March is National Eye Donor Month

March has been designated to bring awareness to the importance of being an organ donor.  Did you know that through organ donation healthy corneas can be utilized to give the give of sight to another individual or possibly two?



JoAnn C. Chang, M.D.



The US Department of Health & Services has a website http://www.organdonor.gov/default.asp  that gives more information and links to sign up.  The link to the Massachusetts site is http://www.donatelifenewengland.org/register.html .  Many of us have signed up as Organ Donors at the Registry of Motor Vehicles and have a sticker on our licenses.  The site above provides another way to register.  The online registry will allow you to select which organs you choose not to donate. 

JoAnn C. Chang, M.D., ophthalmologist at D'Ambrosio Eye Care is our cornea specialist and performs cornea transplants as appropriate for her patients.

Winter and Dry Eyes

Dry Eye Syndrome is common in winter because of cold, dry outdoor air and dry indoor heat.  "Symptoms include pain, blurred vision, a scratchy or burning sensation or even watery eyes as the eyes try to compensate for the dryness, explains Francis A. D'Ambrosio, Jr., M.D., Medical Director of D'Ambrosio Eye Care.

JoAnn C. Chang, M.D.

Dry eye can occur at any age, but is more common among older adults, especially post-menopausal women.  In some people, dry eye syndrome may be related to systemic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and collagen vascular diseases such as lupus, certain medications such as diuretics for high blood pressure, antihistamines for allergies and beta blockers for hpertension or heart conditions.

"Simple dry eye may require only some artificial tears and a furnace humidifier or room humidifier.  Today we have treatments for dry eye at include oral doxycycline to improve tear quality, punctal plugs (stoppers inserted into the tear tuct), topical steroids or typical cyclosporine (Restasis)", said D'Ambrosio Eye Care corneal specialist JoAnn C. Chang, M.D.  For most people, dry eye is simply a nuisance, but for some, severe dry eye can make you vulnerable to corneal infections, which can permanently affect your vision.  If you are bothered by dry eyes, please let us know so we can schedule a dry eye examination and consultation.