However, Dame Densch says the reports that have been published are overblown. “This condition is something that thousands and thousands of people all over the world are having to contend with. It’s something that I have learnt to cope with and adapt to – and it will not lead to blindness.”

If she is not going to go blind, even though she has macular degeneration, it’s possible she has dry macular degeneration. However, like the dry macular degeneration patients across the world, blurring or a blind spot occurs in the central vision, which will make it very difficult for the actress to see. For some patients, if dry macular degeneration is not caught in time, it can become wet macular degeneration and cause blindness.

Although it’s unfortunate Densch has the degenerative eye condition, making this disease stay in the media may be important to some who have not been treated or tested yet.

If you are 65 or older, or suspect there is something wrong with your vision, find an experienced ophthalmologist to be tested for macular degeneration today.

Prior to your LASIK procedure, your ophthalmologist will discuss the potential side-effects with you in detail. The most commonly reported complications of LASIK surgery include:

• Dry eyes
• Vision overcorrection or undercorrection
• Fluctuation in visual clarity
• Appearance of “halos” or “starbursts” around light sources
• Sensitivity to light
• Double vision or “ghosting”
• Corneal flap complications

Dry eyes are the most frequent aftereffect of LASIK surgery, and the condition is often temporary. Most cases of post-LASIK dry eyes dissipate within the healing period, which may be around six months.

If you suffer from dry eyes following LASIK, your ophthalmologist may recommend moisturizing eye drops to manage your discomfort.

Other complications, such as overcorrection or undercorrection, may require a revision procedure. Corneal flap problems, such as a displaced flap or folded flap, may also necessitate a follow-up procedure.

Visual side-effects, such as halos, starbursts and double vision, are rare and, like dry eyes, may be temporary. However, it is important to acknowledge that while LASIK has a high success rate and a patient satisfaction range that most research pegs between 94 and 98 percent, some complications may be permanent and irreversible.

Again, your ophthalmologist will help you determine if LASIK is the best treatment option for your specific visual condition, answer any questions about LASIK you may have and help you develop a thorough grasp of the possible complications.

To locate an experienced ophthalmologist in your area, please contact eyes.com.

Glaucoma risks increase in people 40-years-old or older, those who have a family history of glaucoma, or are of Hispanic or African-American decent. Testing through eye dilation every two years is recommended. However, every person should see an ophthalmologist yearly, especially those who may have significant risk factors for glaucoma.

Symptoms of glaucoma include:

• Red eyes
• Eye pain
• Halos
• Nausea
• Headaches
• Vomiting

Symptoms also include vision loss, but it can be so gradual that victims often do not realize the severity until most of their vision is gone. This loss is irreversible and the onset can be very fast.

If you have risk factors, such as age, family history, or genetics, you should see an ophthalmologist to be tested for glaucoma. If you have any of the symptoms of glaucoma, and have ruled out other health issues, contact an experienced ophthalmologist immediately. Once glaucoma steals your vision, you cannot get it back.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with an experienced ophthalmologist to be tested for glaucoma, please find one in your area today through eyes.com.

If over wear syndrome is left unaddressed, it can lead to:

• Eye infections
• Decreased vision
• Growth of vessels in the cornea
• Permanent loss of your best corrected vision

When you wear your contact lenses for too long, you essentially starve your corneas of oxygen. Your body’s reaction to this deprivation is to produce new blood vessels in your cornea that help provide the oxygen your eyes lack. Unfortunately, these new blood vessels often alter the shape of your cornea, and they can leak, leaving deposits.

If you are not cautious, wearing your contacts for too long can threaten your vision. LASIK eye surgery is a valuable solution for patients who want to be freed from their daily dependence on contacts. However, if you have OWS, you will need to stop wearing your contacts for a certain period of time and let your eyes heal before LASIK can be performed.

If you have further questions about contacts, OWS, or LASIK, please contact an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today.

Eating a diet rich in antioxidants will help rid your body of harmful free radicals which may contribute to the development of age-related eye disorders such as cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Including lots of raw fruits and vegetables in your diet will help provide your body with the antioxidants needed to reduce your risk of these conditions.

Vitamin A is crucial to maintaining the health of your eyes. It contributes to the proper functioning of your retina and reduces your risk of night blindness, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration. Liver, eggs, spinach, and carrots will provide you with an excellent source of vitamin A.

Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants and will help reduce your risk of cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Citrus fruits, orange juice, sweet potatoes, strawberries, broccoli, and green peppers are all great sources of vitamin C.

Vitamin E is helpful in preventing cataracts. You can find abundant sources of vitamin E in nuts, green leafy vegetables, and fortified products such as breakfast cereal.

By including these foods in your diet, you can help keep your eyes healthy for years to come.

Please contact eyes.com today to find an experienced eye doctor in your area.

Daily aspirin users may be more vulnerable to developing wet macular degeneration (also called “wet AMD”). Wet AMD is generally less common than the dry type. The wet form occurs when blood vessels grow behind the macula, the central region of the retina. These blood vessels can leak blood and other fluid, causing the macula to be raised out of its normal position. Wet AMD causes a rapid loss of central vision, whereas the dry type progresses in stages. Central vision is critical to your ability to drive and read, and to see objects clearly.

The European study looked at whether aspirin use causes the abnormal growth of blood vessels behind the macula. The study examined 4,700 seniors over the age of 65 for three years, between 2000 and 2003. Findings of the study included:

• Daily aspirin use was associated with late-stage wet AMD, and less so to early-stage dry AMD.
• For wet AMD, the association became stronger as the frequency of aspirin use increased.
• Early AMD was found in about one third of the participants, and advanced AMD was found in about 3 percent. Of those individuals who had advanced AMD, more than two-thirds had the wet form, while about one-third had the dry form.
• 17 percent of the individuals took aspirin daily, 7 percent took the drug once a week or more, and 41 percent took aspirin once a month.
• One-third of participants with wet AMD took aspirin daily.

The study suggests association, not a cause-and-effect relationship. If you are currently taking aspirin for heart disease risk, you should not discontinue use based on this study, especially without first discussing the issue with your doctor. The association between aspirin and AMD requires further research. Based on this study, doctors may consider advising against aspirin for painkiller use for people who already have AMD.

You should discuss all medication changes and medical choices with your doctor.

To learn more about macular degeneration, please find an eye doctor in your area.

Glaucoma diagnosis currently requires a trip to your ophthalmologist for a series of tests designed to measure your intraocular pressure, check for optic nerve damage and map your peripheral vision. But a hand-held device developed at the University of Arizona College of Engineering can be used comfortably at home to test for glaucoma symptoms over an extended period.

The device softly rubs your eyelid to detect intraocular pressure; elevated intraocular pressure is one of the primary causes of optic nerve damage in glaucoma patients. Because eye pressure varies over the course of a day, the device’s ability to take multiple tests may catch instances of glaucoma that would otherwise be missed.

The roughly electric toothbrush-size instrument was designed by Eniko Enikov, a professor of aerospace and mechanical engineering at the University of Arizona, in collaboration with Phoenix-based ophthalmologist Dr. Gholan Peyman. Their initial work was funded by the National Science Foundation, and they are presently seeking investors to assist with the product’s final development and eventual commercial availability.

“The innovation with our device is that it’s noninvasive, simpler to use and applies to a variety of situations that are either difficult to address or impossible to test using the current procedures,” Enikov said in a Jan. 3, 2011, article on the University of Arizona College of Engineering website.

If you have questions about glaucoma or glaucoma treatment options, please contact eyes.com to locate an ophthalmologist near you.

The study compared the pain scores of 51 patients. Each patient had one eye which received the supplementary lidocaine anesthetic, while the other eye received a placebo carbomer gel as a control. Pain scores were then measured during the procedure as well as 15 minutes, 30 minutes, and 45 minutes after LASIK was completed.

The pain scores recorded were substantially lower for the eye treated with the supplemental lidocaine gel during the corneal flap creation and laser ablation. Patients also experienced less pain in the lidocaine eye 30 and 45 minutes after the procedure.

If you are considering getting LASIK in the near future, you may want to ask your LASIK surgeon about receiving a supplemental anesthetic. It may make your procedure a much more pleasant experience.

Please contact eyes.com today to find an experienced LASIK surgeon near you.

Some of the most effective ways of protecting your eyesight are:

• Not smoking – Learn more about how smoking affects your eyes.
• Eat a balanced diet – Fruits and vegetables are healthy for your vision; avoid sugary, fatty foods.
• Eat leaner meat – Reduce your consumption of fatty red meats.
• Exercise – At least two hours of exercise on a weekly basis can help maintain your vision quality.
• Wear sunglasses – Whenever you are outside in the sunlight, wear polarized sunglasses to protect your eyes and the skin surrounding them.
• Visit your eye doctor – Regular yearly exams with your eye doctor will ensure that any abnormalities in your vision are quickly addressed.

If you would like more information about protecting your eyesight while you age, please contact an experienced ophthalmologist in your area today to schedule an initial consultation.

Presbyopia is part of aging, and unavoidable for nearly everyone after they’ve reached 40. It’s the reason your grandparents all wear reading glasses, and it’s the reason your parents hold their books and magazines as far away from them as they can.  Presbyopia is, for all intents and purposes, age-related farsightedness.

Why people develop presbyopia is not fully understood, and there are a couple theories. One is that the lens begins to become hard due to proteins. This makes the lens less flexible to focal changes. Another theory is that the ciliary muscle begins to weaken. This makes it harder for the lens curvature to steepen to see things near. A third, and newest, theory is that the lens continues to grow, and by age 40 it has grown so much that the ciliary muscle does not have enough space to contract and steepen the lens. However, this last theory is not held by many eye doctors right now.

Whatever causes presbyopia can only be fixed by the old standbys: corrective lenses, LASIK, and conductive keratoplasty (CK).

If you are 40 or older and have noticed your near vision beginning to blur, find an experienced eye doctor in your area to test you for presbyopia today.