bissell, Author at Bissell Eye Care

Safety Tips for 4th of July Fireworks Celebrations

June 21, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

The freedom we enjoy every day is something not to be taken lightly. We’d like to take a moment and recognize our service men and women as well as their families for the sacrifices they make to protect our freedom.

Summer is synonymous with barbecues, parades, and fireworks. As we celebrate the 4th of July, families are planning their picnics, vacations and fireworks celebrations. Did you know on average 9,000 injuries a year result from fireworks with 1 in 8 of those injuries being eye injuries according to the fireworks injury report from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission? Nearly half of those injuries are bystanders with 30% of the total injuries being age 15 and under.

According to the National Safety Council, “Sparklers burn at about 2,000 degrees – hot enough to melt some metals. Sparklers can quickly ignite clothing, and children have received severe burns from dropping sparklers on their feet.

The National Fire Protection Association, shares that those sparklers alone account for more than 25% of emergency room visits for fireworks injuries. For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for nearly half of the total estimated injuries.

Some of the most commonly experienced eye injuries from fireworks are burns, lacerations, abrasions, retinal detachment, ruptured eyeballs, and optic nerve damage. An important misconception is that once the firework explodes it is no longer dangerous. However, the sparks that produce the amazing glow often burn at temperatures over 1000 degrees and fireworks release shrapnel as they explode.

Consider these safety tips to help keep you and your loved ones safe this year:

Contact your local fire department if a firework does not explode to properly handle it.
Never let children play with fireworks. Even sparklers can be very dangerous to young children. Consider using safer alternatives, such as glow sticks, confetti poppers, or colored streamers.
ALWAYS wear approved protective eyewear if you plan on detonating fireworks.
Abide by ALL safety barricades and give yourself extra room well behind them at least 500-1000 feet away!
Let the experts build and launch professional-grade fireworks.

If you are injured from fireworks, be sure to seek medical attention immediately. Be sure to follow these safety tips to help prevent making the injury worse.

Do not remove any objects that are stuck in or protruding from your eye.
Do not rinse or add solution to your eye.
Do not rub your eyes.
If any foreign objects enter the eye do not take any pain killers that will cause your blood to thin such as aspirin or ibuprofen.

Remember this year as you venture out to celebrate our nation’s freedom and independence that it’s important to respect fireworks. The safest way to watch fireworks is for you to let somebody else light off the fireworks. When we say someone else, we mean a professional – as in – go to a professionally sponsored fireworks show. If you have any questions or need information on eye injury following an accident, call Bissell Eye Care at (724) 444-6767 or 724-226-0444. Have a safe and happy holiday.

About Bissell Eye Care: John D. Bissell, OD owns and operates Bissell Eye Care servicing Northern Pittsburgh and Alle-Kiski Valley regions. With two locations to treat patients, we offer evening and Saturday appointments. Bissell Eye Care provides comprehensive eye examinations for the entire family beginning as early as 6 months, ocular disease detection and treatment, eyeglasses, sunglasses, activewear, contact lenses, and low vision examinations for those with significant vision loss. We accept most types of vision and health insurance plans. For more information, visit bisselleyecare.com or call our Bakerstown Office at 724-443-6767 or Natrona Heights office at 724-226-0444.

Happy family taking selfie on beach near sea. Summer vacation

Sunglass Protection Tips and Cataracts

June 18, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

June is National Cataract Awareness Month, and UV rays are a significant risk factor for the eye disorder. The proper sunglasses can help protect you. The choices you make today will result in how your quality of life will be in years to come. As we get older, our eyes undergo physiological changes that can cause vision problems.

Are sunglasses in your swim bag when you pack your towel, swimsuit, flip-flops, a cooler full of drinks, a bag of snacks, and sunscreen? Eye care is essential as you head out this summer to take that dip and cool off in the summer sun. The Ultraviolet rays of the sun, or UV rays, can harm more than cause a sunburn to your skin. UV rays can also harm your eyes. By wearing the proper eye protection, you can help reduce the short-term and long-term effects of UV exposure to your eyes.

Since UV light carries more energy than visible light, it can do greater damage to our eyes. As we age, the damage simply has more time to accumulate: a cataract, (cloudiness of the lens) for example, is believed to be caused by many years of exposure to bright sunlight. Choose sunglasses with 100% UV blockage. You can’t tell UV blockage by looking at the glasses. A darker tint is not an indication of UV blockage, you should always look at the label.

The short-term exposure to high amounts of UV rays can be similar to your skin becoming sunburned. This is referred to as photo keratitis and is considered a sunburn of the eye. Photo keratitis can be painful and is usually accompanied by symptoms such as red eyes, the feeling of foreign object in your eyes, gritty feeling in the eyes, excessive tearing, and sensitivity to light. These symptoms are usually temporary and rarely result in permanent damage.

Long-term effects of high exposure to UV rays can include a greater risk of developing cataracts or developing macular degeneration in the later years of life.

With sunglasses coming in all shapes and sizes it is important to ensure that your sunglasses have the following features to help block out the most UV rays possible:

Screen out 75-90 percent of visible light.
Block out 99-100 percent of UV-A and UV-B radiation.
Have gray lenses to aid in proper color recognition.

According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO), the best sunglasses offer:

100% UV protection
High optical quality (lenses are free of manufacturing defects like bubbles or waves that could bother your eyes)
Scratch-resistant lenses
A larger frame offers more coverage of the eye area.

If you spend a large amount of time outdoors, consider the wrap around style of glasses. This style blocks out the most light possible granting the most protection. If you are involved in outdoor work or sports, be sure to have sunglasses that are impact-resistant to prevent eye injuries from broken glasses entering the eye.

Most cataracts develop slowly and don’t disturb your eyesight early on. But with time, cataracts will eventually interfere with your vision and your eye doctor will help you decide if surgery is right for you.

Protection from the ultraviolet rays of the sun can occur by wearing sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. These two things can significantly reduce eye exposure to UVB radiation. Although cataracts are not completely preventable, their occurrence can be delayed. Smoking, avoiding excess amounts of alcohol, and eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables may delay the formation of cataracts.

When to See a Doctor…

Make an appointment for an eye exam if you notice any changes in your vision such as double vision or blurriness, see your doctor right away. Talk with your eye doctor about whether surgery is right for you. Prevention is the easiest way to help ensure that your vision lasts well into the future, keeping your head up and you moving forward.

What Causes Eye Floaters and Spots?

May 16, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

The floating specks you sometimes see in front of your eyes are not on the surface of your eyes but inside them. Eye floaters or a spot occurring in your field of vision are common as people age. In most cases, these floaters will appear in your field of vision when you look at something bright such as a white screen or the sky. These are spots that you can see and appear to float as you look around. Eye floaters can be present in one or both eyes and can come in many different shapes:

Black or gray dots
Squiggly lines
Threadlike strands, which can be knobby and almost see-through
Cobwebs
Rings

Floaters are caused by strands, deposits, or liquid pockets developing on the vitreous humor, or the back part of the eye. This is the part of the eye that the light going to the retina passes through. It is a jelly like material that occupies the back two-thirds of the eye.

When the light is blocked by these strands, deposits, or liquid pockets, it casts a small shadow onto the surface of the retina, and the shadows that result are seen as floaters. They are usually black or gray in color. These shadows appear to move as the eye moves, left, right, up, and down. This is why patients often say that they see a dot or spot floating in their field of vision.

Floaters are most commonly experienced as we age and don’t totally go away. About 50% of people who are age 60 have floaters and most people over the age of 70 experience some sort of floater. While many people notice them at first, they may find that after a few months they are less noticeable as the brain and eye begin to ignore or get used to them being there.

While floaters are common, and most people will experience them, it is important to get your regular check-up with the eye doctors at Bissell Eye Care.

SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY if you notice a sudden increase in floaters or if you see floaters along with flashes of light in your side vision, this may be a symptom of a retinal tear or detachment. Go to an eye doctor or emergency room if you have these symptoms.

Serious eye disorders associated with floaters include:

Detached retina
Torn retina
Bleeding in your vitreous
Inflamed vitreous or retina caused by infections or an autoimmune condition
Eye tumors

Annual checkups are key to good eye health. Be sure to maintain your routine visit with Bissell Eye Care and tell the doctors if you notice any changes in your eyesight, such as floaters.

Oh, My Watery Eyes!

May 12, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

Look no further than the oak trees outside your home or office and you’ll know what time of year is coming our way. Pollen has already started to accumulate, leading to a noticeable uptick in sniffs and sneezes. More than 20 million Americans are bracing for the annual allergy miseries: stuffy nose, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, and itchy, runny eyes that may last for weeks or even months as grass, trees and weeds roar back to life.

The spring rain and warm weather have created the perfect storm for a stellar allergy season. You look outside and everything is covered in a yellow film causing itchy, red, or even burning sensations in your eyes. Allergy suffers, you aren’t alone in your symptoms.

Allergies occur when your body becomes overly sensitive to something in the environment that typically causes no problems for most people. An allergic reaction may occur when that “something” that you are allergic to comes into contact with your eyes. In many cases, the “something” you are allergic to is airborne, such as pollen.

Because the symptoms of seasonal allergy can resemble those of dry eye disease, diagnosis can be a challenge. Although patients may have only seasonal allergies or only dry eye disease, there is a good possibility that both conditions are present.

Be nice to your eyes. When avoidance is not an option, there are still steps that you can take to reduce the allergen’s impact and increase eye comfort. Here are some relief and tips for prevention to avoid or limit exposure with your trigger(s).

There are many different medications that have proven to be effective in fighting allergies. If you cannot find a medication that helps you in combating the symptoms, it may be time to consult the eye doctors at Bissell Eye Care, as some eye diseases carry similar symptoms as allergies and will not improve with allergy treatment.

Seasonal Allergic Conjunctivitis, or SAC, is one of the most common types of eye allergy. Depending on the type of pollen that is in the air, people who suffer from SAC experience symptoms spring, summer or fall. Some of the most common symptoms are:

Itching
Redness
Burning
Clear watery discharge

People who have SAC may also notice dark circles under their eyes. These symptoms are often accompanied by a runny nose, sneezing, or nasal congestion.

Curtail the contacts. Contact lens wearers tend to be disproportionately affected by allergies. Even if a patient is a successful contact lens wearer for most of the year, allergy season can make them quite uncomfortable, particularly when contacts are worn for extended periods of time.

For any contact lens wearers, you may want to remove your contacts and opt for your eyeglasses until your allergy symptoms are gone. This is because the surface of contact lenses can attract and accumulate airborne allergens. If wearing your glasses is not an option, you can switch to daily disposable contacts to avoid allergen and other debris buildups.

There are also methods to combat your allergies that do not require medication.

Stay indoors at times when pollen counts are high.
Keep windows closed and use air-conditioning as much as possible.
Avoid using fans in windows as this tends to pull pollen into the house.
Wear glasses or sunglasses when outdoors to reduce the chances of getting pollen in your eyes.
Avoid rubbing your eyes when they feel itchy or watery.

Be sure to consult the doctors at Bissell Eye Care if you are using over-the-counter medications such as eye drops. Prolonged use of some eye drops may actually cause your condition to worsen and cause damage to your eyes. The proper treatment and avoiding pollen when it is at its highest will help to reduce your symptoms this allergy season. While spring allergies have been around for decades it’s important to stay ahead of your symptoms.

Business people in office holding a conference and discussing strategies.

Why Women are at Higher Risk for Eye Disease

April 10, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

April is Women’s Eye Health and Safety Month. Women are often responsible for making their family’s health care decisions yet sometimes neglect caring for themselves. According to the World Health Organization’s World Report on Vision, women, on average, live longer than men, and are thus at greater risk of developing eye conditions associated with aging. Global estimates suggest that women with moderate and severe presenting distance vision impairment outnumber men by approximately 7 percent.

The National Eye Institute Dry Eye Fact Sheet states, “Dry eye is more common after menopause. Women who experience menopause prematurely are more likely to have eye surface damage from dry eye.” Increasing numbers of research studies show that the glands of the eyes and eyelids are affected by hormonal issues. As women age, and especially as they reach menopause, they can experience hormonal imbalances that are thought to contribute to dry eye syndrome.

Dry eye syndrome is a condition where a person doesn’t produce enough quality or volume of tears to lubricate the eye. This is a common and often chronic problem, particularly in older adults. Chronic dry eye is an often unrecognized, unattended part of the aging process and is quickly becoming an important public health issue impacting both the quality of life as well as the physical health of nearly 10 million Americans each year.

Chronic dry eye occurs in both men and women; however, women are affected two to three times more often. The onset of dry eye occurs most frequently when women are entering menopause, during menopause, and in the post-menopausal years.

TIPS TO MAINTAIN OPTIMAL EYE HEALTH

Have Regular Eye Exams: Many of the eye diseases that are common in women do not cause early symptoms and the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends establishing a baseline eye exam by age 40. The conditions can be diagnosed through a comprehensive eye exam. Early diagnosis and treatment can save a woman’s vision.
Maintain a Healthy Weight: Being overweight increases your chances of developing certain conditions, such as diabetes, which may lead to eye disease.
Exercise: We know exercise is good for our bones, heart, and lungs. It may also protect our vision. Studies have indicated getting regular exercise may lower your risk of eye disease. If you’re physically active – great. Should you have a sedentary lifestyle, now is the time to talk to your physician and make changes.
Don’t Smoke: You probably already know that when it comes to your health, smoking is a no-no, but it doesn’t only affect your lungs. Smoking is also bad for your vision. Women and men who smoke are at a higher risk of developing eye diseases, such as glaucoma and cataracts.
Wear Sunglasses: Too much exposure to ultraviolet rays from the sun increases your chances of age-related macular degeneration and cataracts. Be sure to wear sunglasses that provide 100 percent UV protection. Rays from the sun can penetrate the clouds on gray, cloudy or winter days.
Use Proper Eye Protection: At work, home or play accidents can happen. Three main types of eye protection exist – safety glasses, goggles, and face shields. Each one has their advantages and disadvantages. The staff at Bissell Eye Care can help you determine the best solution for your lifestyle.

Take charge of your eye health and protect your vision for years to come. To learn more about dry eyes and other eye conditions, call our office at 724-443-6767 or 724-226-0444.

Technology Improvements for Bifocal and Multi-focal Contacts

April 8, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

Are you tired of always switching glasses or searching for reading glasses? Do you need to wear bifocals to see both near and far? Some people find they struggle to read newspapers, books or menus and must hold them further away to be able to see the print better. If that is the case, it may be time to look at bi-focal contacts again. Great for people with active lifestyles who do not want to be chained to their reading glasses. After age 40, it is typical to lose your ability to focus on objects up close. Tasks such as painting fine details or sewing may cause you to squint or hold the object at arm’s length.

The main vision disorder that multifocal and bifocal lenses are used for is presbyopia – a condition that happens as we age which affects our ability to focus on objects that are close. For instance, if tasks such as threading a needle or reading your favorite book have become nearly impossible without the help of reading glasses, then you are probably suffering from this condition. The doctors at Bissell Eye Care can give a proper diagnosis as well as help you find the best treatment options.

Monovision involves using single-vision lenses to put your near prescription on one eye and your distance prescription on the other. Modified monovision uses a single-vision lens on one eye and a multifocal lens on the other.

Bifocal contact lenses have been around for many years, but until recently they weren’t very popular. Older bifocal designs didn’t satisfy many people, leading to frustration among wearers and prescribers alike. Today, new technology has produced more successful designs, as well as a greater variety of designs. If one design doesn’t work for you, another might.

Bifocal and multifocal lenses come in both soft and rigid gas permeable materials. They also come in a hybrid form. This means that the contacts have the option to be used and disposed of at set times.

How Bifocal Contact Lenses Work

Bifocal contact lenses have two different prescriptions in the same lens. They are similar to bifocal glasses where the top half is used for seeing far while the bottom is used for seeing close. A segmented bifocal, and sometimes also referred to as an alternating or translating bifocal places the near vision prescription in the lower part of the lens, and the normal, distance prescription is in the rest of the lens.

Multifocal Contact Lenses Differ from Bifocal Contacts

Multifocal contacts have a range of powers in each lens and are designed two different ways.

Simultaneous Vision. This option is set up so your eye looks through both near and far at the same time. Your brain adapts and allows focus on either the near or far prescription depending on the distance of the object.
Alternating Vision. In the alternation set up more like a bifocal glasses design. It allows your pupil to move up or down as necessary to get the proper focus.

People who once thought they could never benefit from contact lenses now have a second chance. Remember that as you begin to rely on reading glasses for tasks of everyday living, that there are alternatives to the standard bifocal glasses. Technology continually finds new ways of improving vision now and may be the time to take a second look at contact lenses.

Tips For Choosing The Right Eyeglass Frames

March 20, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

Spring is a great time to update your eyeglass frames and Bissell Eye Care has a wide selection of designer eyewear for you to choose from. You don’t need to be a fashion expert to find eyeglass frames that look great on you but face shape, skin tone and lifestyle all play a role in selecting the best option for you.

WHAT SHAPE ARE YOU?

Your face shape will help determine which eyeglass styles will look best on you.

Start by pulling your hair away from your face and closely observing the overall shape and contours of your face and head.

Here are the basic shapes:

Oval

Balanced features and proportions make for an oval-shaped face. To keep this balance in check, you’ll want to choose eyeglass frames that are as wide as (or wider than) the broadest part of your face. Look for walnut-shaped rims that are neither too deep nor too narrow.

Frames to Avoid: Eyeglasses that are overly large and cover up more than half of your face will throw off the natural balance and symmetry of the oval face.

Heart-shaped

If you divide the face into thirds, with the top third being widest and the bottom narrowest, that’s a heart-shaped face. Reduce the apparent width at the top of the face with frames that are wider at the bottom. Thin, light-colored and rimless frames are good choices.

Frames to Avoid: Steer clear of any style or color of frames that draws attention to the forehead. This includes frames with decorative temples or embellished tops.

Oblong

A face that’s longer than it is wide with a long, straight cheek line is considered oblong. Go for frames that have more depth than width or those with decorative temples to shorten the face and add width.

Frames to Avoid: Especially narrow frames, or frames without a lot of depth, as these can elongate the shape of your face even more. You also want to stay away from oversized glasses or very round ones, as these can take away from the face’s natural symmetry.

Square

Square faces have a square jaw and broad forehead, with width and length being of equal size. To soften the angular look of squarish faces, pick narrow frames.

Frames to Avoid: Angular and boxy eyeglass frames will sharpen and draw attention to your angular features, making a square face appear bulky.

Diamond

Narrow at the forehead and jawline, diamond faces feature broad, high, and dramatic cheekbones. This is the rarest and often most prized face shape. Frames that have distinctive brow lines will highlight the eyes and soften the cheekbones. Also try oval or cat-eye shaped glasses.

Frames to Avoid: Boxy and narrow frames will accentuate the width of your cheeks, drawing attention to your narrow features rather than enhancing them.

Round

Curved lines with the width and length in the same proportions and no angles make for a round face. You’ll want a thinner and longer appearance, so try angular narrow eyeglass frames to lengthen the face and rectangular frames that are wider than they are deep.

Frames to Avoid: Rimless frames, round frames and small frames will accentuate the roundness, making your round face look even rounder.

Base-down triangle

The base-down triangle shape features a narrow forehead that widens at the cheek and chin areas. Add width and emphasize the narrow upper third of the face with frames that are heavily accented at the brow. Cat-eye-shaped frames are also ideal.

Frames to Avoid: Stay away from frames that have a lighter upper rim, or darker lower rim because these attributes accentuate the wider lower portion of the face and will bring attention to the widest lower jawline making base down triangular shaped faces even more wide in the lower portion of the face and jawline

SKIN TONE MATTERS.

Just as the shape of your face helps determine which frames look best, so does your skin tone. More important than hair color and more decisive than eye color, skin tone sets the tone for high fashion frames. Select a shade closest to your skin tone:

Are you warm-toned? Colors well-suited to warm skin tones include dark red, honey, olive, and coral shades.

Are you cool-toned? Colors that complement the cooler skin include blue-based reds, blues, greens, pinks, purples, blue-greens, and magentas.

Are you neutral-toned? If your skin is neutral-toned, you can pull off essentially any color.

There are eyeglass frames for every way of life! Think about the activities you will do while wearing your eyeglasses. Bissell Eye Care carries a wide selection of stylish frames that can accessorize your business savvy with sensible style or durability for those with an active lifestyle.

Spring fashions are in and the staff at Bissell Eye Care are great at helping you choose the frames that look best on you. Stop in and check them out!

Pre-School Registration & Eye Exams

March 20, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

When should you schedule your child’s first eye exam? Spring brings about registration for a new pre-school year and as you make your choice on where you want your child to go to school, you should also make a choice to have their eyes examined prior to starting school. Experts say 5 -10 % of preschoolers and 25 % of school-aged children have vision problems.

Every experience a preschooler has is an opportunity for growth and development. Children use their vision to guide other learning experiences. From ages 2 to 5, your child will be fine-tuning the visual abilities gained during infancy and developing new ones.

At preschool, children will depend on their vision to learn tasks that will prepare them for school. Visually-guided eye-hand-body coordination, fine motor skills and visual perceptual abilities will be developed to enable your child to learn to read and write.

VISION SCREENING AND AN EYE EXAMINATION ARE NOT THE SAME

It is important to know that a vision screening by a child’s pediatrician or at his or her preschool is not the same as a comprehensive eye and vision examination by a doctor of optometry. Vision screenings are a limited process and can’t be used to diagnose an eye or vision problem, but rather may indicate a potential need for further evaluation. These screenings may lull parents into a false sense of security and may miss as many as 60% of children with vision problems. Even if a vision screening does not identify a possible vision problem, a child may still have one.

Early identification of a child’s vision problem is crucial because, if left untreated, some childhood vision problems can cause permanent vision loss. Children then should have additional eye exams at age 3, and just before they enter the first grade — at about age 5 or 6.”

The AOA estimates one in four school-aged kids have undetected vision problems that critically impact their visual perceptual skills:

RECOGNITION — knowing the difference between letters like ‘b’ and ‘d’
COMPREHENSION — ‘picturing’ what’s happening in a story they’re reading
RETENTION – remembering and recalling details about what they’ve just read

Here are some tips for eye exams for young children.

Schedule the appointment during a time when your child is alert and happy taking into account napping and eating times
A case history will be conducted to determine birth history, birth weight, medical issues, and any allergies
Be sure to note any delayed motor development, failure to maintain eye contact, poor eye tracking, frequent eye rubbing or blinking

Making a child comfortable with puppets and the use of our “Special Lights” allow us to have fun with children as we look for the following things:

How the eye tracks and turns
High Refractive Error – meaning significant far or nearsightedness
Overall Eye Health

With just a little patience and a quick response time, a 2-year-old’s eye exam can go as smoothly as an adult eye exam. For young children who can’t read letters yet, no worries, we use shapes and colors. No matter what age, regular eye exams are important. If you have concerns about your child’s vision, tracking ability, or overall eye health, give our offices a call at 724-443-6767 or 724-226-0444.

Comprehensive Eye Assessment of Ocular Health

February 14, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

As technology continues to improve, we are better able to look at the human eye with the Optovue OCT machine. OCT Angiography (OCTA) is a quick non-invasive piece of equipment that performs a test, allowing your eye doctor to see retinal vessels during your annual eye exam. OCTA is the only non-invasive way to visualize the vascular structure of your retina.

During this test, the structure of your eyes are examined— from the front, or anterior segment, to the back, or retina. OCT is used to aid in diagnosing disease and managing your ocular health. These metrics along with a high-resolution image and symmetry analysis help to determine if you are displaying the early signs of retinal disease or glaucoma.

The machine allows us to look at the eye in a similar manner as an MRI utilizing an array of light rays. It takes a piece-by-piece view of the eye. Our optometrists then look at this imagery and can determine the health of your eyes, or if there are any concerns that need to be further addressed. With an OCT, doctors can see a cross-section or 3D image of the retina and detect the early onset of a variety of eye conditions and eye diseases such as macular degeneration, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy (the top three diseases known to cause blindness).

By comparing the thickness of the layers measured by the OCT scan against the normal thickness of healthy retinal layers, eye doctors can determine which retinal disease or eye condition exists in the eye, even before the patient is aware of any problems.

So, what does this mean for you, the patient? These scans can detect early vascular changes in diabetic patients and early signs of glaucoma. We cannot stress the importance of early detection of eye diseases enough. Early detection can help to prevent further loss of vision. As we have talked about before, you can lose a significant amount of your vision without you noticing.

Bissell Eye Care continues to invest in the most up-to-date technology and equipment to best serve our patients. By using this technology, we can better facilitate the diagnosis and management of eye diseases, many of which may lead to permanent blindness.

Macular degeneration (AMD or ARMD)- is a medical condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. Diagnosis in Opthalmology.

Low Vision Awareness

February 11, 2022

by bissell Articles Blog

February is national age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and low vision awareness month. AMD is the leading cause of low vision and blindness in Americans age 60 years and older and affects 1.6 million Americans. As the Baby Boomer generation ages, the rates of AMD are expected to reach “epidemic proportions”. AMD is a disease that blurs the sharp, central vision you need for straight-ahead activities and tasks such as reading and driving. The disease affects the macula; the part of the eye that allows you to see fine detail.

The most common causes of low vision in the USA are macular degeneration, followed by glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy. For those with low vision, the quality of their vision interferes with their ability to perform everyday activities. Tasks such as reading the mail or a book are challenging. Other obstacles include activities such as shopping, cooking, writing, driving and even the ability to enjoy a movie or television. Besides those difficulties, low vision results in anxiety and frustration when people lose their vision as well as visual independence.

What are the risk factors?

Age: Affects more than 2 million Americans over 50 years old. The prevalence of age-related macular degeneration in the USA is around 6% when 65 and almost 20% when 75 years old.
Genetics: Family history (many genes being studied)
Smoking: Increases your risk for progression
Other eye conditions: hyperopia and light-colored iris
Systemic diseases associated: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, cardiovascular disease
Gender: women are more likely to be affected than men
Race: Caucasian
UV light: no significant proven risk but caution and sunglasses advised.

Low Vision care is a unique method of care because it considers your personal life and favorite activities, not only the extent of your visual difficulties. Low Vision specialists work closely with each patient to determine the best visual aids and devices to improve their quality of life.

Dr. Bissell is a low vision specialist and has undergone extensive training at the International Academy of Low Vision Specialists (IALVS). People with low vision have a diminished ability to engage in their daily tasks, whether around the house or elsewhere. The goal in treating patients with low vision is to help them remain independent and do the things they love and enjoy through the use of customized vision aids and devices.

Various types of advanced technology include microscope and telescope lenses that improve upon the individual’s prescription lenses and magnify them far beyond the capability of standard lenses. These can be used in combination with other technologies to expand a patient’s environment for those living with low vision caused by eye diseases.

Dr. Bissell states, “It is one of the most rewarding experiences to watch someone regain the ability to read a book, watch TV or walk safely down a sidewalk without fear of injury.” Low Vision appointments last longer than regular appointments due to the additional time needed to test various telescopic prescription lenses. The glasses are not covered by insurance with costs starting at $500. But it’s a small price to pay for independence.

Live life to the fullest. To learn more about low vision services, call our office at 724-443-6767 or 724-226-0444.

Bissell Eye Care

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Safety Tips for 4th of July Fireworks Celebrations

Consider these safety tips to help keep you and your loved ones safe this year:

If you are injured from fireworks, be sure to seek medical attention immediately. Be sure to follow these safety tips to help prevent making the injury worse.