It's Good To Be Yellow!

The light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye is the retina. The very center of the retina (and the center of your visual field) is called the macula.

All of our 20/20 acuity is confined to the macular region, which is a very small part of the overall retinal area. Most of our vision is peripheral vision, which is 20/200-type acuity. We detect movement and larger objects with our peripheral vision, then point our macula at the movement or object to see it clearly. The macula is the most important part of the retina.

We all have two yellow pigments in our macular regions – Lutein & Zeaxanthin. These two yellow pigments act passively as an internal sunscreen, protecting the macula from UV radiation, and act actively as antioxidants, protecting the retina from oxidative stress from the blood.

We want to have high levels of yellow pigment in the macula. We get these yellow pigments from our diet. Foods such as kale, broccoli, spinach, collard greens, and mustard greens (green leafy vegetables) are high in yellow pigment. Other foods, such as whole eggs and corn, are also good sources.

At my Ann Arbor office, we now offer Macular Pigment Optical Density (MPOD) testing. This test is quick and easy to administer, and the results are immediately available for the doctor to analyze and discuss with you. Patients who have a low yellow pigment density are educated and counseled on nutrition (both food sources and supplements if indicated) and lifestyle changes (such as smoking cessation) that can increase a patient’s yellow pigment density in the macula.

The next time you go to see your optometrist for your eye care, ask your optometrist if they know why “it’s good to be yellow”!

Steven Lutz, OD
Serving Ann Arbor, Saline, Ypsilanti, Pinckney, Milan, Dexter, Chelsea, Brighton, Howell, Whitmore Lake and surrounding areas since 1988.

The Next Big Thing

I have been an optometrist for over 23 years. In that time, I have seen my fair share of irregular corneas. The most common form of irregular cornea is keratoconus, which is Latin for “cone-shaped cornea”.

Keratoconus is a genetically inherited corneal dystrophy in which the cornea is cone-shaped, usually below the papillary area. This type of eye generally requires a custom RGP contact lens (rigid gas permeable) to achieve good vision.

I personally have severe keratoconus in my left eye and moderate keratoconus in my right eye. I have struggled for the last 10 years to achieve good vision in my left eye due to the severity of the disease. Recently I was fit with a new sclera gas permeable contact lens called the Jupiter Lens. My vision is dramatically improved now in both eyes.

The Jupiter Lens has a very large diameter – 15.5 to 20.0 millimeters. It rests on the sclera (white part) of the eye, thereby vaulting the corneal irregularities. It has been a bit challenging for me to learn insertion of these large diameter contact lenses (my lenses are 18.2mm in diameter), but after one week, I am now an expert at getting them in. Removal of the lens is easy with a large suction removal device.

If you are a keratoconus sufferer and are struggling to achieve the best vision possible, discuss the Jupiter Lens with your optometrist at your next eye exam – it truly is the Next Big Thing!

Steven Lutz, OD
Serving Ann Arbor, Saline, Ypsilanti, Pinckney, Milan, Dexter, Chelsea, Brighton, Howell, Whitmore Lake and surrounding areas since 1988.

A New Medication for Dry Eye

Dry eye can be a mild irritant or a major inflammatory problem. Recently a new ocular drop has entered the marketplace to help treat dry eye – Azasite. Azasite helps with evaporative dry eye.

Dry eye can be thought of as having two main causes – lack of tear production (low tear volume) or normal tear volume that evaporates too quickly.

Oil glands in the eyelids (meibomian glands) produce oil that forms an “oil slick” on top of the tear layer of the eye to prevent rapid evaporation. These oil glands can become inflamed, causing low oil production and a quickly evaporating tear film.

Azasite is Azithromycin (an antibiotic) in drop form. This antibiotic has an anti-inflammatory side effect – it is the side effect of the drug that helps deal with dry eyes.

As the inflammation of the oil glands in the lids is reduced, the oil production is increased, and the tear layer evaporates more slowly, greatly reducing the dry eye symptoms.

The next time you go to see your optometrist for your eye exam or contact lens fitting, ask the doctor if Azasite would be a good option for you, and hopefully there will not be a dry eye in your house.

Steven Lutz, OD
Serving Ann Arbor, Saline, Ypsilanti, Pinckney, Milan, Dexter, Chelsea, Brighton, Howell, Whitmore Lake and surrounding areas since 1988.