FALL 2017
Welcome to
EYE WONDER!
At Eye Physicians of Central Florida, we aim to engage
GETTING YOUR KID’S EYES READY FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR
our patients in the world of
By Sandra F.
Ophthalmology through
As parents we do our best job to have our children be ready for school every year. We expect a successful year and try to provide the best educational experience possible, but frequently we forget about one of the most important things for them to succeed – having healthy eyes.
our quarterly newsletter. The contents of this newsletter will include articles from our very own doctors, information on new breakthroughs and procedures, and fun tidbits concerning the staff. As our company and newsletter continue to grow, we hope you stay connected to us – now more than ever. Eye Physicians of Central Florida
INSIDE Eye Safety Checklist Symptoms of Glaucoma Do Floaters Have You Seeing Spots? The Eyes of Babies Halloween Eye Safety Tips Diabetic Eye Disease Awareness National Safe Toys and Gifts Awareness
A vision screening should be performed by their pediatrician each year at their annual physical, and if the child fails that screening, a comprehensive eye exam is the next step. That exam should be scheduled before the beginning of the school year so that your child can perform at their best. Sometimes there are eye problems that can be diagnosed at the time of the exam, but only if you as a parent take the time
to do so. For children, it can be difficult to explain any symptoms or issues they may be experiencing. There are some common signs that you can watch out for: • difficulty reading • squinting • rubbing their eyes • complaining of not seeing the blackboard • crossing their eyes • sitting close to the tv If you as a parent or a teacher notice any of those signs, please take your child to an eye specialist for an eye exam. An early diagnosis of an eye condition, especially in children, helps prevent the condition from progressing. A glasses prescription is a common method of solving most problems, but sometimes a child needs further treatment, and as such, preventative eye care is just as crucial to a child’s health.
50% OFF DISCOUNT CODE Thankyou you for for CCCCODE being our patient! Thank being ourvalued valued patient! To pleaseuseuse Toshow showour our appreciation, appreciation, please thethe code EyeWonder *EyeWonder*forfora a50% 50% discount discount on on code ANY Transitions optical upgrade! ANY Transitions optical upgrade! No coupon required. Provide code to your optician at
thecoupon time ofrequired. purchase.Provide Valid through 31, 2017 No code toDecember your optician at the time of purchase. Valid through December 31, 2017
www.eyephy.com
LIST K C E H C Y T E F A EYE S ant. Almost all
s is very import ye e r u yo f ow eye o re Taking ca gh your eyes. H u ro th s e m co arn out. of what you le survey to find rt o sh is th ke safe are you? Ta ointing the nozzle is p re su ke a m to ns? • Do you check n using spray ca e h w s ye e r u ar? away from yo eck-up each ye ch a r fo r o ct o e eye d • Do you visit th laying sports? p n e h w n o cti eye prote • Do you wear s are now if your eye k ts n re a p r u • Do you let yo bothering you? sharp when carrying n ru r o lk a w s y as • Do you alwa oint down) such p rp a sh e th h objects (wit and pencils? scissors, pens, eyewear when e v cti te ro p r a • Do you we wn? mowing the la yes? rubbing your e id o v a u o y o D • p ad light or lam e rh e v o n a e v a • Do you h g? on while readin ile sunglasses wh r a e w u o y o D • e? g periods of tim outside for lon ing you will Think of one th rove. work on to imp
Celebrate!
WORK ANNIVERSARIES Curtis 10/3/16 Melba 10/3/16 Lisa 11/20/00 Amee 11/7/05 Laura 12/8/03 Caroline 12/5/07 Angela 12/19/16
BIRTHDAYS Michael H. 10/1 Laura 10/8 Aryam 10/10 Wendy 10/11 Pierre 10/24 Megan 10/29 Lucy 10/30 Sandy 11/7 Khalilah 11/8 Amee 11/20 Sherline 11/27 Chrisalynn 11/28 April 12/11 Natasha 12/14 Elizabeth 12/26 Gina D. 12/27 Princess 12/28 Sara 12/28
ENGAGEMENT Amanda, one of our pediatric technicians, is happy to announce her engagement on 9/15/17 WEDDINGS Josie, our front desk lead, tied the knot on 8/5/17 BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS Johanna, one of our call center representatives, is happy to announce the upcoming birth of her second child in October.
SYMPTOMS OF By Jerry Shuster, MD
GLAUCOMA
CAN YOU TELL IF YOU HAVE GLAUCOMA? Glaucoma pressures, check your peripheral vision, and carefully is a disease where increased intraocular pressure examine the structure of your optic nerves. Analysis can damage the optic nerve of these three parameters can be used to tell and, if not treated, cause loss whether your eyes of vision. Patients at risk for are normal, whether glaucoma often ask if they will there is some be able to feel this increased suspicion that pressure or tell that their vision you may be at is decreasing. Unfortunately, risk of developing for most patients, the answers glaucoma in the to these questions is no; the future, or whether increased pressure is usually you have already high enough to damage developed glaucoma the optic nerve but not high and need to be treated. enough to cause pain Early diagnosis and and the loss of vision is so treatment will reduce insidious that it generally the likelihood that goes unnoticed until very glaucoma will progress Dr. Shuster an late into the disease. d his family en joying to advanced stages. the beach at Longboat Ke y So the best way to know if Since there are no you have glaucoma is to have regular eye symptoms of early check-ups. A physician will measure your intraocular glaucoma, the best choice is to be pro-active and get regular eye check-ups.
DO FLOATERS HAVE YOU SEEING By Carissa W. WHAT IS A FLOATER? Floaters are spots in your vision that range from gray to black specks, strings or cobwebs. These floaters drift around in your vision and will seem to move away when you look directly at them. Floaters are caused by pieces of vitreous humour gel (the substance that our eyes are filled with) that float around and cause shadows on our retina. For years, patients with these bothersome floaters were given two options: either live with the inconvenience or have a vitrectomy. A vitrectomy involves removing the vitreous gel, and replacing it with a saline solution. This involves quite a number of risks, not limited to infection, macular edema and retinal detachment. Most times a vitrectomy was only recommended for the most severe cases of floaters. Now patients have a much more convenient, safe and effective alternative to vitrectomy! Using a YAG laser machine, your physician can perform a
Spots?
procedure called Laser Vitreolysis, which has proven to be highly effective in reducing and/or eliminating floaters and improving daily functions, with a low complication rate. Your physician will meet with you at the ambulatory center. There, your eye will be dilated and numbed with drops, and then a special contact lens is used for this laser treatment. The doctors will then carefully aim the laser at the floater or its attachments and vaporize it, so it will be broken up and/or repositioned. In doing this, the eye will better be able to absorb the remaining pieces. Eye Physicians of Central Florida is proud to announce that Dr. Auerbach and Dr. Thomas will now be offering this service on medically qualified patients. If you have been experiencing bothersome floaters in your vision and are interested in learning more about the procedure, speak to your Ophthalmologist about your qualifications for this exciting solution!
The Eyes of Babies
By Robert S. Gold, M.D.
The eyes are the windows to the world and we are always asked about what babies actually see and if parents should be concerned if a baby does not make eye contact with them very early in life. With that in mind, I have listed some interesting facts about a child’s eyes in the first year of life:
6-8 weeks of age. There is however, a lot of variability and premature children will take longer. It is more concerning when children do not fixate and follow by 4-5 months of age and require further evaluation. 6. Retinoblastoma is a cancer that may affect the eyes of young children. An irregularity in the red reflex “red eye” seen in photographs may be the first sign of this serious eye condition. 7. It is common for the eyes of newborns to be intermittently out of alignment. If this persists longer than 3 months then this requires further evaluation.
1. A newborn (full term) can see about 20/400 at birth. This is the equivalent of the largest letter E on an eye chart. Color vision is felt to be present at birth. Vision continues to develop and reaches near adult levels by 2 years of age. It is usually around age 3 when a child will first be able to read off of a special eye chart with pictures. 2. Babies’ eyes begin to develop about 2 weeks after conception. They continue to develop through all of gestation and even after they are born. This is a reason that premature babies may develop serious eye problems (retinopathy of prematurity). 3. A newborn’s eyes are about 75 percent of the size of an adult. About 90 percent of the growth of the eye then occurs in the first 2 years of life. 4. A child’s eye color will often change (become more brown) over the first 6 months of life. In some cases it may even continue to change over the first year or two. 5. Newborns frequently don’t pay much attention to the world around them. We expect that they will start to fixate on objects and follow them by
Dr. Gold
and fam
ily at Sta
r Wars
In future newsletters, the pediatric ophthalmologists of Eye Physicians of Central Florida hope to inform our patients and friends about the unique eye conditions and eye care needs of our special children that we are honored to take care of each and every day.
OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER
HALLOWEEN EYE SAFETY TIPS
• Avoid pointed props such as swords, spears or wands, which can be a danger to children’s eyes.
Halloween is a great time to dress up and enjoy the night with friends and family, but every year, hundreds of adults and children are treated in emergency rooms because of eye-related injuries. These injuries can be prevented by following some of our easy tips and ensure a fun and safe Halloween.
• When using makeup or face paint, be sure that it is hypoallergenic to avoid undue reaction around your eye. • Don’t paint eyebrows or eyelashes, because sweating can cause the paint to drip into your eye.
Never buy cosmetic contact lenses without a prescription from an eye care professional, because it is both illegal and dangerous. Improper use of cosmetic contacts can result in serious eye conditions including bacterial infections, swelling, eye pain, sensitivity to light, pink eye, and loss of clarity.
• Make sure your mask or accessories fit properly and do not obstruct or block vision.
DIABETIC EYE DISEASE AWARENESS
health complications. Early symptoms often go unnoticed, and vision may not be affected until the disease is severe and harder to treat.
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in working age Americans. During the month of November, we will be sharing news and information to increase awareness and encourage patients to seek treatments of vision problems related to diabetes.
Diabetic eye disease, a group of eye problems that affects those with diabetes, includes cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. Diabetic retinopathy damages the blood vessels in the back of the eye, and can potentially blind those that are affected.
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, nearly 29 million Americans above the age of 20 are affected by diabetes. Nearly a third of that number is not aware of their condition, and is at risk for vision loss and other
Diabetes should be taken seriously and monitored properly. Annual check ups and proper blood sugar control are crucial in keeping on top of the condition.
NATIONAL SAFE TOYS AND GIFTS AWARENESS
• Toys should be of durable and sturdy material. Materials that shatter or break easily, such as cheap plastics and ceramics, should be carefully considered to avoid possible future injuries.
Eye Physicians of Central Florida prides itself in the treatment and care of our pediatric patients, and as such we encourage parents to children of all ages to consider all options when buying toys for their children. To ensure that your child is playing with safe toys, look for the following signs: • Look for signs of possible hazardous materials, such as lead, heating elements, or small parts. • Toys that include projectiles or parts that fly off should be carefully considered. If your child wants a toy that shoots projectiles, soft foam is the ideal material. • Sharp points and edges should be avoided if possible, especially with children of young ages.
• Carry a flashlight to illuminate dark paths and walkways. Daytime trick or treating is always a safer option. Resource: https://www.verywell.com/halloween-eye-safety-tips-3421885
Resource: http://www.med.unc.edu/ophth/news/november-is-diabetic-eye-disease-awareness-month
• Inspect all packaging before purchasing to look for the appropriate age and skill level for your child. •E quipment used for sports and other recreational activities should always be coupled with the appropriate safety gear. • Avoid all writing utensils that are not labeled non-toxic. • If your child spends a lot of time playing video games, ensure that they take breaks and do not sit too close to the television. Checking all toys before buying will ensure that your child has a safe experience – especially during the holidays. Resource: https://www.healthtradition.com/december-is-safe-toys-and-gifts-month/
Find and circle all of the words that are hidden in the grid. The remaining letters spell an activity played on Halloween.
S V A M P I R E Z O M B I E B L N R E T N A L O K C A J Y O U B C B N G R A V E Y A R D E O G A K C O F F I N D A W N M H O N C T I T N K R C F E A U G B D I N O I E A S U G R C T W L L T N K M C L L A W E Y S I I E S P E U B L E O M W R O T N M M K L T M S R K B O E C C S U O A U O H C T A S L T S H P M O F O L E G T O O F E E E R M R N A R L S I H N P M L S P Y B M A E R C S R G E E P L E T A C K C A L B S F I C P G H O S T S S R E D I P S N A http://www.coloring.com.co/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Halloween-Word-Search-Printable-Coloring-Pages-Template.jpg
APPLES BATS BLACK CAT BROOMSTICK CANDLE CANDY CEMETERY COFFIN COSTUME DRACULA FRIGHTENING FULL MOON GHOSTS GHOULS GOBLINS GRAVEYARD JACK O LANTERN MASK MUMMY NIGHT PUMPKIN SCARECROW SCARY SCREAM SKELETON SKULL SPIDERS TOMBSTONE VAMPIRE WEREWOLF WITCHES ZOMBIE
An activity played on Halloween ____________________________________________________________
Elizabeth’s Link the Tabby Cat
PET
CORNER