by Dr. M | Apr 18, 2018 | Cataracts, Dry Eye, Education, Exam, Experience, Glaucoma, Laser, LASIK, Mark Moran, Medical Eye Care, Office, Patient Care, Procedure, Surgery
ASCRS held in Washington, DC
Educational Excursion
Dr. Moran, Bobbi, and Cindy attended the ASCRS (American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgeons) Conference in our nation’s capital, Washington, DC. The conference ran over a “long” April weekend and presented a great opportunity to learn more about the diagnosis and treatment of cataracts and glaucoma, as well as vision correction procedures like LASIK.
Bobbi & Cindy at the Surgery Conference
“Ongoing education is a priority not only for physicians. It is important for every member of our team to be up-to-date on innovations and technology now available to offer the best eye care. While at this conference, we were able to learn from industry experts on ways to more effectively care for our patients. It was also a chance to share what we do at Moran Eye Associates,” Dr. Moran explains.
Information sessions at the conference included new treatment techniques to manage dry eye, cataract surgery case studies, and advances in pre-surgical measurements. There was much to learn in classes and from networking and exchanging ideas with other professionals there. They were able to talk about how our new in-office procedures for floaters and dry eye are helping our patients see more clearly.
The Virtual Eye allows Cindy to be “inside the eye” for an incredible view.
New Ways to Learn
In addition to the formal educational sessions, there were also many opportunities for hands-on learning.
Using Virtual Reality, Bobbi & Cindy were able to have a 360-degree view inside the eye. They were able to witness how the eye is affected by glaucoma, macular degeneration, and cataracts. They agreed it was a little disorienting to be “floating” around inside an eye, but it was a memorable experience to see detailed images of changes to retina, vitreous and lens.
We look forward to using the knowledge gained to improve the care of our patients. After a busy and productive few days away, it is back to the office!
by Dr. M | Jan 30, 2018 | Cataracts, Education, Exam, Experience, Floaters, Glasses, Glaucoma, LASIK, Mark Moran, Medical Eye Care, Office, Patient Care, Surgery
Dr. Moran explains about dry eye and tear film.
New Patient Education Screens in the Exam Rooms.
Dr. Moran knows that an informed patient makes the best health care choices, which is why we take the time to make sure that you have all the information you need to make the right choices for you and your family.
As part of our commitment to patient education, we have recently installed education screens in our exam rooms. Dr. Moran’s goal has always been to give patients the information they need to maintain healthy vision. The addition of these screens takes us to the next level in increasing patient understanding.
Patient education at our fingertips!
It’s best to Show & Tell!
Now during your exam, not only can we explain what is happening with your vision, we can show you too! We can choose images and videos to help better explain treatment options. The best part is that these boards are interactive! Dr. Moran can draw and write notes on them to help you better understand your eye health and safety.
Educational topics include:
- Dry Eye
- LASIK & PRK
- Cataracts
- Glaucoma
- Macular Degeneration
- Understanding Vision: Myopia, Hyperopia, Astigmatism & Presbyopia.
And we are doing our part to save trees, too!
With this new technology, we can take the information from the screen and email it directly to you! We also have the ability to print directly from the screen as well.
As always, if you have any questions about caring for your eyes, please ask our staff. We are happy that we can now SHOW & Tell! To schedule your next appointment call or text 610-628-2022.
by Dr. M | Jan 15, 2018 | Education, LASIK, Medical Eye Care, Patient Care, Procedure, Surgery
To help maintain your great vision after LASIK, the use of eye drops is key. A patient recently shared a smartphone alarm app with us that reminds you to use your eye drops regularly!
LASIK surgery is a high-tech procedure that improves your vision in about 20 minutes. The laser application itself takes just seconds.
The Eye Drop Alarm keeps you on track with your medications.
But LASIK is much more than just a quick LASER treatment to the eye. Pre-Operatively, there are multiple exams, measurements, interviews, and calculations.
The Post-Operative period is also important to a successful, stable outcome. We consider the postoperative period to be ONE YEAR.
During this year, Dr. Moran highly recommends that patients use a rigorous schedule of artificial tears. Patients who follow this post-op protocol, do better, heal faster, and have less chance of their vision changing for the worse.
Using eye drops after surgery does a number of things:
- Prevents Infection
- Decreases Inflammation
- Provides Added Moisture
- Aids in Healing
Remembering to take your drops the first week is easy.
Seeing without glasses or contacts is an amazing change. Patients are enthusiastic and stay on top of their drop schedule. As more time passes, patients may not think about their new vision as much. Although the newness of the better vision wears off, the need for drops doesn’t!
Studies have shone that your eyes may need supplemental moisture for more than three months after the surgery. Even though the eyes don’t feel dry, they need the added moisture to maintain quality tear film and to provide the best visual result.
The Eye Drop Alarm smartphone app is a great way to help you keep up with your drop schedule:
Eye Drop Alarm
A patient recently showed us an iPhone app he downloaded (iPhone only at this point, sorry Android users.) The app is free for download, well written, easy to use and comprehensive.
The full description can be found at http://www.eyedropalarm.com/ The app is free and requires no login or personal information. It has a full database of eye drops, even those used for other eye problems like glaucoma.
Special instructions too!
The features are useful and extensive. As seen in the illustration, this app also indicates if the drops need any special instructions, for example, the FML should be shaken before use. Using multiple drops requires you to wait five minutes between each different drop so that the eye can absorb each medicine…the app automatically schedules each drop 5 minutes apart!
If you have an iPhone and have to take drops, we highly recommend EyeDropAlarm. You can download the app by scanning this QR code or through iTunes.
by Dr. M | Jan 8, 2018 | Cost, Education, Exam, LASIK, Mark Moran, Medical Eye Care, Patient Care, Surgery
Dr. Mark Moran has been doing LASIK for almost 20 Years.
I’ve been doing LASIK surgery since the turn of this century, so I keep up on LASIK news. I hadn’t seen deeply discounted LASIK at unbelievable prices in quite a while. But recently, I have started to get emails offering me LASIK at $299 per eye.
As a physician practicing in today’s environment, I have a responsibility to ensure my patients are getting a fair price. When an EpiPen can cost $500, and drug prices can increase from $7.50 to $750 overnight, I must make sure that I consider price options when making recommendations for my patients.
In the past, knowing what it costs to operate a LASER and the cost of performing a safe and accurate LASIK procedure, it was evident that there weren’t many LASIK surgeries being performed at the advertised price of $299. It costs far more than $299 for the doctor to perform LASIK, not to mention the equipment costs for accurate testing and measurements.
I had been told by patients who had investigated the $299 LASIK offer, that the $299 LASIK wasn’t available for them. It seems as though $299 was just the starting price. The cost escalated soon after the consult started. This was second-hand information so I never really got the specific facts until now…
Recently I got an email offer which finally included the “fine print.” I’m going to break it down.
Following is a breakdown of the disclaimer on their low-cost offer:
“Prices based on prescription: up to -1.00 $299,”
The first phrase in the disclaimer is the main reason why so few $299 LASIK procedures are done. A -1.00 prescription is probably about 20/40 vision. You would still be able to drive an automobile both during the day and night. (There are stronger restrictions for nighttime driving.)
The pricing detail continues:
“…-1.25 to -2.0: $1099;
…-2.25 and up as well as all hyperopic and/or greater than -0.50 diopter of astigmatism: $1799.”
Then the other shoe drops. If you have a half of diopter of astigmatism that raises the price to $1799, which is now approaching a reasonable price for a standard LASIK procedure. Seventy percent of all prescriptions written in America have some astigmatism. Which means if there if there is a significant enough prescription that needs correction and one is given, three-quarters of the time it’s going to have astigmatism. The price has now hit the $1800 per eye mark.
“Individual results will vary.”
I got a chuckle from this portion of the disclaimer. Pretty obvious observation.
“Candidacy determined by an independent doctor located within or adjacent to the LASIK Vision Institute’s (LVI) facility. All procedures performed by an independent surgeon. Punctal plugs, assurance plans and other technologies available at additional cost. This offer may not be combined with other offers. Other conditions may apply.”
And then there’s the “additional cost” disclaimer. So even with the maximum quoted price of $1799 there are still add-on charges to consider.
The take-home message: you’re not likely to get LASIK (or do you need LASIK) at $299. There may be small variations in price for LASIK surgery by area doctors, but the costs for procedure tend to be similar.
The smart consumer considering LASIK surgery should be looking for other factors in making their decision. Choose your surgeon based on:
- Level of Experience,
- Successful Patient Outcomes,
- Equipment and Technology Used,
- Patient Satisfaction & Reviews,
- Overall Quality of Care.
caveat emptor.
by Dr. M | Nov 27, 2017 | Appointment, Dry Eye, Exam, Experience, LASIK, Medical Eye Care, Procedure
If you have dry eye, you are not alone.
Dry eye is one of the most commonly reported eye complaints. Dry eye is a chronic medical problem that may get worse over time. We now offer in-office heat therapy treatments that target the cause of dry eye, and help preserve a healthy tear system.
Dry Eye Symptoms: Along with pain, sandy or gritty feeling, and redness, dry eye can cause eye fatigue and blurred vision. It can also cause difficulty in reading or working on a computer. These symptoms can impact your daily activities.
If you have any of these symptoms but artificial tears aren’t providing relief, it may be time for heat therapy.
15-Minute Heat Therapy Treatments Now Available in our Office: Moran Eye Associates is now offering a safe, in-office, FDA-approved heat therapy. Dr. Moran recommends starting with four 15-minute weekly treatments to help improve the quality of your tear film.
Here’s How Heat Therapy Works: Heat therapy targets one of the major causes of dry eye, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). The meibomian glands, which are located in your upper and lower eyelids, provide an essential part of your tear film, lipids (oils). If these glands are blocked, the quality of your tear film suffers. Without these oils, tears evaporate too quickly.
Heat therapy clears blocked meibomian glands, allowing the lipids to flow, and tear film to improve
What Happens During Treatment? While you are seated in a recliner, a technician will adjust the therapy glasses for optimal results. Then, you can sit back, relax and enjoy 15 minutes of targeted heat therapy. A week later you can return for a repeat treatment
How Do I Get Started? Schedule your appointment for a tear film evaluation to see if this treatment is right for you. Once Dr. Moran confirms the diagnosis of the Dry Eye Syndrome/MGD, you can start treatment right away.
Call to schedule your evaluation appointment 610-628-2022.
Pricing: $59 for the 1st Treatment.
Package of 4 additional treatments: $179
For optimal results, Dr. Moran recommends starting your therapy with weekly treatments.
P.S. Dr. Moran and our entire staff have used this heat therapy treatment and are impressed with our results!
by Dr. M | Sep 5, 2017 | Appointment, Education, Exam, LASIK, Medical Eye Care, Office, Patient Care
At Moran Eye Associates, patient education is a priority. Our goal is to make sure that you see clearly AND that you understand clearly as well!
Have you ever left a doctor’s office and not been completely sure about your diagnosis or treatment plan? We never want that to happen to you at our office! Dr. Moran is an expert at patient education. He makes complex medical information easy to understand by using analogies. We’ve compiled a “Best of” collection here. Our patients appreciate how he explains the sometimes confusing issues of eye care!
A peep hole in a wooden fence.
If you want to see what’s on the other side of a fence, the bigger the fence hole, the more you can see. When patients ask why they have to be dilated, this answer helps make it easier to understand. If Dr. Moran is looking through your normal pupil he/she will only see a small portion of the back of the eye. If he is looking through a dilated pupil, the hole is much bigger, and he can see much more to better evaluate the health of your eye.
Your eye is like a camera. The retina is like the film of the camera, and the eye’s lens is like the lens of the camera. In order to have good photos (clear vision), both the lens and the retina must be working well. You won’t have a good photo is there is a problem with the film…just like you won’t have a good photo if the lens is damaged.
Tear film is like rain on a windshield
Tear film is like rain on a windshield. If it is only drizzling and there is very little rain (poor tear film), your windshield will be streaky, the wipers won’t work effectively, and your vision will be blurry. If it is raining steadily (good tear film), the wipers will clear away the water effectively and your vision will be clearer. Your eye works the same way…good tear film is needed for clear vision.
You don’t need a bazooka to swat a mosquito. When Dr. Moran prescribes medicine, he chooses the right medicine for your needs. There are many options available, so it’s important to have the right dosage of the right medicine, more is not always better!
Cruise Ships turn very slowly!
Changing treatment plans is like turning a cruise ship, turn gradually and you will get you where you need to go smoothly. If you are moving from one treatment plan to another, we don’t want to make abrupt changes. Making gradual changes can help to achieve the best results.
Make sure the fire is COMPLETELY OUT!
When you put out a fire, make sure it is out completely. If you leave embers burning, it may reignite! It’s a good way to understand why you need to continue taking all of your medicine. If you stop taking it before the pain is gone, or before the infection is completely gone, your problem could start up again. Think of it like a fire that reduced to embers, it can burst into flames again!
Dr. Moran is always coming up with new and different analogies to make vision care less confusing. We’ll continue to update our patient education “best of lists” on Facebook! “Like” Moran Eye Associates us to stay informed!
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