Video – Description of Cataracts. What Are Cataracts?

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The above video is from EyeMaginations and gives a great description of what Cataracts are:

Cataracts are a normal and common part of the aging process but, they do not have to interfere with your lifestyle.   A cataract is a cloudiness of the crystalline lens inside of your eye.  As your lens gets cloudier, your vision will gradually become more blurred.

The human eye may best be compared to a camera.  When you take a picture, the lens in the front of the camera allows light through and then focuses that light on the film in the back of the camera.  When the light hits the film, a picture is taken.  The eye works in much the same way.

In  youth, the crystalline lens of your eye is clear and allows light to pass through.   Light is focused by your cornea and your crystalline lens onto a thin layer of nerve tissue in the back of your eye called – the retina.   Your retina works like the film in a camera.  When the focused light hits the retina – a “picture” is taken and sent to your brain.

While a dirty camera lens blurs a picture, any significant cataract or cloudiness  in your crystalline lens will blur the images that you see.

When a cataract becomes significant – your vision can become quite blurry.  It is suggested if your vision drops below 20/40 or so….then it is common to be told to see an eye surgeon to have cataract surgery.

This surgery involves taking out the cloudy crystalline lens (cataract) and replacing it with a clear implant.  Often your surgeon can even do a calculation that can place your current eyeglass prescription into the lens implant.  The result after the cataract surgery can be much clearer vision and often there is no need for glasses after the surgery!

For more information – see your local Optometrist or  Dr Dawn Bearden or Dr Anna-Kay Tenn in Pembroke Pines 954-430-3808 or Sunrise 954-851-9949 for your yearly eye exam and they will be happy to discuss cataracts and cataract surgery options with you!

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Happy Birthday Dr Anna-Kay Tenn !!

We Want to Wish

Dr Anna-Kay Tenn

A VERY Happy

BIG Birthday!!

You Are a Fantastic Doctor and

We Love You VERY Much!!!

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Visionary Eyecare Blog – A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

A Visual Representation of the Visionary Eyecare Blog

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words!!

And sometimes that picture is made from a thousand words…..

Here are some visual representations of the Visionary Eyecare Blog from Wordle.

It visibly shows that our blog talks about the Eye, an Optometrist, an Eye Exam, Pembroke Pines, Sunrise,  Eye Dr,  Contacts, Dr Dawn Bearden, Dr Emily McCulluh, Dr Anna-Kay Tenn, Lenscrafters, an Eye Doctor,  Vision, Eye Care, Eye Health and more….

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Just by scanning one of these images – a reader can immediately get a feel for what the Visionary Eyecare Blog is all about!!

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Sports Eye Safety Resolution for Children is Adopted by the Florida House of Representatives

Children Wearing Protective Sport Eyewear

As reported on Twitter by Prevent Blindness America and Prevent Blindness Florida (@PBFlorida), the Florida House of Representatives adopted HR 9095, a resolution recognizing the seriousness of sports-related eye injuries in children and the importance of sports eye safety to protect the children of Florida.

Here is an excerpt from their website:

Eye injuries are the leading cause of blindness in children in the United States, and 90% of these injuries can be avoided with the use of protective eyewear. Prevent Blindness America applauds the Florida House of Representatives for their commitment to children’s eye health.  For more information about sports eye injuries and how you can protect your child’s sight, visit the children’s sports eye safety section of the Vision Learning Center.

For a copy of the adopted resolution, click here.

Dr Dawn Bearden, Dr Anna Kay Tenn, Dr Emily McCulloh and Dr Alyx Lin at Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines and Sunrise routinely ask about children’s sports and hobbies during the medical and social history portion of the eye exam.  Children under the age of 12 are routinely given a prescription for polycarbonate lenses for their eyeglasses.  This polycarbonate material is more impact resistant – which is important for children due to their active lifestyle.  If a child participates in any impact or ball sport – then the eye doctors at Visionary Eyecare will also recommend sports goggles for eye safety.

Sports goggles are excellent for protecting your eyes (in BOTH adults and children) while playing any type of impact or ball sport such as basketball, racquetball, soccer, baseball, softball, tennis, rugby etc.  Many eye injuries can occur from a ball or racket hitting you in the face near the eye – or an impact with another player’s elbow, knee, head etc.  while playing the sport.

Some serious eye health issues that can occur from these impacts include retinal detachment,  subconjunctival hemorrhage (bright red blood spot on the white of the eye), ocular inflammation (iritis/uveitis)  and even cataracts or glaucoma that can occur YEARS after the injury to the eye.

In persons under 25 years of age, ocular trauma is the number one cause of visual loss.

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Pictures of the Patient Appreciation Event at Pembroke Pines Visionary Eye Care

Well, if you were there – we’re sure you had a great time….Free Gift, Free Chair Massage, Raffle for Free IPod!! Visionary Eyecare in Pembroke Pines created a really fun Patient Appreciation event along with Lenscrafters Customer Appreciation event….. and here are the pictures to prove it!

Every Visionary Eye Doctor – Dr Dawn Bearden, Dr Anna-Kay Tenn and Dr Emily McCulloh – enjoyed seeing many previous patients again for their annual eye exam at our Pembroke Pines Eye Clinic.

We’ll keep you posted if we do another Patient Appreciation Event!

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Congratulations To Dr Emily McCulloh on Her Marriage to Mr Brady Hollingsworth

Congrats and much love to our wonderful Eye Doctor … Emily McCulloh … who was recently married to Brady Hollingsworth on September 27th!

Dr Tenn (our other awesome Optometrist) and Ralph Justiz (our Optometric Technician from the Visionary Eyecare office in Pembroke Pines) traveled to Oklahoma to share this special day with Dr Emily McCulloh.  Dr Anna-Kay Tenn served as a beautiful bridesmaid in the wedding.   Both – Dr Emily McCulloh and Dr Anna-Kay Tenn work at our Pembroke Pines, as well as, our Sunrise (inside Sawgrass Mills Mall) eye clinic locations located next to Lenscrafters.

Here are some pictures from the special day…

Dr Anna-Kay Tenn and Dr Emily McCulloh

Ralph Justiz and Dr McCulloh

First Dance of Dr Emily McCulloh and Brady Hollingsworth

Dr Emily McCulloh - the Beautiful Bride on Her Special Day

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One Cause of Red Eye – Subconjunctival Hemorrhage

“I woke up this morning and my eye was really red – like there was blood on the white of my eye!”

This is a very frightening looking condition affecting patients.  They come in with a  red eye – like a bright red blood patch on the white of their eye –  but, there is no pain, discharge or blurriness to their vision.   Sometimes the eye may feel a little bit “scratchy” or irritated but, that is usually rare.  Sometimes they are caused by trauma to the eye but, most of the time they occur without any injury sustained to the eye – they just seem to appear “out of nowhere”.

It is called a Subconjunctival Hemorrhage – or “Subconj Heme” for short.  It is caused when one of the tiny blood vessels on the white of your eye ruptures and that tiny drop of blood gets trapped between the white of your eye (the sclera) and the clear skin that covers the sclera (called the conjunctiva).  Sometimes this blood vessel breakage can be caused by a strong cough, vomiting, lifting something heavy, constipation strain, a stong sneeze etc.  This “trapped” blood usually takes about 7-14 days to clear up.  It is sort of like a bruise under the skin (but here the “skin” is the clear conjunctiva)….first the color is red and bright then over time it may turn different colors over time and become a bit yellowish before it completely clears up.

If you are on a “blood thinning” medication – it can cause the blood vessel to take a longer time to stop bleeding and a small blood spot can quickly become a much larger one due to the delay in clotting.  Many times a patient may be taking aspirin, coumadin or warfarin (these are blood thinning oral medications) or some type of herbs that can cause cause blood thinning and bleeding risks like St John’s Wort, Cayenne Pepper, Garlic, Ginger and Ginkgo.  People with high blood pressure and/or diabetes can also be at higher risk for developing a “Subconj Heme”.

It is always a good idea to go to see your eye doctor if you have a red eye and think you may  have a subconjunctival hemorrhage.  Many red eyes look alike and the doctor can tell you if you really have a subconj heme or if the redness is being caused by an eye infection or other serious condition.  If it is a subconj heme then the doctor can determine if you need to be sent for further investigation of possible blood/bleeding disorders.

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Visionary Eyecare – Maps of 3 Locations in Broward County

We have 3 Locations in Broward County to Serve You:

Pembroke Pines (Next to Lenscrafters)

954-430-3808

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED MAP

Click HERE to Make an appointment ONLINE for Pembroke Pines Location

Sunrise (Next to Lenscrafters)

954-851-9949

(INSIDE the Sawgrass Mall – in between JCPenny and Brandsmart)

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED MAP

Click HERE to Make an appointment ONLINE for Sunrise Location

Davie (Next to Pearle)

954-434-9045

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILED MAP

Click HERE to Make an appointment ONLINE for Davie Location

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Wild Eyes Special-Effect Halloween Contact Lenses

WildEyes special-effect contacts include these designs:
1. Icefire, 2. Wildfire, 3. Zoomin’, 4. Jaguar, 5. Zebra, 6. Cat Eye, 7. Knockout, 8. Black-out, 9. Red Hot, 10. White-out, and 11. Hypnotica.

Its time to start thinking about enhancing your Halloween costume and Wild Eyes Contact Lenses are the perfect finishing touch to any spectacular costume!  The most popular Wild Eyes color contacts around Halloween are the Cat Eye contact lenses and White-Out contact lenses (made popular by Marilyn Manson…a Florida native).

Costume contact lenses are stylish to wear and they are designed for fun but remember, that they are still medical devices that will be placed onto your eyes.  They must fit you properly and be well taken care of to keep them very clean so you don’t get any eye infections.  Contact lenses that do not fit properly or are not cleaned can cause very serious eye problems. So, it is important to remember that you need your eye doctor to accurately fit them on your eyes and give you a prescription for them.  Even if you don’t currently need wear glasses or contacts to see clearly – you still need a prescription for them to ensure they FIT your eyes properly.

Have lots of fun with your costume contact lenses but, NEVER SHARE OR SWAP these or any type of contact lenses with anyone else – this can lead to pinkeye and other potential serious eye infections that could lead to blindness!

Never buy your costume contact lenses from a place (like a Flea Market) that does not ask you for a valid prescription from your eye doctor. Some of these lenses sold in these places are not FDA approved.  You ALWAYS need a prescription from your eye doctor to ensure that the contact lenses fit you properly, feel comfortable and won’t cause you any serious eye problems.

Have FUN and BE SAFE!

Happy Halloween!!!

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Diagram of Your Eye

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PLACE YOUR MOUSE OVER THE MAGNIFYING GLASS

AND USE IT TO MOVE THE MAGIFIER OVER

EACH PART OF THE EYE

Vodpod videos no longer available.

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A Treatment for Dry Eye – Punctal Plugs

There are several treatments for Dry Eye including using artificial tears, prescription eye drop medications like Restasis, eating a diet that is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, fish oil supplement capsules or flaxseed oil) and punctal plugs.

Dry eyes are very common problem for many people.  Symptoms of dry eyes can include burning, dry eye feeling, itching, intermittent vision blur (that clears up when you blink) and excess tearing (the brain’s natural response to eye dryness).

Punctal plugs are used when you are producing very little tear fluid to properly bathe your eyes.  The plugs are inserted into your puncta (the opening of your tear drainage duct) to help preserve what little tears that you do have.  Punctal plugs keep your tears ON the surface of your eye (instead of draining out the drainage duct).

The procedure is quick and painless and can be done right in the office examination room.  The plugs are inserted painlessly in our office in about 5 minutes.

There are 2 types of plugs – collagen (disolvable) and silicone (non-disolvable – but still removable if you ever want them removed).

At Visionary eyecare we usually insert collagen (disolvable ) plugs into the lower puncta of each eye as a trial test.  The plugs will usually last for 3-5 days.  In about a week, we will bring you back for a follow up.  If you are happy with the amount of moisture in your eyes at your follow up – then we proceed to insert the silicone (non-disolvable) plugs into your lower puncta.

If you feel that you would like more moisture – then we will insert the collagen (disolvable) plugs into your upper AND lower puncta and bring you back for a follow up in about a week.  If you are happy with the amount of moisture then we will proceed to insert the silicone (non-disolvable) plugs into all 4 puncta (the upper and lower puncta in each eye).

These plugs can also be called Lacrimal Plugs….and they are NOT felt once they are inserted into your punctas.

The Picture Above shows a Collagen Plug in the Upper Puncta and a Silicone Plug in the Lower Puncta.

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Get YOUR Vision and Eye Health Questions Answered!!

Lots of Our Patients Often Have the

SAME BURNING QUESTIONS….

What is Astigmatism??

Why do I now have problems reading up close when I turned 40??

What are those black floating spots in my vision??

What is a Cataract??

I need bifocals….can I wear contact lenses??

What is Glaucoma??

How often should I get my eye exam if I feel my vision has not changed??

What is a Retinal Detachment??

What is Myopia (Nearsightedness)??

What is Macular Degeneration??

My child passed the Pediatrician and/or School Vision Screening – does he/she still need an eye examination if he/she is not complaining of vision problems??

I have astigmatism….can I wear contact lenses??

What is Farsightedness (Hyperopia)??

Well, here is YOUR chance to get all of YOUR questions answered by Dr Bearden and the Visionary Eyecare Doctors – Right HERE on Our BLOG!!

Just leave a comment (Below this post – click on “Comments”) with your burning Vision and Eye Health question(s) and we will write future posts based on the questions that you ask….

Check back often to see if your question has been answered…..OR……… subscribe to our blog  via email (or RSS feed) and get all updates of new BLOG posts sent to you automatically.

CLICK HERE to subscribe to our Blog Via Email.

Its THAT easy!

You are also welcome to visit our Vision Library on our Visionary Eyecare Website for LOTS of Vision and Eye Health Educational Information!!

CLICK HERE to go to our Vision Library….

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ONLINE Appointments for Your Eye Exam….right HERE from our BLOG!

Is your vision getting a little bit blurry?? Do you need new eyeglasses or contact lenses??  Do you have a red eye??  Do you want to talk to an Eye Dr (Optometrist) about Laser Eye Surgery??  Well, you don’t need to CALL our eye clinic to make an appointment….

Did you know that you can make an Appointment Online for an Eye Exam, Eye Health Check and Vision Testing….right HERE from our Blog – 24 hours per day / 7 days per week??  Well you can!

Just check out the column on the right under “ONLINE Appointments At Visionary Eyecare” and click on the office where you would like to schedule your appointment OR click below on the office where you would like to schedule your appointment.   Its THAT easy!

Pembroke Pines Office (Next to Lenscrafters)   Located at 9910 Pines Blvd in Pembroke Pines (The Southeast Corner of Palm and Pines)

Sunrise/Sawgrass Mall Office (Next to Lenscrafters)   Located inside the Sawgrass Mall – in between JCPenny and Brandsmart

Visionary Eyecare’s Blog: “The Eye Journal” …………. We Are Now LIVE!

Hello!!!

This is the maiden voyage of “The Eye Journal”,  which is our educational BLOG at Visionary Eyecare…..all about YOU and YOUR eye health and vision care questions.   The Eye Journal is written by our very own Visionary Eyecare Optometrists!!

Visionary Eyecare is a South Florida Eye Clinic with 2 locations in Broward County: Pembroke Pines (Next to Lenscrafters) and Sunrise (next to Lenscrafters – INSIDE the Sawgrass Mills Mall).

Visionary Eyecare is devoted to your most precise vision.  Each Eye Dr that works with you will give you personalized attention and customize your eye exam individually for you.  Every vision test that is done for you – will be suited to your individual needs.

If you need an eye examination for eye glasses, contact lenses, a laser surgery consultation or have a red eye and need eye treatment or have any other eye emergency – our Optometrists (Dr. Dawn Bearden, Dr Anna-Kay Tenn, Dr Emily McCulloh and Dr Alyx Lin) will take great care of you.

We take great pride in providing you with High Definition Vision Care!!

Stay tuned for Visionary Eyecare’s Updates, Events, Videos, Promotions, Information and much, much  more…..

Subscribe to our RSS feed or to our email list to be automatically updated any time “The Eye Journal” is updated!

We look forward to keeping you on the cutting edge of eye care!!