EYEDUCATION

ITCHY ALLERGY EYES

Spring has sprung here in North Carolina, and, as you can see in the photo, we’re in the thick of Pollenpocalypse. This is around the time of year that I start to see a large influx of patients with red, watery, itchy allergy eyes. The tree and grass pollen that come with spring can often …

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DROPS FOR RED EYES

How do drops for red eyes work? Short answer: Drops for red eyes (aka “redness relief” or “get the red out” drops) contain an ingredient that causes the superficial blood vessels of the eye to constrict, or narrow. Long answer: Brace yourself- it’s about to get real nerdy up in here. Our blood vessel walls are made up …

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EYE MAKEUP SAFETY TIPS

As an optometrist, I get up close and personal with a lot of eyes. I see a fair amount of complications related to not-so-great eye makeup habits, so I wanted to share my top 10 eye makeup safety tips (from an eye health standpoint).  Avoid applying eyeliner on the waterline, as demonstrated on the left …

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blue light and the eye

blue light and eyes

According to the Vision Council, over 80 percent of Americans report using digital devices for more than two hours per day, and more than 70 percent of American adults report their children receive more than two hours of screen time per day (1). With the increasing prevalence of LED-backlit digital devices and the increasing time …

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EPIRETINAL MEMBRANE

What is an epiretinal membrane? An epiretinal membrane (ERM), also known as a macular pucker or cellophane maculopathy, is a thin layer of tissue that forms on the inner surface of the retina (the tissue that lines the back of the eye). **Look out, jargon ahead.** Specifically, an ERM forms when glial cells proliferate in a …

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AMBLYOPIA (LAZY EYE)

Cupcake decorated as an eye, sitting lazily on a recliner

What is a “lazy eye?” The term “lazy eye” is most often used to refer to a condition called amblyopia. Amblyopia is reduced vision in one eye, or less frequently both eyes, due to abnormal vision development in childhood (1).  What causes amblyopia? In simple terms, functional amblyopia occurs when something prevents the eye from focusing clearly. …

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MACULAR HOLE

What is a macular hole? To describe a macular hole and how it forms, we need to first discuss the anatomy of the eye. Check out this video for a concise overview of the structures of the eye (it’s less than a minute long). The anatomy of the eye Image: ASRS The inside of the eye is basically …

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astigmatism

Corneal topography of someone with regular astigmatism. The cooler tones indicate the flatter parts of the cornea while the warmer tones indicate the steeper parts. As you can see, this cornea is more curved along the vertical plane. Uh-stig-muh-tizum. It sounds like a terrible disease, but it’s not. It is a type of refractive error- it affects …

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