Press "play" on the video below to learn more:
Thanks to our relationship with this generous service organization, Michelle Cabrera, MD and J. Niklas Ulrich, MD are training two visiting ophthalmologists from China to treat Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP), a disease that renders many children in their homeland blind, with no qualified individuals or means to treat the condition.
UNC Eye is also providing a more comfortable patient experience by using the Electroretinogram (ERG) machine, donated by NC Lions, to evaluate the function of the retina.
]]>Media contact: Tom Hughes, (919) 966-6047, tahughes@unch.unc.edu
Thursday, May 9, 2013
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – A large new study finds that taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements has no effect on slowing the progression of age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
However, for people with low levels of lutein or zeaxanthin in their diets, supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin may slow the progression of AMD, the study found.
Four researchers in the Department of Ophthalmology in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine contributed to the Age-related Eye Disease Study (AREDS) 2. Results from AREDS 2 were published online May 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
“Many patients ask whether they should be taking lutein and omega-3 fatty acids for their age-related macular degeneration (AMD),” said Odette Houghton, MD, associate professor and one of the UNC researchers. The others were Seema Garg, MD, PhD, Maurice B. Landers III, MD and Travis M. Meredith, MD, chair emeritus of the Department of Ophthalmology.
“The AREDS 2 results indicate that if you have low levels of lutein or zeaxanthin in your diet, or if you take the original AREDS vitamins without beta-carotene, then supplementation with lutein and zeaxanthin may slow the progression of AMD. However, omega-3 fatty acids appear to have no beneficial or harmful effect on AMD,” Houghton said.
The AREDS2 study suggests that lutein and zeaxanthine are safer alternatives to beta-carotene in those people who have a history of smoking. There was a higher incidence of lung cancer in participants that had a history of smoking and who took AREDS supplements with beta-carotene.
“We have no control over some of the major risk factors for the advancement of AMD, such as age and family history,” Houghton said. “Regular dilated eye exams, avoidance of smoking and taking AREDS2 supplements when indicated are ways we may be able to reduce the risk of blindness from AMD.”
However, the AREDS supplements have only been shown to be effective in people who already have an intermediate stage of AMD. These supplements do not benefit people who have no AMD or mild AMD. A dilated eye exam by an eye care provider is the only way to detect AMD, Houghton said.
The American Academy of Ophthalmology recommends that adults get a baseline eye disease screening at age 40. The necessary interval for follow-up exams can be based on the results of this screening. Everyone age 65 and over should have complete eye exams every one to two years.
The Academy now recommends that adults with no signs or risk factors for eye disease get a baseline eye disease screening at age 40 — the time when early signs of disease and changes in vision may start to occur.
Based on the results of the initial screening, an ophthalmologist will prescribe the necessary intervals for follow-up exams.
Don't miss out on reading, driving, and watching children and grandchildren grow. During Healthy Vision Month, remember to schedule your eye exam appointment with a UNC Eye MD by calling 919-966-5509.
Share these important tips from the AAO's www.geteyesmart.org website with your friends and loved ones.
Vision is our most precious sense. Protect your sight by getting regular eye exams with an ophthalmologist.
]]>Participants were able to claim 8.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Continuing Medical Education credit(s).
Featured speakers included Visiting Professors:
John G. Clarkson, MD - Keynote Speaker
American Board of Ophthalmology
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
St. Louis University School of Medicine
St. Louis University Eye Institute
University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry
Flaum Eye Institute
University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Bascom Palmer Eye Institute
Yale University School of Medicine
Yale Eye Center
Wake Forest University
Wake Forest University Eye Center
Associate Professor of Ophthalmology
Harvard Medical School
Symposium participants are invited to provide UNC Eye with feedback on the symposium by clicking here and completing the survey provided.
]]>For additional information, contact Chris Postlethwait via email or via phone at 919.843.0264.
The Visiting Faculty will be:
Click here to view a printable Schedule of Events.
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Tens of thousands of sports and recreation-related eye injuries occur each year. The good news is that 90 percent of serious eye injuries are preventable through use of appropriate protective eyewear. The risk of eye injury can vary depending on the activity. Make sure the level of eye protection you or others in your family use is appropriate for the type of activity. Regular eyeglasses do not offer proper eye protection.
Visit the UNC Optical Shop to get fitted for the appropriate protective eyewear for the sports in which you and your family participate during the Spring and Summer.
To schedule an appointment to be fitted for prescription protective eyewear for sports, please call 919-966-5509 between 9am and 5pm, Monday through Friday.
To read more from the AAO on protective eyewear, please click here.
]]>Dr. Garg is a retina specialist who has been flying via AHEC’s Medical Air Operations to a retina clinic in New Bern for the past eight years. She is also pioneering a statewide telemedicine program for diabetic retinopathy evaluation by working with the Mountain, Eastern, Southern Regional and Greensboro AHEC primary care residency programs.
Here are a few highlights of Dr. Garg's conversation:
Garg: AHEC helps me reach the UNC Department of Ophthalmology’s retinal clinic in New Bern, N.C., via AHEC’s Medical Air Operations. In addition, the infrastructure of the AHEC sites across the state facilitates our medical services to patients we wouldn’t normally be able to help, for instance, through telemedicine.
Garg: Diabetes-related retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in North Carolina, and this promising new collaboration we’re working on with AHEC will greatly benefit patients who may have poor access to sub-specialty eye care geographically and financially.
The North Carolina Area Health Education Centers (AHEC) Program, based at Carolina, sends out hundreds of faculty members to towns across the state to teach, to care for patients and to look for ways to improve how each center serves the local community. Nine regional centers serve all 100 counties in North Carolina.
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After appearing on several local Triangle television news outlets to spread the word about the need for young people who are without sight to have the opportunity to have guide dogs and the work of MIRA USA, Mr. Baillie brought about 10 of his most recently completely trained guide dogs to UNC Eye at Chapel Hill North. He and his team, led by MIRA head trainer Eric St. Pierre, conducted demonstrations on what it's like to be without sight and rely on a guide dog to do everyday things that many people take for granted, such as walk down the sidewalk in a busy shopping center.
Dr. Amy Fowler, First-Year UNC Eye Resident Dr. Drew Hunter, and UNC Eye Fellow Dr. Lyndon Lee, along with several other staff members participated by walking blindfolded with a trained guide dog along the crowded walkway outside the UNC Eye office at Chapel Hill North, under the watchful supervision of the MIRA staff. All of the participants marveled at the sophisticated level of training the guide dogs received and what a unique experience it was to rely on them for help in navigating their way.
"Wow! What an experience to just trust this dog," Dr. Fowler said after taking a 100 yard walk down the sidewalk at Chapel Hill North, while blindfolded and led by Fiona, the guide dog that MIRA USA provided for the demonstration. An additional 8 children were introduced to their guide dogs for the first time in a ceremony in Pinehurst, NC on March 17th. For more information on MIRA USA, visit www.mirausa.org.
Click here to hear Eric St. Pierre talk about his experiences in training seeing eye dogs.
