Do Vitamins & Antioxidants Reduce Cataract Risk?

According to researcher reporting in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition there may be an association between your intake of vitamins and antioxidants and your risk of cataracts. Generally, studies have been inconsistent regarding the association between blood antioxidants or vitamins and risk of age-related cataract. By performing a meta analysis of 13 different studies researchers found the  lower the  level of vitamin E, α-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, the  greater the  risk of age-related cataract in Asian populations but not in Western populations, whereas β-Carotene, lycopene, and β-cryptoxanthin  had no significant association with risk of cataract.

While these results look somewhat interesting, the question remains whether increasing intake through dietary supplements actually have any role in decreasing the risk of cataract formation.

If you or someone you know has questions about risk of cataracts, cataract prevention, 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, 969 Main Street, Cecilwood Health Center, Fishkill, New York 12524 and 664 Stoneleigh Avenue, Suite 100, Carmel, New York 10512.

Aspirin Increases Macular Degeneration Risk

Regular aspirin use may increase your risk of Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Aspirin is one of the most widely used over-the-counter medications that is an effective remedy for headaches, body aches, fever and even people at high risk of heart attack due to atherosclerosis use daily aspirin therapy as a preventative measure, thanks to aspirin’s anticoagulant properties.

In the Beaver Dam Eye Study researchers found that regular aspirin use 10 years prior to eye examination was associated with late AMD, with estimated incidence of 1.76 percent, compared to 1.03 percent in non-aspirin users. While seemingly small, the researchers concluded that these associations were statistically significant. More importantly, use of aspirin 10 years prior to eye examination was significantly associated with the “wet” form of AMD, which accounts for 10 percent of all AMD cases, but is responsible for the majority of catastrophic vision loss from AMD.

In another Australian study, participants completed a detailed questionnaire that assessed aspirin use, heart disease status and AMD risk factors. After analyzing data, regular aspirin users developed wet AMD-an astounding 24.5 percent. Even after adjusting for other risk factors like age, sex, smoking, history of heart disease and body mass index, regular aspirin users still had a higher risk of developing wet AMD. The Australian researchers concluded, “Regular aspirin use is associated with increased risk of incident neovascular [Wet] AMD, independent of history of cardiovascular disease and smoking.”

If you’re a regular aspirin user, you should get a thorough eye exam as soon as possible to determine your AMD status. This is extremely important because AMD often doesn’t show any symptoms until well after the condition has taken hold. If you or someone you know has questions or needs an eye exam, 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.

Normal Tension Glaucoma Treatment Difficult

Normal Tension Glaucoma may be more difficult to treat in patients who have other vascular diseases. Normal Tension Glaucoma is a less frequently found-but important type of glaucoma-that is characterized by patients having “normal” intraocular pressure but still experiencing eye damage such as loss of their visual field or “side vision” and optic nerve damage.

Normal Tension Glaucoma & Vascular Disease

Researchers at the World Glaucoma Congress reported that certain patients who suffer from Normal Tension Glaucoma who also have vascular disease or even a predisposition to vascular disease such as a family history of stroke, the presence of cardiovascular disease or migraine may not be as easy to treat in avoiding the progression of Normal Tension Glaucoma. In fact, these factors related to vascular disease may indicate less effectiveness of eye pressure (IOP) treatment putting patients at greater risk. The the Collaborative Normal Tension Glaucoma Study is the landmark study for guiding treatment-in which 65% of patients in the untreated group of that study never showed any progression during 7 years of follow-up. But, for those at greater risk due to some other vascular disease we have to be diligent in our examinations and testing to help preserve eye health and vision.

If you or someone you know has questions about Normal tension Glaucoma, glaucoma risk and vascular disease or needs an eye exam for glaucoma, 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.

Watch Laser Cataract Surgery

If you have been told that you have cataracts and are thinking about having cataract surgery and lens implants you might wonder what the experience might be like. Now you can watch Dr. Modi perform Laser Cataract Surgery! Take a moment and learn about the experience. Then schedule your consultation and we will be happy to answer all your questions.

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.

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.

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.