Window Washing & Cataract Surgery?

“I went to see Dr. Buck for a yearly checkup. I had been noticing lately that everything seemed foggy almost like I was looking through a dirty window.  I just thought I was getting old.  I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Dr. Buck could help me.  He said that my cataracts were ready to come out and I scheduled surgery.  Within a month I was able to have the procedure done.  My husband and I go to Florida every year in January so I am glad I came in when I did.  The surgery itself was very quick and I was so excited to see how clear everything was.  It was like I had the windows washed!”

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please call at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Oral Health Can Affect the Retina

Did you know that not taking care of your teeth and gums can increase your risk of blood vessel damage in the retina? Periodontitis is a chronic inflammation of the gums that results from bacterial buildup and the surface and between your teeth. It is easily prevented with through oral hygiene such as brushing your teeth and flossing properly to avoid accumulation of bacteria on your teeth and gums. If left untreated it can result in loosening or even loss of teeth. But, a study in the Journal of Periodontology found that there was an association between periodontitis and the health of the retinal blood vessels in terms of their narrowing and constriction in a similar manner as results from hypertension and vascular and inflammatory diseases. The researchers speculated that over time this could lead to “leaky blood vessels” and indicate that  periodontitis might lead to increased risk for other diseases.

To learn more about tooth and gum disease such as periodontitis ask your dentist. If you have periodontitis and have not had a regular eye exam please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

LASIK Cost-Priceless!

“Lasik was the best decision I ever made!  I work in a powder coating factory and I am surrounded by dust constantly and my glasses get coated daily with a fine powder.  I was so tired of having to clean off my glasses hourly.  My neighbor had Lasik done with Dr. Buck about five years ago and had nothing but nice things to say about him and his experience so I thought why not.  The process was a breeze and I was back to work within no time.  I still wear safety glasses at my job but it is no-where nearly as annoying as it used to be. The convenience of not wearing glasses is priceless!!!!!!!”

If you or some you know is tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses for seeing at distance and would like to find out if LASIK might be a good vision correction option, please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1003 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46534.

Lipid Lowering Medication Can Help Diabetic Retinopathy

Did you know that medications used to treat high cholesterol and triglycerides in your blood can help diabetic retinopathy? In two clinical studies, the Fenofibrate Intervention and Event Lowering in Diabetes (FIELD) study and the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) study, the medications Fenofibrate (TriCor, Lipofen, Triglide, Trilipix) and Statins (Lipitor, Crestor, Mevacor, Pravachol, Zocor) have been found, to reduce the signs of blood vessel disease in the retina from diabetic retinopathy but also to actually reduce the need for certain treatments for diabetic retinopathy.  We are hoping that additional research becomes available that helps us help patients with diabetes avoid the sight threatening complications of this terribly common disease.

If you or someone you know has diabetes please be sure to have regular eye exams in order to avoid the potentially blinding vision loss from this disease. Schedule an eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Google Artificial Intelligence Can Help Diabetic Eye Exams

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) more than 29 million people in the U.S. have diabetes and are therefore at risk for diabetic retinopathy and its associated vision loss and potential blinding complications. All diabetics should have regular eye exams with thorough retina exams. The task of diabetic eye exams is enormous and soon will be assisted by Google Artificial Intelligence disease detecting software. Researchers, reporting in Ophthalmology, the journal of the American Academy of Ophthalmology showed that by using Google software to analyze images and then having retina specialists provide input to refine the algorithms,  it allowed the computer software disease detection software to become roughly as effective at the retina specialists. This technique of using machine learning “neural networks” to refine disease detection is hopefully able to bring even more effective early detection and diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy to those at risk.

If you or someone you know has diabetes please be sure to have regular eye exams as early detection, diagnosis and treatment are the keys to preventing vision loss from diabetes. Schedule a diabetic eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354. 

Cataract Denial Over!

Scott Buck, M.D.

“I was in denial for so long that I actually had cataracts.  I was only 49 years old.  I thought that cataracts only happened to people older than me.  My parents hadn’t even had cataract surgery yet!!!! I couldn’t believe it when Dr. Buck said it was time to take them out.  I foolishly fought it for a few months then I just couldn’t take it anymore.  I felt like I was constantly living in a fog. I scheduled surgery and reluctantly had the procedure.  I am so mad at myself for being so stubborn.  It was so amazing to actually see what I had been missing.  Colors were brighter and everything was so clear.  Dr. Buck and his staff were wonderful and I would recommend them to anyone!”

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please call at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Things to Know About Cataracts

Cataracts are an extremely common cause of vision loss-especially as we grow older. In the U.S. some 25 million people have cataracts which can often cause cloudy, blurry vision, dimming of vision, faded or dulling of colors, glare and difficulty with night vision or in dim lighting. These symptoms may indicate the presence of cataracts, which affect about 70 percent of people by age 75. The good news for people with cataracts is that they are corrected with cataract surgery and lens implants and restore excellent vision and a better lifestyle. Things you should know about cataracts include:

Age Isn’t the Only Risk Factor for Cataracts. Pretty much everyone will develop cataracts with age, many studies demonstrate that lifestyle and behavior can influence when and how severely you develop cataracts. Diabetes, extensive exposure to sunlight, smoking, obesity, high blood pressure and certain ethnicities have all been linked to increased risk of cataracts. Eye injuries, prior eye surgery and long-term use of steroid medication can also result in cataracts.

Cataracts Cannot Be Prevented, But You Can Lower Your Risk. Always wear UV blocking sunglasses and hats with brims when out in sunlight. Eating more Vitamin C-rich foods may delay how fast cataracts form. Absolutely, avoid smoking cigarettes, which have been shown to increase the risk of cataract development.

Cataract Surgery Helps Improve More Than Your Vision. During cataract surgery, we replace the natural clouded lens with a permanent artificial lens implant or called an intraocular lens, or IOL, which should improve your vision significantly and allow us to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism that you may have had before your procedure. In addition, we can help you choose a lens implant that also provides you a range of clear vision for arm’s length and near tasks such as for reading or using the computer. Besides the vision benefits, cataract surgery has been shown to improve your overall quality of life and reduce the risk of falling by providing more comfortable and safer mobility. 

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please schedule an appointment at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Dry Eye after Cataract Surgery

We perform cataract surgery and lens implantation for more and more patients each year as cataracts continue to be a leading cause of decreased vision, especially in seniors. Also very common in the same age group of patients is dry eye which can be caused by ocular surface disease, eyelid problems such as meibomian gland disease and blepharitis, taking certain medications and many other systemic problems. When cataracts interfere with convenience and safety of your daily activities, cataract surgery can significantly improve your vision and comfort. We expect, and it is normal, for cataract surgery patients to sometimes complain of postoperative dry eye symptoms such as dry, foreign body sensation and short term blurriness if their tears are inadequate. From our experience, often patients may blame the surgery  for the apparently “new” development of dry eye symptoms and generally do not realize that their problem stems from ocular surface disease or other causes rather than the surgical procedure. Patients who actually do experience dry eye symptoms after cataract surgery should be reassured that it diminishes over time and we will help you be comfortable with both prescription and nonprescription eye drops as well as other treatment options if they are necessary.

If you or someone you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants schedule an appointment at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354. 

Dentists Can Have LASIK Too!

“As a Dentist I rely on my vision to do my job.  I have worn glasses and contacts since I was a kid.  I never gave Lasik much thought.  I thought it wouldn’t work for me due to the line of work I’m in.  I wear magnifying glasses while I work over my contacts and this has worked for some time now.  Over the past six months or so the contacts have been bothering me and aren’t as comfortable as they used to be.  One of the dental hygienists that works for me told me about Dr. Buck and I made an appointment.  After the preliminary testing, Dr. Buck said I would be a great candidate.  I was so excited at the thought of not wearing glasses or contacts I scheduled the surgery right then and there.  Here I am six months out of having Lasik and I am so happy.  I wish I hadn’t waited so long!”

If you or some you know is tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses for seeing at distance and would like to find out if LASIK might be a good vision correction option, please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Improvement in Glaucoma Blindness Rate

Glaucoma affects more than 2.7 million people in the United States and over 60 million globally. Although the disease is a leading cause of blindness worldwide, the probability of going blind from glaucoma has been significantly reduced due to advances in diagnosis and treatment. In office use of optical coherence tomography (OCT) to study and measure the nerve fiber layer of the retina and optic nerve as well lasers and implantable microscopic devices to change the risk of blindness from glaucoma. Researchers from Mayo Clinic College of Medicine studied the change in the rate of blindness from glaucoma over 2 consecutive 20 year periods and found that the rate of blindness was decreased by half but still remained unacceptably high! The best ways to avoid vision loss from glaucoma are to know your risk factors-such as family history, African and Hispanic descent, smoking, diabetes and sleep apnea, and be sure to schedule regular eye exams with glaucoma testing within timeframes recommended by your eye doctor.

If you or someone you now is concerned about their risk of glaucoma, schedule an eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354

Aging, Cognitive Decline, Vision & Hearing

Many people seem to think that getting older and normal aging results in an almost certain loss of cognitive abilities and nothing can be done to slow or halt this decline. Research doesn’t actually support this thinking, especially with regard to maintaining good vision and hearing. Researchers  studied a group of people 50+ years of age from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) and the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and found that there is a clear pattern whereby seniors who work to avoid sensory impairment-particularly vision and hearing-do not experience the same magnitude or speed of cognitive decline as those who have a single sensory impairment and more so a dual sensory impairment. The message is quite simple-seniors and those at risk for age related memory loss and cognitive decline need to be sure to maintain their eye health and vision and hearing.

If you or someone you know-especially those in the senior age group-has not had a thorough eye health and vision exam, please schedule an appointment at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Help for Keratoconus with Corneal Cross Linking

Keratoconus is a disease of the cornea in which the normally round dome like shape undergoes thinning and begins to bulge. This results in light entering the eye being irregularly focused and blurring of vision. Early on, the vision changes from keratoconus can be managed with eyeglasses and even later with contact lenses. However, keratoconus is progressive and many sufferers require cornea transplant surgery. The use of a new treatment option called Corneal Cross Linking appears to be successful in the treatment of keratoconus and stabilizes the shape of the cornea either significantly or completely halting the disease progression. 

If you or someone you know suffers from keratoconus and would like to know more about corneal cross linking, schedule an eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Common Drugs & Light Colored Eyes Increase UV-Related Eye Problems

Did you know that some common drugs and light colored eyes can actually increase your risk of UV related eye problems? Even for many people who are taking certain drugs and have light-colored eyes they are unaware of the increased risk of certain eye diseases and conditions.

Studies have shown that, in addition to skin cancers, accumulated ultraviolet exposure from the sun can heighten the risk of eye diseases such eye cancer and cataracts, a leading cause of blindness worldwide. Intense UV exposure can also cause temporary blindness known as photokeratitis, while extended sun exposure is linked to growths such as pterygium, or surfer's eye. Consumer market research demonstrates that about half of the patients taking antibiotics containing tetracycline, or fluoroquinolones like Cipro, some birth control and estrogen pills and certain anti-inflammatory pain relievers, such as ibuprofen Advil and naproxen sodium Aleve are unaware that these medications are “photosensitizing” and increase the risk of eye problems from UV rays. In addition, more than half-54 percent of Americans-have light-colored eyes-blue, green or hazel which are more susceptible to UV damage. While people with eyes of any color can develop UV-related eye diseases, light eyes and sun exposure are associated with an increased risk of rare eye cancers, such as iris and uveal melanomas.

While it is just common sense to wear UV eye protective sunglasses, those in the higher risk groups above should be particularly cautious about UV eye protection-particularly if you work or spend a great deal of time outdoors. To learn more call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Back to School Contact Lens Care

Contact Lens 101: A Back-to-School Must for Teens

Did you know that 25% of children and adolescent emergency room visits related to medical devices are for contact lens problems? Many of our children and teenagers start wearing contact lenses as they enter junior high or high school. Safe and enjoyable contact lens wear does require good hygiene and care in order to prevent a risk of infection. Young people are notoriously poor at caring for their contact lenses, creating a potential gateway for serious eye infections that can cause impaired vision or even blindness. Research has shown that poor contact lens care practices by teens and young people raise their risk of eye conditions such as infectious keratitis and corneal ulcers. In the most severe cases, they may require corneal transplants to restore sight. Fortunately, contact lens eye infections can be prevented by following simple contact lens care guidelines. Here are some practical safety tips that teens with contact lenses should follow to avoid eye infections.

New Quarter, New Case! Replacing your contact lens case every three months will help keep germs at bay. To make it easy to remember, swap out your case at the beginning of each quarter. Waiting to replace contact lens cases after 6 months increases the risk of eye infection by nearly 5.5 times!

Just Say NO to H₂0. You may be captain of the swim team, but you shouldn’t swim, shower or go in a hot tub wearing lenses. Water from the tap might be clean enough to drink or bathe in, but it’s still home to the parasite Acanthamoeba, which can cause severe eye infections resulting in vision loss. For the same reasons, NEVER use water to rinse or soak contact lenses or cases.

You Snooze, You Lose. Never sleep in your contact lenses. Even occasionally sleeping in contact lenses increases the risk of moderate to severe eye infection by 6.5 times. Unfortunately, a poll of nearly 100,000 people by BuzzFeed found that about 70 percent of respondents occasionally or regularly sleep in their contact lenses.

It’s Too Late If You Wait. Symptoms of eye infections include redness, pain and light sensitivity and requiring examination and evaluation immediately. Waiting to get examined or treated could lead to vision loss.

If you or someone you know would like to learn more or has questions about contact lens hygiene and safety, please schedule an appointment at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Avoid Eyebrow Tweezing & Plucking Infections!

Plucking or tweezing to shape eyebrows into a flawless, face-framing arch is a common grooming process used by many people-both women and men. Did you know that eyebrow hair removal of any type-plucking, waxing, tweezing, threading or even shaving-can be a source of serious infection called “preseptal cellulitis” and should be done with care and consideration of good hygiene in order to avoid infection risk. A study reported in the journal Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery examined patients who had eyebrow infections-either preseptal cellulitis or infected cysts-and identified both the type of bacteria and the patient history and event that resulted in the infection. More than 2/3 of the patients who had eyebrow infections had actual abscesses that were caused by forms of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (24%) and other very damaging bacteria. If you are going to personally have your eyebrows groomed please be aware of using good hygiene techniques including hand washing, washing and swabbing the eyebrow area before and after with alcohol, wiping and soaking all tools such as tweezers with alcohol before you use them. These are serious causes of eyebrow infection with potentially very damaging results.

If you or someone you know has an eyebrow infection or ingrown eyebrow and has been plucking, tweezing, waxing or threading please schedule and appointment at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Cataract Surgery & ReSTOR® Lens Implant Patient Story

“Last month I had Dr. Buck put in the ReSTOR® Lens Implant in my eyes. I was a little skeptical after he told me my dependency on glasses would be greatly reduced.  I figured it was too good to be true.  The ladies in the office and at the surgery center were very helpful and informative.  The procedure was very quick and I was home resting within a couple of hours.  But what I couldn’t believe was how amazing my vision was! I could actually see! A few weeks later I had my other eye done and was even more impressed with the results now that I had both eyes fixed.  What a difference it has made in my life!  I can read a recipe without having to put my glasses on and it is wonderful! Sometimes I need to put readers on to read very small print on a medication bottle but for the most part I don’t rely on them as much as I used to.”

 

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please call at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

ADHD & Focusing Problems in Children

Did you know that ADHD can cause focusing problems in children? Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders in children and cause many difficulties-including focusing problems. A clinical study reported in Graefe's Archive for Clinical and Experimental Ophthalmology evaluated the relationship between the neurological system that controls attention and eye focusing. They found that children with ADHD have a less accurate focusing, or accommodative response and may affect attentional deficits, which could have a direct impact on the academic, cognitive, and visual performance of ADHD children.

If you or someone you know has a child with ADHD and would like to learn more about focusing problems in children or schedule an eye exam please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Feeling Free after LASIK

“Having Lasik was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made! As a Pre-School teacher I am very active with my students.  Whether it being playing games or story time I was always bothered by my glasses.  They would fall down, get dirty and just get in the way.  I have had glasses for about 10 years and I just couldn’t take it anymore.  It’s been about three months since I had Lasik and what a difference it has made in my personal and professional life! No more smudged glasses, no more glasses getting knocked off my head and no more sore ears from the frames!  I finally feel FREE!!!!”

If you or some you know is tired of the hassle of glasses or contact lenses for seeing at distance and would like to find out if LASIK might be a good vision correction option, please call Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Thinner Retina a Sign of Cognitive Decline

We know that people with dementia typically have a thin retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) when we test them using optical coherence tomography (OCT) during their eye exam. Researcher reporting the results of a large study in JAMA Neurology found a significant association between RNFL thickness and cognitive function even when dementia had not yet been diagnosed. In fact, they found that those people in the bottom 20% of RNFL thickness were twice as likely to suffer cognitive decline over the next three years! This is the first study to identify that a thin RNFL indicates a risk of future cognitive decline and suggests that regular eye tests could help identify those likely to get dementia at a much earlier stage, which means suitable treatments could be prescribed at a more effective time to slow or stop the onset of dementia at early stages of the disease.

If you or someone you know is concerned about their risk of cognitive decline or even dementia, please schedule an eye exam at Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser. 

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.

Steps to Lower Your Risk of Eye Disease

Scott Buck, M.D.

5 Steps to Lower Your Risk of Eye Disease

By age 65, one in three Americans will have a vision-impairing eye disease. Many sight-robbing conditions can be effectively treated if detected early enough, in many cases limiting or eliminating the damage to eyesight. Four eye diseases-age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts-account for most cases of adult blindness and low vision among people in the U.S. Because these eye diseases cause no pain and often have no early symptoms, they do not automatically prompt people to seek medical care. But a thorough eye exam can detect them in their earliest stages allowing early treatment which is vital because it can slow or halt disease progression or, in the case of cataracts, restore normal vision. A thorough eye exam can also detect other health conditions, such as stroke, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure, autoimmune diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and some cancers. Here are some steps to helping preserve your eye health and vision:

Get a Comprehensive Medical Eye Exam at Age 40-Early signs of disease or changes in vision may begin at this age. If you have not already had one, a comprehensive medical eye exam is an opportunity to carefully examine the eye for diseases and conditions that may have no symptoms in the early stages.

Know Your Family History-Certain eye diseases can be inherited. If you have a close relative with macular degeneration, you have a 50 percent chance of developing this condition. A family history of glaucoma increases your glaucoma risk by four to nine times. Talk to family members about their eye conditions. It can help you and your eye doctor evaluate your risk.

Eat Healthy Foods-A diet low in fat and rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, benefits the entire body, including the eyes. Eye-healthy food choices include citrus fruits, vegetable oils, nuts, whole grains, dark green leafy vegetables and cold water fish.

Stop Smoking-Smoking increases the risk for eye diseases such as cataract and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Smoking also raises the risk for cardiovascular diseases which can indirectly influence your eye health. Tobacco smoke, including second-hand smoke, also worsens dry eye.

Wear Sunglasses-Exposure to ultraviolet UV light raises the risk of eye diseases, including cataract, fleshy growths on the eye and cancer. Always wear a hat and sunglasses with 100 percent UV protection while outdoors.

If you have not had a comprehensive medical eye exam be sure to schedule one by calling Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center at 219-464-8223, or visit Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center, Google or facebook.com/nwindianaeyeandlaser.

Northwest Indiana Eye & Laser Center offices are located at 502 Marquette Street, Valparaiso, Indiana 46383 and 1001 South Edgewood Drive, Knox, Indiana 46354.