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Sometimes we hear about patients who have allergy to iodine. However, this goes against some of the things that we learned in medical school. Our thyroid glands make hormones that contain iodine, which are important parts of regulating how our bodies work. So if it is such an important hormone, how can anyone be allergic…

I recently saw someone who complained of crusting in her eye. “I always wake up with sleep in the corner of my eye!” Sleep in her eye? What’s going on here? What she meant was that she has crusting of dried mucoid secretions and lid scurf that accumulates in her eye. Typically people see the…

Too often, I see patients who have vision problems due to BAD “diabetic retinopathy.” If a patient has a “retinopathy,” it means that something is wrong with the retina. If the retina problem is caused by diabetes (diabetic retinopathy), it most likely could have been prevented by better blood sugar control. Achieving good blood sugar…

Most of the time, we ophthalmologists are concerned with saving vision. Sometimes we are more focused on improving vision. Occasionally, we get the opportunity to do a little more. I recall a patient who was sent to me as a dry eye evaluation. Being a cornea specialist, I get plenty of dry eye evaluations, so…

During cataract surgery, we make incisions into the front part of the eye. The front part of the eye is full of a watery liquid that allows it to keep its shape. When the incision is made, that watery liquid leaks out, and the front of the eye can’t keep its shape. If there is…

Recently I participated in a debate about diamond versus metal for cataract surgery. When we enter the eye during cataract surgery, we can use metal or diamond instruments. Some people have pretty strong opinions on which is better. The summary is that diamond is sharper and cuts through faster, so it is very quick but…

We all have some incredible stories from practice in eye care. One patient who I remember vividly was an 80 year old woman who came to see me as her 4th ophthalmologist in 10 months. She had initially had irritation of her right eye and then developed discharge associated with the irritation. She was exasperated…

One of my pet peeves as a cornea specialist is sleeping in contact lenses. When contact lenses are in, movement of the eye and blinking of the eyelids causes the contact lens to move around (as long as the contact lens fits properly). If the eye is not moving and the eyelids are not blinking,…

On February 28, the company that manufactures aflibercept, a drug used for injections in the eyeball, said that it had some bad lots of product. These lots can cause inflammation (not infection) in the eyes of patients receiving injections. It seems that the bad product is NOT related to the actual drug itself. The problem…

Yesterday, my brother-in-law asked me if there is anything he can do to prevent his eyes from getting worse. I think about these things differently than most people do, so I had to ask him some clarifying questions. What I figured out is that he, like most people, is worried about changing refractive error. An…