Although most people are familiar with eye conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, and astigmatism, most people are unfamiliar with pterygia.

This summer, start your vacations with crystal clear vision with LASIK! At Eastside Eye Associates, we have performed LASIK laser vision correction for many years, and have seen firsthand the outstanding results we can deliver to our patients. Summer is a time when you can break out of your cold-weather slump and enjoy the outdoors to their fullest – IF you don't have to wear glasses or contacts. It's hard to play frisbee, run, and waterski when you have to wear glasses, and even contacts can dry your eyes out.

Most of our patients considered having LASIK for many years before actually going through with it, and many told us that it was the best thing they'd ever done for themselves. The freedom we are able to impart to our patients is remarkable, and we have thousands of patients living life to the fullest who can attest to that.

To learn more about LASIK, call us at Eastside Eye Associates to schedule a free no-obligation consultation!

The United States National Medal of Technology and Innovation was recently awarded to Gholam A. Peyman, Phd MD for his patended LASIK procedure.

Since his patent's approval in 1989, people worldwide have seen the incredible results from laser vision correction. People who wore glasses their whole lives were now living healthy, active lifestyles without the hindrances of glasses or contact lenses.

The medal itself, which was presented by the president of the United States, is a national honor for Dr. Peyman, who continues to do research in the field of ophthalmology today. He believes that research is the key to the goal of curing blindness throughout the world.

If you or someone you know is interested in LASIK, give us a call at Eastside Eye Associates! Modern laser vision correcion is customized for each and every patient. Early LASIK procedures used statistical data to approximate the best procedure for patients, but CustomVue LASIK allows us to create a detailed map of the cornea. This map serves as the blueprint for the customized treatment.

We offer free LASIK consultations and affordable financing options for every budget.

As the end of 2012 nears, many patients find that they have forgotten about their Flex Spending Accounts! FSAs are offered by many employers as a way to use money on healthcare related services without paying taxes on the money earned.

Unfortunately, money in an FSA does not roll over to the next year. This leaves many patients scrambling for ideas on what to spend their money on. So, you could stock up on Tylenol. Or, you could improve your vision. Most flex dollars can be applied to elective procedures like LASIK. If you've been thinking about having LASIK, now may be the best time! To learn more, contact us at Eastside Eye Associates.

Pterygium is an unusual eye disease that people experience most often in dry, sunny climates. With this condition, the sclera (the white part of the eye) begins growing abnormally toward the cornea (the clear part of the eye). This abnormal but noncancerous tissue growth, which is sometimes called "surfer's eye", can cause eye irritation, redness, and even vision problems.

Recent innovations in pterygium surgery now allow patients to remove a pterygium, which is remarkable considering doctors once told patients that this condition is not curable. By utilizing both a conjunctival autograft and fibrin tissue adhesive, patients can now treat their pterygium and have a recurrence rate of less than 1% – older methods left recurrence rates as high as 50%.

If you have a pterygium, it is quite easy for Dr. Shulman to diagnose. Call Eastside Eye Associates to learn more!

Although premium lens implants provide patients with a wide range of focus, they do add some out-of-pocket expense to patients. Many patients ask Dr. Shulman if he believes these lenses to be worth the cost.

"Patients ask me all the time what I would recommend for an aunt or a sister, or what I would do for myself in this situation. I would recommend a premium lens implant, and here's why. There are very few investments that you can make that you will use every waking moment. There are very few investments you can make that do not depreciate. There are very few investments you can make that improve your quality of life permanently and, in the case of some examples, even improving over time. The premium intraocular lens implants, including Crystalens and ReSTOR, are just that."

Premium intraocular lens implants are designed to provide spectacle independence for patients after cataract surgery. To learn more, check out our website.

Dry eye disease affects a great many people in the United States. Although those who live in sunny, dry climates are more prone to feeling eye dryness, dry eye disease can occur for people living in any climate.

Dry eye can be caused by two basic problems: inadequate tear quantity or poor tear quality. Evaporative dry eye is caused by poor tear quality. Tears are made of a water layer, an oil layer, and a mucus layer. If the oil layer is of the wrong composition, then the tears evaporate quickly and may leave behind a dry mucus sheet on the cornea. This naturally makes the eye feel extremely dry and even 'sticky'. Correcting dry eye may involve using simple over-the-counter preservative-free artificial tears. For patients who want a more permanent solution to dry eye, punctal plugs, which are silicone plugs based in the tear 'drain' at the bottom of the eye, can be inserted to retain a greater tear reservoir. Dietary supplements like fish oils can help fix evaporative dry eye, and a drug called Restasis may help increase tear production.

Dry eye is a somewhat complicated condition wherein the symptoms mimic many other eye conditions, e.g. seasonal ocular allergies. To know with certitude if you have this condition or not, have a consultation with a board-certified ophthalmologist like Julius Shulman of Eastside Eye Associates.