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SPRING AND ALLERGIES

Your eyes are an easy target for allergies all year round, especially in Spring. When exposed to airborne irritants like pollen, dust, grasses, perfumes, animal hair and spores, your eyes can become red, puffy and itchy. They may feel dry and gritty or excessively watery and there may be some clear discharge.

Fortunately, most allergic eye conditions are more inconvenient than dangerous, although severe allergic reactions can lead to vision problems if left untreated.

Over the counter eye drops may provide short-term relief for symptoms but it is always a good idea to see your optometrist for the right diagnosis, treatment and advice.

Forms of allergic reactions include an inflammation of the eyelid similar to eczema or dermatitis, often the result of using toiletries or make-up products. Some contact lens wearers might experience an allergic reaction to a cleaning solution. Your optometrist can give you advice on products that will work for you.

If you are an allergy sufferer, here are a few tips:

• if no treatment is immediately available, cold compresses may help with sudden allergic reactions and swollen eyes;

• avoid scratching or rubbing your eyes as it will make the symptoms worse;

• if your allergic reaction is seasonal, minimise outdoor activities at these times and run the air conditioner while inside;

• artificial tears products provide a lubricant for dry eyes and relief from irritation. If you keep the drops refrigerated they will feel more soothing on application.

GUIDING VISION

How do you provide effective guidance to a vision impaired person?

The most important point is to ask the vision impaired person whether any assistance is wanted. If it is, you will need to start looking ahead for any obstacles or difficulties. Stand slightly in front with your arm relaxed at your side. Ask the person to take your arm, holding it above your elbow in a C-grip, so that you can retain free use of your lower arm and hand. This will ensure that the person being guided will be half a step behind you and slightly to the side. You need to walk at a pace which is at all times comfortable for the vision impaired person.

NEEDLE-LESS EYE INJECTIONS

The Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA) and Seagull Technology Pty Ltd have developed a prototype device that uses an innovative combination of nanotechnology and ultrasound energy to inject drugs into the eye without using a needle.

This world-first could make injections into the eye a thing of the past. CERA Research Fellow Dr. Paul Connell said the most obvious benefit would be to patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), who require frequent injections into the eye as part of the disease management. “It has the potential to change drug delivery for other conditions, such as diabetic maculopathy, uveitis, and any other disease related to leakage or new blood vessel formation at the back of the eye," he said.

AMD is the leading cause of blindness and severe vision loss in Australia. Of the two common forms of AMD, wet AMD is the more serious and is currently treated by injecting the eye with anti vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs. While the treatment is effective in slowing or stopping the progression of AMD, injections must be administered regularly, can be painful and require surgical administration.

Dr. Connell said that in the future, the needleless device could be used in clinics by nurses, or perhaps even by patients themselves.

3D MOVIES FOR EVERYONE?

While offering a fun and alternative cinema experience, 3D movie viewing isn’t for everyone.

People with sensitive eyes or certain eye conditions may find their vision blurry and therefore a little distracting. Those required to wear 3D glasses on top of their prescription glasses may find the extra layer a little uncomfortable, but the glasses themselves won’t damage the eyes or impair your vision.

All 3D glasses work by filtering images so that the left eye sees one image, and the right eye sees a slightly different image. It’s then up to the brain to fuse them together so that you perceive a 3D image. Obviously, the eyes have to work well together for this process to happen.

Optometrists can measure the amount of 3D vision you have, also known as stereopsis. In some circumstances stereopsis can be improved with vision correction or vision therapy.

Anyone who experiences a vision condition such as blur, spots, tiredness or redness while watching a movie should have their eyes examined by one of our optometrists.

Healthy eyes generate tears that protect and moisturise the surface of the eye.

Changes to the health of tears can result in a change in the quantity and quality of the tears, which can lead to symptoms of dry eye. Dry eye can sometimes lead to more tears being produced, causing a watery eye, but excessive tears are not necessarily good because it can mean the eyes are trying to over-compensate for the lack of healthy tear production.

Dry eye symptoms can occur as a part of the natural ageing process, especially during menopause or as a side-effect of some medications, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, certain blood pressure medicines and birth control pills.

Air conditioning, room heating and a dry, dusty or windy climate can make eyes dry, as do using a hair dryer, cigarette smoke and exposure to wind while running or bike-riding. Another cause is insufficient blinking, which often occurs when staring at a computer screen for long hours.

Some soft contact lenses are prone to dehydration because they contain water and as the water evaporates from the front surface of the lens, the lenses react by absorbing water from your natural tear film, causing dry eye symptoms. Dry eye symptoms from contact lenses can be minimised or eliminated by changing lens materials.

Your optometrist may prescribe lubricating eye-drops, gels, ointments or natural supplements that may alleviate dry eye symptoms.

The vitreous is the name given to the ball of clear jelly that fills up the inside of the eyeball. Normal ageing changes can make the vitreous shrink and sag away from the inside wall of the eye. The change is called a vitreous detachment and may lead to symptoms of flashes and floaters. When the vitreous pulls away from the retina (a thin, light sensitive coating that lines the inside wall of the eye) the eye perceives a quick spark or flash of light. The floaters are due to opacities or debris in the vitreous, which are now free to swirl around, casting a shadow on the retina. They may look like spots, spider webs, blob or lines. These changes can occur in anybody at some time but are generally more prevalent over the age of 50.

A recent and/or sudden onset of floaters and flashes indicate the need for a careful peripheral retinal examination, as tears in the retina can also occur during this period of change within the eye. If a retinal tear is found, our optometrist will arrange an urgent referral to an ophthalmologist for treatment.

If you have a Seniors' Eye the ACT Government will pay $35 towards the cost of spectacles.

Please ask one of our staff how we can assist you in reducing your cost when providing you with new spectacles.