Dry Eyes And Tear Quantity

February 10, 2011 By admin Leave a Comment

The tear layer in the eye has a volume of approximately 4 to 10 millionths of a liter. Not a very large amount and difficult to measure. One of the standard clinical evaluations used in diagnosing dry eye syndrome is evaluating the size of the tear meniscus. Tear meniscuc refers to the crescent curved shape that a small wedge of tears forms along the lower lid margin. With the addition of fluorescein dye to the tear film of the eye, the tear meniscus becomes much more visible under magnification. As a routine part of dry eye evaluation this is a useful but very subjective test. The width of the teat meniscus is normally estimated and not measured. Perhaps the most useful observations are when the tear wedge is extremely thin, or when it narrows out to a very slender pattern as it moves away from the center of the lower eyelid. Some research has been done utilizing optical coherence tomography, a method of appling a low intenstiy light to form a 3D image of biological tissues. This may be a great tool for monitoring improvements of dry eye syndrome with future treatments. In the picture below you can see the bright yellow strip of dye picked up in the tear wedge on the lower and upper eyelid. In the dry climate of Northern Colorado our optometric examinations frequently find eye issues are related to dry eyes.

Tear Film Testing For Dry Eyes

Filed Under: Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Uncategorized Tagged With: clinical evaluations, coherence tomography, Dry, dry climate, dry eye, dry eye syndrome, Dry Eyes, Evaluation, eye, Eye Doctor, eye doctor dry eyes, eyes, fluorescein, fluorescein dye, kisling, layer, lFilm, lid margin, Northern Colorado, Optical, optical coherence, optical coherence tomography, Optometric, optometric examinations, optometrist dry eyes, Quantity, Research, strip, Syndrome, Tear, test, Testing, tissue, tissues, treatment, Treatments, upper eyelid, wedge

Dry Eye Quiz-Test Yourself For Dry Eye Symptoms

July 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Check Yourself For Dry Eye Syndrome Symptoms

Dr Kisling Fort Collins Dry Eye Center

[QUIZZIN 1]

Filed Under: Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Uncategorized Tagged With: dr kisling dry eyes, Dr. Kisling, dry eye doctor, dry eye spcialist, dry eye specialist, dry eye symptoms, dry eye syndrome, dry eye syndrome quiz, Dry Eye Test, Dry Eyes, dry eyes ft collins, eye quiz, Eye Symptoms, Fort Collins, fort collins dry eye doctor, fort collins dry eye specialist, fort collins dry eye syndrome, fort collins dry eye treatment, Northern Colorado

Eye Doctors Dry Eye Secret

March 8, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Eye Doctors Dry Eye Secret Treatment

Dry eyes can be a very debilitating condition. It is very common in low humidity climates like the Fort Collins area, and it can interfere with contact lens wear and comfort. It can also be a severe problem after LASIK corrective eye surgery. Optometrists have a number of different options to treat dry eye syndrome and contact lens intolerance today, and TheraTears non preserved artificial tears have proven very useful to eye doctors. TheraTears has some unique properties that can actually help restore the eye tissues instead of just treating the symptoms of burning eyes, gritty eyes, and general discomfort.

The tear film covering the front of the eye has been the subject of extensive study by eye doctors over the last decade. It is composed of a water component, a mucous component, and a lipid component. Every time you blink, your eyes experience a resurfacing of the tear film. When things go right, the new film has adequate water and retains its integrity until your normal blink reflex recurs. When things go wrong comfort and cells that produce the tear components are compromised.

The water component of tears has a normal value for osmolarity which is related to how much the salt concentration is in your tears. When the water levels decrease, the same amount of salt is present so the relative percentage of salt in the tears increases. This draws more water out of the corneal tissue on the front of the eye and can damage the surface cells known as the epithelium layer. The high osmolarity levels also decrease the amount of goblet cells. These are the cells that produce the mucous component of the tear film that makes the tear layer slide out across the eye surface. There are electrolytes like sodium and chloride in the tear film that are essential to keep the osmolarity in a normal range and also help the proteins like lactoferrin dissolve in the tears. Lactoferrin is a protein that fights against bacterial and fungal eye infections. It also serves to reduce eye inflammation. Because the cornea tissue on the front of the eye has no direct blood supply, a healthy tear function is vital to maintain good eye health and vision. Even from this brief view of the tear film, you can see how important it is to your optometrist that this complex system is functioning normally.

So now one of the best kept secrets of eye doctors in treating dry eye disorders and contact lens discomfort-TheraTears

And there is a little known way of using TheraTears to achieve the correct effects called saturation dosing. Saturation dosing involves taking one vial of TheraTears and emptying it into the eyes over a five minute period for times a day for at least a few weeks. It helps restore the salt content levels back to normal and allows goblet cells to regenerate. It is specially formulated to stay on the eye for about 30 minutes. The electrolyte content is similar to what a normal eye would be so it helps readjust this also. After a few weeks your optometrist can decide when you can discontinue the saturation dosing and start a single drop several times per day. Often the tear film regains a significant amount of its integrity and the burning, dry eye discomfort stops. Sometimes the simple things work best.

Filed Under: Central Fort Collins, Contact Lens Problems, Contact Lenses, Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Stinging Eyes Tagged With: artificial tears, burning eyes, Contact Lens Discomfort, corneal tissue, corrective eye surgery, dry eye syndrome, Dry Eyes, eye doctors, Fort Collins, Fort Collins Eye Doctor, lasik, Optometrist, Optometrists, osmolarity, theratears

Dry Eye Epidemic

July 15, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

There is a new epidemic that is running rampant across the United States. Fortunately it is not contagious and not life threatening like the Swine Flu, but there is a tremendous cost in terms of loss of quality of life and vision. This epidemic is often referred to as Dry Eye Syndrome and effects millions of people with symptoms ranging from mild, vague discomfort to completely disabling pain and chronic blurred eyesight.The Dry Rye Epidemic has multiple causes.

Time spent by adults on computers and youth on video games dramatically lowers the normal blink rate and causes the eyes to dry out faster than normal.
Historically, before mass consumption of processed foods, for every unit of omega-3 fat we consumed in our diet we ate 1 to 4 units of omega 6. Today that ratio has shifted to 20-30 times more omega 6 fats in our diets than omega-3. This has caused an outbreak of disease of the eyelid margins and resultant poor tear film quality.
As the population has aged there has been an increase due to normal, age related decreases in tear production.
The large increase in prescription medication use has resulted in numerous drugs being used that contribute to dry eyes. Medications for blood pressure, depression, allergies, pain, and many other conditions can have drying effects.
Millions of women treated with hormonal replacement therapy in the past may have increased the dry eye epidemic.
With the shift to industrialized society, working indoors the patterns of airflow and humidity have been altered and effect the incidence of dry eyes.
The long term shift away from water consumption towards caffeinated beverages and colas aggravates dry eyes in some individuals.
Even the increase in obesity leads to low grade inflammation in the body which can decrease tear production.
Many eyedrops, prescription and over the counter, can cause or aggravate dry eyes to the point that some patients discontinue their treatment and suffer sight loss.
Perhaps the worse culprit in the dry eye epidemic is LASIK eye surgery. The nerves that drive the eyes to blink are cut by the surgery and dryness is a frequent complaint after surgery. The dryness sometimes persists and requires long term treatment.

Fortunately we have many options today, including prescription eye medications, new contact lens materials, glaucoma eye drops designed for dry eyes, nutritional supplements, and even micro-plugs implants for the tear ducts to help increase the basal level of moisture. If you feel you have symptoms of dry eyes please call and request an appointment for a dry eye evaluation. Your vision insurance service plan may provide coverage for dry eye treatment.

Symptoms could be any of the following:

Burning or stinging if the eyes
Eyes that intermittently water excessivley
Eye that feel griity at times
Vision that blurs up for brief periods of time
Pink or red eyes
Vision discomfort that gets worse as the day progresses
Developing intolerance to contact lenses
An increase in the normal level of itchy eye allergies
Frequent styes and eye infections

CALL: 970-226-0959

Filed Under: Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, FEATURED, Fort Collins Eye Doctor, Fort Collins Optometrist, Vision Insurance, Vision Service Plan -VSP Tagged With: blurred eyesight, caffeinated beverages, consumption, depression allergies, dry eye syndrome, eye, eyelid margins, loss, prescription, treatment

Acuvue Oasys Bifocal

June 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Vistakon is releasing a new contact lens called ACUVUE® OASYS^TMfor PRESBYOPIA under the Acuvue Brand. The original Acuvue Bifocal contact lens was made from a material called Etafilcon. It worked by the wonder trademark called Pupil Intelligent Design^TM. The Acuvue Oasys Bifocal is designed on STEREO PRECISION TECHNOLOGY^TM and HYDRACLEAR® PLUS technology.

Hydraclear^TMis a substance incorporated throughout the lens to help it remain moist. Other silicone hydrogel lenses use plasma surface treatments to help overcome the wetting problems that accompany silicone materials. Supposedly, the effect is similar in providing a wettable surface on the lenses.

It is not very clear what STEREO PRECISION TECHNOLOGY^TMmeans. According to VISTAKON® the addition of an aspheric curve on the back of the lens helps eliminate the problems with ghosting. Aspheric curves flatten out as you move away from the edge similar to the shape of the eye. Aspheric lenses can improve vision by more closely resembling the corrective shape the eye needs, but it is not clear how the asphericity has an impact on ghosting. Only time will tell if this is an optical enhancing improvement.The change to the senofilcon A material will be a dramatic improvement in the oxygen permeability,comfort, and eye health the lens delivers. This is a welcome addition to the growing options we have for correcting presbyopia with contact lenses today.
The real innovation the original Avuvue Bifocal Lens contributed was a soft bifocal contact lens in a disposable format at a reasonable price. The secondary advantage was a large range of near prescription powers that could be individually adjusted, a new concept at the time. The lens design has 5 concentric rings of alternating distance and near zones. Theoretically, even if the lens does not center perfectly on the eye there are always sections of distance and near zones of the lens in your line of sight. Of course the disadvantage is there are always sections of distance and near zones of the lens in your line of sight that are responsible for ghost images. Given time, some people will adapt very well to this but in my experience that equates to about 20% of the people who try this design. The new ACUVUE® OASYS^TMfor PRESBYOPIA uses the same concentric ring approach with the added back aspheric surface.

The Acuvue Oasys Bifocal^TMis being produced in the same Senofilcon-A material that has been used in the Acuvue Oasys Lens. This is a silicone hydrogel contact lens that works exceedingly well for about 25% of the patients I see. For the remaining 75% it is OK, just not the dramatic comfort improvement seen in certain individuals. The downside of the material is it tends to develop lens coatings in 10-14 days, sometimes a little shorter than the recommended 2 week replacement cycle.

Overall, this is another addition to help those of us with arms too short that want to continue enjoying the benefits of contact lenses

Filed Under: Bifocal Contact Lenses, Contact Lenses, Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Fort Collins Eye Doctor, Fort Collins Optometrist, Muiltifocal Contact Lenses Tagged With: ACUVUE, acuvue oasys, Aspheric, asphericity, Avuvue, Bifocal, bifocal contact lens, bifocal contact lenses fort collins, bifocal lens, concentric rings, Contact Lenses, curves, dramatic improvement, Etafilcon, eye health, fort collins contact lenses, Fort Collins Eye Doctors, hydraclear, hydrogel, innovation, Intelligent, intelligent design, lens design, line of sight, mutifocal contact lenses fort collins, OASYS, oxygen, permeability, plasma, plasma surface, PLUS, precision technology, Presbyopia, pupil, Senofilcon, silicone, silicone hydrogel lenses, silicone materials, surface treatments, Vistakon, welcome addition

Your Source For Vision And Eye Knowledge

June 8, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

Welcome to Dr Kisling-Fort Collins Eye Doctors Choice Website. Our vision is to be the premier resource for answers about your eye symptoms and eye problems. You can use the search box to find answers to questions about your eyes. You will find articles on contact lenses, dry eyes, glaucoma, eye nutrition pinkeye ad other eye diseases.

There is also information about eye examinations, eyeglasses, prescription eye glasses for different conditions;nearsightedness,farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

We carry a unique selection of eyeglasses for women, men and children with the latest lens technologies including glare free anti-reflection coatings, no line progressive 5th generation eye glass lens designs, transition sunglasses tints, thin and light hi-index prescription lenses.

We also try to make your vision insurance processing as simple as possible. We welcome most insurance including Vision Service Plan (VSP).

If there is a topic you would like more information on please feel free to leave a request in the comment box. Thank you for visiting our website and we hope we can become your partner in preventative eyecare for a lifetime of healthy eyesight!

Filed Under: amblyopia, Bifocal Contact Lenses, Common Eye Questions for Your Optometrist, computer vision syndrome, Contact Lenses, Contact Lenses For Astigmatism, Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Eye Diseases, Eye Nutrition, Eye Symptoms, Eye Twitch, Eye Vitamins, Eyestrain, Floaters, Fort Collins Eye Doctor, Fort Collins Optometrist, glaucoma, Headaches, Macular Degeneration, Muiltifocal Contact Lenses, Pinkeye, Presbyopia, Stinging Eyes, strabismus, Vision Conditions, Vision Insurance, Vision Service Plan -VSP Tagged With: astigmatism, cataracts, childrens eyeglasses, choice website, computer vision syndrome fort collins, contact lens examination, crossed eyes, CRT ft Collins, daily replacement contact lenes, designer frames Northern Colorado, diabetic eye problems, dry eye syndrome, Dry Eyes, eye, eye allergy fort collins, Eye Diseases, eye doctors, eye examinations, eye glass, Eye Symptoms, eyecare, eyeglass frames, eyeglasses, eyes, Eyestrain, fort collins 30 day wear contact lenses, Fort Collins anti-reflecive coatings, fort collins bifocal contact lenses, Fort Collins blepharitis, fort collins computer glasses, fort collins contact lenses, Fort Collins disposable contact lenses, Fort Collins eye disease, Fort Collins Eye Doctors, fort collins eye exam, Fort Collins Eye Floaters, fort collins eye headaches, Fort Collins eye injury, fort collins eye pain, Fort Collins Eye Twitches, fort collins eyelid infection, Fort Collins Fashion Frames, fort collins gas permeable contact lenses, Fort Collins Gaucoma, fort collins glasses, fort collins multifocal contact lenses, Fort Collins No line Bifocals, Fort Collins Optometrist, fort collins prescription eyedrops, fort collins prescription eyewear, Fort Collins Progressive lenses, fort collins rigid contact lenses, Fort Collins Soft Contact lenses, fort collins swollen eye lid, fort collins swollen eyes, fort collins vision blurry, Fort Collins Vision Care, fort collins vision correction, fort collins visual field test, glare free lenses fort collins, glass lens, golfing glasses, hi index, kerataconus, kisling, laser vision correction northern colorado, LASIK fort Collns, lazy eye, lens designs, Macular Degeneration, mens eyeglasses fort collins, monthy replacement contact lenses, motorcycle glasses, orthokeratology fort collins, Pinkeye, Presbyopia, prescription eye glasses, prescription eyewear fort collins, prescription glasses fort collins, prescription lenses, prescription sunglasses fort collins, sunglasses northern colorado, teen eye glasses fort collins, teenager contact lenses fort collins, thin ligth lenses fort collins, toric contact lenses, Vision Insurance, Vision Service Plan, womens eyeglasses fort collins, would like more information

Eye Age Problems-Fort Collins Eye Doctors

May 27, 2009 By admin Leave a Comment

As we age so do our eyes so it is important to take precautions to avoid certain eye problems. A common eye problem that accompanies aging is macular degeneration. This eye problem is caused by deterioration of the retinal tissues lining the back of the eye. This is a chronic eye disease with a multitude of evolving forms of treatment. It can give a person blurry vision and blind spots, and involves the central area of vision only. Unfortunately, this small area called the macula is vital for all detailed vision functions including reading. Since most of the retina remains healthy magnification aids can often be used to extend reading images onto the remaining healthy tissue. There are two different kinds of macular degeneration, the dry form and the wet form. The dry form of macular degeneration is less sight threatening and precedes development of wet macular degeneration.

Once macular degeneration transforms into the wet variety it can progress rapidly and cause serious vision complications. This can give you visual distortions such as seeing straight lines being crooked or wavy in appearance. You may notice objects looking very small or being farther away then they really are. You may notice loss of your central vision with blurry spots.

Evidence for nutritional intervention in preventing and treating macular degeneration continues to grow. Low dietary intake of the carotenids lutein and zeaxanthin are associated with an increased risk of age-related macular degeneration and may retard the development and progression of macular degeneration. Lutein and zeaxanthin have high levels in Broccoli, corn, squash,peas, and green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale. Foods with a high glycemic index (sugar rich simple carbohydrate foods that raise blood sugar rapidly) also increase the risk of macular degeneration -eating oatmeal may be good for more than just your heart. Vitamin deficiencies of E,D,and C seem to increase the risk of macular degeneration but vitamin A, especially in smokers may increase your risk for macular degeneration. Omega-3 fatty acids found in cold water fish contain docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and may act in a preventative manner for macular degeneration.Coenzyme Q10 and acetyl-L-carnitine supplementation is a potential early intervention. UV and blue light increase risk for macular degeneration so sunwear should start early for children.

If you have dry macular degeneration you may notice blurriness in the words that you read, less color in certain objects and have a harder time recognizing peoples faces. Your vision may start to seem hazy and you will have the need for brighter light. With both kinds of macular degeneration, it may only effect one of the eyes. Sometimes people don’t realize that they have it with the eye that does not have it making up for the eye that is effected.

Another problem with your eyes as you age is cataracts. Cataracts cloud the eye and are a common type of eye problem. There are three basic types of cataracts that you should be aware of which are nuclear sclerosis, cortical and sub-capsular. The nuclear sclerosis cataract forms throughout the lens as a gradual darkening and discoloration. A sub-capsular cataract is at the back of the lens close to the line of sight and may cause vision loss much faster than other types of cataracts. Cortical cataracts start in the cortex of the lens. If you have a cataract you should not be overly concerned, they can be successfully removed by having outpatient surgery and are one of the most successful surgical procedures done today. Artificial lenses are implanted, often with no stitches involved in an outpatient procedure.

Another eye problem you may encounter as you grow older is called dry eye syndrome. As we age, we do not produce as many tears as before. It is known to cause discomfort and pain and can result in serious vision loss in more extreme cases. Treatment is available with a multitude of options. You do not have to suffer from the chronic burning and stinging that accompanies dry eyes. If should have your eyes dilated every one to two years by your optometrist to check for these eye problems and other diseases that can compromise your vision irreversibly. Prevention is the best gift you can give your family and yourself.

David H. Kisling, O.D., A.B.D.A.
Fort Collins Eye Doctors

Fort Collins Contact Lens

Vision Service Plan Provider

Filed Under: Contact Lenses For Astigmatism, Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Eyes, Eye Nutrition, Eye Vitamins, Fort Collins Optometrist, Retina, Vision Service Plan -VSP Tagged With: age, age related macular degeneration, blind spot, blurry vision, burning, cataracts, central vision, check, child, chronic eye disease, color, corn squash, cortex, dha, diet, Dietary, dietary intake, Dry, dry eye syndrome, Dry Eyes, EPA, eye, Eye Doctor, eye doctors, eye problem, eye problems, eyes, Family, fatty, Fort Collins, Fort Collins Eye Doctors, green leafy vegetables, health, high glycemic index, lens, lining, loss, lutein and zeaxanthin, macula, macular, Macular Degeneration, magnification aids, nutritional intervention, omega, Read, reading, reading images, Retina, risk, treatment, Vision, Vision Service Plan, visual distortions, vitamin deficiencies, wet macular degeneration

970-226-0959

Dry Eyes And Tear Quantity

Dry Eye Quiz-Test Yourself For Dry Eye Symptoms

Check Yourself For Dry Eye Syndrome Symptoms

Eye Doctors Dry Eye Secret

Eye Doctors Dry Eye Secret Treatment

So now one of the best kept secrets of eye doctors in treating dry eye disorders and contact lens discomfort-TheraTears

Dry Eye Epidemic

CALL: 970-226-0959

Acuvue Oasys Bifocal

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