Eye diseases Questions

1. What are my options for cataract surgery?

   The new cataract lens implants are multi-focal, which means they are in focus at different distances. The basic lens implant is in focus only at one distance, either near or far. The new implants are designed to function more like a natural lens, with the hope that after cataract surgery no glasses will be necessary...
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2. Will a Medicare Advantage Plan cover the cost of intraocular lenses?

   If you are enrolled in a Medicare Part C Medicare Advantage plan, the managed care plan itself, rather than Medicare, decides what is covered and what is not. The plan's decision about coverage must follow the terms set out in the plan's contract, a copy of which you receive when you enroll...
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3. What's an Amsler grid?

   The Amsler grid is an early warning system for a change in your parent's macular degeneration. Macular degeneration affects the retina of the eye, which is sensitive to horizontal and vertical lines. If you look at the grid that your parent has posted on the refrigerator, you'll see that it has evenly...
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4. Can hallucinations be a sign of vision loss?

   Approximately 30 percent of individuals with vision loss see visual hallucinations or "phantom images." This is called Charles Bonnet syndrome, named after the Swiss philosopher who first described it over 200 years ago. When it happens, the individual sees a recurring full-color, life-like image of...
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5. What is the difference between wet and dry macular degeneration?

   The difference between wet and dry macular degeneratiom (AMD) is that in wet AMD blood vessels develop under the macular where they should not be and in dry AMD there are no such vessels. In wet AMD those vessels leak, bleed and damage the macula whereas, which can happen suddenly, whereas in dry AMD...
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6. What are the best type of sunglasses for someone with impaired vision?

   While protection from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays helps prevent cataracts, the best glasses for someone with macular degeneration are those that block not only UV light but also blue wavelengths, as it's the blue light, not UV, that's the culprit in macular degeneration.
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7. Should someone with macular degeneration be driving?

   Your mother may still be safe to drive since she is in the early stage of macular degeneration. In fact, in some states you only need vision in one eye to keep driving.
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8. Should Dad learn braille?

   First, I wouldn't assume your father can't read print if he hasn't already tried a CCTV (closed-circuit television), which magnifies much more than the strongest magnifier and provides a large area for viewing. Most people with age-related macular degeneration, for example, can at least read bills with a CCTV, and many can even read the newspaper...
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9. Can metal debris from hip implants cause cataracts to form?

   Cataracts develop for a number of reasons, including life long exposure to UV light from the sun, radiation exposure, chronic diseases (like high blood pressure), old age, eye trauma, or medications (like steroids). Atropy of the optic nerve is generally caused by trauma, infection, tumors, or blood flow problems to the nerve...
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10. How can I help my dad, who is losing his vision from macular degeneration?

    Macular degeneration is often very hard for people, as there’s currently no treatment for this problem. I would suggest calling your dad’s ophthalmologist to ask if he could be referred to a low vision center or program in your area. These centers will often do a visual assessment in the home, and and can help people with low vision obtain visual aids...
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11. Should my parent, who has macular degeneration, take antioxidants to help stem vision loss?

    Antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, which damage the macula (the part of the eye that's damaged in macular degeneration). It has been proven that a combination of antioxidants retards the progress of age-related macular degeneration for those who already have it, as your father does.
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12. How can I help my parent get her questions answered at the eye doctor's?

    I suggest that your parent make a list of all of her questions and concerns and give it to the doctor (or to the nurse, who will give it to the doctor with your mother's chart). Then all she has to do is ask him to look at the list and tell her the answers...
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13. How can I help my kids understand their grandfather's vision loss?

    Understanding vision loss requires understanding what type of visual impairment a person has. If your parent has age-related macular degeneration, for example, then he has central vision loss, which affects detailed vision. If he had peripheral loss, he would have detail vision but find it hard to get around...
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14. How can I encourage my parent to want to learn about his eye disease?

    Knowledge can be helpful in three ways: It can alleviate fear, it can enable your parent to reduce the risk of progression of a disease, and it can help him overcome the impact of the disease on his daily life. If the knowledge being transmitted doesn't do any of these things, it may not be helpful or well received...
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15. Are there any treatments or medications for both incontinence and glaucoma?

    There aren't any medications specifically designed to treat both incontinence and glaucoma at the same time.
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16. What are the recommended magnified lighted mirrors to help with macular degeneration?

    Choosing magnifying mirrors is a very individual matter. The mirrors come with different levels of magnification, some are lighted, some attach to another mirror via suction cups, some mount on a wall, and others sit on a flat surface.
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17. Will herbs help recover vision lost from glaucoma?

    Neither "vision herbs", "Senior Eye Vision" nor any other herbs, vitamins or prescription medications will restore vision lost from glaucoma. Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, which we do not know how to regenerate. The vitamins marketed for eyes are for macular degeneration; they do not restore lost...
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18. Could this 'trouble" be related to his vision or could dementia be setting in?

    Difficulty driving around a familiar area could be caused by vision loss or by dementia. In order to distinguish between the two it is important to know what type of difficulty your father is having. If he is losing his way in familiar areas or forgetting how to get home, that may suggest dementia...
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19. After cataract surgery with a lens implant, does Medicare cover any of the cost of new glasses?

    Yes, it does. Medicare Part B can pay for one pair of eyeglasses following cataract surgery in which a new lens was implanted in the eye. How much it pays depends on whether you get new frames, and if so how much they cost. Medicare Part B will pay for both lenses and frames, but only basic frames...
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20. Does Medicare pay for cataract surgery and glasses afterwards?

    Yes, Medicare Part B can pay for one pair of eyeglasses or one set of contact lenses after you've had cataract surgery. This coverage only applies if the surgery implanted a new lens in your eye (as is done in most cataract surgeries). If you get glasses covered by Medicare, it will pay for the lenses and frames, but only basic frames...
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