Before the varicella vaccine, almost all children contracted chickenpox. The virus then would lay dormant for 50, 60, or 70 years and then often flare up. The "flare up" of the chickenpox virus is what we call shingles. It is a localized resurgence of the virus in nerves of the body corresponding to a specific area called a dermatome. This is an area on the skin that could be on the torso, the face or the arms and legs. About 20% of the cases involve the upper eyelid and forehead and could possibly involve the eye. In my clinic, about half of those cases involve the actual eye and not just the eyelid. This condition can cause inflammation resulting in iritis, conjunctivitis, and kerat
Here at Reveal Eye Care & Surgery we offer laser cataract surgery, and I have personally performed a number of cases. There are a lot of different perspectives on this topic. I would like to present my feelings on the surgery with my view based on the available evidence, and my personal experience. First off, the technology of laser based cataract surgery is amazing. Similar to All-Laser LASIK, the laser docks on the surface of the eye called the cornea. It does a scan of the eye which basically puts a virtual real-time image of the front part of the eye including the cataract. The surgeon is able to use these parameters to make a custom procedure for each patient's eye. Most of the l
Here at Reveal Eye Care & Surgery we are aware of the dreaded "Cedar fever" that happens here in Georgetown, Austin and the rest of central Texas. It can turn what should otherwise be a great winter into a time of itching, sneezing, and wheezing. Many times the symptoms can be severe in the eyes and we call that allergic conjunctivitis. The conjunctiva is the surface layer of the white part of the eye and the inner lining of the eyelid. It gets exposed to all those allergens in the environment. There are other types of allergic conjunctivitis such as vernal keratoconjunctivitis, giant papillary conjunctivitis, and atopic keratoconjunctivitis. When the allergen reaches certain specializ
When people see a red or pink eye, they usually think of conjunctivitis. However, the white part of the eye is made up of several layers. The outer layer is the conjunctiva; when this layer is inflamed, the condition is called conjunctivitis. The next layer down is called the episclera which is followed by the sclera. The episclera is a type of tissue that is more dense than the conjunctiva, but not as dense as the deeper sclera which is the structure of the eye. When these layers are inflamed, you get episcleritis and scleritis. It usually takes an eye doctor or ophthalmologist to determine the difference between conjunctivitis, episcleritis and scleritis. This is important because c
Keratoconus is a fairly common condition that can affect the ability to see clearly. It causes the cornea to be shaped more like a cone than a basketball. The images above and below from the American Academy of Ophthalmology Website are instructive. It is often diagnosed when a person is considering LASIK since LASIK should not be performed on someone with this disease. The eye behaves like a camera, and the cornea helps focus the light onto the film of the camera. When the cornea is warped and shaped more like a cone, the light is not clearly focused. This causes blurred vision. Keratoconus is probably caused by a hereditary predisposition combined with environmental factors that bri
