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.

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!

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!

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!

 

 

 

Give the Valentine’s Day Gift of the Century With LASIK

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LASIK Surgery honolulu, HILet’s face it, with Valentine’s Day just around the corner you don’t want to end up in the dog house by gifting your significant other with a gift that is less than personal. Although jewelry, large teddy bears, flowers, and chocolates are favorites amongst many individuals, they aren’t exactly personal. Give your love a gift that will keep on giving not just throughout the year but for the rest of their life by gifting them with LASIK Surgery. If your significant other has a hard time seeing either near or far and they are always complaining about their bad vision, nothing will make them happier than restoring their eyesight. Read on to learn more about LASIK Surgery.

What Is LASIK Surgery?

Unlike traditional LASIK surgery, Dr. Jeffrey Maehara performs bladeless LASIK Surgery which is a faster and equally as effective surgical procedure. With traditional LASIK Surgery, a small blade is used to help shave off and reshape the cornea. However, with bladeless LASIK surgery, a variety of lasers will be used to do the same thing— which means less time and a lower chance of error.

What Are the Results Like?

The best part about LASIK eye surgery is the fact that your loved one’s vision will be restored to perfection after recovering from the actual surgery itself. And who doesn’t want to have perfect vision?

How Can It Be a Surprise?

Because we can’t perform bladeless LASIK surgery without conducting a consultation beforehand, you aren’t going to be able to fully surprise your loved one on Valentine’s Day. You can, however, schedule their consultation appointment for Valentine’s Day so that we can get the ball rolling sooner than later.

Get the biggest hug and kiss from your Valentine this year and give them a gift that they will never forget: LASIK eye surgery. If you would like to learn more about this procedure or other eye procedures, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara today and schedule a consultation appointment.

 

3 Holiday Gifts to Give Your Spouse That Just Keep On Giving

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Botox Injections With the holidays in full swing, if you haven’t yet started your holiday shopping, you need to jump on it so that you can get everyone in your life something that they will love and remember. As one of the hardest people to shop for, make sure that you get your spouse something they will thank you for and not hold over your head during your next big argument. Luckily, Dr. Jeffrey Maehara’s office has several unique gifts that you can give to your spouse that they will praise you for.

1. Botox Injections
Whether you are gifting this to your husband or your wife, Botox is sure to be a gift that they will love, and that will keep on giving for a few months afterward. As an injectable that is injected into the muscles in your forehead and around your eyes, Botox temporarily paralyzes the muscles which cause them to relax and your wrinkles to soften.

2. Juvederm
Mostly popular among women, Juvederm is a filler that is used to fill in not only the fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth but will fill in your lips as well. The great thing about Juvederm is that it will last your spouse up until next Christmas so you can ensure they enjoy your present all year long.

3. LASIK Eye Surgery
Is your spouse always complaining of their inability to see things correctly? Are they always misplacing their glasses and getting frustrated? Help better their life for good with the gift of LASIK. By reshaping the inner cornea of your eye, LASIK eye surgery will give your spouse the ability to see things without having to wear glasses or contacts again.

Give your spouse one of these three gifts this holiday season. To learn more about these services and other services that we offer, contact Jeffrey Maehara today!

How to Get Dust Out of Your Baby’s Eye

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Dust Out of Your Baby’s EyeWhen you’re a new parent, it can be intimidating to know exactly how to take care of your child when they are sick, irritated, or overall uncomfortable. And when it comes to things like getting something out of their eye, it can be hard to know exactly what to do in order to get your baby feeling better and back to their normal giggly self once again. Read on to learn more.

Warm Compress
The easiest way that you can help to soothe your little one when they are fussy because they have something in their eye while simultaneously getting the dust out of their actual eye is to apply a warm, damp compress over their eye. When doing this, make sure that the water isn’t too warm because you don’t want to scald them— simply test the water on your forearm before hand. Once deemed the correct temperature, take the warm compress and lay it over your baby’s affected eye. The warmth and the water will help your child’s eye to water naturally which will help push out the dirt or eyelash trapped in their eye. Leave the compress on their eye for a minute or two at a time or for as long as they will hold still.

Flush It
If your child is inconsolable because they have something in their eye and you are feeling frantic about getting it out, avoid using your fingers because this could actually scratch their cornea. Instead, take a medicine dropper and fill it with lukewarm water— again testing it on your forearm before using it— then try to hold their eye open and squirt the water into their eye. Although your child will likely fuss and scream, the water and pressure of water will help to extract the dirt from their eye.

When your child is crying and inconsolable due to things such as having something in their eye, you want to do everything you can to make them feel better again. However, when you’re feeling frantic, you might not know exactly how to correctly remove the dirt from their eyes. To learn more about vision care, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara’s office today!

Can Zika Affect Your Eyesight?

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eye healthThere are two things that are taking over the news as of late: the presidential election and Zika Virus. And although the prospect of both things may be a bit frightening, Zika Virus boasts to be a bit more so because doctors are still learning new things about it everyday. And with recent research available, there is evidence that Zika can even affect your eyesight. Read on to learn more.

Red Eyes
One of the symptoms of Zika virus is that of red eyes, which can also be a bit swollen and itchy. Oftentimes mistaken for common seasonal allergies, however, red eyes are a symptom of Zika that can easily be overlooked. If you notice that your red eyes simply aren’t improving with sleep, over-the-counter eye drops, or an antihistamine, then visit your primary care physician right away or contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara to have any other eye conditions ruled out.

Uveitis
There are some studies and articles that are calming that Zika can also cause an eye disease called Uveitis. As a disease that causes your eyes to become inflamed, uveitis can affect one or both eyes at once. Symptoms of uveitis include redness, blurred vision, and even eye pain that can occur from simply blinking. If left untreated, uveitis can result in blindness. However, if caught early on, there are several treatment options to treat uveitis, so if you exhibit any of the above symptoms, schedule an appointment with Dr. Jeffrey Maehara right away.

Much like with anything that is still being studied, it can be hard to know just how detrimental the impacts of Zika virus truly are. One things we do know for certain is that if you are pregnant or trying to become pregnant, it’s important that you avoid regions of the country and the globe that are experiencing outbreaks. Additionally, if you do happen to be travelling out of the country to areas that have been infected, make sure to wear a bug spray that contains DEET.

To learn more about eye conditions that may be influenced by Zika virus, contact Dr. Jeffrey Maehara today!