An Early Eye Test can Unearth Alzheimer’s Eyes

In the Journal of Clinical Insight, researchers have found that performing retinal scans can pick up amyloid plaques which cause Alzheimer’s in the brain. Getting a yearly eye test can be a way to pick up early stages of Alzheimer’s and early intervention will be helpful to caregivers and family members. Researchers may have brought a step closer that can detect a hallmark of the disease.

Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, affecting more than 40 million people worldwide. And yet, finding a cure is something that still eludes researchers today. It includes difficulty sleeping, disturbed memory, drastic mood changes, and an increase in confusion.

The Connection between Alzheimer’s and Eyesight

Your eyes may give doctors a window into one of the most difficult diseases to diagnose and doctors may have a peek at what the retina reveals about the early stages of Alzheimer’s. Eye tests may soon become the simplest and cheapest way to establish a precise diagnosis of Alzheimer’s eyes.

Our eyes, because of their neurons are in some way an extension of the brain. One of the first detectable signs of Alzheimer’s is the accumulation of beta-amyloid protein aggregates in the brain. These aggregates begin to form 15 to 20 years prior to the onset of the first symptoms of the disease. And they can be detected through brain imaging, which is a costly method.

A retina examination is simpler to perform and several research groups worldwide are currently testing this approach. Some researchers evaluated the thickness of the retina. They discovered that people who have memory problems had a thinner retina, compared to those without memory problem.

4 Areas of Visual Deficit

Alzheimer’s effect on eyes reveals four main areas of visual deficit that result in inaccurate perception.

1. Lesser Potential to Detect Motion
   

   Some patients with Alzheimer’s eyes are incompetent to detect movement. They don’t see the world as an ongoing video like most people do and instead see them as still photos. This perception of the world can cause patients with Alzheimer’s eyes feel even more lost even in familiar surroundings. They may face difficulty following a moving object which can impact the ability to comfortably watch television or perform an activity that requires fast motion.

2. Loss of Depth Perception
   

   Patients have trouble judging how far they are from an object. For example, this comes into play when someone is trying to sit down on a chair behind them and they can’t figure out how far they are from the object and they miss the chair and fall. And that can be a serious injury. They also have trouble of understanding whether or not an object is part of a surface or a separate object.

3. Loss of Peripheral vision
   

   People by mid Alzheimer’s disease have a 12-inch field of vision where they have lost everything on the top and on the sides, as well as the bottom.

4. Need for High Color Contrast
   

   Patients with Alzheimer’s eyes need objects of high color contrast. In order to pick out one object from another, they need to be of strongly different colors. For example, a white plate on a dark blue background on a table. A cup that has a strong color and is different from the liquid that’s in it would really help patients be more independent for longer.

Aaron Barriga

Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK.

www.insightvisioncenter.com

Do Online Eye Tests Work?

The easier access to the internet has significantly improved our lives, and with more services being made available on our mobile devices, the multitasking smartphone does even more today. You can do a lot on your smartphone today including shopping, watching television, checking the weather, and now even an online eye test that determines the vision and potential problems in your eye.

A study reveals that 75% of Americans use some kind of corrective lenses. Getting the perfect pair of glasses can be time-consuming, which is why a new breed of vision test promises quick results. But can an online eye test replace your eye doctor?

What can an Online Eye Test do?

So it happened again. You misplaced your only pair of glasses or maybe you’ve run out of your last box of contacts. In order to get them replaced, you need a new prescription which means an appointment with your eye doctor. But now companies are offering to check your vision online, without having to step into a doctor’s office. They even send your eye test results to an ophthalmologist who can review the results with a prior prescription and issue a new prescription for glasses, contact lenses or both.

However, online vision tests may detect visual acuity but are not designed to replace comprehensive eye exams. In fact, many eye care professionals question whether they are reliable as these tests cannot spot early signs of eye conditions. If you have medical concerns stemming from these tests, you should seek assistance from an eye care professional immediately.

What can an Online Eye Test not Check?

Online eye tests cannot effectively detect what an eye doctor can examine in person. For instance, your medical case history, color blindness, retinoscopy, dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, cataracts and pupil dilation, amongst many other vision problems. In-person eye tests even diagnose conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, and even tumors.

92% of surveyed Americans would rather complete a comprehensive eye exam that is guaranteed to be accurate. The same survey showed that 86% of people preferred face-to-face interactions with their eye doctor compared to online eye tests.

Risks of Online Eye Tests

Don’t cut corners when it comes to your eye health. Online eye tests aim to assess your vision correction needs but they may not be very accurate. Additionally, these online eye exams don’t replace other important aspects of regular eye examinations. Your doctor assesses your eye health, spotting early signs of eye conditions.

You’re also at a greater risk of an inaccurate prescription for your eyeglasses or contact lenses with these self-administered vision tests. Moreover, if your eye test isn’t done correctly, you may not be able to see as clearly as you should while driving and may experience headaches and eye strains with your new corrective lenses.

Aaron Barriga

Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK.

www.insightvisioncenter.com

What Are Eye Floaters and How to Treat Them?

You have probably already noticed that small dark spots sometimes seem to follow the movement of your eyes. These curious black floats that question us are, in fact, an integral part of our ocular system. These shadows, which can manifest in many forms and move in our eye, obscuring part of our visual field, are called eye floaters. Observed in more than 70% of people, they appear as lines or black dots, sometimes gray.

What Are Eye Floaters?

These are dark spots in the form of dots, circles, lines or cobwebs that seem to move in the visual field. They are particularly noticeable when you look at a background with little colors such as a clear sky or a white wall. Eye floaters can appear in multiple shapes or numbers and they seem to move when looking in different directions.

Floating bodies are in principle, simple proteins from the gel-like substance in the eye called vitreous. This threadlike group of proteins blocks the arrival of the external light to the retina, causing a shadow in front of the latter. So, the dark shapes that you see and move in your field of view are actually the floating bodies themselves.

Symptoms

Eye floaters can be uncomfortable, but they usually do not interfere with your eyesight. However, here are some symptoms that help you identify if you are observing eye floaters or some other ocular problems:

• Black or gray dots
• Squiggly lines
• Threadlike strands, which can be bumpy and semi-transparent
• Cobwebs
• Profiled rings

Once you develop eye floaters usually they do not go away, but they tend to improve over time.

What Causes Eye Floaters?

The inside of the eye is filled with a transparent and gelatinous substance called the vitreous. The vitreous helps maintain the shape of the eye and allows light to penetrate through the retina – the thin, light-sensitive tunic that lines the back of the eye and works much like a film in a camera. Floating bodies are small gelatinous masses that form in the vitreous. Even if one has the impression that they are on the anterior part of the eye, they actually float in the vitreous and are perceived as shadows by the retina.

Other causes include:

1. Age-related eye changes: With aging, vitreous shrinks and often separates from the retina. In fact, between the ages of 50-70 years, the vitreous is separated from the retina in about 50% of people and this causes the appearance of vitreous floaters. These can be very annoying at first, but the brain gradually learns not to pay attention and after a few months, you barely notice them. Visit your ophthalmologist to keep a check on age-related eye diseases.
2. Inflammation in the back of the eye: Seeing floaters can sometimes result from internal inflammation or crystalline deposits that form in the vitreous.
3. Torn retina: Most of the time, the vitreous separates from the retina without causing any problem. In some people, there are adhesions between the retina and the vitreous and tearing of the retina can occur when the vitreous detaches, causing in the eye a slight bleeding that may look like a group of new bodies floating.
4. Other causes: Rare causes include tumors and the presence of intraocular foreign bodies. In some cases, the moving organs may be associated with diabetes, the results of ocular surgery or advanced cataract.

Eye Floaters Treatment

Benign eye floaters almost never need medical treatment. If they are unpleasant, you can move them away from your field of vision by moving your eyes. This maneuver moves the fluid in your eyes. Looking up and down is generally more effective than looking from side to side.

If eye floaters are so dense and numerous that they affect your vision, your ophthalmologist may consider a surgery called vitrectomy. During this procedure, a part or all of the vitreous body and its floating debris are removed and replaced with saline solution. Vitrectomy can have complications, such as retinal detachment, retinal tears or cataract. The risks of these complications are low, but if they occur, vision can be damaged permanently. Because of this, most surgeons will not recommend vitrectomy unless eye floaters are causing an extraordinary visual impairment.

Another option is laser vitreolysis wherein a laser beam is focused on large seeing floaters to break or vaporize them. However, you will need a good ophthalmologist to determine if you can benefit from this treatment. If you are in Fresno, you can find qualified and experienced ophthalmologists in Fresno for treatment of your eye floaters.

Aaron Barriga

Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK.

www.insightvisioncenter.com

What Causes Eye Twitching?

Eye twitching is a pretty common phenomena that involves an involuntary spasm of the muscles
in the eyelid. It typically lasts for a few seconds or minutes. It can come and go over a few days
or weeks.

Here are 7 reasons for an eye twitch:

1. Stress, Fatigue and Lack of Sleep
   Our bodies react differently to stress and can result in eye strain. Fatigue and lack of
   sleep again can result in a twitching eye.
2. Alcohol
   Alcohol consumption can take a toll on your health and can result in muscle exhaustion
   making your eye twitch at times.
3. Dry Eye
   People, who wear contact lenses and take medication are more prone to dry eyesyndrome. Dry eyes often result in eye twitching.
4. Eye Strain
   Spending a lot of time in front of computer screens and continuous use of technology can
   lead to an eye twitch. You should schedule an eye exam as you may need to get an eye
   check up done, especially for those of you who wear glasses.
5. Blepharospasm
   Middle-aged women may experience eye twitching due to a nerve disorder which
   involves frequent muscle contraction.
6. Allergies and Irritation
   Foreign particles such as dust, smoke and chemicals can result in swelling, itching and
   watery eyes and all of those can make your eye twitch at times.
7. Nutritional Imbalance
   There is a possibility of getting an eye twitch due to lack of magnesium in your diet.

Tips to Get Relief

1. Sleep properly for 6-8 hours
2. Ditch the coffee and avoid caffeine
3. Massage your eyelids
4. Put an ice pack with a few drops of chamomile or rose oil on to get some releif from your
   eye twitch
5. Drinking chamomile or lavender tea can help alleviate stress and relax your eye twitch

When is it Time to Consult a Doctor?

A twitching eyelid may not require immediate medical attention. However, persistent spasms
may indicate a brain or nervous system disorder. If you have any of the following symptoms, you
should consult your doctor:

• Swollen red eye that may have some uncommon discharge
• Drooping upper eyelid
• Every time your eyelid twitches, your eyelid completely closes
• Twitching for several days
• Twitching infects other body parts

Eye health is a vital part of your well-being. If you want to ditch the twitch and are looking for a
trusted eye doctor in Fresno, call us on 559-449-5050.

Aaron Barriga

Aaron Barriga is the online marketing manager for Insight Vision Center. With a knack for understanding medical procedures, and an interest in eye and vision health, Aaron loves to share what he knows and what he learns. He blogs to inform readers about the latest eye care technology and other topics related to eye care, especially LASIK.

www.insightvisioncenter.com