We are pleased to announce that Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston (OCB) and Eye Health Services have affiliated as of July 1, 2021. This affiliation provides our patients with access to more office locations and ophthalmologists. Our ophthalmologists and optometrists, along with their highly skilled health care teams, are committed to offering you the finest care in a compassionate and comfortable environment. Schedule an appointment at one of OCB Eye Health Services locations!
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Please continue to wear your masks
in health care settings
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We would like to take this opportunity to remind our patients and visitors that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health still requires that masks be worn inside health care facilities.
You must continue to wear a medical face mask at all times when you are at our clinic offices and affiliated surgery centers. Our staff will continue to do so as well. This is for the health and safety of everyone in our care. We are all in this together!
Travel Policy
Please be advised that patients coming in for a non-urgent visit who have traveled from outside Massachusetts will be required to either:
- Be fully vaccinated for more than two weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna), or two weeks after a single-dose vaccine (Johnson and Johnson (J&J)/Janssen). Patients must present their vaccine card.
OR
- Quarantine for 10 days after entering the state.
OR
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Obtain a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours prior to their visit or procedure.
We appreciate your understanding and look forward to seeing you soon!
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Proper mask wearing to avoid dry eye
(and other prevention tips)
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If you have noticed a worsening of your dry eye symptoms during the pandemic, it could be due to your mask.
Eye doctors have noticed a trend in recent months in what has become known as “mask associated dry eye.” Symptoms can include stinging, burning eyes, excessive tearing, redness and/or a feeling of grittiness in your eyes. Patients who normally have mild dry eye may be experiencing more serious symptoms due to mask wearing. The easing of mask restrictions will no doubt reduce the risk of serious symptoms. However, health care workers and those who still consistently wear masks for long periods of time are particularly vulnerable, said ophthalmologist Mina Farahani, MD, who specializes in care of the cornea.
“The mask itself can pinch the lower lids and hold the lids down or cause the lids to not close completely and as a result, the eyes are exposed to more air and this can lead to evaporative dry eye,” she said.
Dr Farahani said mask wearing has also been associated with styes. If the mask does not have a good seal at the bridge of the nose, the bacteria from the mouth can reach the lids and can cause styes to form.
Contributing to the dry eye concern is extra screen time. Due to the pandemic, people with dry eye are spending more time on the computer in virtual meetings or in online school. When you are focused on a computer, or even on a book, for a long time, you blink 50 percent less, so the tears that keep your eyes lubricated evaporate more quickly, which in itself is another risk factor for dry eye.
What You Can Do
When you put on your mask, be sure you are getting a good seal across the top of the mask. You could tape down the top of your mask with medical tape or use a mask with a metal nose strip and be sure that it is properly pinched to completely seal in air.
“You want to make sure that nothing is pulling on the lower lids or preventing your lids from closing completely,” said Dr. Farahani. “You’ll also want to minimize the impact of screen time, and to do that you can try to spend less time online but also implement the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes of screen time, look 20 feet away, for at least 20 seconds.”
More tips to prevent dry eye this summer
Avoid sleeping with the ceiling fan on: Air flow from ceiling fans and air conditioning causes dryness and evaporation of tear film. Ceiling fans in particular force the air downward, so it can be particularly irritating if you sleep beneath a ceiling fan.
Wear wraparound sunglasses. Dry eye is exacerbated by wind. Wraparound sunglasses will help prevent wind from getting in your eyes.
Need to schedule an appointment? Click on the tab below.
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Adam T. Chin, MD, joins our team |
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We are pleased to announce that Adam T. Chin, MD has joined our team of retina specialists. Dr. Chin specializes in the medical, laser and surgical treatment of conditions that affect the retina and vitreous. His areas of expertise and interest include age-related macular degeneration (AMD), geographic atrophy, diabetic eye disease, macular edema, retinal vascular occlusions, epiretinal membranes, macular holes, retinal tears, and retinal detachments.
Prior to medical school, Dr. Chin earned his bachelor’s degree in both Economics and Biology at Cornell University. He earned his medical degree at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Dr. Chin completed his internship in internal medicine at Boston University Medical Center and his residency training in ophthalmology at New England Eye Center / Tufts University. He completed his fellowship training in vitreoretinal surgery at Ophthalmic Consultants of Boston and New England Eye Center / Tufts University.
Dr. Chin will begin seeing patients in August at our Boston, Cambridge and Danvers practice locations. Read his complete bio
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Protecting your eyes from the sun is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. While the effects of too much sun on your skin is immediately visible, even painful in the case of sunburn, the effects that the sun has on the eyes usually develop over time.
The exception is a condition known as photokeratitis, which can damage the eye in a matter of hours, causing redness, blurry vision, and even temporary vision loss. Long term sun exposure can accelerate certain age related conditions such as cataracts.
“Exposure to UV light can cause changes in the proteins of the lens of your eye and that can hasten the onset of cataracts,” says Daniel J. Hu, MD, who specializes in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. “So not only does UV protection protect the surface of your eye and your eyelids, but it is likely to slow down the progression of cataracts.”
Over time, exposure to the sun’s rays can lead to benign growths and, much less commonly, ocular melanoma. The most common growths that emerge on the white part of the eye are pingueculas and pterygia.
The latter is known as surfer’s eye because it is associated with many years of too much sun exposure. There are genetic and other causes for these growths, but UV sun exposure contributes to their development.
The sun can also impact your eyelids, so it is important to take note of new or changing growths on the eyelids, says Victoria Starks, MD, who specializes in oculoplastic surgery.
“It is important to have your skin checked every year by a dermatologist, including the delicate skin around your eyes and eyelids,” says Dr. Starks.
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Eye doctors offer these tips to best protect you from accelerating age-related eye conditions as well as benign and malignant growths on and around your eyes.
- Wear the proper sunglasses: Look for those labeled “UV400” or “100 percent UV protection” when buying sunglasses. Less costly sunglasses with this label are just as effective as the expensive brands. Oversized or wrap-around sunglasses provide the best coverage.
- Avoid staring at the sun: Directly gazing at the sun can burn holes in the retina, the light-sensitive layer of cells in the back of the eye needed for central vision. While rare, the damage is irreversible.
- Wear sunglasses on cloudy days. Clouds don’t block UV light: The sun’s rays can pass through haze and clouds.
- Be extra careful in UV intense conditions: Sunlight is strongest mid-day to early afternoon, at higher altitudes, and when reflected off of water, ice or snow.
- Wear a hat with a broad brim. They have been shown to significantly cut exposure to harmful rays.
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Protect your vision today! |
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Protecting your eye health is critical to protecting your vision! Vision loss usually occurs gradually and painlessly, and most people do not notice until after the damage has been done. If you have an eye condition such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, or diabetic retinopathy, routine follow up care is very important and there is no need to delay your care! We are here for you! We follow stringent CDC and MA Department of Public Health protocols to keep you safe. Learn about those here.
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Sign up for Patient Gateway! |
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Patient Gateway is a free online tool that is available to all OCB Eye Health Services patients. It allows you to safely and securely view your test results, manage appointments and message your care team directly--all in one convenient location. It is even accessible on your smartphone via mobile app. Visit PatientGateway.com to enroll today!
*Patient Gateway is not intended for emergency situations.
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