Are You at Risk for Macular Degeneration?

The macula is located at the back of the eye. It is part of the retina and is responsible for your central vision, most of your color vision and seeing fine details.

Age-related macular degeneration is a progressive disease that damages the macula and impacts central vision. There are two types of age-related macular degeneration: wet and dry. It is a serious condition that can cause vision loss and even blindness.

There is currently no cure for macular degeneration. However, early detection and treatment can help to prolong vision and prevent additional damage. Here, the experienced team at Wiles Eye Center discusses factors that may indicate that you are at risk for macular degeneration.

Age

Age is the leading risk factor for developing macular degeneration. The older a person is, the more likely they are to develop macular degeneration. If you are 55 or older you are more likely to have macular degeneration.

Genetics

A family history of macular degeneration may indicate that you are at an increased risk for developing macular degeneration. If you are unsure of whether you have a family history of macular degeneration, you should ask your close relatives.

Smoking

Smoking is another risk factor for developing macular degeneration. The good news is that this is a modifiable risk factor. If you take steps to quit smoking, you may lower your risk for developing macular degeneration.

Race and Sex

Age-related macular degeneration is more likely to affect Caucasians. It is also more likely to affect females than males.

Certain Medical Conditions

Certain medical conditions like heart disease, high blood pressure and obesity can put you at an increased risk for macular degeneration. Talk to your physician about managing these conditions.

Light Eye Color

If you have blue eyes, you may have an increased risk of developing macular degeneration. People with lighter colored eyes tend to have a higher risk while people with darker eyes tend to have a lower risk. This may be related to the eye’s sensitivity to light. Light eyes are more sensitive to sunlight.

Sun Exposure

Most people know that sun exposure can put their skin at risk, but sun exposure can also put their eyes at risk. Unprotected sun exposure can put you at risk for macular degeneration. Protect your eyes when you are outside. Wear sunglasses that offer protection from the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Contact Wiles Eye Center

Macular degeneration can be diagnosed during a comprehensive eye exam. Contact Wiles Eye Center today to schedule your eye exam. Fill out our online contact form or call our St. Joseph, Missouri office at (816) 279-7015 or our Kansas City, Missouri office at (816) 455-2020.

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Glaucoma Is The “Silent Thief” of Vison: Eye Exams Offer Early Diagnosis

Many people with glaucoma don’t know they have it yet because 95% of cases are asymptomatic until vision loss. There are often no obvious signs of this eye disease until your side vision is permanently damaged, which is why eye exams are crucial. Vision impairment from glaucoma typically happens due to high intraocular pressure (IOP) that damages the optic nerve, and there’s no way to recover it. For these reasons, glaucoma is known as the “silent thief” of eyesight.

It’s essential to have annual eye exams to diagnose glaucoma early. Wiles Eye Center offers comprehensive glaucoma management and treatment, and our ophthalmologists use various tests during comprehensive exams to identify glaucoma and other eye diseases.

What Is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a type of eye disease that includes a group of conditions that damage the optic nerve, often due to high IOP. The optic nerve is a crucial connection between the brain and the eyes, and once the optic nerve is damaged, it can’t be fixed. The longer eye pressure increases, the more damage the optic nerve may sustain. Patients may experience tunnel vision and missing patches in their peripheral (side) vision. Left untreated, high IOP can deteriorate the optic nerve, causing permanent vision loss or blindness.

Severe forms of glaucoma, such as acute closed-angle glaucoma, cause symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, headaches, red eyes, blurred vision and severe eye pain. This is a medical emergency that requires prompt treatment to prevent vision impairment.

How Is Glaucoma Detected During Eye Exams?

Our ophthalmologists perform various tests during comprehensive eye exams to examine the optic nerve, visual field, eye pressure and other aspects of eye health. These appointments are recommended yearly, especially for people with risk factors, such as a family history of glaucoma.

Some of the diagnostic tests for glaucoma include:

• Air Puff: The air puff test uses a plume of air to calculate the resistance from your eye and determine the eye’s internal pressure.
• Goldmann Tonometry: Also called a blue light test, this part of an eye exam uses numbing eye drops and a slit lamp biomicroscope to examine the cornea with a flat-tipped probe.
• Tonometer: This test also requires numbing eye drops for comfort as the doctor gently touches the eye with a tiny device that measures pressure resistance and internal eye pressure.
• Optical Coherence Tomography: The OCT scan is a computer-based diagnostic tool that’s non-invasive. The technology breaks down retina images into cross-sectional and color-coded regions to detect eye diseases, including glaucoma. A laser captures high-resolution images to locate ocular damage or tissue changes.
• Visual Field Test: This diagnostic test creates a computerized map of your visual field to measure your side vision and detect abnormalities in your eyesight.
• Angle Exam (Gonioscopy): This part of an eye exam looks at where the cornea (transparent outer layer of the eye) connects with the iris (the pigmented portion of the eye). This angle involves your eye’s drainage system and is a significant component of glaucoma diagnosis and progression. Our eye doctors touch the cornea with a special lens to see if the drainage angle is open or closed.

Our eye doctors may also take a corneal thickness measurement to establish risk factors for glaucoma. We will discuss the findings of your eye exam right after your appointment and your treatment options. We offer medicated eye drops, laser procedures, and minimally invasive glaucoma surgery (MIGS). Wiles Eye Center also provides Durysta, the first implantable medicine approved by the FDA for open-angle glaucoma.

Schedule a comprehensive eye exam at Wiles Eye Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, at (816) 279-7015 or Kansas City, Missouri, at (816) 455-2020.

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Why People With Cataracts Choose Cataract Surgery Before Vision Loss

People tend to wait years to have cataracts removed, putting off cataract surgery for fear of the procedure or waiting until their vision is severely impacted. However, early cataract surgery may lead to fewer complications and allows people to enjoy a better quality of life in their golden years. Cataract surgery is one of the most successful and safe medical procedures, which is why more and more people opt to remove cataracts before vision impairment.

Most people will develop cataracts by their 70s. Being proactive with your eye health by treating cataracts early gives you more freedom to enjoy your family and lifestyle unencumbered by blurry vision. You may even eliminate your prescription eyeglasses!

Wiles Eye Center offers traditional cataract surgery and laser-assisted cataract surgery with advanced intraocular lens (IOL) implants to restore clear vision and improve common refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism.

What Is A Cataract?

As you get older, the proteins inside the natural lens of your eye clump together and thicken, clouding the eye lens and preventing light from passing through to the retina. Cataracts cause a host of symptoms that may impact your ability to read, drive, watch TV and perform other daily functions.

Cataract symptoms include:

• Blurred or clouded vision
• Muted colors or a yellowish tint
• Double vision
• Light sensitivity
• Glare
• Halos around lights
• Poor night vision
• Vision impairment or blindness

Cataracts are diagnosed during comprehensive eye exams at our St. Joseph and Kansas City, Missouri offices. These visits are recommended annually to screen for early signs of eye diseases.

Cataract surgery removes the clouded lens and replaces it with an IOL for better vision. The procedure takes about 15 to 20 minutes, and recovery is often short with no hospital stay. Removing the thick, cloudy lens restores clear vision, including color vibrance, night vision and light sensitivity. Advanced IOLs offer sharper eyesight at multiple focal points and may help you get rid of prescription glasses, contacts and readers for good.

Wiles Eye Center offers high-quality, FDA-approved premium IOLs, including Tecnis, ReSTOR and Crystalens. These multifocal lenses address common vision problems, including presbyopia.

Why Have Cataract Surgery Before Vision Impairment?

Early cataract surgery prevents you from experiencing common issues with cataracts, such as difficulty reading or driving at night. You can enjoy good vision and eliminate corrective eyewear sooner for a better quality of life with more visual independence. Removing a cataract during early formation is often less challenging than a dense, hyper-mature cataract and may decrease some risks and reduce surgery time and recovery.

Cataract surgery may lower intraocular pressure (IOP) and provide better outcomes for glaucoma patients by improving IOP control. Thick cataracts increase eye pressure, and cataract surgery may prevent that pressure increase and improve glaucoma treatment response.

How Do I Know If I’m Ready For Cataract Surgery?

Our ophthalmologists will discuss your eye health and cataracts during your comprehensive eye exam. It’s important to understand you don’t need to wait until you’re struggling with significant vision impairment to have cataract surgery. Early cataract removal is safe and successful with a quick procedure and a short recovery.

Medical advancements and new techniques have made cataract surgery one of the safest procedures in modern medicine. It’s not too early to find out if you’re a candidate for cataract surgery.

Schedule an eye exam at Wiles Eye Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, at (816) 279-7015 or Kansas City, Missouri, at (816) 455-2020.

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How To Combat Dry Eyes During Kansas City Winters

Although the uncomfortable symptoms of dry eye disease can strike at any time during the year, they are particularly common during the winter months. Cold, windy weather, low humidity and indoor heating can exacerbate the itching, burning, redness and foreign body sensation associated with dry eye disease. In this post, the ophthalmologists at Wiles Eye Center discuss some of the best ways to combat dry eye symptoms during Kansas City winters.

Run a Humidifier Indoors

One of the first things you can try to minimize dry eye symptoms during the winter is to run a humidifier indoors. This will add moisture back into the dry air that can help soothe dry eyes.

Avoid Heat Blowing Directly on Your Face

Blasting your car’s heater directly in your face or sitting under a heating vent can worsen your dry eye symptoms. Angle your car’s vents away from your face and, if possible, shift your furniture around so your house’s heating vents are not directly blowing into your eyes.

Manage Screen Times

In colder temperatures, we naturally spend more time inside (and often using screens). But prolonged screen time exacerbates dry eye disease. Try to limit your leisure time spent watching television, playing video games and browsing social media on your smartphone or tablet. When using screens, take frequent breaks to give your tired eyes a brief respite.

Eat Eye-Friendly Foods

Consuming foods that contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, like salmon, flaxseed or walnuts, can help to lubricate dry eyes. (An alternative option is to take an omega-3 supplement.) Foods rich in vitamin C, vitamin E and vitamin A are also eye friendly. These include citrus fruits, carrots, leafy green vegetables and sweet potatoes.

Try Artificial Tears

Artificial tears are a reliable way to get relief from dry eye symptoms. The tears add much-needed moisture back to the eyes.

Consult With Wiles Eye Center

If these lifestyle changes do not improve your dry eye symptoms, it may be time to consult with our team of experts. We can determine the underlying cause of the problem — it could be a lack of tears or a problem with the tears’ composition — and recommend the most suitable course of action.

Depending on your circumstances, prescription eyedrops, intense pulsed light therapy or tear duct plugs could resolve your troublesome symptoms. We will oversee your treatment and make modifications as needed so you can enjoy lasting relief from dry eye.

To request an appointment with our ophthalmologists to discuss your dry eye symptoms, please call or email Wiles Eye Center today.

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Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month: Watch for These Warning Signs

Every November, Wiles Eye Center participates in Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness Month in an effort to make more people aware of the effects of the disease. Our ophthalmologists encourage people who are at risk to get screened early, so they can start prompt care if diagnosed. Early intervention and timely treatment are key to limiting the effects of diabetic eye disease on long-term vision.

In this post, our team reviews the warning signs that people with diabetes should watch for. If you experience any of the following warning signs, we urge you to schedule a screening with our eye doctors.

What Are the Warning Signs of Diabetic Eye Disease?

Diabetes causes changes to the small blood vessels that nourish the retina. The blood vessels can leak blood and other fluids into the retina. This condition is called diabetic retinopathy. In the early stages of diabetic retinopathy, there may be no symptoms. As the disease progresses, warning signs can include the following:

• Blurry vision
• Floaters (objects – e.g., spots, strings, specks – that appear to float around in the visual field)
• Flashes of light (streaks or sparks of light that appear in the visual field)
• Dark or blank spots in vision

Sometimes diabetic eye disease can affect the macula. The macula is the part of the retina that controls the clarity of our central vision as well as our color vision. Fluid that leaks from the retinal blood vessels can build up and cause the macula to swell. This is called diabetic macular edema. If diabetic macular edema occurs, central and color vision can be affected. Warning signs of diabetic macular edema include the following:

• Blurriness or distortion in the center of the visual field
• Colors that appear faded or yellowed

Note that these symptoms are not exclusive to diabetic eye disease. Sometimes they can indicate other problems with the eyes. A qualified eye doctor can discuss your symptoms with you, perform appropriate testing and provide you with an accurate diagnosis.

Managing Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetic eye disease is treatable. If you are evaluated and diagnosed with diabetic eye disease, our team of experts can discuss your best treatment options based on the type and severity of your condition. That could entail undergoing an in-office laser procedure, or an eye surgery, or receiving injections to stop the damage to the retinal blood vessels.

Our diabetic eye disease experts will act quickly to stop the disease from advancing and prevent additional vision loss. We can coordinate with other members of your medical team, such as your endocrinologist or primary care physician, to keep them up to date on your ongoing eye care.

It is crucial that you follow your medical team’s advice to bring your blood sugar and other vitals under control. Well-controlled diabetes is less likely to permanently affect your ocular health.

To request an eye exam and screening for diabetic eye disease, please contact Wiles Eye Center today.

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The Hidden Dangers of Halloween Contact Lenses & How to Safely Change Eye Color

No one is too old to dress up for Halloween. Some people like to enhance their costumes with decorative contact lenses that change their eye color or create special effects, like the illusion of cat or zombie eyes.

Unfortunately, it is common to obtain these types of decorative lenses without a prescription. The non-prescription use of costume lenses can be dangerous. Some of the risks of improperly obtaining and wearing these lenses are downright scary.

Here, the ophthalmologists at Wiles Eye Center discuss the potential consequences of Halloween contact lenses — and suggest a safer way to change your eye color for the holiday.

Risks of Costume Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are medical devices and therefore overseen by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their safety and effectiveness. The FDA cautions that contacts should only be obtained with a valid prescription.

Purchasing contact lenses — such as novelty lenses from a beauty supply store, costume store, party supply store or online retailer — without a prescription, puts you at risk of serious eye problems. The lenses may be made of questionable materials, and they may not fit your eyes correctly. The lenses could scratch the surface of your eye, making your eyes susceptible to infection and other problems. Though rare, contact lens-induced infections that are not treated can lead to blindness. We can all agree that changing your eye color for one holiday is not worth potentially losing your sight.

The good news is that you can safely change your eye color for Halloween (or other occasions) with contacts, as long as you get a valid prescription from a licensed eye care professional.

Safely Change Your Eye Color With Pigmented Prescription Lenses

If you wish to change your eye color, contact your eye care professional to inquire about a prescription. Your eye care professional can properly measure your eye and give you a prescription for lenses that specifically fit your eyes and give you the desired eye color. You can be sure the lenses are made from safe materials. When you work with your eye care professional, you will also receive instructions about the proper use and cleaning of your lenses. This will decrease the chances of any complications.

Furthermore, your eye care professional can explain warning signs to look for, such as eye redness or pain, that could suggest a problem with the lenses.

For more information about safely changing your eye color with pigmented prescription lenses, please call or email the team at Wiles Eye Center. We are happy to help you put the finishing touches on your Halloween costume!

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Getting Older and Having One of These Medical Conditions Increases Eye Disease Risk

Vision changes and eye concerns are inevitable parts of the natural aging process. Some eye issues are more of a nuisance, while others can lead to blindness if left untreated. Early detection and treatment are  key to enjoying good vision in your golden years, as is understanding your risk of developing these eye diseases. Our ophthalmologists at Wiles Eye Center can diagnose and manage eye diseases at our Kansas City and St. Joseph offices.

Diabetes 

People with diabetes have an elevated risk for multiple eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy. This risk factor is due to the damage uncontrolled blood sugar can have on the retina that lines the back of the eye. The small blood vessels can leak fluid and blood, scar and lead to new abnormal blood vessels that affect vision (diabetic retinopathy). Diabetic retinopathy affects people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and can cause retinal detachment if scar tissue pulls the retinal tissue from the back of the eye.

The longer someone has diabetes, the higher their risk of vision impairment. People with diabetes are more likely to develop cataracts at a younger age because high blood sugar can alter the structure of the eye lens and accelerate cataract formation. Having diabetes also doubles your risk of developing glaucoma.

High Blood Pressure 

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can affect the retina’s blood vessels. Poor blood flow caused by hypertension may damage nerves found in the eye and block the arteries in charge of supplying blood to the retina. High blood pressure may also block the veins responsible for carrying blood from the retina. These issues are called hypertensive retinopathy, and you may not experience symptoms until damage progresses. Headaches, double vision, dimming vision and vision loss are symptoms of hypertensive retinopathy. Recent research found that high blood pressure increases cataract risk, and long-term hypertension is a risk factor for glaucoma.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is another eye disease of concern for people with hypertension. The damage caused by high blood pressure in the retinal blood vessels can lead to AMD or age-related vascular dysfunction.

Autoimmune Disorders 

Autoimmune disorders, such as arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis and inflammatory bowel disease, are another risk factor for eye disease as you age. The swelling caused by these conditions can destroy tissues in the middle of the eye. Uveitis, which causes severe vision loss, may be an eye concern in people with autoimmune diseases, and these people are more likely to get uveitis in both eyes. Symptoms include light sensitivity, impaired vision, eye floaters, blurred vision, redness and eye pain.

If you live with one of these medical conditions, you will need more frequent comprehensive eye exams to preserve your vision. Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to managing these eye diseases and maintaining good eyesight.

Schedule an eye exam at Wiles Eye Center today. Contact our Kansas City, Missouri, office at (816) 455-2020 and our St. Joseph, Missouri office at (816) 279-7015, or fill out our online contact form.

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