Blog

—Optometrist Los Angeles Blog—

Eye Logo
Jul 13
0
Eye Attraction

Eye Attraction

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

One of the first things we notice about a person is their eyes. Think about the last time you met someone attractive. It’s likely that you remember their beautiful eyes, the way you felt when they looked at you. Even in everyday interactions, our perception of a person is strongly influenced by the appearance of their eyes and how much eye contact they make. Eyes can influence how much we like someone, trust them, even whether we fall in love with them.

The Importance of Eye Contact

Eyes are important to us from birth. According to Psychology Today, even newborns respond to eye contact, paying more attention to faces that look at them, and following the direction of their parents’ eyes as they look around the room. This is no accident. Eye contact helps bind us to other people, giving us a window into their interests, thoughts, and feelings.

Self-help website The Art of Charm even recommends eye contact as a way to generate attraction. When used judiciously, eye contact can make your conversation partner or romantic interest feel attractive, recognized, and validated.

Take Care of Your Eyes

When trying to make ourselves appear attractive and confident, we spend a huge amount of time and money on our clothes, hair, and makeup. So why do we pay so little attention to our eyes? These are potentially our most attractive feature, and yet so many of us neglect them. Many of us have eyes that look and feel tired, red, dry, crusty and irritated because we spend much of our time staring at computer, phone, or tablet screens, which decreases our frequency of blinking, making our eyes look red and tired. Stress, lack of sleep, allergies, sun damage, and poor health also affect our eyes.

Beautiful eyes are healthy eyes and vice versa. By making your eye health a priority, you’ll not only see better and feel more comfortable, but also increase your self-confidence.

What Hollywood Vision Center Offers

There are many ways that Hollywood Vision Center works to improve your eye health. One of our treatments, the MoisturEyes Dry Eye Spa, is meant specifically for those who look at screens all day. Often, this leads to a clogging of the tear glands, resulting in chronically dry, itchy eyes. This treatment, which feels like a warm bath for your eyes, unclogs your tear glands, allowing them to produce the moisture that your eyes need. Our oily tear glands also get clogged as we get older, the same way that the plumbing in your kitchen or bathroom sinks get clogged!

You may also be seeking an aesthetic change for your eyes. With our help, you can select contact lenses or the right glasses frames that accentuate your eyes rather than hide them. Many people need prescription eyewear, and it’s completely possible to wear them with style!

Finally, nothing is more important than getting your annual eye exam, not only to test whether your vision is holding steady, but also to check for signs of glaucoma, cataracts, and other forms of degeneration. Contact us anytime to schedule your first appointment.

At the Hollywood Vision Center, Our Vision is to Enhance Your Vision

May 14
0
Children's Vision

Amniotic Membrane Grafts

By | Beautiful Eyes, Eye Doctor, Wellness Care | No Comments

Have you ever had a recurrent epithelial erosion? If you had, you’d definitely know it. This serious condition is like a scab on the eye that gets torn off when your eyes are dry, you haven’t had enough sleep, or you’ve had too much to drink. It usually occurs after you’ve had a corneal abrasion (aka scratched cornea) or a foreign body in your eye, and the top layer of the cornea, called the epithelium, never completely reattaches to the basement membrane.

A recurrent epithelial erosion is painful because it exposes the sensitive corneal nerves when the epithelium is torn off. Symptoms include blurry vision that can last several days, severe eye pain, photophobia (sensitivity to light), extreme pain, and possible corneal scarring.

Previous Treatments for Epithelial Erosion

Previous treatments only provided temporary relief, and were not completely successful. In the past, treatment included:

  • Wetting and hyperosmotic drops
  • Antibiotics and pain relievers
  • Punctal occlusion, a procedure to relieve dry eye syndrome by keeping tears in the eyes longer
  • A bandage contact lens
  • Stromal puncture, which involves poking tiny holes in the cornea to create scarring in an attempt to induce healing
  • Debridement, or scraping off the top layer of the cornea
  • Phototherapeutic keratectomy, which is using a laser to remove the top layer of the cornea with hopes that the epithelium will regrow with a stronger adhesion to the basement membrane.

Testimonial

Amniotic Membrane Graft

The newest and most successful treatment for damaged corneas is to use an amniotic membrane graft. This procedure is a relatively simple procedure with little discomfort. The amniotic membrane is the part of the placenta that protects the baby during development in the womb. This tissue helps to heal damaged corneas by promoting healthy cell growth. An amniotic graft can be used to treat recurrent corneal erosion, corneal defects, chemical burns, and damage from dry eyes.

Amniotic membrane grafts are a safe and effective treatment, regulated and approved by the FDA. The majority of patients who undergo the procedure are back to work the next day.

At Hollywood Vision Center, we have had many success stories with patients whose lives have been improved tremendously by this procedure. Please call our office for a consultation to determine if you would benefit from an amniotic membrane graft.

May 04
0

See Better to Live Better with Specialty Contact Lenses

By | Computer Vision, Eye Doctor, Itchy Eyes, Los Angeles, Wellness Care | No Comments

With new technology and designs, people have a lot more options to improve their vision, and their quality of life, with contact lenses. If you were told that you cannot wear contact lenses before, now is the time to explore the possibilities of clear vision without glasses and without surgery.

Today, many children as young as 5 years old wear contact lenses successfully. Combining a proper vision care plan with an optometrist experienced in specialty contact lenses are the best ways to have the benefits of contact lenses for school, work and sports. Drs. Shokouh and I have 50 years combined experience in evaluating and designing specialty contact lenses.

Here are some options that your general eye care practitioner may not have told you about.

New Developments in Soft and Gas Permeable Lenses

Soft specialty contact lenses are custom made, and include higher powers than before. New sophisticated designs can correct for keratoconus as well as provide better near to far vision for multifocal prescriptions.

Soft lens polymers allow more oxygen to the cornea than ever before, resist deposits such as protein and environmental pollutants, wet the lens from the inside out, and even protect the inside of your eyes from ultraviolet light. Today’s soft contact lenses are also more comfortable than before, and biocompatible.

Gas permeable lenses can provide crisper vision because of they do not warp on the eye that has an uneven front corneal surface. New polymers are more durability, provide more oxygen to the eyes than many soft lenses, and dry out the eyes less.

Hybrid Lenses

Hybrid contact lenses have the combined benefit of sharp vision due to a central gas permeable contact lens, with a soft contact lens skirt for added comfort.

Hybrid lenses can now incorporate a reading prescription for patients who need multi-focal lenses.

Read on to learn more about special therapeutic contact lenses that can actually help shape and reinforce your eyes, setting up a new foundation for clear vision in the future.

Scleral Lenses

Scleral lenses (also called ocular surface prosthesis) are large contact lenses which vault the cornea, and rest on the sclera of the eye (the white part of the eye). These specialty contact lenses help my patients who have irregular corneas (such as from keratoconus, eye surgeries that left the cornea uneven, corneal scars, penetrating keratoplasties) see more clearly, and sometimes even almost perfect. They are designed to mask the irregular cornea by creating a new smooth surface for the eye.

Scleral lenses are also used in some dry eye cases because we can incorporate a tear reservoir in the center of the lens to continually bathe the cornea with moisture all day.

Many of these eye conditions cannot be treated in any other way making scleral lenses a problem solver when patients have given up hope.

Orthokeratology or Corneal Molds

Ortho K (OK) lenses are one of the best ways to immediately reverse myopia, and reduce future prescription increases. These therapeutic specialty contact lenses gently reshape the corneal surface while you sleep, to a more correct power for seeing clearly. LASIK also reduces myopia by changing the corneal curvature, but by using surgery which is not indicated for children or young adults until they have stopped growing which is between their mid to late 20’s. The beauty of OK is that it doesn’t require surgery, and works when you’re sleeping so that you can see clearly without contact lenses or glasses during the day. This gives you the freedom to swim, play sports and wear sunglasses without prescription.

Specialty Contact Lens Candidacy

If you want to improve your vision to increase your performance at work, school or play, come see us to explore how the latest in specialty contact lenses can improve your quality of life. Call today to schedule your consultation with Dr. Brisco or Shokouh to help you see your best, to live your best.

Mar 30
0

5 Easy Ways to Care for Your Eyes

By | Computer Vision, Eye Doctor, Itchy Eyes, Los Angeles, Wellness Care | No Comments

And One Easy Way to Pamper Them in a Single Treatment

We place a lot of strain on our eyes because we do most of our work with our eyes at the office, school, even home. Are you staring at the computer screen by day, then binge-watching YouTube or Netflix by night? Even if you have the bad habit of reading in dim light, spending a little too much time in the sun without proper protection, or even that awful smoking habit leftover from college — all of these activities put undue strain on your eyes.

As featured on CBS Local News

 

What You Can Do to Protect Your Eyes

At the Hollywood Vision Center, we’re all about giving our patients the resources to set them up for success when it comes to having clear, comfortable vision, and healthy eyes that also look healthy. We’re not just the place that helps you if your vision gets strained or goes bad; we’re also the place who gives you the education and insight that will help you take care of your eyes more effectively, which will save you money, time, and discomfort in the long run.

Wear Shades

We know, this one’s easy. Like we really have to persuade you to wear sunglasses. But sun exposure is no joke. Your eyes are more sensitive to sun exposure than your skin, so consider UV sunglasses as important as putting on sunscreen.

Ultraviolet rays can increase your chances of cataracts as well as macular degeneration. When it comes to lenses, wrap-arounds are the best, because they protect the sides of your eyes. Make sure your lenses block 99%-100% of both UVA and UVB rays. Polarized lenses cut down on the glare, but they do come at a little bit higher of a price. If you ask us, it’s worth the investment.

Turn Away from the Window

We know, you worked hard for that view. You want to enjoy it. But don’t set your desk up against the window looking out. Glare and ultraviolet from the windows can cause permanent eye damage with that sun beating in on you. It’s best to face your desk away from the window, or, at the very least, make sure that you have shades to soften the glare and UV light.

Eat Healthy

Take a look at what’s on your plate. Foods that are rich in nutrients like Vitamin E, C, zinc, lutein, and omega 3s have been shown to reduce age-related vision problems (like macular degeneration and cataracts). Eat more leafy greens (kale, spinach) and more fish (salmon, tuna). If you stay away from meat, then go for eggs, nuts, beans, and other vegetarian/vegan-friendly proteins. Staying on top of your diet will help you maintain a healthy body weight. Obesity is related to type 2 diabetes, which is the number one cause of adult blindness, after all.

Drop that Cigarette

As if you needed another reason to quit, smoking increases your likelihood of getting cataracts and macular degeneration. Nicotine also robs your eyes of vitamin A which is important to see well at night, like when driving. If you’ve tried to quit before but failed, try again.  Healthline asserts that each time to drop the habit, you’re more likely to quit for good.

Schedule a Consultation With Us

It’s important not to fight the fight alone. Having an experienced optometrist in Los Angeles here to help you with integrative and preventive services such as Vision Therapy, and specialty contact lenses like Scleral and Ortho K corneal molds, will give you the best shot at enjoying spectacular vision for the long haul.

Finally, How to Pamper Your Eyes

Did you know that, over time, we lose at least 30% of our oily tear-producing glands?

Our eyes need to stay moist to be and look healthy.

If you live in Los Angeles or any other city with low humidity, allergies abound, stressful lives, long hours at the computer, heavy cell phone use, or environmental toxin exposure, then you likely suffer from Dry Eye Syndrome (DES). It’s actually the #1 eye problem we all face.

The Hollywood Vision Center treats dry eyes in multiple ways, including our revolutionary new MiBo Thermoflo treatment — which has been FDA-approved.

Dr. Brisco leads a team that takes a multi-dimensional holistic approach to treating your eye problems. Our MoisturEyes Dry Eye Spa treatment can help you produce more tears naturally by opening up diseased and impacted tear glands, glands that can become clogged with oil, debris, and bacteria. On top of that, it’ll make you feel like your eyes just went on a weekend getaway without you.

Contact us today to schedule your consultation to see how our MoisturEyes Dry Eye Spa treatment can help you look, see, and feel more beautiful. It’s time to pamper your eyes, and yourself today.

Schedule a Consultation >>