NOVEMBER IS AMERICAN DIABETES MONTH

At Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City, Dr. John Henahan considers educating diabetic patients one of his most important missions.  That is because diabetes is the single leading cause of irreversible vision loss in Americans under 70 years of age.  During this month, please visit stopdiabetes.org to learn more about this disease.  As for preserving your vision, below are Dr. Henahan’s top tips to prevent vision loss if you are diabetic.

 1)    Annual Eye Exams

Seeing well into the future is no big trick — as long as you have regular vision and eye health examinations.  There are many disorders and diseases that can have long lasting affects on your eyes if not diagnosed early.  One disease that can be detected during a thorough eye examination is diabetic eye disease. Yet, less than 50% of diabetics have an annual diabetic eye examination.  That is unfortunate, as early detection and treatment can prevent vision loss in the majority of people suffering from diabetic eye disease.  Studies have repeatedly shown that early detection of diabetic eye disease is essential for the prevention of vision loss.  Once vision loss occurs, it is unlikely that full function can be recovered.

2) Retinal Photography

Be sure that your eye examination includes a dilated eye examination and photography of the retina (the part of the eye where most vision loss in diabetes occurs). Retinal photography has been shown to detect diabetic eye disease in more people than an eye examination alone.

Note blood spots and white swollen areas (click to enlarge)

3)   Control Blood Sugar

The two main risk factors for diabetic eye disease are how long you have been diabetic and how well you control your blood sugar.  Since you cannot control how long you have been diabetic, it is imperative that you control your blood sugar. The most important measure of control is a blood test called an “A-1-C” test. This test measures how well you have controlled your blood sugar for the past 90 days or so.  “I often tell my patients that this test is the best way to know if you are winning or losing your battle with diabetes”, says Dr. Henahan. It is critical to have this test done by your doctor as directed (typically every three months).  Also you need to know your doctor’s goal for your score (typically in the 6.0-7.0 range).  If you don’t know your score, you need to find out.

Dr. Henahan and Spectrum Eyecare are emphasizing the importance of annual dilated eye examinations during American Diabetes Month in November.  As a diabetic, or a person at risk, seeing your optometrist is as important as visiting your physician regularly and following instructions about proper diet, exercise, and medication.

Remember, if you are diabetic your medical insurance will cover an eye examination, so you do not need vision insurance to have an exam (you may still have a deductible or co-pay, check with your insurance company).

Schedule an annual eye examination today if it has been more than a year or if your blood sugar control has been deteriorating. Dr. Henahan is a resident of Peachtree City and founder of Spectrum Eyecare.  You may reach his office at 770-487-0667 or on the web at SpecEye.com.

Dr. John Henahan of Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City is proud to announce that Spectrum is celebrating it’s three year anniversary this month.

“We unofficially opened on April 15, 2008.  The official public opening occurred on May 1, 2008″, according to Dr. Henahan.  ”It has been a wonderful three years, especially the support of the residents of the Peachtree City area, which I am proud to call home as well as where I practice.”

“Lots of things have changed since we opened, with surprising technological leaps in eyeglass lenses and bifocal contact lens technology, as well as the ability to diagnose and treat eye diseases. We have expanded and refined our selection of unique frames including our newest addition, RayBan.

One thing that has not changed is Spectrum Eyecare’s simple patient satisfaction philosophy.  My staff listens to the issue and asks themselves, ‘What would I want done for myself in this situation?’, then they do that.  ”It makes things very simple for us”, reports Dr. Henahan.

“As an optometrist, I am so proud of what we have created here and the wonderful staff that I work with.  I feel so thankful for  the patients who entrust us with the care of their eyes”, Dr. Henahan continues.  ”We look forward to many years of continuing our mission of providing the highest quality eye care, eyeglasses and medical eye care in a relaxed, caring environment.”

If you or someone you know needs the most caring, comprehensive eye care available, please contact us here or call 770-487-0667.

Dr. John Henahan and the staff of Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City are proud to announce that they have added the famed RayBan® line of sunglasses and frames to their eclectic mix of products. ”At Spectrum Eyecare we continually strive to provide our patients with the most exciting and highest quality ophthalmic products,” reports Dr. Henahan.

RayBan® is a classic product line first launched in 1937 that includes the celebrated Aviator sunglasses. They have been a top choice for sunglasses since being adopted by pilots during World War II. The Ray-Ban Aviator became well-known when photographers snapped several pictures of General Douglas MacArthur wearing them.

Over the years, other classics have included the Wayfarer , invented in 1952.  In the early days they were worn by artists, presidents (including JFK) and Hollywood stars.  Tom Cruise‘s wearing of Wayfarers in the 1983 movie Risky Business marked the beginning of a Wayfarers phenomenon, which has continued until this day.

In recent years, RayBan has produced an increasingly popular line of frames for regular (non-sunglasses) lenses.  The quality, Italian made frames include handmade plastics, metals and titanium options.

“We are proud of the heritage of RayBan and how they complement our other frame lines from Europe”, says Dr. Henahan.  ”Additionally, the option of polarized or non-polarized lenses is highly beneficial for our large airline pilot population. Polarized lenses offer the most glare reduction but are not a good option for pilots due to the effect they can have seeing through the cockpit glass and viewing certain instruments in the cockpit.”

In the coming weeks, Dr. Henahan will be publishing a story on what to look for when shopping for sunglasses this summer, including lens options, how polarization works and the advantages and disadvantages of different frame and lens materials.

If you are looking for the best quality eye exams, eyewear and service experience, feel free to contact us or call the office at 770-487-0667.

At Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City, Dr. John Henahan evaluates many patients who spend 8 or more hours per day looking at a computer!

In a recent article for Fox Health, Dr. Bruce Rosenthal elaborated a number of great strategies for reducing computer related eyestrain.

Understanding how they eyes focus is the key. With computer screens, smart phones, iPads and similar devices, the eyes cannot obtain a focusing “lock” the way they do when looking at hard copy material. As a result, the eyes continually hunt for a focus lock, which fatigues the eye muscles responsible for focusing.  This can result in headaches and blurred vision at near or distance.

To reduce these symptoms, Dr. Rosenthal recommends the following:

1. Use proper lighting: Most office settings use bright, often harsh lighting. The more light the better, right? Unfortunately, that’s not true, but the solution to harsh bright lights is simple. Knowing that the bright lights are hurting you is often the bigger problem.

If you have a window, use blinds or curtains to limit the amount of sunlight beaming in. Use lower intensity bulbs and tubes inside. If you have both, turn off the indoor lights and open your blinds or curtains until you’re comfortable.

If you’re used to working in bright light, you might feel a bit out of sorts at first. Give yourself some time to adjust to the softer lighting. If you can’t control the lighting, consider wearing yellow tinted glasses.

2. Reduce environmental glare: Glare is reflected light that bounces off surfaces such as walls and computer screens. Often, you don’t even realize you’re compensating for it, so finding glare might take a bit of effort. There are a few things that you can do to reduce the glare:? Paint bright walls a darker color and use paint with a matte finish?.  Also, consider installing an anti-glare screen and/or a glare hood on your monitor. If you wear glasses, consider applying an anti-reflective coating to the lenses.

3. Use proper computer settings: One of the simplest ways to reduce eyestrain is to adjust your monitor’s brightness and contrast settings. There’s no right or wrong setting. Just experiment until you’re comfortable.  If the background gives off a lot of light, reduce the brightness. In addition, keep the contrast between the background and characters high.

4. Maximize comfort by adjusting text size and color: Adjusting the on-screen text’s size and color can provide relief. First, try enlarging the text. You’re probably using the smallest size you can to view more text on the screen, but that compounds the problem. Instead, enlarge the text to two to three times the smallest size you can read.  Avoid busy backgrounds. Black letters with a white or ivory background is usually best.

5. Take a break: If you work at a computer most of the day, work in a few breaks. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommends that computer workers take four 5-minute breaks in addition to the customary two 15-minute breaks during the day. If you don’t take those two 15-minute breaks, take a five-minute break for every hour you sit at the computer. The American Optometric Association (AOA) recommends a 15-minute break for every two hours of computer use.

6. Clean your screen: The easiest tip of all is to clean your screen frequently. Dust, fingerprints, and other smears are distracting and make reading more difficult. Often, you don’t even see the dust; you just look right past it. Make it a habit to wipe off your screen frequently.

7. Position copy correctly: Glancing back and forth between a printed copy and your computer screen causes eyestrain. To ease discomfort, place the printed copy as close to your monitor as possible, in addition, use a copy stand if possible to keep the copy upright.? This is the one time you might want more light, but position it carefully so that it sheds light on the printed page but doesn’t shine into your face or reflect off your monitor. Remember to use soft light.

8. Position yourself correctly: Keep your distance from the monitor; most people sit too close. Position your computer monitor about 20 to 24 inches from your eyes. Your screen’s center should be about 10 to 15 degrees below your eyes. This arrangement provides the best support.

9. Get computer glasses: If you just can’t get relief, you might need special glasses you can wear just for working at the computer. You can’t pick these at your favorite discount store. You’ll need a prescription from an eye doctor.

Don’t depend on prescription reading glasses to negate CVS either. Reading glasses help with distances of 16 to 21 inches. In contrast, computer glasses work for distances of 18 to 28 inches. It’s unlikely that the same pair of glasses will accommodate reading printed material and working at your computer.

According to Dr. Henahan, as we spend more and more of our time looking at electronic devices it becomes increasingly important to be proactive in reducing CVS, so we can maximize comfort and productivity when working with electronic devices.  If you are having symptoms of CVS and would like a complete eye examination contact Dr. Henahan in Peachtree City or your local eye doctor.

An article in today’s Yahoo Finance section highlighted the potential visual benefits to the new Nintendo 3D, according to Dr. John Henahan of Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City.

According to the article,  ”U.S. eye specialists are dismissing warnings that the 3-D screen shouldn’t be used by children 6 or younger because it may harm their immature vision.

On the contrary, the optometrists say, it’s a good idea to get your kids to try the 3-D screen, especially if they’re younger than 6. It won’t do any harm, they say, and it could help catch vision disorders that have to be caught early to be fixed.

The new handheld game device is already available in Japan and goes on sale in the U.S. on March 27 for $250. It has two screens like the DS machines it is designed to replace. The top screen can show 3-D images, without the need for special glasses, though only new games will be in 3-D.

If your child doesn’t see the 3-D effect on the 3DS, that’s a sign that he or she may have a vision disorder such as amblyopia, or “lazy eye,” or subtler problems that can cause problems with reading, Dr. Duenas said. Kids who experience dizziness or discomfort should also be checked, he said.

Today’s 3-D viewing systems send different images to the right and left eyes, a technique that creates an illusion of depth. But a lot of the cues we use to perceive depth in our environment are missing. That confuses the eyes and accounts for the eyestrain and headaches many people experience watching 3-D movies. Because of that, optometrists say, these systems can help isolate problems that have to do with the way the eyes move, problems that aren’t caught by eye charts.

Nintendo’s warning, issued in December, was vaguely worded. It said specialists believe “there is a possibility that 3-D images which send different images to the left and right eye could affect the development of vision in small children.”

The Japanese company didn’t back the warning up with scientific evidence, so Duenas sees it as being motivated by liability concerns — much like coffee mugs carry warnings that beverages could be hot — rather than a true danger.

Reggie Fils-Aime, the president of Nintendo of America, says the company is “aware of all the work that has been done in the field” and issued the warning based on that work. The warning, he said, is based on research that up until age 6, a child’s eye — specifically the connection between the eye and the brain — is still developing.  Nintendo, he said, wants to be “conservative and consistent,” erring on the side of safety.

Optometrists haven’t seen any sign that 3-D screens can cause lasting damage, but they also acknowledge that not much is known about how 3-D viewing affects us. He noted that the No. 1 health issue associated with console and computer gaming is obesity, rather than eye problems.

“Kids should be out running around,” he said.”

Dr. Henahan encourages people to check out the American Optometric association’s special 3-D education  website.  If you or a family member are having difficulties with 3-D devices or suffer from computer related eyestrain, contact us for a complete eye examination.

Dry Macular Degeneration is the number one cause of vision loss in Americans over age 65, according to Dr. John Henahan of Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City.  ”When I was director of low vision services at LSU Eye Center (in New Orleans), macular degeneration was the cause of vision impairment in more than 90% of my patients.”  The condition afflicts 10 to 15 million Americans.

To date, dry macular degeneration has been untreatable, so prevention is a primary focus. Perhaps that will change with stem cell therapy.  Bloomberg News reports “Advanced Cell Technology Inc. (ACT) is to test a therapy made from stem cells in patients with” age-related “macular degeneration (AMD). “Doctors will inject retinal cells made from stem cells into the eyes of 12 people with the dry form of macular degeneration.”

The Los Angeles Times reported that the “Phase I/II trial…would primarily test the safety of the cells and whether they are well-tolerated by patients.” Researchers “hope that these patients can be helped by the company’s retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells, which would theoretically replace the ones that have been destroyed by the disease. The RPE cells have restored vision in rats and mice with an animal version of the disease.”

The Worcester Telegram reported that “the trial is the second human study for” ACT. Back “in November, the company received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to test its cells in patients with Stargardt’s Disease, a form of juvenile macular degeneration.”

While this clinical trial brings hope for the millions who suffer from this condition or may suffer in the future, the best strategy is still one of prevention.  According to Dr. Henahan, use of UV protective sunglasses, fish oil, lutein and a multivitamin should be a mainstay of preventive efforts.  Additionally, smoking is a major risk factor for macular degeneration, so smoking cessation should be a top priority as well.  Finally, regular eye exams with a dilated retinal evaluation is critical, especially for patients over the age of 45.

If you or a family member are at risk for AMD, contact Spectrum Eyecare and Dr. Henahan in Peachtree City for a complete eye examination.  We will take the time to thoroughly examine your eyes and discuss the best ways to ensure a lifetime of healthy vision.

#1 Protect the future of your vision.  Vision loss is a leading cause of disability in older Americans.  By simply having an eye examination periodically, you can ensure that any eye health issues can be addressed before the problem becomes irreversible.  Remember, even if you don’t have vision insurance, a medically focused eye exam can usually be billed through your medical insurance. Proper nutrition is also a foundation for a lifetime of good vision.

#2 Wear Sunglasses. Quality polarized sunglasses with UV protection can cut the risk of cataracts, macular degeneration and even reduce the risk of skin cancers around the eyes.  Additionally, up to 30% of auto accidents are associated with glare induced vision impairment.  Polarized sunglasses are far more effective at cutting dangerous glare than tinted lenses alone when driving.  Polarized sunglasses are available with and without prescription lenses.

#3 Stop sleeping in your Contact Lenses. Study after study have shown that sleeping in contact lenses is the number one risk factor for serious complications from contact lenses including a potentially blinding eye infection called a corneal ulcer.  Even if your contact lenses are approved for extended wear, it is much safer to remove them at night.

#4 Throw Away those Contact Lenses (and that Contact Lens Case). After extended wear, keeping contact lenses for too long is the major risk for the aforementioned eye infections.  Most contact lenses are meant to be thrown away every two – four weeks.  As your contact lens ages, it is less able to provide enough oxygen to the surface of the eye.  This oxygen starvation can damage the surface of the eye.  Also, have you looked at your contact lens case lately?  Older cases are breeding grounds for bacteria.  Each time you buy a new bottle of solution, get a new case (some companies even bundle cases with large solution bottles).

#5 Resolve to give up your reading glasses. Are you a reading glasses addict? Do you have pairs spread around the house, car and office?  Always running around looking for a pair when your phone rings, when you need to read a menu, recipe or  to check your Facebook status?  There is a better way.  With a new generation of High-definition bifocal contact lenses and eyeglasses you can have good vision all the time; far away, close up and in between.  Imagine, no more taking on and off readers all day.

Whatever else you may do, Dr. Henahan recommends you resolve to see the best in yourself, others and the world around you.  Now that is a resolution we can all agree on!

Dr. John Henahan is a fellowship trained doctor of optometry practicing and living in Peachtree City with his wife and two sons.  You may call his office at 770 487-0667 or visit him on the web at www.speceye.com.

According to a recent post by Andrew Weil, MD multiple studies have again reiterated the importance of a nutrition and healthy diet in reducing the risk of Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of vision loss in older Americans.  ”Dr. Weil has been a real pioneer in integrative medicine”, according to Dr. John Henahan at Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City. “I have long worked to integrate nutrition counseling and judicious use of supplements to reduce the risk of eye disease and improve symptoms of various eye conditions”, continues Dr. Henahan.

“Researchers at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS)-funded Laboratory for Nutrition and Vision Research have found that the combination of a low-glycemic diet combined with vitamins C and E, zinc, lutein, zeaxanthin, and omega-3 fatty acids can help maintain quality of life and reduce health care costs due to sight-robbing eye diseases.”, reports Dr. Weil in his recent post.  A low glycemic diet has many other health benefits (Learn more). Omega-3 fatty acids, especially those found in fish oil have recently been reported to reduce the risk of macular degeneration markedly.  They also reduce dry eye symptoms in about 70% of patients.

Dr. Weil favors additional lifestyle and dietary changes to help reduce the risk of macular degeneration.  These include smoking cessation, sunglasses, and a diet rich in Vitamins, C, E as well as lutein and zinc.  According to Dr. Weil’s website, “Vitamin C-rich foods include citrus fruits, melons, tomatoes, potatoes and broccoli. You can get vitamin E from soybeans, greens, fish, wheat germ, nuts and seeds.Dietary sources of zinc are legumes (peas, dried beans, garbanzos/chickpeas, black-eyed peas, lentils and soy products) and whole grains. The carotenoid pigment lutein is found naturally in spinach, kale, collard greens, romaine lettuce and peas. Other protective compounds are the red and purple pigments found in berries and other fruit. Eat berries, especially blueberries, often. You can also get these pigments into your diet with supplements of bilberry, grape seed extract or pine bark extract. My recommendations for daily vitamin E are to take 400-800 IU of natural mixed tocopherols, or at least 80 mg of natural mixed tocopherols and tocotrienols. People under 40 should take 400 IUs a day; people over 40, 800 IUs.”

At Spectrum Eyecare, Dr. Henahan favors a preventive approach to macular degeneration.  ”You must act as soon as the earliest signs of macular pigment loss are apparent, which often occurs in the forties and fifties.  If you wait until macular degeneration is apparent, then it is too late to prevent it.  If your doctor is not looking carefully for signs of early macular pigment loss, called drusen, then you may be missing an opportunity to prevent this devestating condition.”, reports Dr. Henahan.  ”Look for health care professionals that want to partner with you to help you stay well, not wait until your eye is sick.”

“The growing body of research in children’s vision correction continues to demonstrate that contact lenses provide significant benefits to children beyond simply correcting their vision. This three year, multi-site study showed considerable improvement for contact lens wearing children 10 years or older in areas of appearance, participation in activities, and satisfaction with vision correction, and it remained or improved over three years,” said Jeffrey J. Walline, O.D, Ph.D., of The Ohio State University College of Optometry and leader of the Adolescent and Child Health Initiative to Encourage Vision Empowerment (ACHIEVE) Study, the largest randomized trial of its kind.

Researchers note that the most surprising finding may be children’s reports of improved quality of life with regard to handling contact lenses compared with glasses, as it is often assumed that glasses are much easier to manage than contact lenses.

“Although contact lenses may require more adept handling, daily disposable contact lenses decrease this burden, and the fact that contact lenses may be lost or broken less often than glasses outweighs the slight increase in time spent inserting and removing contact lenses,” said Dr. Walline. “Many children remove their glasses multiple times per day during gym, recess or other activities, which increases the chances of loss or breakage.”, according to Dr. Henahan.

Four hundred eighty-four 8- to 11-year-old nearsighted children participated in the randomized, single-masked trial conducted from September 2003 to October 2007 at five clinical centers in the United States.

Children were randomly assigned to wear spectacles (n=237) or contact lenses (n=247) for three years. Children randomly assigned to wear contact lenses were provided the option of daily disposable or two-week disposable lenses, and they chose daily disposable contact lenses 93.3 percent of the time.

Researchers measured outcomes using the Pediatric Refractive Error Profile (PREP), an instrument used to compare the vision-specific quality of life between children affected only with refractive error.  The PREP survey consisted of 11 scales: activities, appearance, far vision, near vision, handling, peer perception, satisfaction, academics, symptoms, overall vision, and overall PREP.

Doctors will typically evaluate a child’s maturity and level of parental support in deciding whether a child is ready for contact lenses. Dr. Walline advises parents and eye care practitioners to look beyond the visual benefits when choosing the most appropriate vision correction modality for children requiring vision correction.

At Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City, Dr. John Henahan works with many children to fit contact lenses, as well as treating common eye conditions, such as pink eye.  To learn more, click here or contact the office at 770-487-0667.

As the parent of two young children, Dr. John Henahan of Spectrum Eyecare in Peachtree City is deeply aware of the joys and challenges of parenting.  ”Sometimes it seems my kids are living in a different reality than my wife and I do”, jokes Dr. Henahan.

New evidence suggest that children really do see and hear a different world as compared with their parents.

HealthDay (9/14, Preidt) reported that, according to research published September 13 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, “children may actually see the world differently than adults.” In fact, “in two new studies, UK researchers found that not only do children separate different senses, such as vision and sound,” but “their brain also separates input it receives when looking at a scene with one eye compared to with both eyes.”

According to HealthDay, children younger than 12 don’t combine different sensory information in order to understand their surroundings.  Study co-author Denis Mareschal, from the Center for Brain and Cognitive Development at Birkbeck, University of London, explained: “Babies have to learn how different senses relate to each other and to the outside world. While children are still developing, the brain must determine the relationships between different kinds of sensory information to know which kinds go together and how. It may be adaptive for children not to integrate information while they are still learning such relationships — those between vision and sound, or between perspective and binocular visual cues.”

This may help explain commonly seen visual behaviors of children, such as holding books and handheld video games really close to their face, says Dr. Henahan.  ”At Spectrum Eyecare, I frequently field questions from parents about behaviors their children exhibit.  Examples of this include close working distances, and children who don’t respond well when engrossed in a visual task.”  While other factors are likely also involved, these studies help us understand that vast differences between the way adults and children perceive the world around them.

Dr. Henahan is careful to point out that this behavior should not be confused with true vision problems such as nearsightedness or lazy eye.  ”Every child should have a complete eye exam with dilated pupils before their sixth birthday”, reports Dr. Henahan.  Then we can ensure that no underlying vision problems will be present that can interfere with the child’s social, cognitive and visual development.

Dr. John Henahan is an fellow of the American Academy of Optometry practicing and living in Peachtree City, GA with his wife and two sons.  You may call his office at 770 487-0667 or visit him on the web at www.speceye.com.

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