Vaccines, Vaccines, Vaccines!!!

April 22nd, 2021

So much news is coming out daily about the COVID-19 vaccines provided by different companies. At this point, we have vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, Astra-Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and more are on the way. The distribution is picking up, and all adults in the United States are eligible to receive their vaccines.

The staff in my office have all been vaccinated to prevent contraction and transmission of the virus. The risk is extremely low after vaccination, but our patients tend to be older, and we do not want to risk our patients’ health. We are still all wearing masks and performing temperature/symptom checks at the door.

I have also volunteered with our local Public Health Department in their efforts to vaccinate the community. The response has been great, and I have to commend the San Antonio Fire Department in their management and staffing of the Alamodome vaccination site.

We can win this fight if everybody does their part!!! Keep up the effort.

I know it does not relate directly to eye health, but as an MD with an interest in public health, I want to see the community as healthy as possible. Good luck folks and stay healthy.

Duncan Friedman
Retina Specialist
San Antonio, TX

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Dear “Fans of Eye Health”,

Just a friendly reminder that New Year’s Eve is upon us. Let’s send off 2020 with a strong, “so long; goodbye; let’s not do THAT again!” The weather will be overcast and rainy here in San Antonio, so not a great night for fireworks displays. Still, this website is accessible to anyone, anywhere. Here is the annual public service announcement from Yours Truly.

Remember that fireworks can be fun, but they also are dangerous when not handled appropriately. You should ALWAYS wear eye protection when lighting fireworks. Try and enjoy fireworks displays from a safe distance and leave the big explosions to the professionals. Even small sparklers have been associated with hand and eye trauma when not used safely. In addition, have a bucket of water or extinguisher nearby in case a fire breaks out.

Finally, well wishes to all in this New Year. May your 2021 be better than your 2020.

Duncan Friedman
Retina Specialist
San Antonio, TX

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Greetings Eye Fans! Has anything interesting been happening in your life lately? As you can guess, we have been a little busy around the office and with life in general. Fortunately, the family and the team is healthy. We are riding the waves of case surges here in San Antonio and learning as we go. It seems that masks and social distancing is the best means of keeping the virus at bay.

There are so many more pressing issues and new information about the virus coming at us daily. It is a bit of news overload. I was thinking, “how does this pandemic relate to eyes and eye health.”

Here are points from an ophthalmologist’s perspective that might relate to COVID-19:

1) A small percentage of the cases of COVID-19 develop symptoms that resemble a very bad form of pink eye. Does this mean that if your eyes turn pink that you have COVID-19? It is important to try and remember that you could still just have pink eye. Check for other symptoms. Do you have a fever? Pink eye does not usually cause fever. Do you have shortness of breath? NOT A SYMPTOM OF PINK EYE. If you develop conjuntivitis/pink eye, you should probably self-quarantine and monitor for other symptoms. That’s a good idea anyway as viral conjunctivitis is highly contagious, but do not go rushing the to the hospital the instant your eyes turn pink.

2) Keep your eye appointments. At this point, I would hope that my colleagues have followed suit and reorganized their patient flow to accommodate social distancing. At our office, we check temperatures of any patient that walks into the building. Anything above 99 degrees is a warning sign, and we would prefer to reschedule patients if immediate care is not needed. Further, we ask that family members and children not accompany patients to their visits in hopes of minimizing contact. Your eye health is still very important, especially for diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and dry eye. Missing these check-ups can result in vision loss or worsening of your eye condition. I know it can be scary to be in a doctor’s office, but try not to neglect those appointments.

3) Finally, MASK UP! More and more data is coming out to support the use of masks as an effective deterrent to the spread of the virus. If the virus does not spread, the current carriers will be the end of the road for the infection. Further, you need to wear your mask appropriately. It needs to cover your mouth and your nose, and when your doctor is examining you, do not take your mask down. That defeats the purpose. Eye doctors need to get really close to your face to do their exams with their microscopes. If you are a carrier and you take down your mask, you end up infecting your doctor who subsequently might see 10-40 more people (up close) each day thereafter. You can see how this could be a rapidly spreading problem if masks are not worn properly.

Companies are working hard on vaccines and effective treatments to decrease the damage and infectivity of COVID-19, but until we find a good treatment, you need to do your part. Most importantly, be safe and stay healthy through all of this.

Duncan Friedman
Retina Specialist
San Antonio, TX

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Happy 4th of July everyone. Just a friendly reminder if you are going out to celebrate tonight that fireworks should probably be left to the professionals. Year after year, ophthalmologists see eye injuries caused by fireworks. Damage happens for many reasons. Without proper eye protection, the explosives can send projectiles into the eye which can lead to bleeding or retinal damage. Further, a firework usually contains chemicals that can cause severe corneal burns and leave the eye without sight.

Whenever setting off fireworks, you should wear wrap-around eye protection and appropriate hand protection (there are a lot of hand associated injuries as well). Never aim a firework at another person. Finally, if you have the option, enjoy the fireworks from a distance. There are plenty of beautiful displays put on by professionals every year. This is probably the best way to appreciate fireworks while staying safe. It doesn’t hurt in the time of the Coronavirus pandemic to try and socially distance and see the shows from afar.

Duncan Friedman
Retina Specialist
San Antonio, TX

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I often have patients that are worried that their eyes are being “used too much”. As I mentioned in my last post, there is such a thing as eye strain due to overuse of computers and other screens. But, are screens harmful?

One line of thought is that the blue light emitted from screens and other devices can cause damage to your eyes. There are even companies that sell “computer glasses” to minimize the effects of the blue light. The reality is that we are exposed to blue light in many ways throughout the day. One of the main sources of blue light is sunlight. Along with fluorescent light bulbs and other lights, we receive a fair amount of blue light exposure without significant harm.

Currently, the American Academy of Ophthalmology has not found evidence to suggest that special glasses should be worn to minimize blue light exposure.

This is not to say that all screens are harmless. Although the blue light that comes from the screens does not cause direct damage to the eyes, your brain is affected by this light. Many phones have a “nighttime” mode which shifts the spectrum of light away from the blue wavelengths. Research has shown that exposure to blue light close to bedtime can interfere with sleep patterns. Poor sleep is associated with poor health. For this reason, I advocate to stop screen time approximately 30 minutes before bed.

A future post will address screens and how they affect children’s eyes, but for now, the take home point is that Blue Light from screens is not damaging your vision.

Duncan Friedman
Retina Specialist
San Antonio, TX

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