The best course of action if you are experiencing eye problems is to have a checkup. Some eye problems are minor but some can lead to a permanent loss of vision if not detected early and treated. Common eye problems such as cataracts and glaucoma can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye examination.

Cataracts – a clouding of the eye’s lens that diminishes the transmission of light which causes a person to have dimmed or blurry vision. The blurring gradually increases over months or years.

• Diagnosed through a dilated-pupil examination and can be treated by changes in eyeglass prescription for mild cataracts or surgery if reading or driving becomes severely impaired.

Glaucoma – refers to a collection of diseases that cause damage to the optic nerve when fluids and pressure build up in the eye. The increased pressure can cause poor night vision, blind spots and lead to vision loss and ultimately blindness if left untreated.

• Treatment includes medication such as prescription eye drops to lower eye pressure, laser surgery, and conventional surgery.

The importance of a yearly eye exam is essential to our eye care health as we age. Cataracts are predominant in people over 60 and the risk of glaucoma typically increases after we turn 40.

There are eight additional eye doctors located in Plantation as the Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute has completed their move into a new facility at 850 Pine Island Road. Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute is comprised of seven board-certified Ophthalmologists and a certified Optometrist specializing in retinal diseases, eye diseases and vision correction.

The Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute Plantation office has 20 fully equipped exam rooms and a large comfortable waiting area for our patients. Patient care is our number one priority and our responsive staff of more than 45 employees provides the utmost in patient service. We offer expanded office hours for your convenience and an Ophthalmologist is on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week in case you have an emergency.

You can be confident that the Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute eye doctors in Plantation will provide you with the best comprehensive Ophthalmologic care possible.

South Florida’s channel 10 news recently interviewed Dr. Keith Skolnick on the air to discuss summer eye injuries. In the short video below you will hear about common injuries that occur in the summer along with tips about how to protect your eyes from these injuries. You will also hear one of Dr. Skolnick’s patients talking about his injury and how it was treated.

Dr. Keith Skolnick is a board certified comprehensive ophthalmologist specializing in vision correction surgery, glaucoma, cataract and many other eye diseases. He has been with Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute since 2001 and also teaches optometry students and medical residents from NOVA Southeastern University.

View the video on the channel 10 website.

Dr. Burgess was recently invited to appear on channel 10 news here in South Florida where he discussed drug options used in macular degeneration treatments that can save money for patients. At this time there is no cure for macular degeneration however these drugs can delay progress of the disease and possibly offer some improvement.

Dr. Stuart Burgess is board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology and has been with the Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute since 1999.

View the video on the channel 10 website.

Both are refractive conditions, meaning that they are problems related to how the light is focused as it enters the eye. Ideally, as light enters the eye, without any additional effort, the light would be perfectly focused onto the inside lining of the eye which detects the light, called the retina. The brain would then see a clear view of the world. This person would not need glasses for the distance.

Nearsighted means that with your natural uncorrected vision, you can see closer or “nearer” and further out gets blurry. Nearsightedness or myopia is a refractive defect of the eye lens in which the image is formed in front of the retina not on it. This defect can have people seeing closer objects clearly while distant ones are blurred.

Farsighted is simply the opposite. Farsightedness or hypermetropia or hyperopia is a defect of vision in which closer objects appear to be blurred. It occurs because the eyeball is too short, the lens has incorrect curvature or the cornea is flat.

When you decide to go to the beach typically you gather a few things to bring with you:

• Sun screen for your skin
• Water to keep hydrated
• Food to keep your energy up.

Well your eyes require just as much protection from the sun as your skin. The sun’s ultraviolet radiation can adversely affect your eyes and eyesight unless you wear protective lenses.

If you spend a lot of your time at the beach you may be at greater risk of eye damage. Here are some short term effects of being at the beach without protecting your eyes.

Exposing your eyes to an excessive amount of ultraviolet radiation over a short period of time causes photokeratitis, which is like sunburn of the eye. Your eyes may become red, teary and extremely sensitive. The effect is usually only temporary, causing no permanent harm to the eyes.

It is recommended that you wear good quality sunglasses with UV protection. It is also recommended that you wear a wide-brimmed hat when outdoors. The sunglasses should block 99 percent to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation and screen from 75 percent to 90 percent of visible light.

It is also recommended that lenses be gray for correct color recognition.

Over the past couple of years laser vision correction surgery has become a popular choice due to the cost decreasing. Laser vision correction surgery is a relatively simple procedure and the vast majority of people have positive experiences.

1. No more eye glasses
Gone will be the days of having to remember to wear your eye glasses. Not to mention the routine checks and the cost of those glasses this could be thousands of dollars over time.

2. Fast Results
Whether you’re having Lasik, Advanced Surface Ablation, Conductive Keratoplasty or Clear Lens Extraction these procedures will have you back on your feet and ready to take on the world in no time.

3. Peripheral vision increased
Wearing glasses or even contact lenses can sometimes limit your Peripheral vision. Having vision correction surgery can help eliminate this issue.

4. Better night vision
Multiple laser vision correction surgeries aid in allowing the patient to able to see better at night.

5. Save Money
The cost of lasik surgery has gone down as more doctors are experienced at performing the surgery. Most people who need corrective eyewear have both contacts and eyeglasses. Paying for both of those over a lifetime costs much more than laser vision correction surgery.

6. Convenience
Most laser vision correction surgery types take under an hour to complete. The patient can resume normal activities within a day.

7. Better health
Different types of lasik procedures can correct higher and lower aberrations of the eye. These corrections can prevent serious health issues down the road. Patients typically feel an increased self-esteem when they are able to throw away their corrective eyewear. This increase in confidence often leads to a more satisfying personal and professional life.

8. Safety
Research has shown that getting laser correction surgery can be much safer versus just getting contact lenses.

I’m sure you have heard the vision myths while you were growing up. Your mom telling you “you’ll hurt your eyes if you sit too close to the tv” or my favorite “eat your carrots for better vision”. Well, I think it’s time to get to the bottom of all these vision myths and get some vision facts once and for all!

Myth: If you sit too close to the tv you’ll hurt your eyes.
Fact: The truth is if you need to sit close to the tv to clearly see what is going on you may already have vision problems. Sitting close to any object to see it better is a symptom of nearsightedness and you should talk with your doctor. However, there is no scientific proof that sitting to close to a tv will cause any damage to your eye site.

Myth: If you eat carrots they will improve your vision.
Fact: While it is true that carrots carry beta-carotene and a source of vitamin A, which are both essential nutrients, eating carrots will not improve your eye site regardless how many you eat. They are however an essential part to a healthy diet.

Myth: Reading in the dark can damage your eyes.
Fact: We have all read in the dark once or twice in our lives I’m sure. Lucky for us, the only thing this will cause is eye fatigue. You may get a slight headache and your eyes will become tired a bit quicker causing words to seem blurry but this is only temporary and no permanent damage has been done to your vision.

Myth: Wearing someone’s glasses will hurt your eyes more then it will help.
Fact: There is a slight truth to this one. While you are wearing someone else’s glasses your eyes will not be working as they normally would. This however is only temporary and as soon as you take the glasses off your eyes will automatically adjust back to normal.

Myth: Vision loss happens and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
Fact: There is some truth to this, while as we age our vision will naturally deteriorate and won’t be as sharp. But, you can slow this down with a healthy diet, wearing protective eye gear such as goggles or sunglasses, and having regular eye exams.

Myth: Starring at the computer all day will ruin your eyes.
Fact: When you stare at anything for an extended period of time you tend to blink less causing dryness and eye strain but will not affect your vision. It is recommended for you to take regular breaks and frequently glance away from the computer when working for an extended amount of time.

Myth: Staring directly at the sun is okay if you squint or are wearing sunglasses.
Fact: It is never recommended to stare at the sun. The sun produces ultra-violet rays which can cause damage to your cornea, lens, and retina. Even the best sunglasses can’t block UV rays 100%. It should also be noted that staring directly at a solar eclipse can cause blindness.

Myth: Crossing your eyes will make them stay like that.
Fact: When you cross your eyes for humor or amusement it may cause a few laughs but it will not cause permanent damage to your eyes and once you are done your eyes will return to normal placement. Our eyes naturally come together when we look at something closely so when you purposefully cross your eyes you are just exaggerating your eyes natural response.

Myth: Children with crossed-eyes or misaligned eyes will grow out of it as they get older.
Fact: Crossed-eyes, a condition called strabismus, and misaligned eyes, a condition calls amblyopia, will not correct themselves over time. The eye must be forced to correct this by using patching, glasses, eye drops, or surgical procedures. The best results are achieved when the corrections are started as soon as possible.

Myth: You don’t have to have regular eye exams and only need to have your eyes checks when you are experiencing problems.
Fact: It is very important and highly recommended to have regular eye exams. Regular eye exams can prevent eye disease, help find other health problems, and correct eye problems at an early stage helping to prevent more damage.

There are many more vision myths out there that we didn’t touch on in this article but these are some of the common ones. If you are in doubt that what your hearing about vision is a myth or fact talk with your eye professional to get the truth.

A few days ago Nintendo issued a warning that children under 6 should not look at the 3-D screen on its new 3DS hand-held device because “ it could harm eye development”. This left pediatric ophthalmologists, some of them world-leading authorities on childhood eye development, scratching their heads.

The consensus is: No known harm could possibly come to children’s eye development from any kind of video game, 3-D or otherwise.  So why the warning? There is, as yet, no follow-up from Nintendo. It appears to us at Fort Lauderdale Eye Institute that Nintendo was acting out of an abundance of caution. This would be similar to a warning which appeared a few years ago. A label appeared on Superman costumes warning: “Wearing this suit does not enable the wearer to fly!” It seems that, once again, our overly litigious society triumphs over common sense.