Have you ever looked through a pinhole and noticed that you can see really well? Even without glasses?  The reason that pinholes work is that they shrink the amount of stray light information entering the eye, creating less distraction and minimizing the amount of distortion than can get processed and create a "blurry" image when the information reaches the brain.  The same effect is commonly used in cameras to create a clear image.  The big drawback of pinholes?  Your world is limited to a small speck of vision (albeit a clear, small speck).  Wouldn't it be great if your eye had an internal pinhole so that vision isn't as limited peripherally but you could get the same amount of crystal clarity without the need for glasses?  That is the concept behind the proposed eye drop from Presbyopia Therapies, LLC being investigated for treating blurry vision after age 40.

Small pupils create a pinhole effect, sharpening vision by limiting distortion to a small area.  Presbyopia Therapies, LLC is working on an eye drop that can cause this constriction temporarily to improve vision for the day without side effects! via

Dr. Terry Kim is an ophthalmologist and leading researcher for the eye drop, and he recently spoke on Eyetube.net about his research if you are interested in watching the interview.  The drop is a new product that somehow separates miosis (pupil constriction) from accommodation (muscle action of focusing), allowing the pupil to become a pinhole without creating terrible headaches and brow pain that similar pupil constriction drops like pilocarpine are associated with.  In current research trials, the drop is being dosed daily and achieving vision effects for 8-10 hours.  Both distance and near vision is improved in his experience (just like we would expect with a normal pinhole effect).  The possibilities are theoretically endless; in addition to correcting prescriptions temporarily, these miotic drops could limit glare or halo issues after LASIK surgery or corneal injuries which are often worsened with night vision due to our larger pupil size in dim lighting.  A small pupil will keep vision away from these distorted corneal areas, preventing light from hitting these imperfections and creating glare, shadows, or halos.

We are still a few years away at least from having a drop of this nature on the market, but Dr. Kim reports that they will enter Phase 2 clinical trials next year, which means that we will be getting more concrete study results soon as to how the drop is tolerated and the amount of vision the average user is achieving.  If you are interested in learning more right now, this article was the most comprehensive I could find currently. Stay tuned because as I learn more, I will continue to update on the blog!

The dust is just settling on New York Fashion Week's Spring/Summer 2015 shows, and as always the street style was as much on display as the designer's runway looks.  Sunglasses were on prominent display again this year, but one trend was a resounding winner: Mirrored Sunglasses.  Whether you paired them with classic aviators or bold plastic frames, wore them in the new-again round shapes or more traditional lens cuts, or sported the mirrors in color hues from blue to red, these sunglasses were everywhere.

Amber tinted mirrored sunglasses give an edge to a more feminine bow-tie blouse and a-line skirt via

Similar effect here -- a soft, feminine dress when paired with mirrored wayfarers and a color block clutch can look quite edgy via

Jessica Minkoff, Marie Claire's Senior Marketing Editor wears blue mirrored sunglasses outside of the Rodarte show via

Mirrored shades get the architectural treatment via

Blue mirrored shades and sneakers give a nice contrast to this board-room ready blouse and skirt via

Model Behati Prinsloo pairs mirrored aviators to bring her 90's inspired grunge street style into 2014 relevancy via

Blue mirrored shades were popular with men too as seen via

The take away?  Mirrored sunglasses are very versatile -- you can pair them with almost any look and add an element of futuristic edge.  While the look is definitely strong, if you talk to people in the optical industry, you might hear some negative feedback.  Mirrored lenses can have some associated glare (the front surface is nothing but reflection when you add mirrors), so if you are glare sensitive or want sunglasses with the best vision of your life, don't get mirrored lenses.  But if you are wanting to embrace a really fashion-forward trend that is here to stay (for the next season at least), mirrored lenses are definitely a style to embrace!

Are you feeling the trend?  Please post any links to mirrored sunglass styles that you are liking and I will be happy to feature them in a coming post!

Do you sometimes feel a sharp pain in your eye, and then experience watering and light sensitivity? Do you frequently wake up with a sore, tender eye and blurry vision?  Do your eyes frequently water or even matter when you wake up in the morning?  If these are symptoms that brought your to this blog, I highly recommend that you schedule a visit with your optometrist because you may have a chronic and recurrent condition called corneal erosion.

Understanding the Basics of Recurrent Corneal Erosion

The easiest way to see a corneal abrasion or recurrent erosion is to use NaFl dye.  In this picture the person has a large abrasion right in the center of the cornea which would have a huge impact on vision.  An abrasion this size could take several days to a week to fully heal; and if you get recurrent breaks in this area it could cause a huge toll on your life -- constantly battling a week of pain, light sensitivity, and blur.  This is why Recurrent Corneal Erosion is such a difficult problem to have to deal with.  via

Recurrent corneal erosion is a relatively common issue for people with dry eyes or those with a history of previous corneal abrasion.  Finger nail scratches or paper cuts to the cornea are common initial injuries -- the abrasion you suffer from such a small and thin corneal scratch may have difficulty healing properly.  As the cornea heals itself from that injury, the junctions that hold your epithelial cells together may never fuse with the same strength, leading to areas that are susceptible to re-breaking.  From that moment of your initial injury onward, if your eye gets too dry or irritated, the tissue may break open again causing the same terrible symptoms of pain, watering, light sensitivity, and blurry vision that you experienced when you first had the abrasion.  Overnight dryness is the most common culprit for these recurrences -- your eyes will get too dry overnight, causing the surface epithelial tissue to stick to your eyelid.  When you open your eyes in the morning, those sticky areas will break right open where the junctions are permanently weakened from your prior abrasion.  The result is severe pain, and a fresh new abrasion to battle.

Treatment Options

GenTeal Gel is a go-to product for me in cases of overnight dryness via

Typically the best way to prevent recurrent erosions is to prevent your eye from getting too dried out, especially overnight when our eyes are more prone to getting dry anyway.  That means using moisturizing drops, gels, or ointments on a routine basis.  For many of my patients, just using a rewetting gel drop or ointment at bedtime is enough to prevent a morning recurrence.  Drops like Refresh Liquigel, Systane gel, or GenTeal gel or ointment are excellent products.  It is also best (if possible) to avoid any direct airflow to your eyes overnight.  That means no ceiling fans or vents blowing at your face.  If you use a CPAP machine it can also cause direct "wind" blowing on your face, so a good quality eye ointment is essential to prevent excessive overnight corneal dryness in this case.

If you are still getting a few corneal erosions a year, over the counter drops may not be enough to solve your problem.  There are several surgical treatments that have been effective for treating and preventing future recurrent erosions, and your doctor will work with you to find a plan right for your eye.  Options include lesser invasive procedures like using a bandage contact lens or doing a month long pulse of steroid drops and doxycycline, to more advanced surgical options. Anterior stromal puncture is a common method that surgeons will use to prevent future erosions where they purposefully cause multiple pinpoint breaks in a circular ring around the cornea to try to stimulate a full healing attack from your body to reset all of those problematic weak epithelial junctions.

ProKera amniotic membrane lens is a large disc placed on your eye to help heal the epithelial junctions permanently. The lens itself is not comfortable, and will cause blurry vision while you wear it, but for many this is worth the results.  via

A new treatment on the market that has been showing great success is the use of ProKera, The concept is simple: a contact lens that is made out of amniotic tissue is applied to the eye that bathes your cornea in natural anti-inflammatories and healing mediators.  The hope is that this membrane can help fully regenerate your cornea with its full epithelial junctions intact, meaning a strong new cornea of your own that is resistant to future breaks. Optometrists and ophthalmologists can both use this membrane contact lens to help your eye heal, but since this is amniotic membrane tissue, the expense can be high if your medical insurance does not have full coverage. Another thing to note is that the ProKera lens is definitely not for everyone -- it is bulky and uncomfortable while it is on your eye, and you will have blurry vision for the entire time you are wearing the lens (typically a week or more).  For most wearers, it is worth a week of discomfort if you could possibly have a lifetime without another corneal break.  Again, your doctor can help you decide which approach to your recurrent erosions is right for you, and hopefully prevent another painful recurrence.

photos via Melissa DeLorme Photography

The glasses trends of 2014 have been pretty resounding: cat-eye has been back with a vengeance, and even if you were at first tempted to think "been there, done that," it may be time to reconsider.  Whether you choose to mix in metal details or go with bold color pairings, cat-eye frames are feeling new again because designers aren't relying on the shape for the visual interest.  If you really want to embrace everything that is 2014 this fall, you can't go wrong by selecting a cat-eye shape with a color effect.  For today's post, our featured cat-eye frame has a two-tone fade effect, where the darker brown color near the top fades to clear plastic towards the bottom of the eyepiece.  If you are someone who has tended to stick with rimless frames, going with light or clear tones is a great way to try the more fashion-forward plastic frames without feeling caged inside your glasses.  The last thing you want is a big black frame constantly disrupting your peripheral vision if you are used to seeing no rim at all.  Totally clear plastic frames can be quite difficult to wear, however, since they can easily skew towards safety-glasses in appearance. Utilizing a slight color fade to break up a clear plastic can be just what you need to successfully pull of this look!
Need some frame inspiration to achieve your cat-eye fade effect for fall?

If you are feeling a little more adventurous, try the horizontal cat-eye fade by Cutler and Gross

Or try the fade effect in sunglasses with these Vera Wang cat-eyes

By the Numbers: 60% of Americans spend > 6 hours/day on a digital device 65% of people use a tablet or phone while watching TV graphic and numerical data via

Take a moment and look around the room you are in.  How many people are on their cell phone?  On a tablet? Using some sort of digital device? The world we are living in is a new frontier -- we have access to personal technology 24/7 and boy, are most of us connected.  But living in a digital world is a challenge for our eyes in particular; our visual system is made to focus at both distance and near, but the resting state for most people's eyes is when they are looking in the distance (about 20 feet away).  That means every time you look closer, your eyes are having to work, and that can cause all sorts of issues.

Schematic of the Zeiss Digital Lens via.  Notice that in the bottom of the lens there are 2 little thumbprints.  These are the near vision "boost" zones where you would look through to see your cell phone or tablet.  Don't worry, they are 100% clear so you won't see them in your glasses.  This diagram is just trying to illustrate that the lens is not a progressive -- there are no peripheral vision distortions and no moving your head or neck into the right place.  We naturally hold our cell phone down and to one side (whichever hand you are holding it in) so the zones are positioned in the natural viewing place for hand held devices!  No head or neck movement necessary.

Imagine a medical condition that has no pain and no symptoms until it is advanced enough to cause permanent blindness?  Unfortunately, this condition is real, and it is called glaucoma.  Since glaucoma typically doesn't have any symptoms associated with it (not even blurry vision or the need for glasses!), only about 50% of people in America that have glaucoma know that they have it.  And without treatment early in the disease process, those affected people are at risk of blindness.  Unfortunately about 10% of people that receive treatment still go blind, so as you can see, treatment and close follow-up with your doctor is essential with this disease.

Red carpet events haven't always been the best place to spot the newest trends in glasses, but with eyewear being so popular lately, you can expect to see some great glasses on display at most award shows. Monday's 2014 Emmy Awards did not disappoint.  Here are some of the best looks of the night.

Winner Ty Burrell in clear ophthalmics via

Fred Armisen of Portlandia was nominated in the same category, and apparently feeling a similar style via

via

Jessica Lange in faded tint sunglasses via

Adam Levine via