Eye Myths

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Eye myths| Alaina Kronenberg MD| Eye Surgery InstituteEye Myths

There is a lot of information your friends or family may say about your eyes.  Do you ever wonder if what they say is really true?  Should you follow their advice?  There is a lot of confusion regarding what is really true about your eye health.  Dr. Stanley Grandon, Dr. Cindy Wang and I can discuss your concerns in our office.  Here is some information regarding common eye myths.

Myth: You should not have cataract surgery until it is “ripe”

A cataract is a clouding of the natural lens in your eye.  Most people develop a cataract as they age.  You should consider having cataract surgery when you are unhappy with your vision with your glasses on during your daily activities.  Cataract surgery is a relatively safe, outpatient eye surgery.  It is important that we perform a comprehensive eye examination to check for other conditions that can be affecting your vision.

Myth: You should not read in dim light

It is not harmful for your eyes to read in dim light.  Reading in dim light may make your eyes feel strained or tired, but it will not cause any long term damage.

Myth:  It is bad for my eyes if I sit too close to the television

It will not harm your eyes if you are sitting too close to the television.  If your child insists on sitting close to the television, you may want to make sure they have normal vision.  I recommend they have an eye examination to check for the need for glasses as well as other eye problems.

Myth: I don’t really need safety glasses

Severe eye injuries can often happen when you are least expecting it.  It is important to use eye protection to prevent injuries that can lead to blindness.  It is especially important to use safety eye protection if you have poor vision in one of your eyes.

Alaina Kronenberg, M.D.
Cataract Specialist
Comprehensive Ophthalmologist
Dearborn, Michigan 48126

Blepharitis

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What is Blepharitis?

Are your eyelids or eyes red, sore, irritated, have a foreign body sensation or do you suffer from itchy or crusty eyelids?  You may have blepharitis.  It is a common condition that causes inflammation of either the inside or the outside of the eyelids.

Blepharitis is usually not an infection.  Is it usually not contagious to other people.   You may notice your symptoms to be either constant or intermittent.  It often tends to be chronic or recur frequently and can be very bothersome.

Types of DiseaseBlepharitis | Alaina Kronenberg MD | Eye Surgery Institute

There are several causes for blepharitis.  The two main types: anterior blepharitis and posterior blepharitis (also called meibomian gland disease MGD).  It is important to distinguish between these two types to offer the proper treatments to our patients.

Blepharitis and Dry eyes

Many patients have dry eyes at the same time.  It is important for Dr. Stanley Grandon, Dr. Cindy Wang and I to perform a careful slit lamp examination to determine the proper cause of your symptoms.   This will allow us to offer treatments that will offer the most improvement in your symptoms.  We can also perform a tear osmolarity test that helps determine how dry your eyes are.

Treatment

The amount of treatment recommended often depends on the type of disease and the severity of the disease.  If you have anterior blepharitis, we often recommend keeping the eyelids clean with baby shampoo scrubs or eyelid cleaning pads or solutions.  Dr. Stanley Grandon, Dr. Cindy Wang and I may also prescribe a short course of antibiotic eye ointment for your eyelids at bedtime.

If your disease is more posterior (meibomian gland disease), warm compresses can be very helpful.  Lubrication drops can be helpful.  Sometimes anti inflammatory drops can be helpful also.  It is also important to treat concomitant dry eye disease to achieve relief of your symptoms.

Alaina Kronenberg, M.D.
Cataract Specialist
Comprehensive Ophthalmologist
Dearborn, Michigan 48126