Once people reach the “presbyopic age range,” typically in their 40s, it is not possible to see perfectly both far away and up close without glasses. However, it is possible to use contact lenses (or other means) to set one eye to see far away and the other eye to see up close. This usually…

Have you ever seen someone who had little gray spots on the white parts of their eyes? They are often on both sides of the colored part of the eye, and they are kind of circular or oval shaped. Maybe that someone is you! These are calcific plaques, and they often form with time. They…

A couple of decades ago, cataract surgery lens implants were more basic than they are today. There was also a higher rate of “refractive misses”–people who were not happy with their “without glasses vision” after cataract surgery. At that time, there was a lot of desire for an adjustable lens implant, so that the “without…

Each year, this Holiday gives us a moment to reflect on what we are thankful for. Certainly there are stressors in the pandemic era, but I am still very grateful and happy to be in the profession that I am in and to be able to have discussions with other ophthalmologists so we can continue…

Sometimes we as ophthalmologists try to remove really dense cataracts. When those cataracts are really hard, trying to break them up to remove them is like trying to drill into a rock! I have often heard of these types of cataracts referred to as “catarocks.” Needless to say, we don’t prefer operating on catarocks. This…

Sometimes I have been asked, “what are the thickest glasses you’ve ever seen?” I don’t know if I am forgetting anyone, but I recently had a patient was has -25.0 D glasses! Keep in mind that some people even find -3.0 D and -4.0 D glasses to be thick. These were 6-8 times more powerful.…

Sometimes we use language that is very unique to ophthalmology. If we tell a patient, “you have a hyphema,” the appropriate response is almost certainly, “what is a hyphema?” A hyphema is blood in the space between the cornea and the iris. The cornea is the very front of the eye, like the “windshield” of…

I often tell my patients: “do warm compresses.” If warm compresses are in a regimen with other treatments, I often find that they are the first things left out. I guess warm compresses are low tech and don’t have to be purchased, so patients don’t think that they are valuable? The truth is that warm…

One of my most common surgeries is removal of a pterygium. You might ask, “what is a pterygium?” A pterygium is a growth on the surface of the eyeball. It is really like an overgrowth of existing tissue (but there is obviously an alteration of the normal tissue which relates to its overgrowth). The name…

I recently was on a forum of ophthalmologists, and someone posted a question about a patient. This patient did not have a normal cataract surgery lens placement, though the author did not describe why. In any case, the patient is not happy and wants the lens implant exchanged but also wants all the bells and…