Everything you need to know about hearing loss (before it’s too late)

Here at EyeCare 20/20, we are constantly informing our patients about the many vision changes that can begin to appear throughout their senior years―cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, the need for bifocals, or any number of other vision problems that are just a natural part of growing older. While many of these changes can be uncomfortable and scary, especially for people who have always had 20/20 vision, there are many treatments and procedures available to aid those people who are undergoing significant vision changes as they reach their senior years.

However, vision loss is not the only thing that people need to worry about as they enter their 60s and 70s. Many of our other senses also undergo significant changes as we grow older, and perhaps none more so than our hearing.

Hearing loss in older adults, often diagnosed as presbycusis, is the sudden or gradual decrease in how well you can hear. Depending on the cause, the amount of hearing loss one experiences as they grow older can be mild or severe, and temporary or permanent. In fact, many people who experience hearing loss may not even be fully aware of it, especially if it has happened gradually over time.

Unfortunately, hearing loss can not only affect how well we participate in conversation or listen to the radio. Many physiological studies are now reporting that hearing impairment may also affect our physical, cognitive, emotional and behavioral functions.

To help you learn a little bit more about hearing loss, including its causes and symptoms, we have put together some basic information that will help you get a better idea of what your senior years may mean for you hearing:

Causes of Hearing Loss

When it comes to hearing loss in seniors, the most common causes are noise and age. Being exposed to everyday noises such as going to a concert or using a lawn mower can begin to damage the internal structures of the year over time. This can eventually lead to hearing loss when it occurs frequently. The other major culprit of hearing loss is the aging process. Changes in our inner ear begin to take place as we get older, and this can cause a slow by steady loss in hearing.

Other causes of hearing loss could include injury to the ear or head, an ear infection, a ruptured eardrum, viral infections, ototoxic drugs such as aspirin, and even smoking.

Symptoms of Hearing Loss

The most common symptoms of hearing loss in older adults include muffled hearing, difficulty hearing what others are saying, having to listen to the television or radio at a higher than normal volume, and avoiding conversation and social interaction.

If you experience any of these symptoms as you begin to enter your senior years, it is important to talk to your doctor about your symptoms and past health. If your doctor thinks that you have hearing loss, they can do a number of different hearing test to check how severe your hearing loss may be. They can also recommend hearing devices, such as hearing aids, that can help significantly with noise-induced or age-related hearing loss.

For more information about hearing loss that commonly occurs with the aging process, be sure to view our EyeHear 20/20 page. You can also fill out our complementary Hearing Self Evaluation Test to find out if you exhibit the signs and symptoms of hearing loss. We also offer free hearing evaluations by our hearing specialists for those patients in need of further testing.  Just call our office to schedule at 973-664-7794.  Don’t let your senior years be tainted by vision or hearing loss. Instead, contact us today to find out how we can help make growing older something to look forward to.

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What is “bladeless” cataract surgery and how does it differ from normal?

Within the last decade, the advances made in vision technology have helped millions of people all over the world overcome frustrating and sometimes inhabilitating vision problems, from correcting poor vision to improving age-related eye diseases. Each year these procedures become more accurate and better than ever as the technology surrounding them continues to grow, and it is exciting to think about the procedures that are store for the future in the world of vision correction technology.

However, advanced technological procedures that help to correct vision problems are not something that we simply have to dream about for our future. Each year, new advancements are made to improve the already beneficial procedures that many people undergo each and every day, such as LASIK or cataract surgery. In fact, just this year there have been new ads floating around the optical world promoting “bladeless” or “laser-assisted” cataract surgery―something that was otherwise unused until now.

While there is still much research to be done surrounding the procedure, and we here at EyeCare 20/20 are still learning about the many pros and cons of this technology, it is still an exciting prospect to think about and consider for future use. To help you get a better idea of the benefits that laser-assisted cataract surgery could bring to the optical world, we have put together some basic information on traditional cataract surgery vs. “bladeless” cataract surgery:

Traditional Cataract Surgery

To understand how laser-assisted cataract surgery could be very beneficial in the future, it is first important to understand how traditional cataract surgery works. For us, traditional cataract surgery is a 5 to 10 minute operation that involves making a small incision into the cornea, usually using a microscopic blade, to open the thin capsule surrounding the cataract and break open the cataract into small fragments using ultrasound waves. Once the fragments are removed using a tiny vacuum, an intraocular lens implant is inserted to replace the focusing power that is lost when the natural lens is removed.

Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery

“Bladeless” cataract surgery is almost identical to traditional cataract surgery, except that instead of making the primary incision through which the cataract fragments will be removed with a blade, a fully-approved femtosecond laser is used. This laser can also be used to make any extra incisions that may be needed in the cornea in order to help decrease symptoms of astigmatism. The femtosecond laser can also be used to cut the capsule and break the dense central “nucleus” of a cataract into fragments before it is removed using the ultrasound instrument.  Certainly more time and expense is currently associated with this emerging technology.  The questions that we need to answer is will the results be better than the already great results we now achieve with cataract surgery?  This is what we are currently evaluating in our decision concerning the implementation of this technology.

As with all new types of technology that emerge, the full range of benefits and complications of laser-assisted cataract surgery is not yet known and many studies still need to be completed to realize the full outcome potential. Until then, if you are considering undergoing surgery for the removal of cataracts, be sure to contact EyeCare 20/20 and schedule your free vision consultation today.

Image: Source

What is “bladeless” cataract surgery and how does it differ from normal?

Within the last decade, the advances made in vision technology have helped millions of people all over the world overcome frustrating and sometimes inhabilitating vision problems, from correcting poor vision to improving age-related eye diseases. Each year these procedures become more accurate and better than ever as the technology surrounding them continues to grow, and it is exciting to think about the procedures that are store for the future in the world of vision correction technology.

However, advanced technological procedures that help to correct vision problems are not something that we simply have to dream about for our future. Each year, new advancements are made to improve the already beneficial procedures that many people undergo each and every day, such as LASIK or cataract surgery. In fact, just this year there have been new ads floating around the optical world promoting “bladeless” or “laser-assisted” cataract surgery―something that was otherwise unused until now.

While there is still much research to be done surrounding the procedure, and we here at EyeCare 20/20 are still learning about the many pros and cons of this technology, it is still an exciting prospect to think about and consider for future use. To help you get a better idea of the benefits that laser-assisted cataract surgery could bring to the optical world, we have put together some basic information on traditional cataract surgery vs. “bladeless” cataract surgery:

Traditional Cataract Surgery

To understand how laser-assisted cataract surgery could be very beneficial in the future, it is first important to understand how traditional cataract surgery works. For us, traditional cataract surgery is a 5 to 10 minute operation that involves making a small incision into the cornea, usually using a microscopic blade, to open the thin capsule surrounding the cataract and break open the cataract into small fragments using ultrasound waves. Once the fragments are removed using a tiny vacuum, an intraocular lens implant is inserted to replace the focusing power that is lost when the natural lens is removed.

Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery

“Bladeless” cataract surgery is almost identical to traditional cataract surgery, except that instead of making the primary incision through which the cataract fragments will be removed with a blade, a fully-approved femtosecond laser is used. This laser can also be used to make any extra incisions that may be needed in the cornea in order to help decrease symptoms of astigmatism. The femtosecond laser can also be used to cut the capsule and break the dense central “nucleus” of a cataract into fragments before it is removed using the ultrasound instrument.  Certainly more time and expense is currently associated with this emerging technology.  The questions that we need to answer is will the results be better than the already great results we now achieve with cataract surgery?  This is what we are currently evaluating in our decision concerning the implementation of this technology.

As with all new types of technology that emerge, the full range of benefits and complications of laser-assisted cataract surgery is not yet known and many studies still need to be completed to realize the full outcome potential. Until then, if you are considering undergoing surgery for the removal of cataracts, be sure to contact EyeCare 20/20 and schedule your free vision consultation today.

Image: Source

We are please to announce that EyeCare 20/20 has become the on site provider for eye care services on the Novartis campus in East Hanover.  Novartis has recently completed a complete eye clinic as part of their Employee Wellness Center located in Building 405 on the Novartis Campus.  Drs. Nicholas Xanthos and Ramy Seyam of EyeCare 20/20: West Orange will be manning the new EyeCare 20/20 @ Novartis.

EyeCare 20/20 @ Novartis represents an innovative new approach to employee health care.  Novartis employees will be able to receive eye care on site.  The office will include a full optical shop and contact lens dispensing.  Executive eye exams, occupational eye exams, emergency eye exams, and routine eye exams will be performed at this site.  LASIK services will be offered at the East Hanover location.  During off hours, Novartis employees may be seen at either EyeCare 20/20′s West Orange or East Hanover locations.

EyeCare 20/20 @ Novartis will be available only to Novartis employees or contractors who have access to the campus.  Our “soft opening” is slated for Monday, May 14.  Current patients of our other two offices may continue to be seen at any of the locations they chose.  To schedule an appointment at EyeCare 20/20 @ Novartis, please call 973-731-8050.