Paula, Author at Potthoff Eye Care and Surgery

Eye Knowledge Paula October 22, 2018

Eye Care Technology

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)

This is a non-invasive imaging test similar to ultrasound but instead of sound waves, it uses light waves to take pictures of a cross-section of your retina and optic nerve. Your ophthalmologist can see each layer of your retina and measure its thickness. This helps in the treatment of glaucoma and retinal diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and diabetic eye disease.

Eye technology — Example OCT of macular disease.

Color Fundus Photography

Eye doctors can actually capture photos of the back of the eye using a specialized camera called a fundus or retina camera. This type of camera has an intricate microscope attached to be able to photograph the interior surface of the eye including the retina, optic nerve, and macula (the part of the retina where your best vision is created). Being able to see the back of the eye in this way helps with the diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, macular edema, and retinal detachment, among other conditions.

Visual Field Testing (Perimetry)

Eye care professionals like Dr. Potthoff in Traverse City can use this to test peripheral vision. We have one in our office, an automated perimetry machine (called the Octopus) that measures your responses to objects in different areas of your field of vision. In this way, it can detect blind spots and other visual field defects. It’s very helpful in detecting early signs of diseases of the eye, especially glaucoma.

Ophthalmic Biometry

Need cataract surgery in Traverse City? Your eye surgeon will use ophthalmic biometry prior to eye surgery to measure your eyes. This gives your ophthalmologist crucial information about the shape and size of your eyes which will then determine what size and type of lenses will be right for you. Ultrasound biometry used to be utilized but it involved direct contact with the cornea and the use of anesthetics. It could be uncomfortable for the patient and inaccurate. The machine that we use is called the Lenstar, and it is the most advanced technology available!

cataract surgery device — Lenstar biometer used to measure an eye prior to cataract surgery.

YAG Laser

After cataract surgery your cataract can never come back, but sometimes the membrane that holds the implant lens in place can eventually become hazy and may cause blurry vision. If this happens, Dr. Potthoff can perform a YAG laser capsulotomy which utilizes a laser to create a small opening in the membrane while leaving the implanted lens untouched. This procedure is painless, takes only a few minutes to perform, and is done right here in our office in Traverse City. Most importantly, it restores your clear vision!

Eye Knowledge Paula August 3, 2018

Macular degeneration – what is it?

Macular degeneration is a disease of the retina that occurs when the central portion of the retina, called the macula, is damaged. The macula is responsible for processing central vision in the eye. It controls how we recognize faces or colors, our ability to read, drive a car, and see fine details. It’s super important that we see an ophthalmologist like Dr. Potthoff to watch for the early signs of this progressive eye disease.

Since macular degeneration affects people as they age, it’s often called age-related macular degeneration or AMD (sometimes ARMD). There are two types of AMD, but the most common form is called dry AMD. In fact, 8 out of 10 people with AMD suffer from the dry form. Parts of the macula get thinner with age and tiny clumps of protein can grow and can cause you to slowly lose your central vision.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Intermediate_age_related_macular_degeneration.jpg — Intermediate dry age-related macular degeneration

The other form of macular degeneration, wet AMD, is less common but more serious. With this form, new abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina. These vessels may leak blood or other fluids causing scarring of the macula. You lose your vision much faster with wet macular degeneration which, again, is why seeing an eye doctor regularly as you age is crucial. There is no cure for it but the progression can be slowed down if detected early.

I found, in my research about AMD, that there are a couple of interesting diagnostic tests that are sometimes used. One is called the Amsler grid test and is fairly rudimentary and the other, called optical coherence tomography (OCT) is pretty high-tech. The Amsler grid is a simple test that utilizes a grid with a dot in the middle. You hold the grid 14-16 inches from your eyes and cover one eye. Focusing only on the dot in the middle, you note if any of the lines appear wavy or blurred, if all boxes look square and the same size or not, or if there are any holes or dark areas. This would help to indicate if you have any central vision issues or not.

Amsler grid as it may appear to someone with macular degeneration

Here at Potthoff Eye Care & Surgery in Traverse City we have a state-of-the-art OCT imaging device. Optical coherence tomography is similar to ultrasound, except it uses light waves instead of sound waves to produce high resolution images of any tissues that can be penetrated by light, including our eyes! With this technology an eye doctor can see each distinctive layer of your retina. It’s used not just to diagnose AMD, but also to aid in the treatment of glaucoma and diabetic eye disease.

As I mentioned before, there is no cure for macular degeneration, but there are injections of medication that can help slow or stop the leaking of the abnormal blood vessels. Injections in the eye? That doesn’t sound like fun but it’s not as bad as it sounds (easy for me to say, right!). An ophthalmologist uses numbing eye drops prior to the injection too minimize pain. It’s quick and I’m told you really only feel a bit of pressure. That’s good to know because it’s worth keeping your vision from deteriorating due to wet macular degeneration!

There are a number of things that increase your risk of getting age-related macular degeneration and one of them, of course, is age. Once you are 50 years and older your risk increases. Other risks include being overweight, eating foods high in saturated fats such as meat, cheese and butter, smoking, being caucasian, and having a family history of macular degeneration.

There’s no way to treat dry AMD but research shows that some nutritional supplements can help slow it down. Those supplements include Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Lutein, Zinc and Copper. We all remember our moms telling us to eat our carrots because they are good for our eyes. Well, it turns out, that is actually true in more ways than one! Carrots, along with foods like corn, peaches, beans, spinach, lettuce, orange juice, and many other foods contain zeaxanthin. Zeaxanthin is one of the two primary xanthophyll carotenoids contained within the retina, and specifically within the central macula. So, eat your fruits and veggies just like mom told you to when you were a kid, they really are good for your eyes!!!

Eye Knowledge, Glaucoma Paula July 8, 2018

Learn about glaucoma

Glaucoma is the 2nd leading cause of blindness in the United States!

Those words were enough to get my attention so I wanted to know more! What is glaucoma? How do you recognize the warning signs? What can you do to keep it from progressing?

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, a bundle of about 1 million individual nerves that transmit the visual signals from the eye to the brain. Pretty important wouldn’t you say? Glaucoma usually happens because fluid builds up in the front part of the eye and causes an increase in the eye’s pressure. The most common type of glaucoma is called primary open-angle glaucoma and it happens when the eye doesn’t drain fluid as it should. Think of it as a drain becoming gradually clogged. This type of glaucoma is painless but causes a gradual loss of vision.

Check out this great video from the American Academy of Ophthalmology explaining glaucoma:

There aren’t any warning signs in the early stages of open-angle glaucoma. By the time most people notice any changes to their vision the damage has been done and it can be severe. That’s why it’s important to have regular eye exams with an eye care provider, such as an optometrist or ophthalmologist, so they can detect this disease before you lose your vision! There is no cure for glaucoma but monitoring and treating high eye pressure can control it.

Another type of glaucoma is angle-closure glaucoma. It’s rare but it is a medical emergency! Angle-closure glaucoma symptoms include eye pain with nausea and sudden visual disturbances. When this type happens, the drainage angle gets completely blocked and eye pressure rises very quickly. This is considered an eye emergency, and you should call your ophthalmologist right away or you could go blind.

Risks factors for glaucoma include family history of the disease, being an African American over 40, or a Hispanic over 60. Other risk factors include being diabetic, having high blood pressure or heart disease, having a thinner cornea, chronic eye inflammation, or taking certain medications that increase eye pressure.

Treatments for glaucoma don’t cure the disease but can help stop it from progressing. These glaucoma treatments include eyedrop medication to reduce eye pressure, laser treatment, or conventional surgery. Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty or SLT uses a laser to vaporize the pigment that may be affecting the cells in the drainage system to lower the intraocular pressure. Conventional surgery consists of making a drainage flap or inserting a drainage tube to reduce the pressure in the eye.

Here at Potthoff Eye Care & Surgery in Traverse City, MI we have the most up-to-date equipment to test for and diagnose glaucoma….schedule an appointment today!

Eye Knowledge Paula June 22, 2018

What are cataracts?

What are cataracts? Did you know June is cataract awareness month! Yeah, they don’t get just a day like donuts do….cataracts get a whole month because they’re kind of a big deal!

Did you know? Cataracts are so common that they are the leading cause of vision loss in the entire world! For us here in Traverse City, Michigan in the great USA, it means that by the time we are 70, over 1/2 of all Americans will have a cataract!

Do you even know what cataracts are? I knew that they are the clouding of the normally clear lens of the eye, but what I didn’t know is that they can begin in your 40’s & 50’s. After the age of 60, most cataracts cause problems with your vision.

Did you know? Cataracts will continue to worsen over time and people can become legally blind from untreated cataracts. Fortunately, this is rare in the United States because of the availability to get to a cataract surgeon. People in developing countries aren’t so lucky.

Did you know? Besides aging, the sun’s UV rays put you at further risk of developing cataracts. Unfortunately you can’t stop the aging process, try as you might, but you CAN do something to help protect your eyes from harmful UV light. Wear your cool shades, people!

Did you know? There are several different types of cataracts, but the most common is the nuclear sclerotic cataract. Don’t worry…it’s not radioactive, but it is the classic age-related hardening and yellowing of the lens. Radioactive or not, who wants that?

Did you know? You can do something about cataracts! Cataract surgery is the most commonly performed surgery in the United States and it only takes about 15 minutes to perform! Dr. Potthoff performs this surgery at the The Surgery Center at TC Eye here in Traverse City, Michigan. Convenient!

Here’s a before-and-after photo of an eye that Dr. Potthoff recently performed successful cataract surgery on:

Cataract Surgery Traverse City — The left photo shows a cataract in cross-section (it’s the yellow cloudy thing in the middle of the pupil). The right photo shows the same eye after cataract surgery, with an acrylic intraocular lens (IOL) in place of the cataract.

Did you know? Cataract surgery consists of removing the lens of the eye and replacing it with an artificial lens. Amazing!! Yay technology!!

Did you know? Cataract surgery is performed while you are awake! No need for going all the way under anesthesia, but not to worry…..you’ll get a little something to keep you relaxed and your eye gets special numbing drops.

Did you know? I’ve asked our patients…..”does cataract surgery hurt?”….and the survey says…..”No!!…and it’s a quick recovery!”

Did you know? I’m glad to learn all about cataracts and the surgery that can help them because someday, like it or not, I’m going to be over 60 and chances are…..those crazy cataracts are likely to cause problems with my vision!

Eye Knowledge Paula June 14, 2018

Basic Eye Anatomy

Hello! My name is Paula and I am the office manager at Potthoff Eye Care & Surgery in Traverse City, Michigan. I come from a background in endocrinology and podiatry, so I am familiar with the endocrine system and feet but didn’t know much about eyes. They may be small but they sure are complex and turns out, quite interesting! Let me share with you, from someone new to ophthalmology (pronounced: of-thuhl-mol-uh-gee), as I educate myself about the anatomy of the eyes and diseases that affect them.

I’ve always been one to use correct vocabulary but I have to admit, when it came to eyes, I used words like “the white part”, “the colored part”,or “eyeball”. Well, it’s time for me to brush up on my ophthalmology terminology, so I’m starting with the very basics.

The first thing I learned is that the eye is sometimes called the globe, and it sits in a socket called the orbit. It has six specialized extraocular muscles that are attached to each eye and the bones of the orbits. They help the eye rotate and move up, down, left, and right. Here’s a great image I found to help visualize these muscles:

Here is a helpful list of parts of the eye and easy definitions:

Sclera: white part of the eye (not just known as the part of the eye that gets bloodshot and gives us away if we had a rough night!)

Conjunctiva: clear-ish membrane covering the sclera & inside of the eyelids

Lacrimal system: makes & drains tears (into the nose!)

Iris: colored part of the eye

Pupil: black hole in the iris that opens and closes to let more or less light into the eye (also a part of the eye known for giving us away if we may have “overindulged”)

Cornea: transparent tissue at the front of the eye that is in front of the pupil and iris, helps to bend and focus light

Crystalline lens: behind the iris, about the size of an M&M, and like the cornea helps focus rays of light on the retina; when the lens gets cloudy it becomes a cataract!

Vitreous: jelly-like substance behind the lens that helps the eyeball keep it’s firm, round shape (jelly-like substance? ewwwww, but we certainly don’t want a deflated eye do we?!?)

Retina: thin tissue lining the inside of the back of the eye containing nerve cells that are sensitive to light (sunglasses anyone?), the tissue that helps us turn light into vision! The retina is where macular degeneration happens.

Optic nerve: connects the retina to the brain, so that the light signals from nerve cells can travel to the brain and we can perceive vision! This is what gets damaged in glaucoma.

Since I’ve started working with Dr. Potthoff I have already gotten to see some amazing things inside patient’s eyes right here in Traverse City! I will share what I see from my perspective as I watch and learn. There’s so much more to our vision than what meets the eye! Stay tuned!

Author: Paula