I recently saw a question posted by an ophthalmologist about performing LASIK in HIV+ patients. The specific question was as follows (paraphrased): For HIV+ patients with undetectable viral loads, do you perform LASIK? If you perform LASIK, do you put them as the last surgery or use extra precautions (such as double gloving)? For laser…

In returning to my Marshall, MN practice, I will be operating in two locations once things are established in the upcoming couple of months. One site will be the Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center. The other will be in Redwood Falls. More details will follow soon!

I recently heard the story of a good ophthalmologist who was approached by a 28 year old patient. She wears very strong glasses (+12 D). She wanted to decrease her need for glasses, which can be achieved by performing what is basically a cataract surgery. When there is no true cataract present, that surgery is…

I have mentioned things about dry eye in the past, but it is such a common issue in our clinics that it bears discussing frequently. There are a lot of different symptoms of dry eye, including intermittent blurry vision (vision often changes with blinking), feeling of an object in the eye (“piece of dirt”), tearing,…

I recently read an article from a group at UC Irvine regarding Google Trends data about dry eye. Basically, the method they use is to analyze Google search data as a measure of how much dry eye is actually in the community. One of their conclusions was that the Fall is the time of year…

After LASIK surgery to try to reduce the need for glasses, typically done in young near-sighted people, patients can experience something called “transient light sensitivity syndrome” (TLSS). This syndrome is not deeply/well understood, but it boils down to this situation: a patient who has had LASIK has good vision and a normal looking eyeball but…

When we as ophthalmologists take cataracts out, we like to replace the cataract with an intraocular lens implant. Some of the newer intraocular lens implants (IOLs) are designed to try to help the patient see at different distances, e.g. at far away distances and up close (reading) as well. Many of the lens implants that…

Some ophthalmologists are recommending that patients with full thickness corneal transplants take special precautions around the time of getting vaccines in their arms. I may have covered this before, but there is a lot of attention on vaccines these days. The recommendation is taking additional steroid eye drops in the days before and after the…

The colored part of the eye is called the iris, and it is covered in front by a clear “windshield,” which is the cornea. Sometimes, if the iris is damaged or irregular, extra light passes into the eye that can be bothersome for patients. It is indeed one of the functions of the iris to…

A lot of patients worry about how having cataract surgery will affect their golfing. Unfortunately, this question cannot be answered with a one-size-fits-all response. Everyone is a little different, and the different lens options have a lot of nuances to them. However, if a golfer has cataracts that are blurring vision, cataract surgery is almost…