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.

Special LASIK Offer!

Carolina Ophthalmology Associates is now offering the revolutionary iLASIK™ surgical procedure at a special introductory price of $1500 an eye!   This introduction means you need to take a second look at laser vision correction surgery, here's why:

·         iLASIK™ is the most advanced option

·         100% customized, all-laser procedure

·         Maximized vision quality and decreased risk of night time glare and halos

·         Unique to your eyes only

·         Endorsed by NASA and US military

The iLASIK™ procedure joins the safety and precision of IntraLase (the bladeless technique for creating a flap) with the customization and superior results of Custom LASIK. This combination has proven to be immensely successful in helping patients achieve 20/20 vision or better. 

Call Pam now for details and to find out if you can benefit from this exciting procedure at

919-945-3937

OFFER EXPIRES SEPTEMBER 15^TH

3-D Movie Anyone?

As you’re sitting in the cool movie theater at the end of summer watching The Smurfs in 3-D and  everyone is oohing and ahhing over the visual effects except for one – and it’s your child.

In a packed theater, there is always one in the crowd who says, 'What are you talking about? I didn't see anything flying out at me.' Or worse, they may mention that the movie actually made them dizzy or a little nauseated.

Dr. Scroggs points out, “Approximately five million Americans have vision problems that keep them from enjoying such 3-D movies as Captain America and the latest Harry Potter movie.”  The problem has to do with binocular vision, which is the ability to align both eyes on a target and combine the visual images from the two eyes into a single, three-dimensional perception.  "3-D is really our ability to judge distances," he said. "Adults use it a lot for driving, such as us to judge how far away the car in front of us is and children use it to judge how fast the ball is coming towards them during sports."

However, people with binocular vision problems will not be able to perceive the illusion of 3-D.  An recent poll found that these individuals will experience headaches, dizziness and blurred vision from 3-D movies instead of enjoying the action packed flick.

Several different vision disorders could be the cause of the problem, including:

• Amblyopia, or lazy eye, which occurs when one eye does not see as well as the other. Because of the difference between the two eyes, the ability to see 3-D is greatly reduced or absent.
• Strabismus, or crossed eyes, in which the eyes do not line up in the same direction when focusing. Ultimately, a person with strabismus begins to suffer from double vision or loses the ability to see in 3-D.
• Convergence insufficiency, in which the eyes are incapable of turning toward each other to fix on the same distance.

The good news is that the popularity in 3-D movies is giving some people their first clue of a vision problem they may have.   These conditions can be treated by an ophthalmologist at Carolina Ophthalmology Associates, so call to schedule an appointment if you or a loved one has not had a recent exam or are experiencing any of the above problems.

Best of Chapel Hill

Carolina Ophthalmology Associates has been selected by the readers of Chapel Hill Magazine in the category for “The Best Optometrist/ Ophthalmologist” in Chapel Hill.



The "Best Of Chapel Hill" poll is the only one of its kind dedicated solely to our community and those who are contributing to its continued success.


We'll be featured in the July/August issue of Chapel Hill Magazine, so be on the lookout.

Cheers to all who voted for us!