Tuesday, April 29, 2014

Contact Lenses, Birth Control Pills & Dry Eye Problems

What does having dry eyes have to do with wearing contact lenses and birth control pills? As it turns out there is indeed a relationship between dry eye symptoms in woman using oral contraceptives who wear contact lenses. A study published in the journal Cornea examined the relationship among oral contraceptive pill (OCP) use, contact lens wear and dry eye signs and symptoms in healthy young women. As it turned out, there were no differences in dry eyes between the phases of the menstrual cycle and no evidence that tear osmolarity-or saltiness-was affected by OCP or contact lens use in the young women. However, the study found that the combination of OCP use and contact lens wear together may increase the severity of dry eye symptoms.

Seeta Eye Centers is an accredited TearLab Dry Eye Center and provides the full range of dry eye diagnosis, consultation and treatment. If you or someone you know has questions or needs an help for dry eyes, please feel free to call Seeta Eye Centers and schedule an eye examination by calling 845-454-1025, visiting Seeta Eye Centers or facebook.com/seetaeyecenters.

Seeta Eye Centers is conveniently located at 23 Davis Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603, Cecilwood Health Center, 969 Main Street, Fishkill, New York 12524 and 664 Stoneleigh Avenue, Suite 100, Carmel, New York 10512 for patients from Westchester County, Rockland County and throughout the Hudson Valley, Dutchess County and Orange County.

Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Best Functioning with Cataract Surgery in Both Eyes

In seeking the best results from cataract surgery, it is important to know that while having cataract surgery in one is likely to improve vision and visual functioning-the greatest improvements in visual functioning, daily activities and lifestyle are found in patients who undergo second eye cataract surgery. Having a cataract in one or both eyes often causes blurry, cloudy or dimming of vision but more importantly it can cause a meaningful decrease in visual functioning that not only impacts daily activities and lifestyle, it also can lead to premature cognitive decline, limited mobility and risk of orthopedic injury such as hip fracture.

Researchers reporting in the journal Ophthalmology studied the impact that cataract and cataract surgery have on clinical measurements of vision, reading speed, objective mobility performance and subjective visual functioning. In this study, 29 participants had cataract surgery on both eyes, 90 participants had cataract surgery in one eye and 1620 participants had no cataract surgery. The results showed that patients who had the cataract surgery in both eyes demonstrated better visual performance, better mobility-based task performance and even scored better on the Activities of Daily Vision Scale (ADVS). Thus, even though patients might find a great improvement after having cataract surgery in only one eye, the data indicate that having cataract surgery on both eyes provides the best visual functioning.

If you or someone you know has questions about cataracts, laser cataract surgery or lens implants, please feel free to call Seeta Eye Centers and schedule an eye examination by calling 845-454-1025, visiting Seeta Eye Centers or facebook.com/seetaeyecenters.

Seeta Eye Centers is conveniently located at 23 Davis Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603, Cecilwood Health Center, 969 Main Street, Fishkill, New York 12524 and 664 Stoneleigh Avenue, Suite 100, Carmel, New York 10512 for patients from Westchester County, Rockland County and throughout the Hudson Valley, Dutchess County and Orange County.

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

BOTOX® Mechanism May Help with Type 2 Diabetes

Dynamic Wrinkles that can be treated
with BOTOX Cosmetic
What do BOTOX® and Type 2 Diabetes have to do with each other you ask?  A new study reports that it appears a better understanding of the proteins affected by injections of the wrinkle relaxer BOTOX® could help scientists develop new ways to treat Type 2 Diabetes. BOTOX® Cosmetic is best known as an injection for helping patient smooth fine lines and wrinkles in order to look their best. BOTOX® is also used as treatment for a number of medical conditions including migraine, urinary incontinence, profuse sweating and crossed eyes, among others. In each of these cases, BOTOX® works because it has a paralyzing effect: that is, it relaxes specific muscles, which then provides the desired effect. BOTOX® accomplishes this effect by blocking certain proteins called SNARE (Soluble NSF Attachment Protein Receptor) proteins. It turns out that SNARE proteins in the beta cells of the pancreas help the pancreas secrete insulin, thus blocking these proteins in the pancreas could lead to insulin resistance which is the hallmark of Type 2 Diabetes. Understanding this mechanism will hopefully provide researchers with new ways to diagnose and treat Type 2 Diabetes in the future.

If you or someone you know has questions about BOTOX® and Type 2 Diabetes, please feel free to call Seeta Eye Centers and schedule an eye examination by calling 845-454-1025, visiting Seeta Eye Centers or facebook.com/seetaeyecenters.

Seeta Eye Centers is conveniently located at 23 Davis Avenue, Poughkeepsie, New York 12603, 969 Main Street, Cecilwood Health Center, Fishkill, New York 12524 and 664 Stoneleigh Avenue, Suite 100, Carmel, New York 10512.