Has your eyesight become blurry? Do you have glaucoma, but you haven't been in for an exam or treatment? Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many people may have delayed eye appointments.

Dr. Cheryl Khanna, a Mayo Clinic ophthalmologist, says it's important to catch eye diseases early.

"I think the main take-home message is that if you have decreased vision, if you have an ocular disease, it is safe to come to Mayo Clinic and receive care," says Dr. Khanna. "And if you postpone treatment, there may be irreversible vision loss."

In this Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast, Dr. Khanna expands on the importance of eye care and how artificial intelligence is helping develop individual treatments for patients. She also talks about minimally invasive glaucoma procedures and newly emerging cataract technologies. And she describes several clinical trials that are underway — such as gene therapy trials for macular degeneration and retinal dystrophies.

Watch: Dr. Khanna discusses the importance of eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Read the full transcript.

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For the safety of its patients, staff and visitors, Mayo Clinic has strict masking policies in place. Anyone shown without a mask was either recorded prior to COVID-19 or recorded in a nonpatient care area where social distancing and other safety protocols were followed.

The post Mayo Clinic Q&A podcast: Avoid preventable vision loss appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. James Garrity, an ophthalmologist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss how your eyes can predict your health. Also on the program, Dr. Christopher Camp, an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic, will discuss muscle strains and ligament sprains. And Dr. Paul Stadem, a recent Mayo Clinic School of Medicine graduate, will share what life is like for a medical student.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

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Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: An eye for predicting disease appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

On the next Mayo Clinic Radio program, Dr. James Garrity, an ophthalmologist at Mayo Clinic, will discuss how your eyes can predict your health. Also on the program, Dr. Christopher Camp, an orthopedic surgeon at Mayo Clinic, will discuss muscle strains and ligament sprains. And Dr. Paul Stadem, a recent Mayo Clinic School of Medicine graduate, will share what life is like for a medical student.

To hear the program, find an affiliate in your area.

Miss the show?  Here's your Mayo Clinic Radio podcast.

Use the hashtag #MayoClinicRadio, and tweet your questions.

Mayo Clinic Radio is on iHeartRadio.

Access archived shows or subscribe to the podcast.

Mayo Clinic Radio produces a weekly one-hour radio program highlighting health and medical information from Mayo Clinic.

The post Mayo Clinic Radio: Eyes predict disease / sprains and strains / life of a medical student appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

ANSWER: Glaucoma, which is a group of serious eye disorders that damage the optic nerve, is the leading cause of preventable blindness in the developed world. Because it rarely causes symptoms in its early stages, regular eye exams that include checking for glaucoma are important. A variety of factors can raise your risk for glaucoma, including age and having a family history of the disease.

Your optic nerve is a bundle of nerve fibers that goes from the back of your eyeball to your brain. It serves as the communication cable between the two, allowing you to see. In most cases of glaucoma, the optic nerve is damaged by a rise in pressure within the eye. The elevated pressure usually is due to a blockage of the eye’s drainage channels, preventing fluid that is constantly produced in the eye to flow out of it. As the nerve deteriorates, blind spots develop in your vision. If left untreated, glaucoma leads to blindness.

In its early stages, glaucoma usually doesn’t have any symptoms. Typically, it is not until the late stages of the disease — after significant damage already has been done — that people who have glaucoma begin to notice eye problems, such as loss of peripheral vision. That’s why it’s crucial to get regular eye exams that include looking at the appearance of the optic nerve through a microscope, as well as a measure of the pressure within your eye. If your doctor suspects glaucoma, he or she may recommend other tests, too.

In general, a comprehensive eye exam is recommended once every two to four years for people 40 to 54 and every one to three years for those 55 to 64 ─ even if you have no problems with your eyes or vision. After 65, you should have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years. Depending on your risk factors, these exams may need to be more or less frequent.

Two of the most significant risk factors for glaucoma are age and family history. People older than 60 develop glaucoma much more frequently than younger individuals. And the disease tends to run in families. If you have a close relative who’s been diagnosed with glaucoma, make sure your eye doctor is aware of that.

Other risk factors for glaucoma may include having high or low blood pressure, as well as other medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypothyroidism. However, in most people, glaucoma is not associated with other diseases. A severe eye injury can put you at risk for glaucoma, as can certain types of eye surgery and being nearsighted or farsighted.

Ethnic background also appears to impact a person’s risk of developing glaucoma. African-Americans who are older than 40 have a much higher risk for developing glaucoma than Caucasians. African-Americans also are more likely to suffer permanent blindness as a result of glaucoma. People of Asian descent also have an increased risk of developing certain types of glaucoma.

Most glaucomas cannot be prevented, but regular eye exams can catch this condition early. Although there’s no way to reverse damage that’s been done to the optic nerve, treatment to lower pressure in the eye can prevent or slow vision loss due to glaucoma. Review any possible risk factors you may have for glaucoma with your eye doctor. Based on that, he or she can recommend an exam schedule that’s right for you. — Dr. Arthur Sit, Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota

The post Mayo Clinic Q and A: Glaucoma — are you at risk? appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

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ANSWER: It is true that the vision changes you are noticing are very common in people in their 40s. But you are not harming your eyes by waiting to get reading glasses. You may find it useful to get an eye exam now, though, to see if glasses could be helpful and to check for other eye problems. Regular eye exams are recommended for adults beginning at age 40.

As we age, our eyes gradually lose their ability to focus on objects nearby. The medical term for this process is presbyopia. It typically becomes noticeable in the early to mid-40s and continues to get worse through the mid-60s. Many people become aware of presbyopia when vision seems blurry at a normal reading distance, and they have to hold reading material farther away to see it clearly.

Presbyopia is a normal part of aging for almost everyone, and the process will continue whether you get glasses or not. For someone in your situation who does not need prescription glasses for other vision problems, like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, the over-the-counter reading glasses you are using now may be all you need.

Most nonprescription reading glasses range in power from +1.00 diopter to +3.00 diopter. When selecting these glasses, start with the lowest power and work your way up until you find the magnification that allows you to read easily. If you find that the reading glasses are causing headaches, an eye exam is recommended.

Even if you are able to see up close with nonprescription glasses, it is still a good idea to have your eyes checked regularly. For adults who do not wear prescription glasses, have no symptoms of eye trouble and are at a low risk for eye diseases, such as glaucoma, the American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends a baseline eye exam around age 40. After that, exams are recommended every two to four years between 40 and 54; every one to three years between 55 and 64; and every one to two years beginning at age 65.

If you have a family history of glaucoma or other eye diseases, or if you have additional factors that put you at higher risk for eye problems, then you need eye exams more often. A typical schedule in that case would be every two to four years up to age 40; every one to three years for people between ages 40 and 54; and every one to two years for age 55 and beyond.

Regular exams can help ensure your eye health by catching eye problems early, sometimes before you notice any difference in your vision. If you become aware of problems with your vision, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor as soon as possible, even if you have recently had an eye exam.

If you have sudden loss of vision in one eye, experience sudden hazy or blurred vision, or see flashes of light, black spots or halos around lights, contact your health care provider right away. These could be symptoms of a serious condition, such as glaucoma, stroke, or a retinal tear or detachment.

If changes in your vision start to interfere with your ability to do your day-to-day activities, or if you can no longer read easily with nonprescription glasses, make an appointment to see your eye care professional. At that point, you may need to get prescription glasses to correct your vision, so you can see comfortably. — Michael Mahr, M.D., Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

The post Mayo Clinic Q & A: Presbyopia normal in aging, but regular eye exams are recommended appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC:

ANSWER: Your son’s situation is common. Convergence insufficiency often is not identified until around the age of 8 or 9 when children begin to read more. A number of treatments are available and, in most cases, they are effective in relieving the problem. In rare cases when other therapies have not worked, surgery may be needed to correct convergence insufficiency.

Convergence insufficiency is an eye disorder that affects vision when focusing on something nearby. To focus when you read or look at an object up close, your eyes need to turn inward together. This is called convergence. It allows you to clearly see the object you are looking at as a single image.

When the eyes do not turn inward together, it can result in eye pain, blurry vision or double vision. When they read, people with convergence insufficiency also may find that the words blur or appear to move on the page. Other symptoms include headaches and eyestrain.

Younger children who have convergence insufficiency frequently go undiagnosed. That can happen for several reasons. First, the condition typically cannot be found with a standard vision screening or eye exam. Second, young children may not realize that the blurry or double vision they see is not normal, so they do not mention it. Third, the reading young children do in picture books and other beginning reader books is not very demanding, so the symptoms may not occur or may not bother them.

As children get to your son’s age and start reading longer or more complex books with smaller print, convergence insufficiency becomes more noticeable. Reading for longer periods of time tends to make symptoms worse. Children may start to squint or close one eye when reading to make it easier to focus. The condition can make it hard for kids to concentrate on reading. Because of the difficulty, many of these children lose interest in reading. Some are misdiagnosed with a learning disability.

Fortunately, there is effective treatment for convergence insufficiency. Vision therapy that includes exercises to help the eyes focus often can improve the condition. Your son may be able to do some of the exercises at home, while he may need to do others with the help of an eye care professional in an office setting. Computer-based vision therapy also is available and may be more engaging for children than some of the other choices. It usually takes about four weeks of regular vision therapy to see improvement in symptoms.

If vision therapy is not enough to resolve the problem, glasses with prisms built into the lenses can relieve symptoms during reading. These glasses frequently are recommended for children with convergence insufficiency. Rarely, if none of the other treatment choices work, eye surgery may be an option.

Talk to your son’s eye care professional about using vision therapy or at-home exercises for convergence insufficiency. In many cases, consistently doing those exercises for several months is all that is needed to correct the problem. After successful treatment, the condition may come back from time to time, particularly if your son is over-tired or sick, or when he is doing a lot of reading. But typically another round of vision therapy will relieve the symptoms. — Brian Mohney, M.D., Pediatric Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

The post Tuesday Q and A: Convergence insufficiency not diagnosed until children read more appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: 

ANSWER: You are correct that a family history of glaucoma raises the risk of developing this serious eye disease. It is currently not clear if lifestyle changes can decrease your risk of glaucoma, so it is crucial that you get eye exams on a regular basis. A comprehensive eye exam can help detect glaucoma in its early stages when it is most successfully treated.

Glaucoma is a disorder that damages the optic nerve. In its advanced stages, it can impair vision and eventually lead to blindness. In most cases of glaucoma, the optic nerve is damaged by a rise in pressure within the eye due to a buildup of the fluid that flows in and out of the eye.

In addition to having a family history of glaucoma, risk factors for the disease may include high or low blood pressure, as well as other medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and hypothyroidism. Other eye problems may increase your risk of developing glaucoma as well, including eye inflammation, retinal detachment and lens dislocation. A severe eye injury can put you at risk for glaucoma, as can certain types of eye surgery and being nearsighted or farsighted.

Ethnic background also appears to have an impact on a person’s risk of developing glaucoma. African-Americans and Latinos who are older than 40 have a much higher risk of developing glaucoma than Caucasians. African-Americans also are more likely to suffer permanent blindness as a result of glaucoma. People of some Asian backgrounds have an increased risk of developing glaucoma, as well.

Prompt treatment of eye problems and good management of other underlying medical conditions may help reduce the risk of developing glaucoma. Some research suggests that eating a healthy diet may reduce your glaucoma risk, too.

Certain dietary supplements touted as promoting eye health claim to be able to prevent glaucoma. But at this time, there is no solid evidence that these products — often marketed as “eye vitamins” — can prevent, manage or treat glaucoma.

In its early stages, glaucoma usually doesn’t show any symptoms. Typically it is not until the late stages of the disease that people who have glaucoma begin to notice eye problems such as loss of peripheral vision. That’s why it is so important to get regular eye exams, particularly if you are at high risk for developing glaucoma.

In general, a comprehensive eye exam is recommended once every two to four years for people between the ages of 40 and 54, and every one to three years for people between the ages of 55 and 64, even if you have no problems with your eyes or your vision. After age 65, you should have a comprehensive eye exam every one to two years. Depending on your risk factors, these exams may need to be more frequent.

If an exam shows that your internal eye pressure is higher than normal, that means you are at increased risk of developing glaucoma. It is important to note, however, that not everyone with elevated intraocular pressure develops the disease, and not everyone who has glaucoma has increased eye pressure. If you have elevated eye pressure and your eye doctor indicates that you have a high risk of developing glaucoma, eye drops may be prescribed to reduce the risk that your condition will progress to glaucoma.

In a situation like yours where family history or other factors put you at higher risk for glaucoma, the key to ensuring long-term eye health is to get regular eye exams. Talk to your doctor about the exam schedule that best fits your needs. — Arthur Sit, M.D., Ophthalmology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

The post TUESDAY Q & A: Comprehensive eye exam can help detect glaucoma in early stages appeared first on Mayo Clinic News Network.

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