Corneal Transplant Honolulu, HI

Have a Scratched Cornea? What To Do

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Yes, you may know how to scratch a few records for a large crowd (or at least you did in the 80’s) but do you know what to do if you have a scratched cornea? A scratched cornea can happen to anyone at almost anytime. Even though your eyelashes are designed to help protect your cornea from such disasters, accidents happen. If you are experiencing tenderness, redness, excessive tearing, and the sensation like something is stuck in your eye, then you may have a scratched cornea. But how can you treat it?

Flush It

First things first, you want to flush your eye out.  If there’s something still in your eye that you get it out before it causes more damage. To flush your eye out either grab an eye cup or a clean drinking cup. Then, fill it up to the top with either a saline solution or water. Gently lean over the cup and place your eye into the solution and blink; this will allow the water to enter your eye and get anything out of it. Repeat as necessary until you find some relief.

Don’t Put Anything In It

You may be tempted to rub your eye with your finger or put your contact lenses back in but make sure that you don’t touch your eyes or put anything in them until your eye has healed; this will just make the situation worse.

Schedule an Eye Appointment

If you think that you’ve scratched your cornea, then come into our office to see Dr. Jeffrey Maehara. During your eye exam, he will be able to determine if your cornea is scratched and if it is, just how to treat it. Depending on how severe the scratch is, Dr. Maehara may recommend something as small as letting it heal on its own to something as serious as steroid injections.

If you think you have a scratched cornea, make sure that you follow these tips in this article. To learn more about your vision health and how to take better care of your eyes, schedule a consultation at our Honolulu or Waipahu office today at 808.955.3937.

Eye Treatment Honolulu, HI

3 Basic Ways to Prevent an Eye Infection

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Taking good care of your vision doesn’t have to be hard and preventing eye infections is even that much more simple. With a few basic tips, you can keep your eyes free from bacteria and infection for the rest of spring and into summer— giving you more time to enjoy what you love doing, comfortably.

Tip #1: Wash Your Hands

One of the best things you can do to prevent the spread of bacteria to your eyes is to wash your hands before you do anything like touch your face, put on eye makeup, take off eye makeup, put in contacts, take out contacts, or try to get something out of your eye. Germs and bacteria from your hands can quickly spread across your eyes and cause an infection.

Tip #2: Get Rid of Old Mascara

You should replace your mascara every three months. Research says that after about three months of use, mascara starts to grow harmful bacteria on it which can lead to eye infections and more.

As another side tip, never share mascara with anyone— even if you’re related.

Tip #3: Wash Eye Makeup Brushes

Just like mascara, makeup brushes are also a breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Luckily, real animal hair makeup brushes and even many synthetic brushes can be washed with hot water and soap. Try to wash your brushes every few weeks. To wash them, run them under hot water until they are damp. Then take a small amount of antibacterial soap and gently rub it into your brushes. Rinse and repeat until the water runs clear, and all of the makeup is off the brushes. Lay flat to air dry.

Another way to protect your eyes? Schedule regular eye exams with Dr. Jeffrey Mahara. Ready to schedule your next eye exam? Call us today: 808.955.3937.

Cosmetic Injections Honolulu, HI

Shower Your Skin With HydraFacial MD®

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As they say, “April showers bring May flowers,” and the same holds true for your skin. Like the little blooms of spring, your skin relies on hydration and nutrients to stay healthy and beautiful, and HydraFacial MD® is one of the best ways to give your skin exactly what it needs!

What is HydraFacial MD®?

HydraFacial MD® takes an innovative approach to skin resurfacing. Two of the most common techniques that are used for skin resurfacing are dermabrasion and microdermabrasion. These treatments remove dead skin cells and layers of damaged skin to reveal younger, healthier skin. Compared to these treatments, HydraFacial MD® gives you superior results.

Why is HydraFacial MD® Unique?

The HydraFacial MD® treatment relies on water rather than crystals to remove the damage. The water is infused with special serums to address any specific problems that you have, such as acne and dry skin. Microdermabrasion and dermabrasion cannot provide these benefits. The treatment is safe for most skin types, including sensitive skin, and it may delay the effects of aging.

What Can Be Treated with HydraFacial MD®?

  • Lines and wrinkles
  • Acne and blemishes
  • Sun damage
  • Dryness
  • Rough skin
  • Dull complexion
  • Uneven skin tone
  • Hyperpigmentation
  • Age Spots

The HydraFacial MD® Treatment

Just 45 minutes is all it takes to exfoliate, cleanse, hydrate and protect your skin with HydraFacial MD®. You simply relax and enjoy the cooling sensation of the treatment. Four steps are followed for the procedure.

  1. Exfoliation to remove the damaged outer layer of glycolic and lactic acids
  2. Loosening dirt, oils and dead skin cells inside the pores with glycolic and salicylic acids
  3. Deep cleaning the pores with a unique extraction mechanism
  4. Infusing the pores with a serum of hyaluronic acid, vitamins and more

Your skin looks refreshed and healthy after the treatment, and you can have a HydraFacial MD® treatment up to two times each month to keep your skin beautiful.

Learn More About HydraFacial MD®. Contact Potozkin MD Skincare Center.

To learn more about HydraFacial MD®, CoolSculpting®, treatments for men and our other services, contact Potozkin MD Skincare Center to schedule a consultation. Our office is located in Danville, California, and you can contact us directly at (925) 838-4900.

Eye Treatment Honolulu, HI

What’s the Difference Between a Stye and Pink Eye?

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With flu season estimated going extra long this year (through May) the last thing you want to have on your mind is contracting another virus or infection. However, during this time of year, more and more people contract eye infections like styes and pink eye. But what are these two bacterial infections and how can they be treated? Let’s take a closer look.

Pink Eye (conjunctivitis)

There are three types of pink eye: viral, bacterial, and allergic. The most common symptoms of pink eye are redness, swelling, itchiness, fluid build up, and pus around the eyes. One of the most common forms of pinkeye is viral which is very contagious but should clear up on its own. If you get the bacterial pink eye, make sure that you are seen by a primary care physician or eye doctor because if it is left untreated, it can cause eye damage.

Stye

Typically, styes are superficial and look like a pimple across the lash line. And although styes can be contagious, they aren’t nearly as infectious as bacterial conjunctivitis. If you have a stye, one of the best things you can do is to place a warm compress over it for about 10-15 minutes and repeat this multiple times a day until it goes away. If your stye gets worse or becomes painful, schedule an eye appointment.

If you have started to experience red, swollen, and itchy eyes, keep a close eye on them (literally) because they might be the result of a bacterial infection. Luckily, if you have either pink eye or a stye, they are both easily treatable.

To learn more about your vision health, contact our Honolulu office today at 808.955.3937.

Eye Exam Honolulu, HI

3 Resolutions to See Better in 2018

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Refusing to eat sugar and trying to burn 3,000 calories five days a week are a few resolutions that are likely going to last a solid week— at most. Rather than following the crowd and setting a few resolutions that are not only unattainable but ones that won’t last, set your resolutions apart from the crowd this year and set a few resolutions that will help you see better in 2018.

Wear Sunglasses Every Time You’re Outside

Even if it’s cloudy outside, that Hawaii sun can still wreak some serious damage on your vision. Shield your eyes from the sun’s harsh rays all year long and make sure that you don’t leave the house without some UVA and UVB protected sunglasses. Try keeping a pair in your car, bag, and anywhere else so that you always have a pair of sunglasses on hand.

Eat Better

Eating better isn’t just good for your blood sugar and waistline, eating better is also good for your eyesight. Eating foods that are rich in antioxidants like leafy greens are one of the best ways to shield our eyes from macular degeneration. Additionally, eating foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids like salmon are good at keeping your eyes lubricated and preventing you from developing a chronic dry eye.

Get An Eye Exam

Can you remember the last time that you got a professional eye exam from Dr. Jeffrey Maehara? Depending on your age, genetics, and overall health of your eyes, it’s recommended that you get an eye exam around every 1-3 years on average. If you are past that timeframe, contact our office and schedule your next eye exam with Dr. Jeffrey Maehara today!

Want to see better and clearer in 2018? Try adding these three resolutions to your list. To learn more about how you can take better care of your eyes, schedule an appointment at one of our offices today!

Elta MD Honolulu, HI

The Importance of Wearing Sunscreen in the Winter

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You know to never hit the beach without dousing your entire body in a thick layer of sunscreen— ya know, until you resemble more of a ghost than an actual human. But now that the temperatures have dropped, and you’re spending less and less time outside, you may not remember to protect your skin as much. Even though you may not be laying on the beach in a swimsuit, your skin is still exposed to harsh UV rays even when you walk to your mailbox or even drive in our car.

Here at Jeffrey Maehara office, we recommend that patients use the EltaMD Skincare system to protect their skin all year long.

According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, more than 3.5 million new cases of noninvasive melanoma are diagnosed each year in the U.S. And more than 75,000 new cases of invasive melanoma are diagnosed. So, how can you protect yourself from being one of those numbers? Although there is no guarantee that you won’t ever get skin cancer, there are two main ways to shield your skin: avoiding the sun altogether and wearing a broad spectrum sunscreen every day.

Try to protect your skin from sun damage this winter by spending more time inside and less time exposing yourself to the sun.

When it comes to sunscreen, one of the best parts about the EltaMD sunscreen brand is that they have a variety of body sunscreens and tinted moisturizers to keep your skin protected and shielded all winter long. Plus, if you use a tinted moisturizer, it can also cover up light blemishes and sunspots which saves you a step every morning.

Depending on your lifestyle, Jeffrey Maehara and his staff may recommend one type of EltaMD sunscreen over another. Schedule an appointment at one of our locations to learn more about what type of sunscreen you should be wearing.

Cataract Surgery Honolulu, HI

Good Candidate for Phacoemulsification?

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Cataract Surgery Honolulu, HIYou may enjoy having a cloudy fall day to take in the changing leaves and weather around you, but the last thing you likely want is a clouding of your vision. As a disease that affects over 24 millions Americans, cataracts is an eye disease that causes a clouding of the lens which makes it difficult for light to properly enter the eye. Luckily, cataracts can be treated with a variety of different methods including a surgical procedure called phacoemulsification.

What Is Phacoemulsification?

During a phacoemulsification surgery, an ultrasonic handpiece will be used to sculpt and emulsify the cataract while a pump simultaneously aspirates particles through the tip of the device. During this procedure, the cataract is typically broken into several pieces and then gently removed. After the cataract has been withdrawn, an intraocular lens implant will be placed into the lens capsule which will help to restore vision.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Phacoemulsification?

Depending on the severity of your cataracts and with the proper diagnosis and examination, Dr. Jeffrey Maehara will determine whether or not you’re a good candidate for this procedure.

Is Phacoemulsification Surgery Painful?

To ensure that you stay comfortable during your phacoemulsification surgery, we will apply a topical anesthetic to your eye which will help to alleviate any discomfort. Depending on your specific scenario, we may also administer some drugs intravenously. If you are worried about feeling anxious during this procedure, Dr. Maehara may be able to give you something to relax your nerves and help you feel better.

What Are the Benefits of Phacoemulsification?

The use of a smaller incision, make phacoemulsification extremely popular because it reduces the likelihood of further eye complications. Additionally, phacoemulsification is popular because it can be done without hospitalization or a lengthy recovery.

If you would like to learn more about phacoemulsification or other cataract removal procedures, contact Jeffrey Maehara today!

JUVÉDERM® XC Honolulu, HI

How to Prepare for Juvederm Injections

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JUVÉDERM® XC Honolulu, HIIt used to be that as soon as you started to show signs of aging, you had just to embrace it and move forward. However, although it’s still good to embrace your age, you can now do so while looking younger. As a popular way of softening the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles around your mouth and nose, and adding volume to your cheeks and lips in the process, injections like Juvederm can last the upwards of a year. Made of hyaluronic acid, Juvederm injections are safe and effective. But before you come into see Dr. Jeffrey Maehara for injections, make sure you use the following tips to prepare. Read on to learn more.

Drink Pineapple Juice

This may sound like a bit of voodoo, but the natural enzymes in pineapple juice can help prevent you from swelling and bruising after your Juvederm injections. Try drinking one full cup of pineapple juice for three full days before your appointment— just make sure it’s not from concentrate.

Avoid Ibuprofen or Aspirin

Both ibuprofen and aspirin may be good at getting rid of pain and headaches, but they are also blood thinners— which are dangerous to take before getting injections. We encourage all of our patients to avoid these over-the-counter blood thinning medications for about five days before the procedure.

Avoid Herbal Supplements

In addition to avoiding ibuprofen and aspirin, we encourage all of our patients to avoid taking herbal supplements like Vitamin E, fish oil, Ginkgo Biloba, Garlic, Ginseng, and St. John’s Wort for about one week prior to your procedure. Although these supplements have many health benefits, they can also be natural blood thinners.

Preparing for Juvederm injections is easy and straightforward. By using the three tips listed above, you can have a more enjoyable injection experience. To learn more about Juvederm or to schedule a consultation appointment, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara today!

DSAEK Honolulu, HI

Understanding DSAEK Corneal Transplant Surgery

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DSAEK Honolulu, HIIn a world of LOL’s and OMG’s, it can be hard to identify every acronym you come into contact with. If, however, you are going to know one acronym in the eye industry, consider DSAEK. DSAEK corneal transplant surgery stands for Descemet-Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty. So, what is this unique form of surgery and why is it popular amongst our patients here at Dr. Jeffrey Maehara’s office? Read on to learn more.

First Things First

To fully understand a DSAEK corneal transplant, it’s important to know what a corneal transplant surgery is and why it is used. If you are a patient who has either advanced glaucoma or cataracts, then a corneal transplant surgery may be able to help save your vision. By getting rid of part of your cornea and implanting new corneal tissues from a donor, this type of surgery is a real vision saver.

What Is DSAEK Corneal Transplant Surgery?

The unique benefit of DSAEK corneal transplant surgery is that it gives patients almost immediately clearer postoperative vision with a lower recovery time; meaning that you can get back to living life and see things more clearly immediately afterward.

What Is Surgery Like?

During this surgery, Dr. Jeffrey Maehara will make a mark on the surface of your cornea with a small instrument called a trephine— the mark is there to help the surgeon measure the right size for the transplant and outline the part of the cornea that needs to be peeled back. Once this mark has been made, the damaged section of the cornea will be removed, and the donor cornea will be then placed into the eye. With just a single stitch, your cornea will be closed, and your surgery will be done.

What Is Recovery Like?

After waiting in our office for an hour or two to be monitored by our staff, you will be sent home to rest and recover. Recovery from this type of surgery just takes a few days, but you should be able to return to your normal activities in no longer than a couple of days.

DSAEK corneal transplant surgery is a unique surgery designed to help restore patients vision. If you would like to learn more about this and other types of surgical procedures that we offer at our office, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara today!

How to Shield Your Eyes and Skin from the Sun Even In the Winter

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winter eye care honolulu, hiWhen you think of wearing sunscreen and sunglasses, visions of the beach or a hot summer’s day likely come to mind. However, even though we are in the dead of winter, you still need to be wearing the proper protective gear to shield both your skin and your eyes. Whether you’re planning your next ski vacation or you’re gearing up to head outside into another cold day, this article will discuss a few of the ways you can protect yourself from the sun during this cold season.

Eyewear

Going to the beach without wearing sunglasses is going to likely give you a headache and make you say, “Doh!” But going outside in the snow without wearing sunglasses or protective eyewear is likely something that you do on a consistent basis. Did you know that by not wearing the proper eyewear, you can cause permanent eye damage? When the sun reflects off of things like the snow, it can cause your strain and damage to your eyes.

Sunscreen

You may think that sunscreen is only important to use when you are exposing a lot of your skin on a really hot summer day. However, you should be wearing at least an SPF 15 on your face and hands every day. Did you know that you can get sun damage on your skin even when you are driving? By wearing sunscreen, however, you are adding that extra shield to protect your skin from the sun’s harsh rays.

A Hat

Luckily for you, hats for both men and women are in style this season. As one of the best ways to protect both your skin and your eyes, wearing a hat when you are outside or in the car will help prevent you from developing sun damage. When shopping for a hat, remember that the larger the brim is, the more of your face and body it will shield.

Taking care of your skin and eyes isn’t just something you need to do in the summer. By wearing the proper eyewear, sunscreen, and maybe even grabbing a hat, you can help prevent against getting a permanent skin or eye damage. To learn more about how you can shield yourself while outside, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara’s office today!