NEWS. 4 JAX INSIDER TO IT. SO WH VISION PROBLEMS, WOMEN ARE AT A HIGHER RISK FOR EYE DISEASE
THAN MEN. ACCORDING TO THE
NATIONAL EYE INSTITUTE. WE’RE
MORE LIKELY TO ALSO DEVELOP
CATARACTS, AGE RELATED MACULAR
DEGENERATION, AND WE ARE 2
TIMES MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP
DRY. I WE ARE ALL RIGHT TO
TALK MORE ABOUT THIS IS DOCTOR
ASHLEY COWARD AND OPTOMETRISTS
WITH FLORIDA EYE SPECIALISTS
IS JOINING US THIS MORNING.
GOOD MORNING. WELL, I TALK
ABOUT LEADING WITH THE BAD
NEWS, RIGHT? SO LETS TO LET
LET’S START IF WE COULD. WHY.
WHY ARE THESE ISSUES THAT
IMPACT WOMEN MORE OFTEN THAN
THEY DO? MEN?
>> SURE. SO AS WOMEN, WE HAVE
A LONGER LIFE EYE CONDITIONS
SUCH AS GLAUCOMA, CATARACTS
AND MACULAR DEGENERATION.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT HAPPENED
AT A GREATER INCREASE
FREQUENCY WITH AGE. SO THAT’S
WHY WOMEN ARE MORE EFFECTIVE.
BUT EVEN ACCOUNTING FOR AGE,
WE THINK THAT THERE MAY BE
SOME HORMONAL DIFFERENCES WITH
WOMEN THAT CAN ALSO AFFECT US
AND MAKE US MORE SUSCEPTIBLE.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: SO ANOTHER
ISSUE IS DRY. I WOULD YOU
EXPLAIN WHAT THAT IS. HOW DOES
SOMEONE KNOW THAT THERE MAY BE
SUFFERING FROM THAT AND NOT
JUST DIDN’T GET A GREAT
NIGHT’S SLEEP THE NIGHT BEFORE
AND THAT’S WHY THEIR EYES ARE
AGING. SURE. SO DRY EYES. A
VERY COMMON CONDITION. WE
PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT THAT IT WAS
JUST DUE TO A LACK OF TEARS.
>>LENA PRINGLE: BUT WHAT WE’RE
LEARNING IS THAT MAY BE TRUE
FOR SOME PEOPLE, BUT FOR
ACTUALLY A LARGE PERCENTAGE OF
PEOPLE THAT WE MAKE ENOUGH
TEARS. WE JUST DON’T HAVE THE
RIGHT MIX THE KEM KEM OF
CHEMICAL MIX WITH THEIR TEARS.
AND AS WOMEN, THERE’S A LOT OF
THINGS THAT WE’RE DOING.
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: THEY CAN
THROW OFF OR TEAR CHEMISTRY
LIKE, WHAT ARE YOUR YOU’RE
GOING TO START TALKING ABOUT?
I MAKE-UP NOW. I JUST FEEL
LIKE SO I MAKE UP FOR NOT
COMPLETELY REMOVING EYE
MAKEUP, CONTACT LENSES BEING
ON DIGITAL DEVICES A LOT
REALLY SO THAT CAN DO SO. SO
THAT’S SOMETHING THAT CAN ALSO
IMPACT MEN. LET’S NOT LEAVE
THEM OUT OF THIS CATEGORY SO
WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS
SPECIFICALLY FOR DRY EYE? SO
FIRST LINE THERAPY, THERE’S
SOME GREAT OPTIONS AT YOUR
DRUGSTORE PRESERVATIVE FREE.
ARTIFICIAL TEARS, HOT
COMPRESSES AND OVER THE
COUNTER LIVE HYGIENE PRODUCTS.
AFTER THAT, IF YOU’RE IN THOSE
PRODUCTS AREN’T WORKING, IT’S
REALLY IMPORTANT TO SEE YOUR
EYE DOCTOR. THERE’S SOME GREAT
NEW TREATMENT OPTIONS. THERE’S
PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS IN
OFFICE TREATMENTS. THERE’S
ACTUALLY BIOLOGIC TREATMENTS
AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT. THERE’S
NOW FOR PEOPLE THAT DON’T LIKE
I DROPPED. THERE’S A NASAL
SPRAY TO TREAT DRY THAT WORKS.
PRESCRIPTION NASAL SPRAY. IT
DOES. AND AND THEN WHAT ARE
WHAT ARE THE SIGNS THAT YOU’RE
SUFFERING FROM DRY EYE? IS IT
IS IT IT SHE AND IRRITATION OR
IT? SHE EYES. BUT THERE’S ALSO
SOME SIGNS THAT YOU MAY NOT
REALIZE OR DRY ICE. SO BLURRY
VISION, LIGHT SENSITIVITY AND
EVEN SOME WATERY IRRITATED
EYES CAN BE FROM DRYNESS. IS
THERE SOMETHING THAT WE SHOULD
ALL BE DOING TO HELP PRESERVE
OUR VISION?
>>JENNIFER WAUGH: WE LIVE IN
FLORIDA. THERE’S IT’S AN HERE.
YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS HEAR FROM
MY EYE DOCTOR. YOU NEED TO
MAKE SURE YOU WEAR GLASSES,
YOU YOUR SUNGLASSES.
ABSOLUTELY. SO, YES, ITS UV
PROTECTION IS VERY IMPORTANT.
>>LENA PRINGLE: ALSO GET AN
EYE EXAM. THERE’S A LOT OF
THINGS THAT YOU MIGHT NOT
DETECT JUST FROM CHANGES IN
YOUR VISION AND TOTES MUCH
LATER. SO THE VERY IMPORTANT
TO GET AN EYE EXAM AND LAST
DON’T SMOKE. WE KNOW THAT
CONDITIONS LIKE MACULAR
DEGENERATION, YOU’RE MUCH MORE
LIKELY TO HAVE VISION
PROBLEMS. IF YOU’RE A SMOKER,
IS THERE AT, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR
ALL THE TIME ABOUT, YOU KNOW,
HAVING YOUR MAMMOGRAM BY
CERTAIN AGE AND OTHER ANNUAL
EXAMS. IS THERE, YOU KNOW, A
RULE OF THUMB WHEN IT COMES TO
FOR MEN AND WOMEN WHEN THEY
SHOULD REALLY START THINKING
ABOUT GETTING THEIR EYES EXAMS
ON A REGULAR BASIS. SO IT’S
IMPORTANT ALL AGES TO HAVE
REGULAR EYE EXAMS, A
BENCHMARKS MAYBE AT 40
DEFINITELY GET AN EYE EXAM AND
THEN ADULTS 16 UP. IT’S VERY
IMPORTANT TO GET AN ANNUAL EYE
EXAM BECAUSE THAT’S WHEN A LOT
OF THESE CONDITIONS LIKE
CATARACTS, MACULAR
DEGENERATION, GLAUCOMA, TO
JUST SHOW UP MORE FREQUENTLY.
AND IF YOU CATCH THOSE
CONDITIONS EARLIER, CAN YOU
PROLONG, YOU KNOW, DELAYING
THE ONSET? ABSOLUTELY. AT
FLORIDA EYE SPECIALISTS WE
TREAT WIDE VARIETY OF EYE
CONDITIONS, BUT IT’S REALLY
IMPORTANT. YOU HAVE A WE HAVE
A LOT MORE TREATMENT OPTIONS
IF YOU COME IN EARLY. SO IF
SOMEONE’S DETECTING A CHANGE
THEIR VISION OR THEY HAVEN’T
HAD AN EYE EXAM IN A WHILE,
IT’S REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET
IN BECAUSE IT’S THESE THINGS
ARE SOUNDS SCARY, BUT THEY’RE
VERY TREATABLE AND VERY
MANAGEABLE. MANY TIMES A LOT