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Dangers Of Contact Lenses: Amoeba Eye Infection Blinds Woman

By Rachael Rettner, LiveScience Staff Writer | July 11, 2014

A student in taiwan who left contact lenses in her eyes for six months straight developed a rare and serious eye infection that ultimately took her vision, according to a news report... Read More...

Surfer Treats His Own Eye Problem With Giant Wave

By Bahar Gholipour, Staff Writer | April 08, 2014 02:07pm ET

Instead of getting surgery, an adventurous surfer in Hawaii sought a different approach to treat his eye condition — he dipped his head into the rushing water while surfing a gigantic, 30-foot wave, according to a new report of his case... Read More...

Eyeing A New Contact Lens That Could Monitor Blood Sugar

Some experts say the Google device looks promising | January 17, 2014

Could a contact lens-sized device that is worn on the surface of the eye ever permit individuals with diabetes to better control their blood sugar? Google (x) is hoping that its new wearable eye device will prove to be so accurate that users will be able to rely on it to get an accurate blood sugar reading and to calculate their insulin dose... Read More...

Bob Costas's Eye Trouble Temporary, Experts Say

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By Steven Reinberg | February 12, 2014
HealthDay, Reporter

While skiers, snowboarders and skaters held viewers' attention during this week's Winter Olympics, it was difficult not noticing the TV broadcaster Bob Costas's glaring eye infection as well.

The persistent infection, known as conjunctivitis, that forced Costas to break away from his post on Tuesday is caused by the same virus as the common cold, experts say.

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"It's usually an adenovirus, the same virus that infects you when you get a sore throat or a runny nose," explained Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City... Read More...

Corneal Melt: Arthritis Complication Lets Woman's Iris Slip Out

By Bahar Gholipour | February 12, 2014
LiveScience, Staff Writer

A 61-year-old woman with rheumatoid arthritis suffered a serious repercussion of her condition: The irises of her eyes began to protrude, and she needed immediate surgery.

In people with rheumatoid arthritis, which causes high levels of inflammation throughout the body, a condition called "corneal melt" can occur, the report said.

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The patient's own immune system attacks the area of the eye adjacent to the cornea, tearing the tissue and allowing the iris, which sits just behind the cornea, to slip out. The result is pupils that look quite irregular, according to the New England Journal of Medicine... Read More...

Gene Therapy May Restore Sight In People With Rare Blinding Disease

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Early study saw improvement in six patients with choroideremia

By Dennis Thompson
HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Jan. 16, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- A new gene therapy that successfully treated a rare eye disease in clinical trials could prove the key to preventing more common inherited causes of blindness, researchers say.

In six male patients, doctors used a virus to repair a defective gene that causes choroideremia, a degenerative eye disease that can lead to complete blindness by middle age, according to a clinical trial report published online Jan. 16 in The Lancet.

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Vision improved for all the patients following the gene therapy, and particularly for two patients with advanced choroideremia, said lead author Robert MacLaren of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology at the University of Oxford, and a consultant surgeon at the Oxford Eye Hospital, in England... Read More...

Star Shaped Cataract

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The New England Journal of Medicine © 4/3/2013

A man in Austria developed a cataract shaped like a star in his eye after he was punched. The man went to his doctor because his vision had worsened over the previous six months, according to doctors who treated the man.

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The patient said he'd been punched nine months earlier, the doctors wrote in their report. It's very common for cataracts to form after the eye takes a hit, said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and eye surgeon for the New York Rangers hockey team.

Punches and the balls used in sports are most often the cause, but bumps from air bags and steering wheels have also created cataracts, Dr. Fromer said. When the eyeball is struck, the energy of the blow sends shock waves through the eye that can disrupt the nature of the eye's lens, causing it to become opaque in regions, he explained. In most cases, cataracts look more like a vaguely shaped cloud, and can be white or yellowish. The case is reported in April 2013 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Protecting Your Eyes And Why It's Important

Eyewitness News 3/7/2013

NEW YORK (WABC) -- It's a cloudy day, but both 26 year old Jamal Rodney and I are wearing our sunglasses. You might not think to do it on a day like this, but there's good reason. Sunglasses block ultraviolet sunlight that still gets through the clouds. "UV light from the sun can produce cataracts, macular degeneration and skin cancer also it can produce growths on the surface of the eye," Dr. Mark Fromer.

Jamal lost his right eye after it was struck by a baseball bat when he was only three years old. It's especially important that he preserve his remaining vision. He wears protective glasses when he plays basketball. "These are somewhat uncomfortable, but at the end of the day it's not about fashion. It's about protecting yourself," Jamal said.

Protecting yourself in the workplace, in the factory or in front of your computer. I'm an old guy and have a reading prescription in my glasses to read close up, but a computer screen is farther away. You might want to get computer glasses with a weaker prescription to read your monitor. Many of us wouldn't think of special computer lenses, but they may reduce eye strain. Think a space heater is only an electrical hazard? It's dry hot air or any forced heated air can dry out the eyes. Get a humidifier. And contacts? No matter what you hear, don't sleep with them.

"One of the things we see is people who sleep in their contact lenses, don't take good care of their contacts, and develop severe corneal ulcers and corneal scars because of that," Dr. Fromer said. Another good idea is to read drug labels. Drugs are one of the common causes of dry eyes, double vision and blurred vision. Computer glasses? You don't have to go to the doctor for them. Just get them over the counter in a weaker correction than your reading glasses.

FDA Approves 'Bionic Eye' For Rare Vision Disorder

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HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, Feb. 14, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- An implanted, sight-enhancing device some are calling a "bionic eye" is the first to gain approval for use in the United States, officials announced Thursday.

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According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the new Argus II Retinal Prosthesis System can help patients with a genetic eye disease called retinitis pigmentosa regain some sense of vision. About 100,000 Americans are believed to be affected by the illness, which causes a gradual deterioration of the eyes' photoreceptor cells.

The new device uses a tiny video camera attached to... Read More...

Seeing Double

Thursday, January 24, 2013 - Seeing double: Clinton spokesperson confirms Daily News analysis that Secretary of State is wearing glasses to correct vision problems after concussion and blood clot...

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HealthDay Reporter

TUESDAY, Jan. 8, 2013 (HealthDay News) -- Archeologists investigating an ancient shipwreck off the coast of Tuscany report they have stumbled upon a rare find: a tightly closed tin container with well-preserved medicine dating back to about 140-130 B.C.

A multi-disciplinary team analyzed fragments of the green-gray tablets to decipher their chemical, mineralogical and botanical composition.

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The results offer a peek into the complexity and sophistication of ancient therapeutics... Read More...

Jan. 4, 2013 -- A new study from Australia may offer a new way of identifying people at risk of glaucoma years before vision loss happens.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness. But because vision damage often occurs gradually, most people with the eye disease do not realize they have it until a good deal of their sight has been lost. If caught early, though, there are medications and procedures that may help treat glaucoma... Read More...

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'Hairy Eyeball' Caused By Rare Tumor

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Jan 2, 2013 - A rare tumor, limbal dermoid can cause hair to grow on the eye.

A rare tumor in a 19-year old man caused hair to grow on his eyeball, researchers report. The tumor, called a limbal dermoid, was benign and had been present since birth. It gradually grew in size until it was about 5 mm in diameter and sprouted several black hairs, said the researchers from Tabriz University of Medical Sciences in Iran.

Limbal dermoids are uncommon — an eye doctor may see just one or two cases during his career, said Dr. Mark Fromer, director of Fromer Eye Centers in New York City and an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital, who is not involved in the Iranian man's care. These tumors contain tissue normally found in another part of the body. Most frequently, limbal dermoids contain hair follicles, but they can also contain other tissues, including cartilage and sweat glands said Dr. Fromer.

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These tumors can cause astigmatism (blurred vision), but usually don't cause dramatic vision problems. That's because they typically do not cover the center of the cornea, an important part of the eye for vision, said Dr. Fromer.

Limbal dermoids can be removed for cosmetic reasons, but their removal typically doesn’t change patients’ eyesight, Dr. Fromer said.

Dr. Fromer currently has a female patient with a limbal dermoid that contains hairs, but she does not want it removed. "It hasn’t grown or changed and it doesn't physically bother her," said Dr. Former. The Iranian man had mild discomfort and vision loss in the eye with the tumor, and it was removed with surgery.

IPads May Help Those With 'Low Vision' Read Better

WebMD Medical News

Nov. 12, 2012 -- iPads and other tablets with backlit screens may allow millions of people with "low vision" to read faster and easier, a new study suggests.

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Low vision is an umbrella term for people who still have trouble reading, watching TV, or performing other daily activities despite glasses, contact lenses, medication, or even surgery. For people in this situation, the only options left are ... Read More...

THURSDAY, Oct. 4, 2012 (HealthDay News) -- People who drink at least three cups of coffee a day might be increasing their risk of developing glaucoma, which can lead to vision loss or blindness, according to Harvard University researchers.

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Specifically, caffeinated coffee appears to be associated with a type of glaucoma called exfoliation glaucoma, which is characterized by tiny fibers peeling from the eye's lens that can cause a pressure build-up, the researchers said...

Read More...

Statins Tied To Reduced Glaucoma Risks

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Tuesday, October 2, 2012 - Researchers may have discovered yet another potential use for the widely used cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins.

In a new study, older people with high cholesterol who had taken statins for two years had an 8 percent reduced risk of developing open-angle glaucoma, the most common form of the eye disease.

"That's a big deal," said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, and eye surgeon director for the New York Rangers hockey team. "We're talking 3 million people [in the United States] who have glaucoma and half those people don't know it."

Dr. Fromer was not involved with the study, which appears in the October issue of Ophthalmology... Read More...

Let There Be Sight!

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Doc's work lets blind mice see; human tests not far away

Wednesday, August 15, 2012 - A New York neuroscientist can restore sight to blind mice a breakthrough that gives hope to millions of people without sight.

" This would be a giant leap from where we are now," said Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist and retina specialist at Lenox Hill Hospital.

Cataract Surgery May Cut Risk Of Hip Fractures

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July 31, 2012 - A new study suggests cataract surgery may help some senior citizens reduce their risk of fall-related hip fractures.

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's lens; symptoms can include blurry vision, glare and poor night vision. As a result, people with cataracts may be more prone to falls.

In the new study, individuals aged 65 or older who had cataract surgery were less likely to sustain a hip fracture within a year of the procedure when compared with their peers who did not have the surgery... Read More...

Saving On Eye Care; Bargains And Risks

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Why cutting costs on eye care sometimes goes too far.

June 8, 2012 - In a tough economy, saving money is on everyone's mind. But when it comes to eye care, experts say that what you do to save money today may put you at risk of much higher costs in the future.

As people try to ration their income, they will often choose to skip their routine eye exam. It's penny-wise and health care-foolish.

Don't Skimp on Health Care for Your Eyes

According to the CDC, 61 million Americans are at high risk of losing their eyesight, yet only half that number saw an eye doctor in the previous year...

Read More...

Glaucoma Need Not Steal Sight

THURSDAY, Nov. 17, 2011 (HealthDay News) -- People with diabetes are reporting fewer vision problems, a new U.S. government report shows.

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Since 1997 the percentage of diabetics reporting vision problems dropped from 26 percent to 18.6 percent, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found.

MONDAY, Aug. 8, 2011 (HealthDay News) -- Frequent visual field testing may help doctors detect progression of the eye disease glaucoma at an earlier stage, a new study says.

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"Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide," noted Dr. Mark Fromer, an ophthalmologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. "Left untreated, patients will suffer a permanent loss of vision... Read More...

Radio

SiriusXM/Doctor Radio

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On Monday, October 24, 2011 Dr. Mark Fromer was interviewed live by SiriusXM/DoctorRadio after attending the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Dr. Mark Fromer gave a brief review of the meeting and answered callers questions nationwide.

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