An Eye Exam Can Save Your Vision from Glaucoma

Its estimated that about four million people in the United States have glaucoma, a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve and silently destroy eyesight. Nearly half of those with glaucoma are not even aware that they have it. So waht about you? The number of cases that loose vision is unfortunate considering there are some high technology offices like Facchiano & Associates who maintain eye care offices with technology that can detect early signs of glaucoma long before that damage threatens vision. You owe it to yourself to find out your relative risk of lossing vision to glaucoma by getting a comprehensive dilated eye exam that includes having drops put in your eye and if the eye doctor orders extra diagnostics tests, an OCT optic nerve scan and threashold visual fields. With its painless and gradual loss of vision, glaucoma may have no early warning signs, but it can be detected during a comprehensive dilated eye exam.

Paul A. Sieving, M.D., Ph.D., director of the National Eye Institute (NEI), one of the National Institutes of Health, said, "NEI-funded research has shown that treatment during the early stages of glaucoma can control the disease and prevent future vision loss and blindness. This is why NEI encourages people at higher risk for glaucoma to get a comprehensive dilated eye exam every one to two years."

Anyone can develop glaucoma, but those at higher risk for developing the disease include:
African Americans over age 40
Everyone over age 60, especially Mexican Americans
People with a family history of the disease

During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, an eye care professional can see inside the eye to detect signs of glaucoma, such as subtle changes to the optic nerve, before any symptoms appear. This allows the eye care professional to determine if you have glaucoma or are at risk for it, to monitor your condition, to treat glaucoma as early as possible, and to look for other vision problems. Once symptoms appear, it may be too late to prevent vision loss and the progression to blindness.

If glaucoma is detected early, treatments such as eye drops or surgery can slow or stop vision loss. High pressure inside the eye, which may be associated with glaucoma, does not by itself mean that you have glaucoma. Only a comprehensive dilated eye exam and evaluation of the optic nerve by an eye care professional can tell you that.

If you know someone at risk for glaucoma, let them know you care - schedule an eye exam with your eye care professional today.

Tto your eye health,

Dr Vince Facchiano

Can I sleep in my contacts?

Yes.. and no.


There are two different types of contact lenses available daily wear (you remove them before sleeping) and extended wear (you leave them in overnight). The extended wear lenses allow for more oxygen to reach your cornea, thus making it more acceptable to be slept in. These lenses are typically allowed to be left in without removal for up to seven days.

The latest technology in contact lens material called silicone hydrogel, are approved by the FDA for up to 30 days of wear without removal. If interested, please consult your doctor about these lenses. “Continuous wear” lenses, also known as gas permeable lenses may also be worn for up to a month at a time. “After recent improvements in design and materials, these lenses now can be worn safely for the full 30 days for those who can tolerate them. Your optometrist will advise you about how your eyes are responding to extended wear and how frequently you should remove your lenses.”

So you’ve heard the “You’ll be more prone to eye infections if you leave your contacts in!” Well its true, researchers found that eye infections are greater among people who sleep with their contacts in. FDA has approved the maximum extended wear period to just seven days.

Our doctor’s still do not recommend leaving them in for a full seven-day period. Taking them out before you go to sleep will help decrease the chance of getting an eye infection significantly. Extended wear lenses are a concern for dangerous little organisms that start on your finger, may get on your contact, and then in your eye! These bacteria may lead to infections such as pink eye and in very serious conditions even blindness! If you feel you are having any problems with your contacts from extended wear, please consult with your Optometrist.

Sleeping in your contacts is possible with new silicone hydrogel lenses as they provide more oxygen to the eye than previous soft lenses. Although these materials make overnight wear safer, keep in mind the possibility for infections!

If you are interested in extended wear type contacts, please consult with your Optometrist at Dr. Facchiano and Associates. Call (815) 332-2223

Read more here: http://www.allaboutvision.com/contacts/extended.htm#ixzz1QbZ0NkfY

Digital Retinal Photos Are a Great Tool for Optometrists

There are many parts to an eye exam that assess the overall health of the eyes. One of the most helpful parts is the digital retinal photography. It is essentially a digital camera that has been developed to take a clear image of the back of the eye. The pictures are so detailed that not only can optometrists diagnose eye diseases such as Glaucoma, Cataracts and Macular Degeneration but they can spot signs of diabetes, high blood pressure and eye cancers. Since the resulting image is digital, it can act as a "snapshot in time" of your eye health. Each year, the optometrist will be able to look for any small changes to the health of the eye and catch any potential abnormalities at early stages.



The photos are defiantly something you don't see everyday. I've even had a few patients during the eye exam prescreening half-jokingly ask if they could have the photo as their Facebook profile picture. Kidding aside, these photos are incredibly helpful when it comes to catching eye diseases as it gives optometrists time to successfully manage and control those problems. The digital retinal photos are just one of the many aspects we look at during our eye exams, but one that is vitally important.

OneSight Mission to Burkina Faso

Dr. Facchiano recently went on a mission to Africa to Burkina Faso with the organization OneSight. Burkina Faso is a French speaking nation in western Africa near the Ivory Coast and is home to roughly 15 million people. It has one of the lowest GDP rates in the world and a recent drought in the region left many of agricultural workers (the most common type of job) without work and without food. Just to give an idea of the poverty level, most people only earn $300 USD a year. That means people live on less than $1 USD a day. This is one of the most impoverished countries in the world.



In terms of access to health care, there are only 6 physicians for every 100,000 people. As I'm sure many can imagine, it is nearly impossible to find dedicated optometrists. For a country that has a life expectancy of only in the mid-40's, there are a shocking number of a vision related problems that steal vision at a young age. Because of the work of the team of eye health professionals, 1,845 people were able to see better or get referrals for more advanced help. According to the OneSight Burkina Faso blog, the phrase of the week was "Je Vois," which translated from French means, "I can see."



I will post more pictures taken by Dr. Facchiano's along with some of his stories in future posts.