Eye disease for kids if mom smokes

Mothers smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of eye problems in their children, according to a recent study called the Baltimore Pediatric Eye Disease Study. 10,000 children from 6 months to 6years of age were examined, and a consistently higher risk for crossed eyes or 'wall-eyes' was found. Many eye diseases, including cataracts, and macular degeneration are made worse in adults who smoke, but this is the first study to associate eye disease in children with maternal smoking.

Bladeless LASIK surgery in Michigan

Bladeless LASIK surgery in Michigan is the newest improvement in LASIK surgery. The technique before this used an instrument that is called a keratome to create the flap. There IS a difference, and there are definite benefits to the most modern techniques that Dr. William Goldstein uses. The keratome is a very good instrument, but is uses a metal blade to cut the flap. During that incision, there is distortion of the cornea, and the depth of the incision can be as much as 25% different than the intended depth. With bladeless lasik surgery, a femtosecond laser is used to make the incision. This increases the accuracy of the cut, with only about a 5% variation from the depth that the surgeon selects. And since there is no movement of a blade or other parts across the cornea, there is less chance of damage to the flap as it is created. There is some added cost to the patient for all-laser lasik in Detroit, but the increased security in the accuracy of the incision is worth it!

My eyelid is twitching...what's wrong with me???

Eyelid twitching can cause a lot of stress for people, and they often come to the office worried that they have a bizarre neurological disease. Even though they have great 20/20 vision, they are concerned that something major is going on, possibly a brain tumor! Luckily, I can reassure them that this is almost never the underlying problem. An eyelid twitch can last for days or weeks before it resolves, and can be a very annoying problem. Eyelid twitch is caused by 3 things: Stress, caffeine, and lack of sleep. There is a bit of a circle that is created that perpetuates the twitch. Stress leads to lack of sleep, which leads to increased use of caffeine, which makes sleep more difficult. Breaking the circle of stress and caffeine can be difficult, but is the key to making this symptom go away. Rarely, the twitch becomes permanent, in which case, Botox can be used to fix the problem.

Crystalens Cataract Surgery in Oakland County

Crystalens cataract surgery in Oakland County has made it so that less and less patients need glasses after cataract surgery. The use of modern technology enables a careful surgeon to reduce or even completely eliminate glasses after surgery. When a patient undergoes an exam for cataract surgery, measurements are performed to calculate the lens implant power on each patient. Then a power of implant is chosen for each eye with a goal of getting rid of glasses. There are 2 types of implants, standard lens implants and advanced technology implants. Only the advanced technology implants, such as the Crystalens, can completely eliminate glasses. The standard implants can only help with the distance portion of vision. If astigmatism is involved, the toric IOL's or additional surgery may be needed.

Video games improve vision in cataract patients

Cataract surgery patients may experience better vision with daily use of video games, a recent Canadian study shows. This finding was in patients 19-31 years of age, who had cataract surgery done when they were children. The researchers had already established that adults who played video games had improvement in their vision, and in their ability to recognize faces and read small print. The study spanned 1 month, and had 6 patients play 40 hours of video games during that month. All patients had improved function, and 5 of 6 had improvement towards 20/20 vision.

Why LASIK in Detroit is so effective

With state of the art technology lasik in Detroit offers unprecedented visual correction and safety. This new technology covers many exciting innovations that have been developed over the past decade. When put together these innovations are known as bladeless LASIK or All Laser LASIK. The first of these innovations is the femto laser than is able to create a thin flap on the surface of the cornea, whichs is the 'front window' of the eye. This is the area that is also reshaped when performing Lasik , in just seconds. When the flap is replaced, the eye is almost back to its preoperative state, and is very comfortable. Another important innovation is the use of new technology that measures the correction your eye needs to see 20/20. Wavefront analysis allows the surgeon to evaluate all aspects of focus in the eye, instead of just relying on the prescription. More than 25 times the information that goes into a simple glass prescription is then fed to the laser that then imparts your own unique correction. This often enables you to see better than you were able to see before with your own glasses or contact lenses. The surgeon at the Laser Eye Care Center is uniquely qualified to perform your laser. Dr. William Goldstein is a Board Certified Ophthalmologists and was one of the first in Michigan to perform this procedure.

Glaucoma in Detroit

Glaucoma in Detroit is a common, and potentially blinding problem. Sometimes called the 'silent killer' of vision, it can only be detected with careful examination by an eye doctor. The pressure check that is performed in all eye doctor's offices is the first step, but since it changes hour to hour and day to day, it is not the most accurate means for detecting glaucoma. Examination of the optic nerve shape, and visual field testing are very important in discovering glaucoma. Early discovery and treatment will almost always prevent blindness.

Crystalens center for excellence, Cataract surgery Detroit

For cataract surgery in Detroit, Dr. Goldstein can be depended on for the most advanced techniques. His office was awarded the Crystalens Center for Excellence award, given to surgeons who use the most advanced intraocular lens implants and the safest cataract surgery technique for their patients. Small incision surgery under topical anesthetic is used for every one of Dr. Goldstein's cataract surgery patients. He is the cataract surgeon in Detroit who will always care for each patient individually.

Diabetic eye disease, sudden vision loss

Sudden vision loss in a diabetic patient is an alarming event, both for the patient, and the eye doctor taking care of them! The causes of this loss vary, and the treatment and outcomes differ too. Sometimes, bleeding inside the eye causes the vision loss. This is like shaking up a snow globe, where the 'snow' is flying around inside, blocking the view. Similar to the snow globe, when the blood settles, the view clears and the patient is able to see again. Then the cause of the bleed can be found and treated. Sometimes, the blood does not clear and surgery is needed. If the diabetes has advanced and caused a retinal detachment, surgery is always needed, but is not always successful. Reattachment of the retina is only part of the problem, since the detachment was usually caused by severe diabetic retinopathy. Once it has gotten to this point, it is difficult to reverse and vision damage or loss is common. Yearly eye examinations are the best means of prevention of damage and vision loss from diabetic eye disease. More info is available at the diabetes eye care page of 2020vision.com.

Dry eye season is coming fast!

Dry eye season is coming fast! Anyone who has dry eye syndrome, or even mild dry eyes, is beginning to notice that irritation is getting worse. Why are things getting worse now? First, let's talk about symptoms of dry eye syndrome. Most patients simply experience dry or gritty sensations in their eyes. These tend to be worse later in the day, as we use our eyes. They are made worse by use of computers, reading, and driving, since we tend to blink less when we are doing these activities. Other symptoms may include tiredness, intermittent blurred vision, and even tearing. So why do these symptoms get worse this time of year? As the air gets colder, the humidity in the air drops, increasing dryness. On top of that, forced air heat, which is in use in most buildings, is very dry. Most office buildings, stores etc do not have humidifiers on their heat, which only makes matters worse. Increase your artificial tear use this Holiday season...and if that does not work, consider going to your eye doctor for tear-drain plugs or Restasis! More info is available at www.2020vision.com or its dry eye page.

Crystalens cataract surgery in Detroit, patient from Kuwait

Our office received this note via email, from a patient who came from Kuwait to see Dr. Goldstein for crystalens cataract surgery in Detroit: "The crystalens lenses that were implanted are working great and my night vision is excellent. In fact, I drove here in Kuwait last night and was completely comfortable with the vision. I really didn't realize how colorful Kuwait was at night. Apparently my cataracts have dimmed the color vision for so long, that I didn't reaize how colorul the lights and other sights are." Thanks Dr. G! I am so glad that I found you to take care of my eyes and implant the crystalens implants in Detroit. It was worth the travel from Kuwait! For more info, visit http://www.2020vision.com

Red eyes, dry eyes and thyroid disease

A patient asked me today if his chronic red eyes really "mean anything". When I asked him what he meant, he said that his eyes feel better due to the dry eye treatment with Restasis, but that the redness had not completely resolved. This lead us to a pretty interesting discussion about red eyes, local diseases of the eye, and what systemic (whole body) problems can lead to red eyes. To put it in simplest form, redness is a sign of irritation. This can be due to dry eyes, allergies, infection, or inflammation, and can range from mild to severe. Many patients do not even feel that there is a problem, but notice redness when they look in the mirror. The first line of treatment is to use soothing lubricant drops, or artificial tears. Visine and other 'get the red out' drops are only to be used occasionally, not long-term, but tears can be used forever if they are working. If tears and other local treatments are not working, then other causes should be considered. Thyroid disease can be linked to dryness, and chronic red eyes. Other more rare causes would include some of the autoimmune diseases such as Lupus or Rheumatoid Disease. Blood tests can help confirm these problems, and sometimes treatment of the entire body is needed, with the red eyes resolving at the same time. It is most likely that if you have red eyes, it is from dry eye, blepharitis or allergies, but if you have concerns, or if eyedrops are failing to help, come see Dr. Goldstein. Call 586-323-2020, or request an appointment online at his website, 2020vision.com