At Manhasset Eye Physicians, Dr. D’Arienzo, Dr. Eichen and Dr. Diane Romsaitong offer a wide range of general ophthalmology services to adults, children, and seniors. We offer our patients custom fittings for eyeglasses and contact lenses. Our practice also treats dry eye syndrome, and other uncomfortable eye conditions. We encourage patients to undergo regular eye exams, as they are essential for keeping eye wear prescriptions current and enable our eye doctors to diagnose the development of serious diseases of the eye in their earliest stages. If an eye disorder should be detected, you are in good hands. Our ophthalmologists are also highly-trained and experienced eye surgeons, skilled in performing cataract surgery and other eye procedures.

Regular Eye Exams – Maintaining Healthy Vision

Regular eye exams are one of the most important services you can receive from your local eye doctor, and yet they are also often the most over-looked. Many people put off having their eyes examined for years at a time because they mistakenly believe that if something is wrong they will be able to detect it before any permanent damage to their vision has occurred. The truth is that often by the time an eye disorder has begun to noticeably affect your vision it is likely in an intermediate to advanced stage. Eye disorders are often easier to treat when they are diagnosed early.

How Often Should I Get a Complete Eye Exam?

If you have no existing history of eye problems then you should probably get your eyes examined every two years. If you wear prescription eye wear or have a family history of eye disease then every year would be better. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure, or a serious eye disorder, then more frequent eye exams are definitely advised.

What Tests Does a Complete Eye Exam Involve?

A complete eye exam starts with the visual acuity test. During the visual acuity test we use an eye chart to detect any weaknesses in your vision. A pupil dilation test involves the administering of pupil-enlarging drops which allow the doctor to examine the lens and retina more closely. Finally, a tonometer is used to measure the fluid pressure inside the eye itself. Other diagnostic tests may be performed as needed. A complete eye exam can detect the early warning signs of cataracts, macular degeneration, retinal detachment, and in some case even give clues to the presence of diseases that you wouldn’t normally associate with your eyes such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol.

Common Eye Symptoms

Even the most conscientious of patients who never miss eye checkups can still experience uncomfortable and unexplained eye symptoms. Regardless of when your last eye exam was scheduled, if you experience one or more of these common eye symptoms you should make an appointment with Dr. D’Arienzo, Dr. Eichen, or Dr. Diane Romsaitong immediately to have your eyes looked at by a trained professional.

Distorted, Blurred, or Cloudy Vision

This is usually the result of a refractive problem. Refractive problems can be corrected with prescription eye wear. Distorted vision can also be a sign of a more serious problem such as macular degeneration. Macular degeneration is a disease that involves the gradual loss of your central field of vision. While the progression of the disease can be slowed down, the disorder cannot be cured, so it is important to diagnose macular degeneration as early as possible. Cloudy vision could also be a sign that you have developed a cataract.

Temporarily Improved Vision

Many people wouldn’t think to visit an eye doctor if their vision suddenly improved, but they should. Temporarily improved vision, often referred to as ‘second sight,’ can be the earliest warning sign of the development of a nuclear cataract. If your vision changes significantly, you should always go to see an eye doctor.

Loss of Peripheral Vision

The loss of peripheral vision can be a symptom of glaucoma, which is a build up of pressure in the eye eventually resulting in damage to the optic nerve. It can also occur after a person has had a stroke. When temporary, it can be a symptom of migraines. Another eye disease whose early warning sign is the loss of peripheral vision is retinitis pigmentosa, which results from the gradual breakdown of the photoreceptor cells in the retina.

Eye Pain or Irritation

Irritated, watery eyes are often a symptom of an eye allergy or dry eye syndrome. Severe eye pain may indicate damage such as a scratch to the cornea or other eye structure. If the discomfort is accompanied by itching or drainage you may have conjunctivitis, or pink eye, which is usually caused by a viral infection, or blepharitis which is an inflammation of the eyelid.

Floaters and Flashes

Eye floaters appear as spots or shadowy shapes that pass across your vision. They are actually caused by tiny clumps of cells in the vitreous, the fluid that composes the central part of your eye. What people see are actually the shadows cast on the retina by these cell clumps. Eye flashes, on the other hand, are bright sudden arcs of light across your vision. Eye flashes are usually related to the presence of eye floaters.

Both floaters and flashes occur more commonly in people who have previously undergone a cataract operation, are nearsighted, or have experienced inflammation in the eye. Although they are usually harmless eye symptoms resulting from age, floaters and flashers may be a sign that something more serious is wrong. For example, the symptoms of a torn retina, which leads to bleeding in the eye and even retinal detachment, can easily be mistaken for new floaters. The presence of eye floaters may also be a sign of diabetic retinopathy, a vascular abnormality resulting in mild hemorrhaging, or a carotid artery disease.

Some people may experience jagged lines of light, or "heat waves," in either or both eyes that last between 10 to 20 minutes, a sensation referred to as a migraine. These heat waves can be followed by a headache, which is known as a migraine headache; if the lines of light occur without a following headache, the sensation is called an ophthalmic migraine.

If you notice one or more eye floaters or experience flashes or heat waves, come in for an eye exam immediately. The same holds true if you have already been examined for eye floaters, but notice that new floaters have developed.

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Dry Eye Syndrome

If your eyes are frequently red, itchy, or irritated, then you may be suffering from dry eye syndrome. While dry eye syndrome is a fairly simple disorder to diagnose, dry eyes have many causes and you will need the help of a trained professional to determine exactly what is responsible for your dry eye symptoms. Usually the cause is either environmental, physiological, or a combination of both. Although we have listed a few options for controlling and alleviating dry eye symptoms, there are many other forms of treatment. You should make an appointment with one of our Manhasset eye physicians for a more complete discussion of dry eye treatment options.

The Environmental Causes

When we go outside our eyes are buffeted by sun, wind, dust, and pollution. When we come inside the low humidity of an artificially heated and cooled space can be just as drying to our eyes. Many of us habitually engage in high eye-strain activities such as reading or computer use for long periods of time without allowing our eyes the proper rest in order to lubricate. Some prescription medications such as blood pressure medication, antidepressants, and antibiotics can also exacerbate dry eye symptoms. There are many simple ways to combat the environmental causes of dry eye symptom including drinking eight glasses of water per day, taking 15 second breaks from the computer every couple of hours to blink your eyes, switching from contact lenses to glasses, and buying a portable humidifier. For more detailed information, and to make sure no physical causes such as decreased tear quality are exacerbating your dry eye syndrome, contact the Manhasset Eye Physicians.

Restasis® – More Tears, Less Discomfort

In some people, dry eye syndrome may occur because of the eye’s decreased ability to produce the proper amount of tear fluid to keep the eyes lubricated on a daily basis. The decreased ability is usually the result of eye inflammation. Restasis®, a prescription eye drop is designed to decrease the discomfort of dry eyes by increasing the natural ability of the eyes to produce tears. Restasis® does this by stimulating the lacrimal gland, the part of the eye responsible for producing tears. Patients using Restastis® apply the drops twice daily. The drops can be used in conjunction with over-the-counter artificial tears, but not with contact lenses.

Punctal Plugs

Artificial tears and medications to improve tear production are of no use when any liquid introduced into your eyes drains away too quickly to serve as an effective lubricant. The tear ducts are the structures responsible for tear drainage. The fluid in the eyes drains toward the inside corners of each eyelid where openings called puncta exist to allow the fluid to travel into the nose to be excreted. This is why when a person cries their nose often gets stuffy. One form of dry eye treatment involves the insertion of punctal plugs into the puncta of either the lower or upper eyelid, or both depending on the severity of the moisture deficiency to stop or slow the eye’s natural drainage system.

Dry eye syndrome is a complex disorder. While it may be caused by excessive tear drainage, it may also be caused by a blockage in the tear ducts that results in excessive production of reactionary tears causing further eye irritation. A full examination of the eye structures should occur before punctal plugs are recommended as the proper form of treatment. Usually a temporary punctal plug made of collagen will be recommended to test the eye’s reaction to the treatment before a more permanent silicone or acrylic polymer punctal plug is introduced. Even a punctal plug made from a permanent material can be removed if the condition of the eye should warrant it. The majority of dry eye patients treated with punctal plugs enjoy less eye irritation and an increase in eye moisture levels.

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Blepharitis

Many of the symptoms of blepharitis are similar to dry eye syndrome – eye irritation, itching, and redness. Blepharitis, however; begins as an irritation of the eyelids caused by bacteria at the base of the eyelashes that, over time, becomes an irritation in the eyes themselves. The irritation leads to the formation of flaky scales and particles along the eyelashes.

The most effective means for controlling the uncomfortable symptoms of blepharitis is through hygienic practices. Apply a warm, wet wash cloth over the eyelids at least twice a day. Scrub the base of the lashes for 15 seconds with a cotton swab or washcloth with the same frequency. Scheduling an appointment with an eye doctor can ensure that the disorder is properly diagnosed, and an eye doctor will also be able to prescribe antibiotic ointment or steroid eye drops to further alleviate your discomfort.

Glaucoma Surgery

Glaucoma occurs when the pressure within the eye builds to an unhealthy level. The optic nerve is the main pathway between the eye and the brain. If too much pressure is placed on the optic nerve, blindness is the ultimate result. Pressure within the eye is maintained by the constant ebb and flow of the aqueous humor, a liquid found inside the eye. Unlike tears which lubricate the outer portion of the eye, this fluid helps to hydrate many of the eye’s internal structures. Its presence is essential for the eye to maintain its shape and also for processes such as metabolism and immune responses to take place inside the eye. The structure through which the aqueous humor drains is called the drainage angle.

Glaucoma occurs when something happens to obstruct the drainage angle. This blockage can sometimes be treated through the use of prescription eye drops. For a more permanent solution or when the eye drop treatment proves ineffective, laser surgery is employed to clear an additional pathway beside the inadequate drainage angle so that the aqueous humor can escape the eye at a proper rate. After surgery anti-inflammatory medications will be proscribed to ensure that your eye heals properly and multiple follow-up examinations will be scheduled to check on your eye’s progress.

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Prescription Eye Wear

The Manhasset Eye Physicians can help you obtain better vision by fitting you for the proper prescription eye wear. Refractive problems like nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism are common, but treatable conditions.

Contact Lenses

Many people who want to try wearing contact lenses delay because of the mistaken impression that contact lenses sacrifice comfort for aesthetics. While it is true that when contact lenses were first invented many people did, in fact, find them uncomfortable, that is simply not the case anymore. Nowadays a well-fitted contact lens can be inserted into the eye in such a way that you barely feel its presence, let alone experience any discomfort. There are two main types of contact lenses – hard and soft. Modern hard contact lenses, the type that most people wear, are RGPs or rigid gas permeable. When the eye is properly oxygenated, this lens allows for greater comfort because it reduces blinking and tearing. Soft contact lenses are water permeable. They are, however, often less durable than hard contact lenses and require more frequent replacement. Contact lenses are not, contrary to popular belief, one size fits all, so be sure to make an appointment with the Manhasset Eye Physicians to be properly fitted.

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Contact the Manhasset Eye Physicians

Whether you have an eye-related question, issue, or symptom – we are here to help you! Contact the Manhasset Eye Physicians for a complete eye exam, a fitting for prescription eye wear, or for an answer to an eye care question. 

If you have any questions about our vision procedures or to schedule a consultation, contact us using the email form or call today.

Manhasset Eye Physicians, P.C.
1615 Northern Blvd
Suite 403
Manhasset, NY 11030
(516) 627-0146

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