Check out our holiday ad!

Check our our holiday ad! LASIK would make a great gift this holiday season. 

Food Drive

Have an eye appointment scheduled soon? Don't forget to bring a nonperishable item to donate to our food drive!

This is Carolina Ophthalmology's tenth year of collecting donations for the Inter-Faith Council's Food Pantry. We will be collecting food and personal hygiene items from now through the end of December.  

For information regarding donations, or for a list of items that are currently most needed at the Food Pantry, visit the Inter-Faith Council's website. 

Use Your Flex Spending Account for LASIK

Take advantage of tax-free medical spending options
and look for our ad in the Daily Tar Heel!

Click here for more information on Flex Spending Accounts and call 877-623-8811 to set up your FREE LASIK CONSULT.

June is Cataract Awareness Month

June is Cataract Awareness Month and Carolina Ophthalmology Associates wants to join efforts to educate the public on the risk factors, symptoms, and treatment options of the world’s leading cause of blindness.

A Cataract is the clouding of the eye's lens. The exact cause of cataracts is still uncertain but cataracts seem to form as we age.  Besides age related cataracts, there are several different kinds:

• Secondary cataract - forms as a result of other medical conditions like glaucoma, diabetes, exposure to toxic substances, etc
• Congenital cataract - present at birth due to birth defects, diseases, or other problems
• Traumatic cataract - forms after eye injury
• Radiation cataract - forms after major exposure to radiation

 According to Prevent Blindness America (PBA), there are more cases in the world of cataract than there are of glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and age-related macular degeneration combined.  Nationally, cataracts affect more than 22 million Americans aged 40 and older.

 Besides age, other risk factors for developing cataracts may include a family history of cataract, diabetes, smoking, alcohol, serious eye injury, the extended use of steroids and exposure to ultraviolet rays.

“We encourage everyone 40 years of age and over, to get a dilated, baseline eye exam,” recommends James A Bryan,MD.

Eye Exam Recommendations for Adults

Several factors determine when and how often adults should have an eye exam.  These factors include, age, family history and health. Below are our guidelines to maintain a lifetime of healthy vision. 

• People between the ages of 18 and 30 that consider themselves healthy and as having “perfect”vision” should have their eyes checked at least every five years.

• By age 40, everyone should have a baseline eye exam even if they aren’t experiencing any eye problems or symptoms.Many eye diseases begin in midlife but are not noticeable until later and after significant damage have occurred.

• Age 65 and older should have their eyes checked every year. By age 65, one in three Americans will have a vision impairing eye disease such as cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration.  The earlier the doctor discovers and treats the disease, the better the chance of preserving good vision.

Annual eye exams are recommended for adults with risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure, taking prescription drugs that cause eye related side effects and/or who wear contact lenses.

If you have any doubt how often you should have your eyes examined, call Carolina Ophthalmology Associates for professional guidance.

What Does 20/20 Mean?

Many of our patients ask what exactly does 20/20 vision mean.  And it’s a really good question that often gets wrong answers.  The first number indicates the standard in feet how far away the object in question is.  The second number tells us how many feet away the object is when a normal eye can see it.  I know, confusing, right?  Hopefully the following example will clear things up for you.  If you are seeing 20/60, that means you can see an object (or letter on an eye chart) at twenty feet but an eye that is considered “normal” can see it sixty feet away.  So, the higher the second number, the worse your vision is. 

If you or your child has had an eye test done and were 20/20, does that mean you have perfect vision?  Not necessarily. It only indicates the sharpness of vision at a distance -not close up.  Nor does it indicate other important aspects such as peripheral vision, colored vision, depth perception or testing for glaucoma.   A person can still have an eye disorder and see 20/20 and that is why the doctors at Carolina Ophthalmology Associates recommend that you have a yearly comprehensive eye exam.  Call to schedule an appointment at 967-4836 or click here to schedule an appointment on line.