The Big Book of Family Eye Care

Joseph Digirolamo

Description

A reader-friendly guide to how eyes function, common and serious eye problems, the best options for vision maintenance, and easy ways to preserve eye health.

Sujets

• vision
• Medical
• Médecine
• Ophthalmology

Informations

• Publié par: Turner Publishing Company
• Date de parution: 15 février 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781591207016
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

T HE B IG B OOK OF F AMILY E YE C ARE
T HE B IG B OOK OF F AMILY E YE C ARE
J OE D I G IROLAMO
WWW .E YECARE B OOK.COM
The information contained in this book is based upon the research and personal and professional experiences of the authors. It is not intended as a substitute for consulting with your physician or other healthcare provider. Any attempt to diagnose and treat an illness should be done under the direction of a healthcare professional.
The publisher does not advocate the use of any particular healthcare protocol but believes the information in this book should be available to the public. The publisher and authors are not responsible for any adverse effects or consequences resulting from the use of the suggestions, preparations, or procedures discussed in this book. Should the reader have any questions concerning the appropriateness of any pro cedures or preparation mentioned, the authors and the publisher strongly suggest consulting a professional healthcare advisor.
Basic Health Publications, Inc.
28812 Top of the World Drive
Laguna Beach, CA 92651
949-715-7327 • www.basichealthpub.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Di Girolamo, Joe (Joseph)
The big book of family eye care : a contemporary reference for vision and eye health / Joe Di Girolamo.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59120-701-6
1. Eye—Care and hygiene. 2. Ophthalmology—Popular works.
3. Optometry—Popular works. I. Title.
RE51.D5       2010
617.7—dc22
2010044649
Watermarked eye images copyright © Eyemaginations, Inc. Reproduced by permission.
Copyright © 2011 by Joe Di Girolamo
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the copyright owner.
Editor: John Anderson
Typesetting/Book design: Gary A. Rosenberg
Cover design: Kristen Perkins
Printed in the United States of America
10  9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1
C ONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Introduction
PART ONE—EYE CARE BASICS
1. Anatomy of the Eye
2. Preventative Eye Care
PART TWO—COMMON VISION PROBLEMS
3. Refractive Errors of the Eye,
Myopia , • Hyperopia • Astigmatism
4. Presbyopia
5. Light Sensitivity, Glare, Poor Night Vision, and Computer Vision Syndrome
PART THREE—YOUR AGING EYES
6. Children’s Eye Issues
Excessive Tearing • Conjunctivitis , Strabismus , • Amblyopia • Color Blindness , Nystagmus , • Eye Safety in Sports
7. Adult Eye Issues
Dry Eyes • Glaucoma , Keratoconus , • Eyelid Twitching
8. Senior Eye Issues
Cataracts • Macular Degeneration
PART FOUR—OTHER EYE PROBLEMS
9. Eye Injuries and First Aid
10. Infections
11. Your Eyes and Headaches
12. Systemic Diseases and the Eyes
Diabetes Mellitis • High Blood Pressure , High Cholesterol , • Thyroid Disease
13. Sexually Transmitted Diseases and the Eyes
Chlamydia • Syphilis • Gonorrhea , Pubic Lice , • HIV/AIDS • Herpes
Conclusion
Appendix: Consumer Advice on Vision Correction
References
About the Author
I dedicate this book to my dad, Michael Di Girolamo, O.D., F.A.A.O., the perpetual encourager.
The ancient proverb says that “the eyes are the window to the soul.” Though we are doctors educated to examine that window, you demonstrated that we are also sometimes privileged to reach through that window and touch the soul that lives behind it. Thanks for teaching me what eight years of upper education could never teach.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.”
— M ATTHEW 6:22
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
I am grateful and humbled by the number of people who have encouraged, facilitated, educated, and assisted me in writing this book.
To my wife, Janice, and our dear children, Michael, Jenna, and Mia: Thank you for supporting me and understanding why I needed it quieter in the house sometimes. I love you.
Scott Mactavish, thank you for walking me through the process and pointing me in the right direction. They say it’s who you know… . I wish you the best in your continuing saga of success.
Michelle Goodwin and the doctors and staff of Primary Eye-care, thank you for being awesome. It is a blessing to be able to trust you all so much. Michelle, you are truly gifted—thanks for being my right hand in business.
Kristen Perkins, thanks for rolling with me as my hyper brain constantly causes your first priority of work to be an endlessly moving target. Your design work is brilliant and you have contributed significantly.
R. Bentley Calhoun, M.D., thank you for making time in your busy schedule to contribute to this book. Thank you for supporting our family—we are blessed to have you in our lives.
Mohit Nanda, M.D., a man of intelligence and surgical skill beyond belief, I thank you on behalf of our numerous mutual patients who you have single-handedly prevented from blindness. I am grateful for your scholarly review of my work.
David Cockrell, O.D., F.A.A.O., the walking dictionary and spreadsheet, I can’t believe how you organize and file so much data in your brain! Thanks for being an advocate for optometry as well as supporting my book.
I am most grateful for the guidance provided by my publisher, Norman Goldfind of Basic Health Publications, Inc., during the development of this manuscript. John Anderson, thank you for applying your skillful talents while editing my work—you gave me a newfound appreciation for the craft and expertise required for the editing process. Gary Rosenberg, thank you for your considerable contribution of assembling this work and making it presentable—after all, a book about eyes needs to be “easy on the eyes.” I would also like to express my gratitude to Mike Stromberg and Kristen Perkins for the artwork design they contributed to this work. I could not have completed this book without all of you.
Dad, you are my optometric and life hero. I question whether I would have made it through the first semester of college, let alone all the way through optometry school, without your encouragement and words of wisdom. You have my respect in so many ways.
Last but not least, I thank God for every blessing that He has graciously bestowed upon my life.
I NTRODUCTION
H uman knowledge to date has discovered quite a bit about how eyesight works, but we don’t yet know everything. As much as we understand scientifically and neurologically, we still can’t recreate eyesight in a laboratory (and I’m not certain that we ever will). We do know that there are things we can do to help enhance and protect our eye organs, to preserve them for as long as the rest of our body continues on.
Our eyes are a well-designed optical system, a complicated and highly developed organ. And we rely on them for just about everything we do in our lives, both personal and work-related. Eyes are the biological windows that allow us to behold the beauty of the world. The delightful gift of eyesight is one that we don’t frequently stop to appreciate. A famous admonition reminds us to “stop and smell the roses,” but when was the last time you considered what it would be like without the ability to see them too? It is an uncomfortable thought just to consider. Many cases and causes of blindness worldwide are entirely avoidable with proper health care. Just as a high-performance engine requires maintenance, tuning, and proper fuel balance to run smoothly, our eyes also demand the same. An improperly monitored and maintained engine (or eye) eventually operates inefficiently, runs poorly, or just shuts down entirely. That’s why it is so important to take good care of our eyes.
A 2009 study conducted by the National Eye Institute found that the prevalence of nearsightedness, or myopia, rose by a whopping 66 percent in the United States since the 1970s. Forty-one percent of the United States population is estimated to have some degree of nearsightedness currently, an increase from 25 percent just three decades ago. Though the study did not investigate the causative factors, it is believed that the use of modern day technology such as computers, text messaging, cell phones, and smart phones may be contributing factors to the increased frequency of myopia. While the trend of life expectancy favorably continues to rise, it unfortunately brings with it higher incidences of age-related diseases: glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts are all increasing in prevalence.
Like your physician, an eye doctor is a partner in health care. Unfortunately, many people have the misperception that being able to read the “20/20 line” on an eye chart is an indication that they don’t need to have an eye examination. Just as “routine physicals” are known for effectively detecting early disease in an otherwise healthy person, an eye examination assesses the overall health of the eye, which entail much more than just reading letters on an eye chart. Often, a very diseased eye can still achieve 20/20 vision, leading the person to a false sense of security. Our eyes work tirelessly, but they ask little from us in return, with the exception of regular maintenance. Having vision examinations on a regular basis is the way to ensure that your eyes are providing the clearest and most comfortable vision they are capable of delivering. Just as important, regular comprehensive eye examinations monitor the health of the ocular tissues. For many people, an eye examination means not only precise vision, but the difference between life and death. Daily, people who otherwise thought they were just getting their eyeglasses updated during a “routine eye examination” are first diagnosed with serious, life-altering conditions. Diabetes, cancer, liver dysfunction, uncontrolled blood pressure, an impending stroke, brain tumors, and high cholesterol are all potentially discoverable during an eye examination. How mu