Are cataracts and glaucoma related? Cataracts and glaucoma are separate diseases.  Both affect vision, but in different ways.  Cataracts are when the lens in the eye become cloudy and difficult to see through.  Glaucoma is when the nerve from the eye to the brain begins to be damaged and die off.  If you have glaucoma, […]

PRIOR TO SURGERY: 1. Notify the ophthalmologist of any use of blood thinners including aspirin, coumadin, plavix, ibuprofen, alleve, ect.  Discuss with your ophthalmologist or primary care doctor about possibly stopping any blood thinning medications.  Do not stop medications on your own.  These need to be stopped between 1-2 weeks prior to surgery to prevent bleeding. […]

How do I know if I have skin cancer? Any new growth, mole, or defined area of skin which does not look like surrounding skin should be checked by your doctor.  On the eyelids, benign growths can occur, but any sudden new growth or expansion of existing growth should be checked by an ophthalmologist or […]

What is a Chalazion? A chalazion is an oil gland which is clogged along the eyelid.  It makes a round bump on the eyelid, under the skin.  The eyelids have oil glands which are vertical inside the eyelid and have openings just behind each eyelash.  When these glands and/or their openings stop functioning and become clogged, all […]

Drooping Eyelid Repair Blepharoplasty This is a procedure which removes excess skin which is drooping or causing the eyelid to be weighed down.  Extra fat which is protruding can also be removed. Ptosis repair This procedure re-attaches the muscle which lifts the eyelid to the cartilage in the eyelid itself. Risks of Surgery Although this […]

  Depending on the cause of the drooping, the treatment varies. Medical If there is an underlying muscular or neurologic cause, treatment will most likely be focused on that cause.  Myasthenia gravis is treated with a medication and follow-up with a neurologist.  A stroke will need to be treated by a primary care physician, a […]

What is ptosis? Ptosis (pronounced toe-sis, the p is silent), is a drooping eyelid.  When the eyelids sag downward. What causes ptosis? Drooping eyelids can be caused by several things. Aging. The most common form is from aging.  As we age, the muscle which lifts the eyelid slowly detaches from the cartilage plate in the […]

There used to be just one choice of lens implanted when cataract surgery was performed.  Now, there are several options for those undergoing cataract surgery. The standard, or traditional, lens is a lens which replaces your natural lens, but it can only be set at one focal point, and does not account for astigmatism. IF you […]

The following refers to Open Angle Glaucoma Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve, which causes loss of nerve tissue over time.  The optic nerve is the connection between your eye and your brain.  It is actually brain tissue. Glaucoma vision loss cannot be fixed.  Once the nerve tissue is damaged, it cannot be […]

Glaucoma is a disease of the eye which affects the nerve of the eye, the optic nerve.  The optic nerve is the “cable” which transmits the vision captured in the eye to the brain, which then interprets the information and allows you to see.  This nerve runs from the brain to the back of the […]