Has your ophthalmologist in Chicago informed you that you have a higher than normal risk for glaucoma? If so, then you may benefit from understanding the symptoms of one form of this condition, called angle-closure glaucoma. Someone who has angle-closure glaucoma typically will not notice any symptoms before an attack. Symptoms that you may experience in the early stages of an attack include eye pain, mild headaches, blurred vision, and halos. If you notice any of these symptoms, then see your eye doctor as soon as possible. Other symptoms that are associated with an angle-closure glaucoma attack include eye redness, severe pain in the eye or forehead, blurred or decreased vision, nausea, vomiting, and headache.

Individuals who are over age 40, have high eye pressure, require vision correction, have suffered an eye injury, or have family members with glaucoma have a higher than normal risk of developing this eye disease. Speak with your ophthalmologist to learn about additional risk factors and whether you may be at risk for glaucoma.

As your ophthalmologist in Chicago will tell you, eye care comes down to more than just regular vision check-ups. October is Eye Injury Prevention Month, and there are plenty of steps you can take to help protect your eyes from harm. Read on for some tips on preventing eye injuries.

Gear Up for Sports

Whether you’re a member of an active sports league, or you only play the occasional game of baseball with friends or colleagues, protecting your eyes while participating in athletic activities can be essential for protecting your eye health. While there are many sports that can pose a threat to your eyes, some of the ones that are commonly associated with eye injuries include baseball, hockey, paintball, racquetball, and fishing.

Wear Shades During the Day

With the arrival of fall, you may be less concerned with protecting your body from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. However, it’s important to realize that UV rays reach the earth’s surface year-round, even on cloudy days. For this reason, you should continue wearing sunglasses that block 100% of UV rays throughout the fall and winter. This eye safety step is particularly important if you plan to spend time skiing or on the water, as sunlight can reflect off of snow and water and potentially harm your eyes. According to ophthalmologists, eyes can suffer something similar to a sunburn, called photokeratitis, when damaged by UV rays.

Practice Safety Throughout Projects

If you have a home improvement to-do list that you’re hoping to get through this season, then your eye doctor would want you to remember to practice good eye safety as you take on each of these tasks. Even small projects, such as installing shelving or trimming shrubs, can lead to eye injuries if you’re not careful. To protect your eyes from the dangers of flying objects like nails, wood splinters, and branches, remember to wear safety glasses or another form of protective eye wear while working on your DIY projects.

Good eye care and visits to your eye doctor in Chicago are important year-round. However, October is eye safety month, so now is a great time to learn what objects around your house may pose a threat to your vision. Continue reading to discover some common household eye hazards.

Lawn and Garden Work

If you’re planning to spend time in your yard this season to get your lawn and garden ready for cold weather, then be sure to wear protective eye gear when you do. Tasks that you may have done countless times, such as mowing the lawn or using an electric trencher, can pose a danger to your eyes, as grass, pebbles, twigs, and similar objects may fly out from under the equipment toward your face. For this reason, whether you’re trimming the hedges or the lawn, you can help avoid a trip to the eye doctor by remembering to protect your eyes.

Home Improvement Tasks

If you’re like many homeowners, then you do what you can to take care of basic repairs around the home. While this can be practical and economical, it’s critical to think of your safety when taking on DIY home improvement tasks. Remember to wear safety goggles when you use a drill or hammer nails, work with solvents or hazardous chemicals, or secure objects with bungee cords. Whenever you use tools of any kind or perform tasks that may produce eye irritants or airborne fragments, remember to shield your eyes with the right protective gear.

Day-to-Day Tasks

There are also many everyday activities that can be potentially harmful to your eyes. For example, hot liquid or oil that splatters while you’re cooking can lead to burns, and allowing the cork to fly when opening a bottle of champagne can also cause an eye injury. Taking care to recognize potential hazards for your eyes, no matter what the activity, can help protect your vision. Speak with your eye doctor to learn what else you can do to protect your eyes from household hazards.

September is Healthy Aging Month, and people of all ages and walks of life are invited to participate. After all, good health in your golden years starts with a commitment to preventive wellness earlier in life. And if you’re already eligible for an AARP card, it’s never too late to get serious about your wellness. As you celebrate each passing year, you should pay attention to the changing needs of your eye health. In Chicago, eye doctors encourage patients to schedule regular exams, even if they don’t wear eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Schedule an eye exam.

Your ophthalmologist will let you know how often you should schedule an eye exam. If you’re 65 or older, you’ll probably need one every year or two. A comprehensive eye exam is an opportunity for the doctor to check for potential red flags of eye disease. With early treatment, it’s possible to delay the progression of eye diseases. It isn’t always easy to remember to schedule an appointment that only happens every year or two. Solve this problem by making your next appointment before you leave the optician’s office, and check that the office will send you a reminder card or email.

Wear sunglasses.

Sunglasses are much more than just a fashion statement. They can protect your eyes from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. UV light increases the risk of cancer, cataracts, and growths on the eye. Look for sunglasses that offer broad-spectrum UV protection, and wear them each time you go outdoors. If you wear prescription eyeglasses, you can visit an optical center to order prescription sunglasses. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat can also help shield your eyes.

Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.

There are dozens upon dozens of compelling reasons to quit smoking, including its detrimental effects on eye health. Smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with macular degeneration, cataracts, and dry eyes. They’re also at a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases, which can indirectly worsen eye health. It’s never too late in life to quit smoking. Consider it an investment in your future, just like saving for retirement. If you don’t smoke, don’t start. Avoid being near anyone who is smoking, as secondhand smoking is also harmful.

Your options for cataract treatment in the Chicago area include monofocal and multifocal intraocular lenses (IOLs). During cataract surgery, the eye doctor removes the cloudy natural lens of the eye and replaces it with one of these types of intraocular implants. Most often, doctors implant monofocal IOLs. This type of lens is engineered to help patients focus at one distance—near, medium, or distance vision. Patients usually opt to have the lens provide clear distance vision. They will then use reading glasses for up-close work.

Multifocal lenses are more complex. This IOL features different zones, each with its own focusing power. In other words, multifocal lenses offer both near and distant focusing capabilities simultaneously. They work in a similar way as bifocal or multifocal contact lenses. Multifocal lenses are ideal for people who do a lot of reading or other close work, and who aren’t enamored of the idea of using reading glasses frequently.

An optic nerve transmits impulses from each eye to the brain. This allows the information that enters the retinas to be interpreted by the brain. The optic nerve is essential for your clear, healthy vision , and if this nerve sustains damage, blindness can result. Glaucoma refers to a group of eye problems that involve damage to this crucial nerve. If you’ve been visiting an ophthalmologist in Chicago for regular eye exams, then you’re more likely to be diagnosed with glaucoma early on. Your eye doctor can get you started on treatments to delay the progression of vision loss.

Medicated Eye Drops

Most people diagnosed with glaucoma start their treatment with prescription eye drops. There are different classes of medicines that can treat glaucoma, including the following:

• Beta blockers
• Prostaglandins
• Alpha-adrenergic agonists
• Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors
• Miotic or cholinergic agents

These eye drops regulate the pressure within your eye, which is called the intraocular pressure. By preventing the intraocular pressure from rising too high, the eye drops can delay or halt further damage to the optic nerve.

Oral Medications

Sometimes, eye drops by themselves aren’t sufficient to get the intraocular pressure down to ideal levels. The ophthalmologist might prescribe an oral medication to take in addition to your eye drops. Before taking any new medication, make sure your eye doctor has current information regarding your other prescriptions and medical conditions.

Laser Treatment

Another treatment option for glaucoma is laser surgery. If you have open-angle glaucoma, your doctor may perform a trabeculoplasty. He or she will use a special laser to improve the drainage of the intraocular fluid to reduce the pressure. Another laser surgery is an iridotomy, which is appropriate for patients with angle-closure glaucoma. This treatment also improves the drainage of intraocular fluid.

Eye Surgery

An ophthalmologist may recommend surgery performed without the use of lasers. One option is the implantation of a very tiny drainage tube. The surgeon will also create a reservoir underneath a thin membrane called the conjunctiva. The tiny tube sends intraocular fluid to the reservoir, and from there, the fluid absorbs harmlessly into the blood vessels.

Just like physical exams and dental check-ups, eye exams from an ophthalmologist are an essential part of a complete preventive wellness plan. If it’s been longer than a year or two since you’ve visited an optical center near Chicago, it’s time to make an appointment. Even if you aren’t experiencing any vision problems, it’s important to have regular eye exams . You can learn why when you watch this animation.

It explains that the symptoms of serious eye diseases aren’t always detectable right away. You might not experience dark spots or cloudy vision until diabetic retinopathy and cataracts are already in the advanced stages—but an eye doctor can. He or she will let you know how often you should get an exam, based on your family health history, personal health history, and age. And if you do experience any sudden changes in your vision, get to an optical center right away.

Millions of Americans suffer from poor eyesight due to cataracts, but many will enjoy restored vision after undergoing surgery for intraocular lenses or IOLs. If you’re planning to see an ophthalmologist for intraocular implants in Chicago , then keep reading to learn what you should consider when selecting the right IOLs for you.

Insurance Coverage

There are several types of IOLs, and not all are covered by insurance. However, the cost of the most traditional option, which is a monofocal lens, is covered by most insurance companies and Medicare. For this reason, if the cost of your IOLs will affect your decision, then this option may be best for you. Monofocal lenses are made to provide patients with the best possible corrected vision at near, far, or intermediate distances.

Device Usage

If you spend a significant amount of time using a computer, tablet, or smart phone, then your ophthalmologist may recommend monofocal intraocular lenses that are set to provide you with monovision. In this situation, one lens is designed to provide near vision and the other one distance vision. However, if you want results that provide you crisp vision, then a monovision approach may not be for you.

Treatment Goals

If you’re hoping to eliminate the need for glasses by undergoing cataract surgery, then your doctor may recommend multifocal lenses. These are a newer variety of IOLs that may be able to correct both distance and near vision for the patient, as well as reduce or eliminate the need for eyeglasses. These IOLs are quite expensive and are rarely completely covered by insurance.

Astigmatism Level

Toric IOLs are intraocular lenses that provide the wearer with added correction for astigmatism. Commonly, people who have moderate to advanced astigmatism prefer toric IOLs, but these may not be fully covered by insurance.

Driving Habits

If it’s important for you to be able to drive at night, then consider that multifocal lenses can have side effects like decreased contrast sensitivity, glare, and halos around lights. If you regularly drive at night, then monofocal IOLs may be the better choice for you.

Cataracts are an eye condition that typically causes blurry, dim, or cloudy vision. If your ophthalmologist has diagnosed you with this disease and recommended that you consider getting intraocular implants through cataract surgery near Chicago , then watch this video to understand the basics of this condition.

Cataracts are a common eye problem that affects millions of individuals as they age, and it develops when a person’s eye lens, which is normally clear, becomes cloudy. This condition is typically the result of age-related changes that affect the eye and is seen most commonly in individuals over age 60. This condition cannot be reversed, but an ophthalmologist can remove cataracts and restore vision in most cases.