HCM

Although freckles in the eye, like freckles on the skin, are common, freckles in the eye may put one at higher risk for Uveal Melanoma, a primary ocular cancer that typically starts in the Choroid, the pigmented tissue filled with blood vessels that provides oxygen and nutrients to the eye. While Uveal and skin melanoma develop from the same pigmentation cells that create melanin and color our skin, Uveal Melanoma is very rare, with approximately 2000 men and 1500 women diagnosed in 2020. Uveal Melanoma can have no symptoms, and is most often identified during a routine eye exam. If not treated, it’s likely to spread to the liver. While many risk factors of Uveal Melanoma are beyond one’s control, Learn more at http://bit.ly/3rsbrmd, and be sure to schedule regular eye exams with your Retinologist at High Country Macula.

As people begin to reschedule their annual eye exams for 2021, some may feel nervous about venturing out to appointments. At High Country Macula, to protect our patients and staff, we ask everyone who enters our care centers to wear masks with two or more layers that cover the nose and mouth, and secure under the chin (please bring your own mask), and we’ll enforce social distancing. We have posted current procedures to our website at http://hcm.mobiussites.com/…/flu-like-illness-protocols. For additional information about what to expect, explore this collection of articles from the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Coronavirus Guide for Eye Patients at http://bit.ly/34NWaSL. We wish you and every patient the very best of health, free of Covid-19.

It is estimated that 22 million people in the United States suffer from Sleep Apnea. Research shows that Sleep Apnea is a risk for developing Diabetic Retinopathy and Macula Edema, complications of Diabetes that are leading causes of vision loss or blindness in the United States. When people with Diabetes have poor control over their blood sugar levels, the tiny blood vessels at the back of the eyeball can become damaged. Researchers believe that Sleep Apnea may contribute to the development and worsening of these pathologies by increasing insulin resistance, elevating inflammation and raising blood pressure, all of which can damage the blood vessels behind the Retina. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2LHueJG