In this tenth episode, Dr. Suh takes a departure from his usual format to interview his ophthalmology residency director and chairman, Dr. John Barber, about the three books he has written since retirement.  His first book, The Joy of Medical Practice: Forty Years of Interesting Patients, is about the many interesting patients he has encountered from his medical school years to his last years in practice. In his second book, Hey, Doc! What’s Wrong with My Eye?: A General Guide to Eye Symptoms, Dr. Barber writes about common symptoms and diseases of the eye and discusses treatments. Some c ..read more

Dr. Ashley San Filippo returns to the Healthy Eyes 101 podcast to discuss MIGS (Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery), a relatively new category of glaucoma procedures that have advantages over traditional glaucoma surgeries. Lowering eye pressure is the major goal of glaucoma treatment since this disease is not curable. Medicated eye drops, laser surgery, and traditional surgery are various ways to treat glaucoma. If patients are on maximum medical therapy with continued progression of their glaucoma, cannot tolerate the drops, or are non-compliant with taking their drops, then laser or surgic ..read more

Ophthalmic, or visual, migraines are a common reason for urgent visits to the eye doctor. In this episode, Dr. Suh interviews Dr. Vin Hoye, a neuro-ophthalmologist, about this condition. He will discuss the various images that people can see when they are experiencing the migraine aura, which may or may not be followed by the classic headache. There are certain foods and risk factors that may trigger migraines. We will discuss the other diagnoses that may mimic ophthalmic migraines and whether or not there are treatments for the visual symptoms.              ..read more

The treatment of glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the world, involves lowering the eye pressure. In previous episodes, we discussed glaucoma medications and minimally invasive glaucoma surgeries, or MIGS. Dr. Megan Chambers, a glaucoma specialist from Ophthalmic Surgeons & Consultants of Ohio, will be discussing the use of lasers and more traditional surgeries to help lower eye pressure in the quest to halt the progression of glaucoma. Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) has gained in popularity over argon laser trabeculoplasty (ALT). SLT applies laser energy to create ..read more

Since this is a show about eye health, this first episode introduces the basics. Dr. George Chioran and Dr. Suh discuss the different parts of the eye, refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia), and the differences in the roles among the various eye care professionals (ophthalmologists, optometrists, and opticians). You can find out more about Dr. Chioran and Dr. Suh's practice at their website or on Facebook. This is intended for informational and educational purposes only, and nothing in this podcast/blog is to be considered as recommending or renderin ..read more

Retina specialist, Dr. Dominic Buzzacco, joins Dr. Suh to talk about age-related macular degeneration (AMD), one of the most common causes of central vision loss in people over 50. People with early AMD will notice distortion, blurred vision, a blind spot, or, sometimes, nothing. Risk factors include: Age over age 50 Caucasian Smoking Family history (a first-degree relative increases the risk seven-fold) Light-colored irises Uncontrolled cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure Dry (non-exudative) AMD is by far the most common type and may be associated with retinal pigmentary abnormal ..read more

Billions of people around the world can see more clearly because of eyeglasses. To help us learn about glasses and the latest in lens technology, Dr. Suh interviews Kara Jones, a licensed optician with Comprehensive EyeCare. We discuss the importance of the measurements performed on your eyes. The various types of lenses can be confusing – single vision, bifocals, trifocals, progressive, no-line bifocals, etc. Lens materials are improving and are enabling people who have higher prescriptions to wear thinner lenses. Digital lenses are all the rage in the optical world and allow people to see cl ..read more

Side effects from medications are common. What may not be common knowledge is that there are systemic medications that can affect the eyes. For example, anti-hypertensive medications and some psychiatric medications are known to exacerbate dry eyes. Some oral medications can also adversely affect the retina, the delicate tissue inside the eye that receives the visual information.   One of the most commonly used medications that can affect the retina is hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil), a medication used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. Its cousin, chloroquine ..read more

On this episode Dr. George Chioran and Dr. Steven Suh answer the most common patient questions that are asked about cataracts and cataract surgery.  What is a cataract and why do they occur?  What symptoms do people with cataracts have?  What are some other options before proceeding with surgery?  How do the surgeon and the patient decide when the time is right for surgery?  What do you tell patients who are going to have cataract surgery?  Does insurance cover surgery?   What are the risks of surgery? Can I go blind from cataract surgery? What other things ..read more

Dr. Sugat Patel, a retina specialist, joins Dr. Suh to discuss retinal detachments (RD), a potentially sight-threatening condition. Around 5 in 100,000 people per year will develop a retinal detachment. A posterior vitreous detachment, separation of the liquefied vitreous gel from the retina, will occur eventually in most people. It is a major cause of flashes of light or floaters in the vision. Sometimes this may also lead to a retinal tear. If the normal inner eye fluid (aqueous) gets under the retina through the tear, then the retina will lift off of the eye wall. This is a rhegmatogenous ..read more