- Medical Weight LossDepression, fatigue, and lethargy are common and are often not realized to be drug-induced. These side effects may not appear immediately but develop gradually. Since many patients with glaucoma are elderly, these side effects are attributed to getting older. Patients and their families should be on the alert for these side effects and, when suspected, the drug can be stopped for a short time for verification. Other common side effects are gastrointestinal upset, metallic taste to carbonated beverages, impotence, and weight loss. Sequels cause less side effects than tablets.
- High Cholesterol
- GlaucomaPlease contact us to make an appointment for a comprehensive evaluation to verify your diagnosis of glaucoma and specifically tailor manage your glaucoma treatment medically or surgically.
- OphthalmologyDr. Laroche received his bachelor’s degree from New York University and medical doctorate with honors in research from Weil Cornell University Medical College. He underwent a medical internship at Montefiore Hospital and completed his Ophthalmology residency at Howard University Hospital in Washington DC where he was the chief resident in his 3rd year. Dr. Laroche subsequently completed his glaucoma fellowship at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary with Glaucoma Associates of New York with Robert Ritch MD and Jeffrey Liebmann MD and David Greenfield MD.
- Macular Degeneration
- CataractsIf you think of the eye as a camera, there is a lens in the eye which does the work of focusing the image on to the retina (the sensitive inner layer of the eye ball akin to the photographic plate). This lens is normally clear but due to age or other reasons it can become cloudy thereby not forming a clear image and causing blurred vision. This cloudy lens is called a cataract.
- Cataract SurgeryFlareups of uveitis and swelling of the retina in the central visual area (cystoid macular edema), may occur in some patients after cataract surgery. Therefore they should be used with caution in patients with known risk factors for macular edema. It has been suggested that the uveitis is not inflammatory, but due to increased permeability of the blood-aqueous barrier, a tight connection between cells which prevents blood proteins and cells from reaching the interior of the eye. Reactivation of herpetic keratitis has been reported.
- Eye ExamAll people should be screened regularly for glaucoma as part of a medical eye exam. Screening should consist of an eye examination consisting of gonioscopy (examination of the drainage angle), intraocular pressure measurement with goldmann applanation tonometry (this is much more accurate than the air puff mechanism), and is dilated optic nerve examination. If there appears to be any damage to the optic nerve or abnormal pressure, then a visual field test should be performed and optic nerve photos taken. Persons with a family history of glaucoma, older than 40 years of age, myopia, hyperopia, and diabetes, should be screened regularly every year. Persons with thin corneas should be more aggressively monitored and treated for glaucoma as the disease tends to be worse in these patients.
- Pregnancy
- Kidney StonesOrally administered CARBONIC ANHYDRASE INHIBITORS commonly cause side effects. The most common are urinary frequency and tingling in the fingers and toes. Kidney stones may occur. A rare but serious side effect is aplastic anemia. Rashes are not uncommon. Potassium loss may occur when these drugs are taken simultaneously with digitalis, steroids, or chlorothiazide diuretics.
- Depression
- Insomnia
- Anxiety
- Diabetes Care
- Diabetic RetinopathyDiabetic retinopathy usually occurs in patients who have had diabetes for several years. There is damage that occurs to the lining of the blood vessels inside the retinal tissue of the eye. Early on, patients with diabetic retinopathy do not notice decreased vision. Therefore, it is vitally important that once you are diagnosed with diabetes, you undergo a dilated retinal exam once a year. You must take control of your diabetes by eating a healthy diet, exercising, following your medical doctor’s treatment plan, keeping your sugar under control and following up with your eye doctor on a regular basis.
- UltrasoundThe most important anatomic landmark, particularly in the evaluation of the angle-closure glaucomas is the scleral spur, which can be seen an the innermost point of the line separating the ciliary body and the sclera. The trabecular meshwork is located directly anterior to this structure. If aqueous humor, which has no reflectivity and is therefore black on ultrasound biomicroscopy, has access to the meshwork, the angle is open.
- Cyst
- Rashes
- Burns
- Allergies