Seeing Eye To Eye

A New Breakthrough Treatment For Endstage AMD: Only at Pepose Vision Institute
Written By: | January 23, 2012

The doctors at the Pepose Vision Institute are pleased to bring to St. Louis a new advancement in the treatment of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).  A new FDA-approved telescope implant is now available at Pepose Vision Institute to treat the most advanced form of AMD, or End-Stage AMD, in which both eyes have central vision loss. End-Stage AMD can develop from either the dry or the wet form of AMD and is not curable with drugs.  The telescope implant helps by using healthy areas of the retina to see instead of the area affected by the macular degeneration.

The telescope implant is used in a comprehensive patient treatment program called CentraSight.  The CentraSight treatment program includes several steps, including proper diagnosis, candidate screening/evaluation, possible surgery and visual rehabilitation.  Candidate patients will have the opportunity to look through an external telescope to help understand what it could be like to have the telescope implant in the eye.  The doctors at Pepose Vision Institute  are a CentraSight Center of Excellence and comprise a team that helps you decide if you are a candidate for the telescope implant and whether it may be the right choice for you.

We are pleased to make you aware of this new treatment option for advanced AMD.  It is covered by medicare.  If you or a loved one have the following:

  • Over age 75
  • Endstage AMD
  • No prior cataract surgery in at least one eye

Please call the Pepose Vision Institute today at 636-728-0111 for an evaluation by the Pepose Vision retina specialist, Dr. Nancy Holekamp.

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An Alternative to Corneal Transplant: Intacs
Written By: | November 28, 2011

As a corneal specialist, I am often referred patients with a corneal disease called keratoconus, where the front window of the eye – the cornea – becomes thinner and begins to bulge outward.  In advanced cases, the cornea will have a cone shape instead of being round like a baseball.  The irregular shape of the cornea causes light to enter the eye in a distorted fashion.  Many keratoconus patients are legally blind without glasses or contacts.  They often require special rigid or hard contact lenses to see well.  However, these contacts can be uncomfortable and cannot be worn on a regular basis.  Some patients are then faced with the difficult choice of functioning with blurry vision with glasses or attempting to improve their vision with corneal transplant surgery.  In corneal transplant surgery, the patient’s cornea is removed and a donated cornea is stitched in place.  While the new cornea would have a more round shape, there is a lifetime risk of rejection and other significant risks with the surgery.  The recovery from corneal transplant surgery can take up to a year in some cases.

An alternative treatment, with no risk of rejection and much lower risks from surgery, is Intacs.  Intacs were first used to treat nearsightedness, so they have a track record of about 20 years.  They are a semi-circular ring that is inserted into the deeper layer of the cornea in order to add strength and support to the weakened keratoconic cornea and, more importantly, to reshape it.  A laser is used to create tunnels in the cornea and then the Intacs segments are inserted in the operating room.  This outpatient procedure allows patients to return to their normal routine within a few days and resume contact lens wear in a couple of weeks.  Most patients notice an improvement in vision without glasses, improved vision with glasses, and greater ease in wearing contact lenses, including soft contacts.  All intacs patients at Pepose Vision Institute have been able to avoid corneal transplantation.

Patients are candidates for Intacs if they have keratoconus or an irregular cornea, have poor vision with glasses or contacts, cannot wear contact lens on a regular basis, or have been advised to consider corneal transplantation.

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10 Summer Tips
Written By: | July 25, 2011

It is now late July and summer is in full swing! We’ve had quite a few weeks of sunshine especially with the heat wave we’re currently experiencing.

Of course, with all the extreme summer sun also comes the hidden dangers such as UV damage, which can affect both our eyes as well as our skin. As you know, UV damage increases the risk of skin cancer, but UV damage to eyes can also be exceedingly harmful. It can be one of the factors responsible for the development of cataracts, macular degeneration, pinguecula, pterygia and photokeratitis. To help you avoid these problems in the future, we have developed a list of 10 great eye care tips to protect your eyes from the intense summer sun without missing out on the fun!

1.

Purchase sunglasses with UV protection.
Be sure your sunglasses offer 100% UV protection. This will ensure that your eyes are protected against harmful UV rays. You will find that all sunglasses from the designer brands such as Maui Jim, Ray-Ban, Prada and Oakley will offer UV protection as standard.

2.

Always wear your sunglasses. Even on those cloudy days.
Even if the sun’s not shining, you should always remember to wear your sunglasses when there is cloud cover. You may not realize it but UV damage can still occur even when it’s cloudy.

3.

Consider larger style sunglasses for extra protection.
Coverage is crucial. Larger style sunglasses offer more eye coverage than smaller lenses. This ensures better protection from the sun. Shield or wrap-around styles are great at restricting the amount of sun that can enter from around the edges of your sunglasses providing the fit is good. So, be sure to have your sunglasses fitted by an optician to be sure you are achieving maximum coverage.

4.

Go Polarized!
With all the outdoor activities during the summer, polarized sunglasses are great at reducing glare from reflective surfaces such as water, and wet or metallic objects. These are also great for sport activities and daytime driving. Normal tinted or graduated sunglasses may provide UV protection but they still leave you squinting from the glare, which will only exhaust your eyes!

5.

Try Transitions
Sunglasses with photo chromic or transition lenses darken on exposure to UV light. This makes them great for both low and bright light conditions. Just ask us for a photo chromic coating with your prescription lenses. This will provide you perfect protection for both indoor and outdoor use!

6.

Maintain your glasses
If they’re not on your face, then they should be in a case! Your sunglasses should always be well protected and maintained. This will ensure they are kept free from frame damage, dirt and scratches. Protecting your sunglasses will allow them to last longer and continue fitting correctly. Scratched or dirty lenses can cause discomfort, as you are more likely to blurred, patchy vision, which can create eyestrain.

7.

Take the plunge and switch to RxSun!
If you have a prescription, we highly recommend choosing a pair of designer sunglasses to provide fashionable and 100% UV Protected vision. Our large selection of Maui Jim sunglasses offers you the top UV and polarization protection on the market. With nine layers of polarization, Maui Jim sunglasses stand above all other polarized sunglasses available.

8.

Always have a spare
Pepose Vision always recommends that you have a spare pair of sunglasses. It will be in that moment that you are playing your favorite summer sport, or floating down the river that you will lose or break your sunglasses and be in need of a spare. Keeping a second pair on hand will allow you to have the comfort of knowing you always have protection from the sun, even in times of emergency.

9.

Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.
The recommendation is to drink 8 cups of water day to prevent dehydration. Of course you should always drink more if it’s hot or you are exercising. Drinking plenty will helps prevent headaches and dry skin caused by dehydration, but it will also help to keep your eyes from drying out and feeling tired.

10.

Stay inside during peak hours
When possible, we recommend avoiding the midday sun (11am – 3pm). During these hours the sun is at its strongest, which means the highest levels of UV damage occur during that time. If you do venture out at this time of day always be sure that you are wearing sunscreen, a hat and of course….your sunglasses!

Do you have any more summer sun tips? We’d love to hear them below!

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