Archive for the ‘Beautiful Eyes’ Category

Dry Eye After LASIK Study

Monday, June 25th, 2012

Dr. Elise Brisco, O.D., and Dr. Paul Dougherty, M.D. are conducting a medical research study to compare the effectiveness of a new homeopathic dry eye drop to traditional artificial tear drops in controlling symptoms of dry eye in the first week after LASIK.

It is relatively common for LASIK patients to experience burning and stinging from dry eyes, especially during the first week after LASIK. It is traditionally treated with artificial tear drops, but in this study patients undergoing all-laser LASIK in both eyes will be randomly assigned to use either artificial tears or the new homeopathic dry eye drops. Both eye drops replace tears temporarily, but homeopathic dry eye drops also stimulate tear production. At the 1-week post-operative visit, each patient will be asked to fill out a questionnaire about dry eye symptoms and will undergo a few routine, non-invasive tests to evaluate signs of dry eye.

Patients participating in the study will be offered a discount of $1700 off of the usual charge of all-laser LASIK of $5900 (for a net cost of $4200) for participating in the study.  In addition, all study eye drops (i.e. artificial tears or homeopathic dry eye drops) will be provided at no cost.

Dr. Dougherty and Dr. Brisco are excited to be collaborating on this research study, and invite patients to participate in this monumental study.

Paul Dougherty, M.D.

Dr. Dougherty has personally performed more than 17,000 LASIK eye surgeries, which puts him in the top 1% of the LASIK Surgery specialists in the world.
He served as a principal investigator on FDA clinical trials to evaluate the latest approved technologies including the Staar Visian ICL (Implantable Contact Lens). Dr. Dougherty is one of just 39 eye surgeons in the world to serve on the editorial board of the Journal of Refractive Surgery -- the American Academy of Ophthalmology's peer-reviewed scientific journal about new developments in refractive surgery.

Elise Brisco, O.D., F.A.A.O. , F.C.O.V.D.

Dr. Brisco co-founded the Rehabilitative Vision Clinic at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in the department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. She is the Director for an Integrated Wellness Clinic whose practitioners include: Functional Medicine, Acupuncture, Chinese Medicine, Ophthalmology, Osteopath, and Plastic Surgery.

Dr. Brisco Served as the Team Optometrist for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the Los Angeles Galaxy. She is on the Medical Advisory Board: Los Angeles Zoo and Women in Optometry journal.

Dr. Brisco has been interviewed frequently in the media including appearances on: The Doctors, Disney Channel, KTLA, ABC, NBC, Wall Street Journal, FOX, CBS. She has been the media spokesperson for Acuvue (Johnson & Johnson), Visine (McNeil-PPC), Ciba Vision (Novartis), American Optometric  Association, and the California Optometric Association.

Please contact our office if you are interested in participating in this research study (323)954-5800

 

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Posted in 90048 Optometrist, Beautiful Eyes, Contact Lenses, Dry Eyes, Hollywood Vision Center, Homeopathy, LASIK, Los Angeles Eye Doctor, Los Angeles Optometrist, Los Angeles Vision, Research Study, Wellness Care | Comments Off

Your Eyes Age as You Grow Older so Don’t Take Yours For Granted!

Wednesday, March 9th, 2011


Your eyes change as you age, and there are things that you can do at every age to help your eyes gracefully, and see your best. Don’t wait until you can’t see before you visit your optometrist. By then, the problem is probably advanced, and may be irreversible. Most eye diseases have no warning signs because you don’t have pain receptors in the retina in the back of your eyes.

First of all, mommies & daddies: start checking your baby’s vision at 6 months old, since vision guides development, and prevents vision loss from a lazy eye. Have your children’s eyes checked every year since there is a strong relationship between learning and vision. If your child isn’t seeing correctly, or they have a tracking or eye teaming problem, this will interfere with their academic and athletic performance. Please do not avoid bringing your children in for an exam at an early age because you are worried about them wearing glasses. You can do a lot more harm by allowing a vision problem to go uncorrected, and we can fit children as young as 8 years old with contact lenses. Check out the CLIP and ACHIEVE studies which show how contact lenses in young children can improve their quality of life. Regarding infants, we can fit them with special contact lenses and teach you how to care for your child’s eyes.

In your 20’s and 30’s many of us feel like we are invincible, but we aren’t. Now is a good time to make sure you are doing the right things for your eyes and your overall health. Be sure to eat healthy foods, stop smoking, wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from sun damage, and find out if a prescription can help you see better at the computer, driving, or playing ball. I know this for a fact since I was the Team OD for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. The better you see, the better you’ll be!

In your 40’s you start losing the ability to see close up: this is called presbyopia. See your Optometrist about doing eye exercises to keep your eyes flexible so they can zoom in and out between close and near objects. There are even homeopathic remedies you can use to slow down aging in your eyes. And then of course, keep getting your eyes checked EVERY YEAR! 1 of 4 over 40 have some level of vision loss so don’t just sit there – do something about it.

60+ years old: Your eyeballs have been around for a long time, and they start degenerating, just like the skin on your face is aging. Health problems like hypertension and diabetes affects your eyes. Half of us will develop cataracts, and the risk for glaucoma and macular degeneration increases significantly. But you don’t have to take it lying down: eat healthy, have your eyes checked yearly, BEFORE you start to lose vision. There are so many ways your OD can help you keep your eyes healthy, so you can keep enjoying life, and watch your grandchildren, and grandpets (!) grow up.

Let me tell you what to look for:
• Gradual loss of central or peripheral vision
• Distorted vision or loss of color vision
• Dim, blurry, cloudy or foggy vision

Most people spend more time buying shoes or watches than they do caring for their eyes. People look at your EYES when they talk to you, and your shoes don’t help you see how beautiful life is! Your eyes are your most important sense: RESPECT your eyes, and have your eyes checked every year!

I’m a firm believer in wellness and preventive care. Like going to the dentist: don’t wait until a tooth falls out, or like eating right, and exercising keeps your body healthy. It keeps your eyes healthy also, as well as annual eye exams to catch and treat problems before they harm your vision. Your eyes are one part of your body where it’s important to have them checked before you notice vision changes because by then, it may be impossible to reverse any loss.

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Posted in 90048 Optometrist, Aging Eyes, Beautiful Eyes, Children's Vision, Contact Lenses, Holistic Vision Care, Hollywood Vision Center, Los Angeles Eye Doctor, Los Angeles Optometrist, Los Angeles Vision, Presbyopia, UV400 and sun protection for eyes, Wellness Care | No Comments »

Why is it harder to read after 40? Presbyopia

Friday, January 7th, 2011

Just when your career and life are really starting to take off, your eyes seem to be slowing down. Reading and viewing close objects becomes progressively more difficult in your 40’s because of a natural aging process called presbyopia.

Presbyopia makes reading more difficult because of a decreased ability to change focus, especially from far to near. As you age, the lens in your eyes becomes more rigid, and the muscles gradually lose their ability to focus at near.

The signs of presbyopia are:
• Small print is difficult to read
• You need to hold things further away to read
• You need more light to read
• Reading is easier without glasses or contact lenses if you are nearsighted

You can slow down the progression of presbyopia by doing several things:
1. Accommodative exercises: focus between a distant and very close target as fast as you can for 5-10 minutes every day. This increases your eye’s focus flexibility, strength and stamina.
2. Homeopathic remedies: This can slow down, and even reverse the aging process of presbyopia and cataracts. We can prescribe these for you after examining your eyes.
3. Wear sunglasses or glasses with an ultraviolet filter to slow down the aging effects of the sun on your eyes, and to minimize wrinkles around your eyes.
4. Taking anti-oxidant supplements to minimize lens oxidation, which can increase the rigidity of your eyes’ focusing lens. Green leafy vegetables, and orange-colored fruits and vegetables are also good sources of anti-oxidants.

Inevitably, you will need a special prescription, or bifocal lens for reading, even if you had refractive surgery. Options to help you read include:
• Progressive lenses (no-line bifocals)
• Reading glasses
• Adjustable computer glasses
• Bifocal contact lenses
• Mono-vision contact lenses or refractive surgery

We practice in a holistic manner, and are always looking for ways to help our patients age gracefully through diet and exercise, not only for your body, but also for your eyes.

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Posted in 90048 Optometrist, Aging Eyes, Beautiful Eyes, Eye Exercises, Holistic Vision Care, Hollywood Vision Center, Los Angeles Eye Doctor, Los Angeles Optometrist, Los Angeles Vision, Nutrition for Eyes and vision, Presbyopia, UV400 and sun protection for eyes, Vision Therapy, Wellness Care | No Comments »

Lady Gaga Eyes: Circle Contact Lenses

Friday, September 10th, 2010

Pop culture trends are creating some dangerous vision problems.

Lady Gaga’s fans are putting their vision at risk by attempting to copy her huge, anime-style eyes as seen in the Bad Romance video. Although Gaga’s gigantic peepers were computer generated, fans are copying the look with illegal Circle contact lenses obtained without a prescription on foreign websites.

These contacts are larger than normal lenses and cover more of the sclera or white part of the eye to create an exaggerated appearance of the eyes. They can cause significant, permanent damage to the eye if they do not fit your eyes properly. This requires a contact lens evaluation by an Optometrist. Potential problems include impaired vision, conjunctivitis (pink eye), swelling, redness, corneal abrasion, scarring, and insufficient oxygen due to the larger, tighter contact lenses that allow less tear exchange and oxygen to the eye. No beauty fad is worth damaging your eyes or causing an infection.

There are safe and legal soft contact lenses with the dark limbal ring, but these lenses are going to be discontinued by the manufacturer as of 10/31/10. You do need a prescription for these lenses, and yes, they look fabulous on your eyes!

This You Tube video describing how to create the “big eyes” from Lady Gaga’s video has received more than 9 million views. Many girls who obtain these Illegal Contact lenses do not care for them properly, and use them for longer than they should be worn for which can also hurt your eyes. Remember, contact lenses are medical devices, not make up.

Here’s a recent interview on the KTLA Morning News about this and other related topics.

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Posted in Beautiful Eyes, Children's Vision, Contact Lenses, Hollywood Vision Center, Los Angeles Optometrist, Los Angeles Vision, Pink Eyes, Wellness Care | No Comments »

Eye Tips for Travelers

Thursday, August 5th, 2010

To minimize vision-related mishaps wile traveling, Dr. Brisco recommends the following:

  1. Bring an extra pair of contact lenses or glasses in case you lose, tear or break yours. It is often difficult to find an eye doctor quickly while away from home.
  2. Wear glasses, instead of contact lenses, while flying. The dry air in the plane’s cabin air can make your eyes feel dry and scratchy.
  3. Put your name and address on your eyeglass case so it can be returned to you if you misplace your glasses.
  4. Bring ophthalmic antibiotic drops if you are traveling to a remote area in case your eyes become infected while camping, hiking, swimming in the ocean, etc. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Brisco before your trip for a pre-trip eye health evaluation, to prescribe antibiotics for your medical emergency kit.
  5. Bring wetting drops for moisturizing your eyes while on the plane (especially on long flights). The drops will also be useful if you are in a dusty environment, such as while on safari or on dirt roads.

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Posted in Beautiful Eyes, Contact Lenses, Dry Eyes, Hollywood Vision Center, Los Angeles Optometrist, Los Angeles Vision, Wellness Care | No Comments »

The Many Causes of Red or Pink Eye

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Conjunctivitis

Pink Eye

A red or pink eye — although usually painless — is visually disturbing. When people look at you, they look mainly at your eyes. People judge your health and well being by how your eyes look.
Eyes look red when blood vessels near the surface of the eye become enlarged and dilated. If you have red eyes, it is important to find out why. Red eyes have several primary causes including: irritation, infection, allergies, or underlying health problems.

There are many possible causes of red eyes; therefore, it is important to have an Optometrist examine your eyes to determine the cause and best treatment. Here are some of the most common causes:

• Allergies: Dust, pollen, mold, environmental (smog, pollution, etc.)
• Infections: bacterial (may have mucopurulent discharge and crusting), viral (may have runny nose, sinus congestion, swollen eyelids). Both are very contagious.
• Sexually transmitted: Herpes Simplex, Chlamydia
• Dry Eye: insufficient tear production, hormonal, age, systemic health problems
• Excessive UV/sun exposure: tanning beds, sports: skiing, surfing, etc.
• Environmental: smog, chemicals, wind, blowing dust
• Eye strain: prolonged computer work or visual tasks decreases blink rate
• Lack of sleep
• Contact Lens wear: wearing contact lenses too long, or not replacing lenses as prescribed
• Uveitis: is an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye where most of the blood vessels are. Symptoms include redness, pain, blurry vision, floaters and light sensitivity. Uveitis can be caused by health problems such as autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis. Uveitis can also be associated with AIDS, psoriasis, ulcerative colitis, herpes zoster, and syphilis. Uveitis should be treated quickly because other complications, such as glaucoma, cataracts, or retinal and choroidal scarring, may occur if it left untreated.
• Blepharitis: a chronic infection and inflammation of the eyelids
• Lid Lice (Pthiriasis Palpebrarum)
• Smoking marijuana, drinking alcohol
• Acute Angle-Closure Glaucoma: Acute angle-closure glaucoma is a serious medical emergency and must be treated immediately.
• Subconjunctival Hemmorage: It can be caused by a Valsalva maneuver such as hard sneezing, coughing, intense straining, vomiting, trauma, high blood pressure, diabetes and sometimes from certain blood disorder problems
• Injury:Corneal abrasion, ocular trauma, sports injury
• Corneal Ulcer or Infection: The cornea has no blood vessels of its own. When the cornea becomes infected, surrounding blood vessels enlarge to bring immune system-related cells to help fight the infection.
• Frequent Use of Eye Drops: Constant use of one of the “get the red out” eye drops can cause over dilation of the eyes’ blood vessels. A rebound hyperemia effect can occur when you stop using the drops because the body becomes accustomed to being chemical constricted by the eye drops. After the effect of the eye drop wears off, the blood vessels sometimes dilate larger, causing the eyes to appear even more bloodshot

If you have a red or pink eye, see your Optometrist immediately. In case your red eye is contagious, be careful not to spread the infection. Wash your hands often, do not share linens, do not share make up, and do not go swimming. Discard any liquid make up that you are using, and soft contact lenses.

Do not use medications prescribed for someone else, or leftover from an old infection. The medication may not be appropriate for your current condition, and the bottle may be infected from touching the eye during previous use.

If you, or your child, are experiencing other symptoms such as coughing, runny nose, earache, the symptoms may be caused by the same bacteria, and you may need an oral antibiotic in addition to the treatment for your eyes.

The bottom line is that pink or red eyes can be caused by many reasons. Make an appointment immediately with your Optometrist to determine the cause and best treatment for you or your child.

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Posted in Beautiful Eyes, Children's Vision, Computer Vision, Dry Eyes, Glaucoma, Hollywood Vision Center, Los Angeles Optometrist, Los Angeles Vision, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Can I Make My Eyes Whiter?

Wednesday, April 21st, 2010

A new process called I-Brite Eye Whitening can make your eyes whiter and brighter by removing the conjunctiva, the thin membrane covering the white portion of the eye. This contains most of the visible red blood vessels, growths of tissue (pinguecula or pterygium), or yellow/brown spots (hyper-pigmentation/ freckles). A clear membrane will grow back in its place.

Patient Before & After I-Brite

The procedure is relatively painless and takes approximately 20-45 minutes per eye to perform. There is little downtime, so you may return to work the next day. You will need to avoid swimming for 2 weeks and refrain from strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for 3-4 days. Your eyes will have increased redness for the first few weeks, but once the new tissue regenerates, your eyes will become whiter and brighter! You will use eye drops for several weeks during the recovery period to aid the healing process, as well as artificial tears to help with temporary dryness. It is recommended to use artificial tears at least 4 times daily for 2 months after your procedure. You may also have temporary light sensitivity while healing, so it is recommended to wear sunglasses with a UV400 filter to protect your eyes from sun damage and aging.

The procedure is has a high success rate, so it is unlikely that you would need a second treatment except for the following cases:

• Pterygium: 7% may need a second treatment

  • Excessive brown pigments/freckles: 3% may need a second treatment

To make sure that you are a good candidate for I –Brite, we will examine the health of your eyes before surgery. You must be at least 16 years old, and neither pregnant nor breastfeeding to have the procedure performed. The procedure may not be recommended if you have certain auto-immune diseases, so you would need to speak with your surgeon regarding this.

Before & After Pterygium

After the procedure, we will see you at 1 month, 3 months, and 1 year after your procedure to monitor your healing.

The proof is in the before and after pictures. Please call our office if you are interested in determining if you are a good candidate for the I-Brite Eye Whitening procedure.

Before & After I-Brite Photo 2

 

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