A cup of coffee may not only help open your eyes in the morning, but it may actually save your vision!
Researchers at the University of Maryland in Baltimore found that alkaloids in tea and coffee may
prevent cataract formation. As we age, the lens in our eyes becomes more yellow and cloudier.
A cloudy lens is called a cataract. Oxidative stress and exposure to free radicals are thought to
increase the likelihood of cataract formation. Stopping smoking and protecting your eyes from UV
exposure helps. Now, we may have something else - caffeine. Researchers found that caffeine
protects our lenses from oxidative stress caused by UV exposure. This may mean that a cup of coffee
or tea each day may help us see better longer.
What's new in vision correction procedures
When we are young, the lens inside our eye can flex (or accommodate) bringing objects up close into
clear focus. As we get older, our lens stops accommodating and we start to need reading glasses to
see up close. This is called presbyopia. There is now a sophisticated solution to this age old
problem of "my arms are not long enough anymore to see up close." Our aging lens can be replaced with
a lens that has the ability to flex or accommodate, like our own lens, but when it was younger. A
fourth generation design of Crystalens HD-100 features an optic that allows us to see both small
print and objects far away without distance or reading glasses. Crystalens HD-100 can be used to
replace an aging lens and improve near vision even in patients who had LASIK and can see well in
the distance.
Tech Corner
At the recent World Ophthalmology Congress held in Hong Kong, scientists unveiled nanotechnology
application to treat eye conditions. Nanotechnology can be used to monitor eye pressure 24 hours a
day, for example. This may be important in diagnosing and treating glaucoma. The particles can also
deliver medication continuously to treat various eye conditions. In the future, this could help
patients use drops less frequently or even eliminate them entirely.
Fun Eye Facts
REM sleep is an important phase of a healthy sleep cycle. During this stage of sleep, you experience
rapid eye movements, low muscle tone, low voltage brain activity, vividly recalled dreams, and,
sometimes, you are acting out the movements occurring in the dreams. Have you ever wondered what
causes rapid eye movements during this stage of sleep? How do you actually "see" the dreams? During
REM sleep, certain neurons in the brain stem part of your brain get activated. Eye movements are
generated when the neurons in the specific portion of the brain stem, called pons, start firing.
These neurons stimulate eye muscles that control eye movements. When you dream, the primary visual
cortex is inactive, because you are not actually seein anything with your eyes. Instead, the
secondary visual areas in your brain are active. This is similar to when you are asked to imagine or
recall a scene. Interestingly, most anti-depressants inhibit REM sleep, causing some patients to
stop dreaming.
415.922.9500
Eye Health
A cup of coffee may not only help open your eyes in the morning, but it may actually save your vision!
Researchers at the University of Maryland in Baltimore found that alkaloids in tea and coffee may
prevent cataract formation. As we age, the lens in our eyes becomes more yellow and cloudier.
A cloudy lens is called a cataract. Oxidative stress and exposure to free radicals are thought to
increase the likelihood of cataract formation. Stopping smoking and protecting your eyes from UV
exposure helps. Now, we may have something else - caffeine. Researchers found that caffeine
protects our lenses from oxidative stress caused by UV exposure. This may mean that a cup of coffee
or tea each day may help us see better longer.
When we are young, the lens inside our eye can flex (or accommodate) bringing objects up close into
clear focus. As we get older, our lens stops accommodating and we start to need reading glasses to
see up close. This is called presbyopia. There is now a sophisticated solution to this age old
problem of "my arms are not long enough anymore to see up close." Our aging lens can be replaced with
a lens that has the ability to flex or accommodate, like our own lens, but when it was younger. A
fourth generation design of Crystalens HD-100 features an optic that allows us to see both small
print and objects far away without distance or reading glasses. Crystalens HD-100 can be used to
replace an aging lens and improve near vision even in patients who had LASIK and can see well in
the distance.
At the recent World Ophthalmology Congress held in Hong Kong, scientists unveiled nanotechnology
application to treat eye conditions. Nanotechnology can be used to monitor eye pressure 24 hours a
day, for example. This may be important in diagnosing and treating glaucoma. The particles can also
deliver medication continuously to treat various eye conditions. In the future, this could help
patients use drops less frequently or even eliminate them entirely.
REM sleep is an important phase of a healthy sleep cycle. During this stage of sleep, you experience
rapid eye movements, low muscle tone, low voltage brain activity, vividly recalled dreams, and,
sometimes, you are acting out the movements occurring in the dreams. Have you ever wondered what
causes rapid eye movements during this stage of sleep? How do you actually "see" the dreams? During
REM sleep, certain neurons in the brain stem part of your brain get activated. Eye movements are
generated when the neurons in the specific portion of the brain stem, called pons, start firing.
These neurons stimulate eye muscles that control eye movements. When you dream, the primary visual
cortex is inactive, because you are not actually seein anything with your eyes. Instead, the
secondary visual areas in your brain are active. This is similar to when you are asked to imagine or
recall a scene. Interestingly, most anti-depressants inhibit REM sleep, causing some patients to
stop dreaming.