Baymeadows Vision Center » Patient spotlights

Southside man sees clearly again

Dr. Brian Armitage — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:42:49 +0000

    For the past 10 years, Southside resident Matt Spears couldn’t see the expression on his wife’s face as he gave her a gift or told her he loved her. He couldn’t drive at night. He couldn’t even read a newspaper.
    Spears’ situation had become so desperate that he considered learning to read Braille. But he has recently gained his sight again, thanks to a non-invasive, painless treatment available right here on the First Coast.
    Spears has keratoconus, the most common corneal dystrophy that causes the cornea to form a cone-shape, resulting in extreme blurring of all objects. Scleral lenses are a highly advanced contact lens technology which can help patients with keratoconus as well as other distorted corneal conditions hide the distortion and drastically improve vision.

After he switched to scleral lenses, Spears’ vision went from 20/400 to 20/40. The lenses not only improve vision but are also comfortable to wear unlike other types of contacts used for these corneal conditions.

You can see an example of Spears’ previous vision at http://bit.ly/c1BN2W. Toggle it to “blurry,” then back to see the dramatic difference his treatment has made.

Driven to improvement

Dr. Brian Armitage — Fri, 11 Jun 2010 20:36:53 +0000

As a service director at a large automobile dealership, Greg knows the importance of optimal equipment in maintaining road safety.

Diagnosed with keratoconus in his left eye two years ago, Greg’s vision deteriorated to the point that he could see only through his right eye. His eventual inability to read a street signs with only his one good eye drove home the need for a livable solution to his vision problems.

“It kept getting worse and worse,” Greg says.

First, he was told he needed a hard contact lens. Then, he explored Lasik surgery but was told it wasn’t an option when the machine wouldn’t focus, which was unprecedented its operator said.

He also looked into surgery. He was advised that plastic stints could be used to stretch his cornea. The procedure would cost $6,000, involve four stitches in the eye and take a month’s recovery. But with no guarantees it would work, he passed.

Lastly, he searched online for alternatives. He read about hybrid contact lenses, or “SynergEyes,” which offer the corrective power of a hard lens with the comfort of a soft lens. When he looked for a local provider, he found Baymeadows Vision Center and scheduled an appointment.

During his visit, Dr. Brian Armitage advised Greg of an additional option—scleral lenses. Worn over the white part of the cornea, scleral lenses offer greater comfort and improved vision.

““It used to be that when I woke up in the middle of the night, the little red dot on the smoke detector on the ceiling out of my left eye looked like the letter “O.” I could see the light ring with a bright spot,” Greg says. “This lens takes that away completely.

“Now, sometimes I look at it before going to bed with my contact in and it becomes clear and precise. The difference amazes me.”

The scleral lens also is more comfortable than a soft lens, and his eye is no longer dry. After a long struggle, Greg says, he has finally found the right contact.

Living better through scleral lenses

Dr. Brian Armitage — Mon, 17 May 2010 21:00:14 +0000

After 16 years of wearing contact lenses, Jorge is finally living life like he wants.

Gone are the red, dry eyes; sensitivity to light and poor vision that kept him from driving at night. After less than a year of wearing scleral contact lenses he lives a normal life.

He drives when he wants, enjoys the beach without worrying about sand or wind bothering his eyes and plays sports without fear of his contacts falling off his eyes. His sensitivity to light also is gone.

Most importantly, he sees better. “The change in my life has been huge,” says Jorge, 28.

Jorge was diagnosed with keratoconus 16 years ago, when he was 12. He was initially treated with soft lenses but as time passed his cornea curvature kept changing. Eventually, he had to switch to hard, gas permeable contact lenses.

Regular gas permeable contacts worked at first. Then they started to scratch, and to irritate his corneas. His eyes were red and dry most of the time.

Because of the irritation he could barely tolerate any light directly into his eyes. Wind and dust also were difficult to endure, and reflections from other car lights kept him from driving at night.

A year ago, he came to Baymeadows Vision Center to try to find an alternative to surgery that would let him live a more normal life. After an extensive process, Dr. Armitage recommended scleral lenses to Jorge.

Scleral contact lens technology is unlike any contact lens technology for keratoconus and other conditions that result in distorted corneas. The lenses vault over the distorted cornea and rest on the white sclera.

This results in comfortable lens wear. Lenses are stable on the eye and do not slide..

Jorge’s sensitivity to light was almost completely gone after just two days of wearing the new scleral lens. His vision also improved.

So did his life.

Patient can now see craters on the moon!!

Dr. Brian Armitage — Mon, 10 May 2010 20:40:30 +0000

A patient that I prescribed scleral contact lenses to can now see the craters on the moon.

A patient can now see the moon's craters, thanks to his scleral lenses.

Previously, Gene had less-than-great vision. He had corneal transplants and was wearing gas permeable lenses.

The lenses moved significantly. They often slid off the eye and became hidden under the upper eyelid. They also irritated his eyes. He could not comfortably wear them all-day. This impaired his day-to day activities.

Scleral lenses have changed his life! He wears his new lenses all-day, with great comfort, and has never seen as clearly as he does now.