Earlier this month, the FDA issued a warning for consumers to immediately discontinue the use of certain over-the-counter eye drops. Some scary stuff for sure, because these are common lubricating/dry eye drops branded from major retailers, including CVS, Rite Aid, Target, and Walmart. Other brands include Leader (Cardinal Health), Rugby, and Velocity Pharma. It was…[Read more]

I have been preaching for years that water of any type (ponds, pools, oceans, hot tubs, and even tap water) should be avoided when wearing contact lenses. Several kinds of dangerous bacteria and microbes, including pseudomonas and acanthamoeba, thrive in water which can increase the risk of infections to the cornea. However, a lesser known…[Read more]

Here we go again… Earlier this year, the FDA and CDC issued warnings about two OTC artificial tears being contaminted with drug-resistant bacteria. In fact, these drops led many people developing infections, four deaths, and four eyeballs having to be removed. Last week (August 22, 2023), the FDA issued yet another warning about potential contamination…[Read more]

Acanthamoeba is an organism commonly found in soil and water that can cause serious eye infections and permanent loss of vision in contact lens wearers. Although rare- aprroximately 0.5 cases per 10,000 people- many of these cases are caused by “avoidable risks”. A 2022 study published in the journal Ophthalmology found four modifiable risk factors…[Read more]

When I purchase and use over-the-counter products, the first thing that comes to my mind is safety. The product probably wouldn’t be accessable and easily available if this were not true. The second thing that comes to mind is effectiveness, although I keep a watchful eye about that. Of course, most OTC products have a…[Read more]

A very promising article published in Review of Optometric Business from December, 2022 A recent study showed that wearing special green-tinted eyeglasses reduces pain in patients with fibromyalgia and others who experience chronic pain, according to a press release issued by Edward Paul, OD, Ph.D. This may help decrease the need for opioids to manage…[Read more]

A California eye doctor is urging people to be more vigilant when wearing contact lenses after removing 23 contact lenses from a patient’s eye. In a video posted on Instagram, ophthalmologist Katerina Kurteeva, MD, is shown removing contact lenses from a woman’s eye. “Don’t sleep in your contact lenses!” she warned. “They were essentially glued…[Read more]

Hi everyone- it’s time for a quiz!  Judging from the results of a national poll, it appears that there is a lot of misinformation and misunderstandings regarding contact lenses.  So I thought it would be interesting to prove that my patients are more informed than the rest of those in the country.No cheating.  Sharpen your…[Read more]

Everything is “smart” these days- I can talk to my Alexa speaker and she talks back. GMail knows what I’m going to type before I do. My 16 year old daughter is smart- in fact she reminds me daily that she is smarter than me until she wants something. Glasses are now “smart” too. Actually,…[Read more]

The end of 2021 was a busy time for the FDA, as they approved 2 more novel prescription medications for eye care. The first was Vuity, which is a once daily drop for the treatment of presbyopia (a fancy word for “getting older and can’t see up close anymore). The target age is mid 40’s…[Read more]