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In the News
Eye Movements Improve Creativity
A recent study published in Brain and Cognition concluded that 30 seconds of lateral eye movements along the horizontal can increase creativity. The lateral eye movements are theorized to improve communication between the right and left hemispheres of the brain better linking the creative right brain with the practical and logical left brain.
The next time you need to come up with creative ideas try performing thirty seconds of horizontal eye movements. Better yet, practice thirty seconds daily. who knows what can happen.
Bifocals Slow Nearsighted Progression
A recent study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology concluded that bifocal lenses used over a twenty-four month period moderately slowed myopia (nearsightedness) progression in children. For children who are rapidly progressing in myopia, bifocal correction should be offered as a possible treatment option.
New Glaucoma Screening Tool
Screening for glaucoma usually involves measuring the pressure in the eye because elevated intraocular pressure is a major risk factor in glaucoma. Most methods of measuring the eye's pressure (tonometry) require numbing or anesthetizing the eye. The new Diaton does not require any numbing drops or touching the eye itself nor does it shoot a puff of air at your eye. It measures the eye's pressure comfortably through the eyelid and can be easily performed on children and elderly.
New Multifocal Contact Lenses
With the aging of the "Baby-Boomers" many contact lens companies have developed new lenses for that segment on the population losing their near focusing abilities. Everyone experiences this loss of near focusing in their early to mid-forties. It's unavoidable like death and taxes. As with multifocal spectacle lenses, multifocal contact lenses allow for focusing at far and near. Like spectacle lenses they represent a vision compromise. Many users report that multifocal contact lenses sure beat wearing glasses. CibaVision recently released its Air Optix Aqua Multifocal and Vistakon released its Acuvue Oasys for Presbyopia.
Give us a call at 808-949-9999 to see if the new multifocal contact lenses are right for you.
Night & Day Nightmares
For many of our Focus Night & Day contact lens wearers switching to the new Air Optix Night & Day Aqua has been a nightmare. Originally designed as a 30-day continuous wear lens, the Focus Night & Day lens gave many patients the carefree feeling of wearing lenses without daily removal and cleaning. In attempting to improve the lens to the new Air Optix Night & Day Aqua, the manufacturer added a blue tint and an "OK" inversion mark to increase ease of handling. Unfortunately for many, the "OK" marking made the lens uncomfortable. The manufacturer continues to build inventory of the corrected lens and should be up to full supply by the end of the year.
If you are having comfort issues with your Air Optix Night & Day Aqua lenses, please contact our office at 808-949-9999 and we will
Want Longer Lashes?
Have you ever wanted longer lashes? Now you can have those thicker longer lashes with Latisse, a prescription medication that thickens and lengthens your lashes. Originally a glaucoma medication that had a side effect of lash lengthening, Latisse is now available especially for your lashes. Latisse is applied nightly.
A Multifocal Contact Lens that Works!
The ProClear Multifocal contact lens works well. It still does not make your eyes like the eyes of a person twenty-years old and like everything else in life, if you are over forty-years old, life has compromises. If you would like to try the ProClear Multifocal contact lens with a few less vision compromises, give us a call at 949-9999 for an appointment and Dr. Jan and Dr. K will see if they are appropriate for your vision.
The New Practice
We merged practices with Dr. Jan Hirakawa on April 1, 2009... No joke... to provide better continuity of service, a larger frame inventory, a larger contact lens inventory and lots of parking. The office is currently a second floor walk-up but we are working on installing a chair lift system for those unable to climb stairs.
The new office location is just a few blocks away from our current one. Take the first right after passing Zippy's, then the first left and turn into the parking lot fronted by the mock orange hedges.
The address is : 1820 Algaroba St., Suite 200 Phone: 808-949-99
Double Vision & Statins
FW Fraunfelder, MD of the Casey Eye Institute at the Oregon Health & Science University studied the association of statins, a family of cholesterol lowering medications and eye muscle disorders. Published in the December 2008 issue of Ophthalmology, the study demonstrated a rare link between statin use and double vision (diplopia), loss of full range of eye motion (ophthalmoplegia), and drooping eyelids (ptosis). The average patient age was 64.5 years with an average time of onset of 8.3 months. All adverse reactions apparently resolved after stopping statin therapy.
If you are taking any statin for cholesterol management and develop any diplopia, ptosis or ophthalmoplegia, please contact your eye doctor and primary care physician.
Electronic Prescriptions
To increase patient convenience and to maximize our office efficiency we now electronically transmit patient prescriptions directly to pharmacies. This just means that you no longer have to take your prescription to your pharmacy and wait for it to be filled. By using electronic transmission, all prescriptions are checked for accuracy and correctness and sent directly to your pharmacy before you even leave the office.
Acuvue Oasys with Astigmatism
Acuvue brand contact lenses recently announced the release of the Acuvue Oasys with Astigmatism; a lens similar to its Acuvue Advance with Astigmatism except in the Oasys material. The Oasys material allows for higher oxygen supply to the eye for healthier wear and less drying. Lens powers match the current Advance with Astigmatism. If you currently wear Acuvue Advance with Astigmatism, call us at 808-944-0002 to try the new Acuvue Oasys with Astigmatism.
CIBAVision Air Optix for Astigmatism
It's taken several years but the CIBAVision Air Optix Toric is now available in select powers. This lens is one of the most comfortable and stable toric soft contact lenses available while providing one of the highest levels of oxygen transmission. This translates into greater comfort, less drying and better vision. Call us for a fitting at 808-944-0002.
Acuvue® Oasys Available in Flatter Lens Design
The Acuvue OASYS contact lens has been available for a while but is now available in a flatter lens design. If you wear the 8.4 curvature and are experiencing dryness especially at the end of the day, the new 8.8 curvature may be better for you.
As a proponent of flatter fitting soft contact lenses since 1996 Dr. Inouye has lectured on the use of flatter designs to reduce end of day dryness with both convention soft lens materials and the new silicone hydrogel materials. Those individuals benefiting for the flatter designs are identifiable with corneal topography or computerized mapping of the eye's surface. Dr. Inouye has been a strong advocate of corneal mapping for all contact lens patients. Dr. Inouye is quoted as saying, "Without corneal topography, a doctor cannot tell what the contact lens is doing to the eye."
Honolulu Optometrist of the Year 2006
Recently a patient made us aware that Dr. Inouye was voted Honolulu's Optometrist of the Year by The Local Newspaper, a local online publication for Honolulu. When asked what he thought about it, Dr. Inouye said, "I guess it's an honor that I didn't even know about. I would like to thank those who voted for me. I hope we can continue providing great eye care to our patients. As with any business we periodically run into glitches in the system but we're constantly working on improving it."
PureVision Multifocal Soft Contact Lens
PureVision Multifocal contact lenses provide both far and near vision for those individuals normally needing bifocal lenses to see both far and near distances. Like its predecessor the SofLens 66 Multifocal, the PureVision Multifocal provides better vision than most multifocal soft contact lenses with some compromises. Made of a silicone hydrogel material that provides higher oxygen transmission for healthier wear and less dryness, the PureVision Mulitfocal is first of the next generation of multifocal lenses.
Call our office at 944-0002 for a lens evaluation appointment. You may just have to put those reading glasses away.
Focusing Implants–Far and Near Vision After Cataracts
Recent developments in the lens implant industry allow many individuals to see both far and near after cataract removal. The three major lenses include the Crystalens®, the Restor™ multifocal lens and the ReZoom™ multifocal lens. Each has advantages and disadvantages depending on how you use your vision. Although none of the lenses can guarantee that you will see clearly at all distances, the majority of people using these lenses can see far and near without reading glasses most of the time.
Give us a call for an evaluation to see which lens would be best for you.
Restasis
You've probably seen the commercials on TV promoting Restasis, a prescription eye drop that re-establishes normal tearing in individuals with dry eyes. Does it work? Many of my patients who use Restasis say that it really makes a difference. It has proven to be so effective that Restasis is prescribed for all LASIK patients with dry eye tendencies one-month prior to treatment.
I've been a long time dry eye sufferer myself and began using Restasis. It does sting a little which is a common complaint in users, but it does stop after a few minutes. It has reduced dryness in my eyes and I hope this continues through summer when dryness complaints peak.
If you are suffering from dry eyes and are tired of using artificial tears every couple of hours, call us to set up your dry eye evaluation. Restasis may help you see life through different eyes.