you can make the injury worse. If there is something stuck in the eye or orbit (around the eye), do NOT remove it. The best thing to do is to keep the eye closed and loosely cover it with a pair of glasses or even a taped on cup🥤(I'm serious, this is in all our textbooks as a treatment!) and seek medical attention ASAP. 🏥
Eye injuries can range from a simple scratch (corneal abrasion) or a broken blood vessel on the surface like a bruise (subconjunctival hemorrhage) to more serious things like bleeding inside (hyphema) or a cut on the eye (laceration or ruptured globe) that can threaten your vision.
As an eye doctor👩🏻⚕️ (and parent), the best treatment for any injury is always prevention, so please please please wear eye protection if you think you will be at risk!
Click HERE for my YouTube explanation
“What are floaters?”
I am asked almost everyday - What are floaters? (by patients, friends, parents... 😉)
Your eyes 👀 are filled with a clear gel called the vitreous. Sometimes, you can get opacities in this gel, which you will see as floaters. People usually describe them as bugs 🐝 or webs 🕸, but they can come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. (I had one patient describe his to me as a "UFO marshmallow" ☁️)
Most of the time, these floaters are benign, caused by age related proteins. But once in a while, they can be caused by blood or other issues inside the eye, so definitely let your eye doctor 👩🏻⚕️ know if you develop any!