Contact lenses are worn by a significant percentage of the population. When used the correct way, they have a very low risk of infection and other complications. However, when they are used incorrectly, contacts can result in vision threatening complications including infection, and disorders of the surface of the eye. What is ideal use of contact lenses? The ideal user of a contact lens will never use their lenses longer than the manufacturer recommended time; they will

Dry eye is a chronic eye condition that results in discomfort, blurred vision, and pain. The good news is that there are a multitude of dry eye treatments, but they do not work for everyone. Patients that do not make enough tears have several options. I generally start with artificial tear replacement and environmental modification. This would include reducing the use of ceiling fans, using humidifiers, and changing some behaviors. This goes along with occasional artific

The eyes can and do often change in pregnancy. The most common change is just a change in the glasses prescription. If you had your heart set on a pair of fancy lenses or having LASIK, this is the wrong time to consider making those changes. Your prescription will fluctuate and then settle down a couple months after delivery. There are many other changes in your vision that can happen during pregnancy that are medically related, but these are unlikely. Gestational diabet

Iritis is a condition that most patients have never heard of when they first learn about their diagnosis from their eye doctor. Everyone has heard of cataract, and glaucoma, but iritis or anterior uveitis is a condition that can also cause those conditions. It can also be frequently confused with "pink eye" because many of the signs and symptoms are similar. The eye is made up of several different layers. On the outside there is the corneal epithelium and conjunctiva. Th

Macular degeneration is one of the most common causes of blindness in the population over age 65. It is a very common condition for an ophthalmologist or an eye doctor to see. The eye is similar to a camera, and the retina is the film of that camera. Light from the outside world is focused into the central area of the retina which is called the macula. It is an area where most of the sensitive light receptors called "cones" are located. It allows us to see fine details l

Flashes and floaters are one of the most common urgent visits that I see in the office. Nationwide this is one of the most common reasons that someone will visit an ophthalmologist or eye doctor. Although similar symptoms may be caused by migraine, this tends to be caused by a posterior vitreous detachment. The flashes are usually on the outside (near the temple) of the effected eyes. The floaters are spiderwebs, gnats, or circular areas of the vision that appear to be fl