When your Eyes are Exposed to Chemicals in the Home

As we go about our daily chores at home, we may experience irritation or burning in the eyes. This happens when eyes are exposed to household cleaning solutions, fumes or paint. Most household cleaning products and pesticides come with instructions for proper usage and if used as directed, they are safe to be used.

In instances like when your home is being painted with latex paint, the formaldehyde the paint emits when drying can give you a headache and irritate your eyes, nose and throat. Toilet bowl cleaners, metal cleaners, descalers, or battery fluid may contain acid and eye contact with acids or alkalis can cause severe damage to the eye.

One may also suffer from chemical eye burns when the eye comes into contact with a solid, liquid, or vaporous chemical.

If your eyes are exposed to such hazardous chemical substances, you may experience redness, irritation, pain, swelling of the eye; blurred vision and you might be unable to open your eyes.

The first thing to do is to wash the exposed eye thoroughly with water to make sure that the chemical is removed. The severity of the exposure depends on the chemical, as well as the amount that comes into contact with the eye.

The professional team of eye doctors at Vista Eye Specialists recommend that in such cases it is important to flush the eyes out with water for at least 15 minutes. As you rinse, use your fingers to hold your eye open as wide as possible and roll your eye. You can do so by slowly pouring lukewarm water into the eye from a pitcher or glass or by placing your head under a gently running faucet or shower. If the redness persists, using one or two drops of some long-acting vasoconstrictor eye drops (e.g. Visine) is recommended. In case you wear contact lenses, switch to glasses temporarily to prevent damage to the cornea. The pain and discomfort usually remains for an hour after irrigation with water.

Any discomfort to the eyes must be followed up by taking the patient to the nearest emergency room or eye clinic. Make Vista Eye Specialists your first choice if you are in the Culpeper or Fredericksburg, VA area.

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Save upto $200 on Lipiflow Treament to Treat Dry Eyes

Have you had enough of that scratchy and dry sensation in your eyes? Is it tiresome to keep coping with blurred vision or sensitivity to sunlight? Have you been diagnosed with Dry Eyes because the water in the tears evaporates faster than normal, due to an insufficient lipid or oil layer on the tear film?

You have the opportunity to solve these problems by opting for the revolutionary Lipiflow treatment to treat dry eyes. If you have been putting off treating your dry eyes then this is the right time to avail it at Vista Eye Specialists, VA by saving upto $200 at the experienced hands of Dr. Jani, a Board Certified ophthalmologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. 

LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation technology applies heat to the inner eyelids and gentle pressure, releasing lipids from the Meibomian glands without damaging the glands or the delicate structures of the eye. LipiFlow treats the upper and lower eyelids simultaneously. The procedure is fast, virtually painless, and takes place right in a Vista Eye Specialists clinic in Culpeper and Fredericksburg.

The team of ophthalmologists at Vista Eye will first determine the cause of your dry eye, evaluate your symptoms, tear film and gland function to determine the underlying cause of your Dry Eye symptoms. Treating this condition with Lipiflow early on is highly recommended to avoid permanent loss of gland function, additional cell damage, or visual deterioration.

According to a clinical study, 79% of patients reported improved overall dry eye symptoms between 10% to 100% improvement within four weeks of a single LipiFlow treatment. Avail this life-altering dry eyes treatment at a staggering $200 discount by taking an appointment with Vista Eye Specialists, Culpeper and Fredericksburg, now.

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Do you Suspect your Child is Color Blind?

What is Color Blindness?:

Color blindness or Color Vision Deficiency is the inability of fully ‘seeing’ red, green or blue light. This condition affects approximately 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women in the world.

People usually have three types of cone cells in the macula of the eye. Each type senses either red, green, or blue light. You see color when your cone cells sense different amounts of these three basic colors.

The most common color blindness is  red/green color blindness where the patient mixes up colors which have some red or green as part of the whole color like confusing a blue and a purple object.

Causes of Color Blindness:

Color blindness is often inherited and occurs when you lack these types of cone cells or they don't work properly. You might not see one of these three basic colors, or you may see a different shade of that color or a different color. The gene which is responsible for the condition is carried on the X chromosome and this is the reason why many more men are affected than women.

However, Color Blindness may also be a result of aging, eye problems, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, or diabetic retinopathy, injury to the eye and side effects of certain medicines.

Symptoms of Color Blindness:

If you suspect that your child is able to see some colors but not others or has the inability of telling the difference between red and green but can see blue and yellow; if he/she sees shades of a particular color or in rare instances sees only black, white, and gray, come visit the ophthalmologist at Vista Eye Specialists, VA.

Tests for determining Color Blindness:

Simple tests eye doctors follow is letting your young one look at 38 plates of circles created by irregular colored dots in two or more colors. The patterns the child sees help the eye doctor at Vista Eye Specialists know which colors he/she has trouble with.

Another test requires the child to arrange colored chips in order according to how similar the colors are.

Living with Color Blindness:

It may seem like a small deficiency but color blindness makes it difficult to learn and read, and when your child is older he/she may not be able to have certain careers. Simple activities like choosing and preparing food, gardening, sport, driving a car and selecting clothing can be a task.

Early Detection:

Detecting this problem early on can help your young one learn to cope but with your patient compassion. Vista Eye Specialists recommend eye exams for children between ages 3 and 5. Vision screening is recommended for all children at least once before entering school, preferably between the ages of 3 and 4.

Even though there might be no treatment as such for color blindness, but our ophthalmologists at Vista Eye Specialists may prescribe color filters or contact lenses can be used in some situations to enhance the brightness between some colors.

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Affordable Eye Care at Vista Eye Specialists

The world, despite its advancement in medical science, has seen an increasing trend in blindness. It has been seen that an eye disease, if not treated properly and professionally by qualified ophthalmologists, can transform quickly into failing vision, making the patient unable to perform daily functions and makes him completely dependent on other family members.

Vista Eye Specialists believes in playing its role is reversing this trend by making eye careservices affordable and available easily. This is the vision of Binoy R. Jani, the founder of Vista Eye Specialists, VA, a Board Certified ophthalmologist, a fellow of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Ophthalmology at the Medical College of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, VA.

One of the efforts Vista Eye Specialists continues to make is reducing the cost of its range of eye care services. This spring of 2014, to make quality eye care truly an accessible right for all, Vista Eye Specialists offers $200 off for Lipiflow dry eyetreatment and  $500 off on LASIK (laser vision correction).

Contact Vista Eye Specialists, Culpeper and Fredericksburg, to make an appointment now to avail these astounding vision-improving discounts.

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Eye Drops: Your Partner in Eye Care

Eye drops are a solution containing saline and several eye problems are treated using them. Eye drops might not  contain medication and may just serve to lubricate or may have steroids, antihistamines, sympathomimetics, beta receptor blockers, prostaglandins, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or topical anesthetics.

When are eye drops used?:

At Vista Eye Specialists, VA eye drops are prescribed by our team of ophthalmologists to administer medicine directly to your eyes and keep your eyes moist to ease redness, itching, and watering. Ailments like dry eyes, pinkeye, allergies, infections, and after surgery care is eased by eye drops.

Before and after cataract surgery, eye drops help prevent infection. Conjunctivitis-an infection of the conjunctiva is treated with antibiotic or anti-inflammatory eye drops.

Eye drops are useful to lubricate the eyes when contact lenses cause dryness.  If corneal infection develops due to poor lens hygiene fortified antibiotic eye drops are used as treatment.

The burning, pain, redness, eye discharge and excessive tearing resulting in dry eyes is also eased with eye drops.

Using eye drops properly:

It is important to wash your hands properly before using eye drops. Stand in front of a mirror, take off the top of the bottle. Lean back and gently pull your lower eyelid down. Holding the dropper above one eye, squeeze one drop at a time. Make sure you administer the number of drops as prescribed by the eye doctors at Vista Eye Specialists. Ensure that dropper tip does not come in contact with a foreign substance or your eye.

Close your eyes for a few minutes after applying eye drops with your head tilted down towards the floor. Gently wipe away any liquid that falls out of the eye. Repeat the procedure with the other eye if prescribed.

Vista Eyes Specialists, VA advises not to use anyone else's drops yourself and dispose the bottle after the recommended time which is usually four weeks after first opening the bottle. Experiencing a taste of eye drops in your mouth or throat is normal but press on the tear duct for a minute or so after applying the drop.

If you feel any discomfort in your eyes don’t hesitate to take an appointment from our eye doctors at Vista Eye Specialists, Culpeper and Fredericksburg, who will prescribe the eye drops best suited to cure your eye conditions.

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Visual field Test at Vista Eye

To find out if there is a sign of glaucoma damage to the optic nerve; for detection of central or peripheral retinal disease, macular degeneration, eyelid conditions such as ptosis or drooping, optic nerve disease, and diseases affecting the visual pathways within the brain, a special kind of testing is required called the Visual Field Test.

Not only does the Visual Field Test require state-of-the-art technology but the veteran experience of a professional team of ophthalmologists like the ones at Vista Eye Specialists, VA. Our friendly and qualified team is equipped to conduct this subjective eye sight examination, clearly instruct the patient so that he/she may cooperate completely and complete the procedure satisfactorily.  

Visual Acuity Testing is conducted before Visual Field Testing. At Vista Eye Specialists, Culpeper and Fredericksburg, Visual Field Testing measures an individual's entire scope of vision--their central and peripheral (side) vision—mapping each eye individually.

The advanced and computerized visual field testing devices at Vista Eye Specialists constantly monitors fixation which is the ability of the patient to maintain a consistent straight ahead gaze. Vista Eye Specialists conduct all categories of Visual Field Testing including Confrontational, Amsler grid, Static Perimetry, Kinetic Perimetry and Frequency Doubling Analysis.

The eye doctors at Vista Eye Specialists advise Visual Field Testing at least once a year for patients who are vulnerable to developing glaucoma. Those who have been diagnosed with glaucoma are subjected to two visual field tests annually.

The computer generated results of the Visual Field Test at Vista Eye Specialists serve to be a vital document to help diagnose and treat eye conditions in future. This compassionate and thorough eye care at Vista Eye Specialists is the reason why it is the choice of thousands of satisfied patients.

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Preventing Asthenopia-Eye Strain

Eye strain is a common complaint because of the kind of lifestyle we have in this day and age. Spending uninterrupted hours in front of the computer screen at work is what most jobs require today. Many people commute for hours regularly, their eyes, alert on the road before them. Children gaze at TV screens or computer games for hours at end. Reading into the wee hours of the night is a habit which puts many to sleep. But this routine of concentrated and extended use of the eyes day in and day out leads to symptoms of eye strain or asthenopia.

Even though asthenopia does not result in damage to the eyes, yet it is uncomfortable. It can lead to headaches, blurring of the vision, feelings of dryness, irritability, lack of motivation, burning sensation, watery eyes, photophobia and pain which can make going about your life and getting work done very difficult.

When strain is put on the eyes it incorporates tensing of the muscles of their eyelids, face, temples, and jaws.  Getting out of this strenuous routine may be impossible but the expert ophthalmologists at Vista Eye Specialists suggest ways to lessen your eye strain.

If your nature of work incorporates extended hours concentrating before the computer screen, the eye doctors at Vista Eye, VA suggest taking fleeting breaks for 5 minutes every hour and walking around or shutting your eyes which can really serve to lessen the strain on your eyes at work. Consulting the experts at Vista Eye Specialists may even lead to prescription glasses for your workplace.

Another simple exercise is blinking which naturally refreshes and replenishes your eyes. Decreased blinking causes dryness of the ocular surface and symptoms of dry eyes need to be treated with the use of artificial tears without preservatives. If a dry environ is causing strain, try using a humidifier.

Make an appointment with the eye doctors at Vista Eye Specialists, Culpeper and Fredericksburg, for an eye exam, at least annually, to make sure your eye strain it is not a precursor to any underlying vision problems like refractive error.

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