Some patients have very bad dry eye issues. Some patients have related issues caused by other diseases that affect the surface of the eyeballs. One of the possible treatments for problems on the ocular surface is called “serum tears.” What are serum tears? They are drops made out of the patient’s blood. No, really! The…

There are certain types of tears of the eye for which the term used is “dialysis,” such as retinal dialysis and iridodialysis. These terms are not really related to the bloodstream or the kidney. The Greek word “dialysis” means something akin to separating. When there is a tear in the edge of a tissue, it…

I frequently tell patients with inflammation in the eye that their inflammation can recur, especially if they decrease their anti-inflammatory medications too quickly. Dr. James Brodie and colleagues published an article in the November 2024 edition of the journal Ophthalmology about eye inflammation. They specifically looked at one type of eye inflammation called acute anterior…

Can a cataract grow back? The short answer is “no.” A true cataract will not grow ever again in an eye that has had its cataract removed. We put artificial lenses in the eye after removing cataracts, and it IS possible for a membrane to develop behind the artificial lens. This membrane actually grows on…

One of the most dreaded complications of eye surgery is an infection inside the eye. We do everything we can to prevent such infections, and, thankfully, these types of infections occur very rarely. And the good news is that we are winning! According to a study published in JAMA Ophthalmology by Dr. Brian VanderBeek and…

I have many glaucoma patients, as well as other patients, who wonder about their eye pressure measurements. When the left eye pressure was 13 at the last visit and is 15 at the current visit, they ask, “What happened? Why did my eye pressure go up?” Eye pressure is not static at all times. For…

Some people do procedures and surgeries faster than others. Sometimes the fast surgeons are incredibly gifted and have great outcomes. Sometimes, they do not. While there are reasons not to loiter and extend surgery time in the eye, those reasons have to do with outcomes. At the end of the day, I argue that the…

One of the topics that is getting more and more attention in ophthalmic surgery is the waste generated by eye surgeries. In the August 2024 edition of the journal Cornea, Shambhawi Thakur and colleagues published an article that noted the waste produced from corneal and conjunctival surgeries. They note that “assessing waste production form different…

In the August 2024 edition of the Journal of Cataract & Refractive Surgery, Dr. Matthew Rauen and colleagues published a study about using lower eye pressure during cataract surgery. They showed that surgery with lower eye pressure caused some less swelling after surgery. However, they also noted that that the difference did not cause a…

Normally, this section is reserved for musings about eye-related news and other ophthalmological sundries. But, the team I support, the Washington Commanders, just won their first playoff game in about 20 years. So, I apologize for the interlude that has nothing to do with eyes, but…. Go Washington!!!