WHAT’S THIS SMALL MIRACLE – THE iSTENT?

Let’s talk about glaucoma.  Everyone knows that the eye needs fluid, but when it’s too little it’s dangerous.  Correct?

Yes, but when it’s too much that’s also dangerous.  Therefore, the best treatment option for glaucoma is to make it so that liquid continues to be secreted to provide irrigation for the eye, but that it is able to drain as well.  But this is difficult, because there’s always a struggle – pressure is too high or too low.  What can we do?  Now there’s a new method, namely the iStent, a titanium shunt that is kind of like an underwater tube that connects drainage to the anterior chamber of the eye.

This thing, as I understand it, helps reduce pressure.  But it is, so to speak, the Biblical “log in your eye”, right?  Is it safe?

The safety of any technology always depends on the hands.  In the right hands, the introduction of a microshunt is completely safe, adds only 1-2 minutes to the operation, and is without any postoperative complications usually associated with pressure being too low.  It could be called a kind of internal valve, not to be confused with an outside one, where barbaric glaucoma procedures are done that create a flap in the eye and are fraught with difficulties in regulating pressure.  In the hands of an experienced surgeon, a microscopic shunt made of hard, stainless metal is not only safe, but extremely useful.

Moving on to our eternal enemy.  Today, we can speak boldly about the diabetes epidemic.  How is this related to the eyes?  After all, the pancreas seems pretty far away. 

Diabetes strongly affects the eye, namely the retina.  They have a huge number of blood vessels and an accordingly large energy demand.  And it often happens that the patient doesn’t notice any other symptoms…  They’re overweight, haunted by fatigue, or overexerted, but think that it’s happening for other reasons or all age-related.  This is a common situation that we have in the office:  a person comes into the office and says they’re over 40 and they need glasses for farsightedness.  However, we examine their eyes not only for glasses, but also look at the retina.  We have magnificent machines that take high-resolution pictures of the retina and can detect characteristic changes.  “Do you have diabetes?” I ask.  “No, diabetes?  My mom has it, my dad had it, but I do not.  I’m lucky!” they say.  Then I advise to go to a family doctor and have a complete examination for diabetes.  There, a person goes in on an empty stomach and is given special tests, so the full picture comes into view.

What changes in the life of someone who has diabetes, but shows no symptoms?

They start to treat it, usually with pills, and they’re given a nutritionist, they try to diet, start exercising, and if possible lose weight.  After a while, many say, “I feel great!”, while others simply forget or shrug their shoulders, but this disease is extremely vindictive and will always remind you it’s there.

So, thanks to the eyes, we can learn about diabetes earlier than if we didn’t go to the ophthalmologist?  

Not just diabetes, but other diseases, like hypertension, kidney problems, thyroidism, etc.

Let’s talk about something optimistic.  What do you think about the connection between vision and mood?  Does it exist?

It’s simply a fact.  So much that it’s in our office motto:  “

”  But in order to see the beauty of the world, you need normal vision, right?  So when you look at the world through cataracts or myopia, then your mood does not improve.  Experiments by Israeli scientists show that people with depression have significantly impaired vision.  There’s also an inverse causal relationship, where sharply impaired vision can affect the perception of life itself.

People suffering from depression were told to view special images.  It turns out that subjects in this state either saw some fragments indistinctly, or not at all.  In other words, depression worsens the brain’s ability to process visual information.

It seems so obvious to me that you wouldn’t need experiments.  People who are depressed are apathetic about almost everything.  So when you’re already not happy, you’re not up for noticing these fragments.  

It’s better to talk about these things with a psychologist, but it would be interesting if you could possibly diagnose depression through visual tests and in the same way monitor the effectiveness of treatment.

Ophthalmology, it turns out, touches on all aspects of our lives?

Vision uses 65% of the brain’s energy.  Our eyes can distinguish over 500 shades of grey.  In the course of our lives, we are able to perceive more than 24 million images – but only on the condition that we see well.  If we wear the wrong glasses, ignore cataracts, or the like, it will quickly affect your overall condition.  Poor vision worsens mood, but perfect vision can easily improve it.  It’s worth it to see clearly, because the world really is beautiful!

– Я провел опрос среди знакомых. Люди они образованные, не раз бывали у офтальмолога, но никто не сумел дать четкого ответа на вопрос: «Почему хорошее зрение называют называют 20/20, не 100/100 или просто «супер»?

– Нумератор, т.е. верхняя цифра,  означает дистанцию, при которой идет определение.  В США и в Англии используются футы – 20.  В Европе и России с их метрической системой используются  метры – 6.  Для зрительной системы человека 20 футов или 6 метров – это  уже «бесконечность», т.е. на этой дистанции лучи света параллельны.  Все, что дальше 20 футов (6 метров), лишь уменьшается в восприятии. Денумератор (нижняя цифра) показывает, насколько хорошо вы видите по сравнению с “нормальным” человеком.  Тем самым 20/20 означает нормальную остроту зрения.

А можно на примере пояснить?

– Если у вас 20/20, то вы видите с 20 футов то, что условный “нормальный” человек и должен видеть с 20 футов.  В этом случае ваше зрение  – «единица» , 20/20=1.  Или, соответственно,  6/6, если вы живете в стране, где используется метрическая система:  6/6=1.  Если  ваше зрение 20/40 (минимум, необходимый для получения водительских прав в большинстве штатов), то это означает, что вы видите с расстояния 20 футов то, что человек с “нормальным” зрением видит с 40 футов.  Если зрение 20/100,  то вы видите с 20 футов то, что «нормальный человек» видит со 100. То есть “нормальный” увидит заданный объект со ста футов, а вам с вашим зрением 20/100 придется подойти в пять раз ближе, на 20 футов, чтобы увидеть то же самое.

ЧТО ЭТО ЗА МАЛЕНЬКОЕ ЧУДО –  

– Поговорим о глаукоме. Все знают, что глаз нуждается в жидкости, и когда ее слишком мало, это опасно. Правильно?

– Правильно, но и когда ее слишком много – тоже плохо. Поэтому лучший вариант лечения глаукомы – сделать так, чтобы жидкость продолжала выделяться и обеспечивать «ирригацию» глаза, но и каким-то образом оттуда уходила. И это очень сложно, потому что постоянно идет борьба – то слишком высокое давления, то слишком низкое. Как быть? И вот появился такой новый метод, а именно приспособление iStent, т.е. микрошунт, сделанный из титана и представляющий собой подобие подводной трубки,  соединяющей дренажи с передней камерой глаза.

– И эта штука, как я понимаю, помогает снизить давление. Но это же, так сказать, «бревно в глазу», нет? Насколько оно безопасно?

– Безопасность любой технологии всегда зависит от рук. В правильных руках внедрение микрошунта совершенно безопасно, добавляет к операции 1-2 минуты  и проходит без всяких послеоперационных осложнений, обычно связанных со слишком низким давлением. Это можно назвать созданием внутреннего клапана, который стоит не путать с наружным, когда делают такие варварские глаукомные операции, создавая большой лоскут, что чревато трудно регулируемым давлением. В руках опытного хирурга микроскопический шунтик, сделанный из жесткого, нержавеющего металла, не только безопасен, но и крайне полезен.

 Переходим к нашему вечному противнику. Сегодня можно смело говорить об эпидемии диабета. Как эта тема связана с глазами? Ведь поджелудочная железа вроде находится далеко от них.

– Диабет сильно влияет на глаза, а именно на сетчатку. В ней гигантское количество сосудов и соответственно большие энергетические запросы. И часто бывает так, что никаких других симптомов пациент может не ощущать… он толстый, его преследует усталость, часто приходится бегать по малой нужде – но он думает, что это все случается по другим причинам или так и должно быть: возраст все-таки. Нередкая ситуация у нас в офисе: приходит человек и говорит, что ему за 40 и пора бы ему выписать очки от дальнозоркости. Мы смотрим его глаза не только на предмет очков, но смотрим глазное дно, т.е. сетчатку. У нас есть великолепные машины, которые с высочайшей резолюцией фотографируют сетчатку, и мы можем обнаружить характерные  изменения. «У вас диабет?» – спрашиваю. «Нет, какой еще диабет? У мамы есть, у папы тоже был, а у меня нет, мне повезло!» – отвечает он. Тогда я советую пойти к семейному врачу и сделать полное обследование на диабет.

 И в этом случае уже все делается правильно?

– Когда человек приходит на голодный желудок и ему делают специальные тесты, то открывается полная картина.

– Что меняется в жизни того, у кого нет симптомов, но диабет, оказывается, есть?

– Ему начинают лечить диабет, обычно таблетками, знакомят с диетологами, человек пытается сесть на диету, начинает упражняться и по возможности теряет вес. Проходит некоторое время и многие говорят: «Слушайте, я просто прекрасно себя чувствую!» А некоторые элементарно забывают или машут рукой, но эта болезнь крайне злопамятна и всегда напомнит о себе.

– Итак,  благодаря глазам  мы можем узнать о диабете  раньше, чем если бы не пошли к офтальмологу?

– Не только диабет, но и другие болезни, например,  гипертонию, проблемы с почками, с щитовидной железой…

– Хочется поговорить о чем-то оптимистическом. Что вы думаете о связи между зрением и настроением? Она существует?

– Это просто факт. И именно в силу этого факта наш офисный девиз: «Мир прекрасен – смотри», или: Life is beautiful, see it clearly!  Но чтобы увидеть красоту мира, нужно нормально видеть, не правда ли? А когда ты смотришь на мир через катаракту или через миопию, то настроение это не улучшает. Эксперименты израильских ученых показали, что у людей с депрессией заметно ухудшается зрение. Бывает и обратная причинно-следственная связь, когда резко портящееся зрение влияет на восприятие жизни.

– А в чем состоял эксперимент?

– Страдающим депрессией предлагали рассматривать специальные изображения. Оказалось, что испытуемые в этом состоянии либо видели какие-то фрагменты нечетко, либо вообще их не различали. Т.е. депрессия ухудшает способность мозга перерабатывать зрительную информацию.

– Мне это кажется настолько очевидным, что не нуждается в экспериментах.  Человек, находящийся в депрессии, относится ко многому, если не ко всему, с апатией. А когда тебя уже ничто не радует, то тебе не до каких-то там фрагментов.

– Об этом лучше говорить с психологом, но будет интересно, если появится возможность проводить диагностику депрессии по зрительным тестам, и тем же способом контролировать эффективность лечения.

Офтальмология, получается, затрагивает все сферы нашей жизни?

– Ну раз уж зрение потребляет 65% мозговой энергии… Наш глаз может различать не только 500 оттенков серого. В ходе жизни мы способны воспринять более 24 млн образов – но только при условии, что видим хорошо. Если носить неправильные очки, игнорировать катаракту и т.д., – это быстро скажется на вашем общем состоянии. Плохое зрение ухудшает настроение, а отличное может его легко улучшить. Потому что мир и вправду прекрасен, и стоит того, чтобы его видеть четко.

en_ru

Talking about how the eye and pancreas are related, why depression affects eyesight, and a sensation named "iStent" - a new miraculous treatment that controls intraocular pressure of patients with glaucoma. It is a titanium shunt that is kind of like an underwater tube that connects drainage to the anterior chamber of the eye.

Сенсация в лечении глаукомы под названием «iStent» — титановый шунт, обеспечивающий отток с одновременной «ирригацией» глаза; взаимосвязь поджелудочной железы с глазом; как депрессия оказывает влияние на зрение. Читаем дальше..



AFTER THE ECLIPSE (2)

ПОСЛЕ ЗАТМЕНИЯ (2)

Staff was very personable and accommodated my needs.  Dr Benjamin was very professional and great bedside manner.  I would highly recommend the office to friend and family

An awesome experience as is the norm for our visits to Dr Benjamin. We have trusted him and his office with our multiple surgeries and care for many years, and plan to continue forward. Thank you Dr Benjamin, and your staff.

Great front desk and tech staff. The doctor was super nice and I’m so pleased I found this eye institute! Everyone was great and happy to finally have taken care of an appointment I had been putting off for a while. Great check-in process also for first time patients.

⭐️ My review of LASIK after one year ⭐️I told Dr. Benjamin I would do this a while ago, but I kind of feel like it says a lot I have kept this on my checklist for a year. I feel like a year is a good amount of time to review a procedure like this and give my honest thoughts and recommendation.So, let me tell you about my journey to getting LASIK and how I ended up in the amazing care of Dr. Benjamin. After going to an optometrist for years and him advising against LASIK because of my genetically dry eyes, I finally got a second opinion from an ophthalmologist (Dr. Benjamin). I didn’t know the difference between an optometrist vs. opthalmologist, but once I learned it kind of made sense why my optometrist didn’t want me getting LASIK lol. Because he couldn’t sell me on contact lenses or glasses for the foreseeable future if I got my vision corrected :) I mean, who knows, but I am glad I got a second opinion.I figured being in Los Angeles with some of the best doctors in the world… if anyone is going to touch my big, blue eyeballs, might as well get it done while I’m here. I found this business due to the reviews and they seemed to really know what they were doing and how to talk to clients.Upon meeting Dr. Benjamin he told me that I wasn’t a candidate for LASIK with my dry eyes, but he could put me through treatments for dry eyes and reevaluate after; and that these treatments had a good success rate for most.So, I started doing two treatments every other week for about 2.5 months - IPL laser treatment and Lipiflow. Lipiflow, especially, was a weird painless experience but highly recommend anyone with dry eyes to ask about it regardless of LASIK. I could tell my eyes felt way less dry a couple days after each treatment. There are videos on YouTube that talk about this treatment… Who knew this stuff existed. I’m not gonna lie, it’s an investment to do all these treatments on top of LASIK, but my eyes rarely feel dry anymore so if you’re going to get it done - do it right.Finally, I was approved for LASIK. I ended up waiting until the end of year to make sure I saved up the funds to do it and had some time to heal. I also took advantage of an end of year deal they were offering. $1000 off was a pretty nice forcing function to get me to finally do it after prepping my eyes with the treatments. The procedure itself I couldn’t feel anything even though I was awake the entire time (medicated). Even the scary part when bubbles form on your eyes Dr. Benjamin let me know about in advance so when it happened I just went with the flow. I think the worst part was the recovery the few days after and coming home drugged up lol. I remember day 1 thinking omg what did I do to my eyes. My eyes just hurt and felt weird, but omg I could see 20/15 immediately. And then, day by day it gradually got better. It took a few weeks for my eyes to heal, but after 1 month you couldn’t even tell I had surgery. One eye was a bit more bloodshot than the other.I can see 20/15. It’s been life changing for the past year not having to worry about contacts or glasses. I just got married and was able to walk down the aisle with clear vision. I only wish I had the means to have done this earlier in life. If you’re considering it - do it! And definitely consider Dr. Benjamin to do it right.Lastly, to continue treating my dry eyes, Dr. Benjamin gave me an extra LipiFlow treatment, and also recommended I try punctal plugs (painless plugs inserted into your lids that help your tears last longer). He placed the plugs in my eyes under 5 mins. Wild.I heard from people during the LASIK process they have been nervous to get the procedure so I wrote this to help and because I think highly of this business for changing my life. And, some of the dry eye treatments I would’ve never known about had it not been for them. Again, I wish I would have had been able to do this years ago. It is so, so worth it!Thank you, Dr. Benjamin (and staff!)

Concerned about a reoccurring virus, I text Dr Benjamin’s office first thing in the morning seeking immediate advice and an appointment. In quick time I received both sage advice and a same day appointment. Dr B takes a personal interest in his patients well being and has diligent, competent and attentive staff to support the care and support needed. Can’t speak highly enough.

Been going to Dr B for nearly a decade after trying many other eye doctors in LA.  Beyond solving my chronic dry eye and being the most knowledgeable, he is an all-around great guy and spends time educating. The staff is wonderful as well.

The ophthalmologist that performed my surgery, Dr. Benjamin, was extremely skilled and knowledgeable. He took the time to thoroughly explain the procedure and answer all of my questions. I felt confident in his abilities and knew that I was in good hands.

Dr Benjamin and his team are extremely professional. I had Lasik surgery performed by him and his team and everything to date has gone exactly as described to me. Front office is very friendly and scheduling appointments is easy.

The office staff were kind and considerate. The technician that assisted me explained everything she was doing. The Doctor was very nice and explained everything. He was definitely knowledgeable about my condition.

Dr Benjamin has been the “go to” eye specialist for 3 generations of my family, starting with my father and now grown children. Simply put, he’s an exceptionally capable, trustworthy, and cutting edge doctor with a courteous and professional staff.Without any reservations, I recommend him to anyone seeking an exceptional eye doctor.

The surgeons at Benjamin Eye Institute are true experts in their field - they were able to explain the procedure in detail and answer all of my questions and concerns. The surgery itself was quick and painless, and the recovery was much faster than I had anticipated.

I just completed my first visit and can say that this office deserves every high ranking it gets. The staff are efficient, friendly but highly professional.  The office is modern and sparkling clean. The examination was smooth and thorough. The doctor saw me on time.  He listened closely to the background of my problem, and he clearly communicated his treatment plan and the rationale for it. I absolutely trust him and highly recommend him.

Dr. Benjamin is always personable and thoughtful and very much an expert.  He has been my eye doctor for many years.  Now that I am older I am very grateful that he is still my ophthalmologist. Everyone in the office is very helpful. I, of course, highly recommend Dr. Benjamin.

One of the things that sets the Benjamin Eye Institute apart from other ophthalmology practices is their team of experienced and highly trained surgeons. The surgeons at the Benjamin Eye Institute have performed thousands of cataract and LASIK surgeries, and have a wealth of experience in these procedures. They are committed to providing the best possible care for their patients and strive to achieve excellent outcomes.

No exaggeration, this was the best visit with any doctor I've ever had. The facility is very nice, the staff is exceptionally thorough, professional, and efficient and Dr Arthur had by far the best bed side manner I've ever encountered. I 100% recommend him and his team

My experience at Benjamin Eye Institute was exceptional.  I’m not sure if I’ve ever encountered such an efficient and professional staff in a doctor’s office.  The front desk was communicative and everyone up to the doctor was beyond detailed in their care.  I would recommend this place to anyone who has eye problems because they have the most advanced equipment and Dr. Benjamin is caring, thorough and knowledgeable.

Dr Benjamin and his staff are excellent! 3/5 members of my family are patients from senior to adult to teen. Great care and professionalism. Highly recommend!

Immediately after  cataract surgery, I can see my husband’s face accross the room for the first time in 40 years! No more glasses since childhood, both distance and close up. If you are thinking, should you spend the big bucks to see everything both near and far?  I can tell you it’s so worth it! Thank you Dr. Benjamin and all the wonderful people in your office! I appreciate your efficiency, attentiveness, professionalism and welcoming space! Please feel free to use me as a reference any time!

I can’t ever express my deep gratitude for Dr . Benjamin and his entire extraordinary team at the Benjamin Eye Institute.I was nervous as eyes are so sensitive,  but his incredibly kind receptionists and nurses make you feel at ease and diminish all fears right away . He offers impeccable medical knowledge and state of the art technology to heal . My son and I have both experienced his phenomenal treatment and have had all our eye issues resolved . I am so thankful and can’t recommend him and the Benjamin Eye Institute highly enough 🙏

Dr.Benjamin is the best of the best.Very personable, knowledgeable and kind.I had a stye and in a bad shape.He  took me right in.His staff polite , kind and very professional.Highly recommended.

My 18-year-old son has been under Dr. Benjamin's care, and we were truly impressed by the level of service we received at Benjamin Eye Institute. From the moment we stepped into the clinic, the staff was incredibly helpful and accommodating.Dr. Benjamin conducted a comprehensive eye exam for my son, and his expertise and professionalism were evident throughout the entire process. He took the time to explain everything clearly, making sure my son understood his eye health and any potential concerns. His patience and attentiveness were truly appreciated.We highly recommend Dr. Benjamin to anyone seeking exceptional eye care. He and his team exceeded our expectations, and we are grateful for the outstanding service we received. Thank you, Dr. Benjamin!

Dr Benjamin and Alba were great. He is very professional, kind and with clear explanations. I had an eyelid quick surgery and I’m just missing the glasses prescription, I left the office and forgot to ask for it. But he and his team were amazing!

I was referred to Dr. Benjamin from both my eye doctor and a very close friend of mine who also had her LASIK performed there. My experience was exceptional. Every single person that you meet in the office is a joy to work with. Whether it was the constant and clear communication, or the fact that they were always listening to feedback and answering my questions and concerns, they went out of their way to make me feel comfortable trusting my vision to them. They were very kind and never once pressured me into anything (including when I had to push my surgery back after I broke my leg).I would recommend this place to anyone who has eye problems because they have the most advanced equipment and Dr. Benjamin is caring, thorough and knowledgeable.

Top notch service and staff! By far the best experience I’ve had at a doctors office in 20 years. I wish every office was as well trained, friendly, and professional as Benjamin Eye Institute. Seriously if you have eye problems you won’t find a better doctor.

More than everything I value professional people. Dr. Arthur Benjamin is one of them. He is taking care of me and my husband for pretty long time. All I can say we are very thankful to the doctor and people who work as a team to make us healthy and happy !

LASIK Eye Surgery- The short is go see Dr. Benjamin!I visited Dr. Benjamin Eye Institute after deciding I wanted to learn more about Lasik eye surgery and what the process would look like. I stare at computer screens for very long periods of time so I was nervous to make this life change but ready to ditch my glasses for good! The entire team from day 1 of my consultation made me feel very comfortable. The office is clean the staff are extremely welcoming, friendly and all took the time to answer any questions I had about the procedure - which was very quick and painless the day of. They also have awesome social content for educational purposes and just to make you laugh!I am about a month post procedure and it has been life changing and a freedom restored. Your eyes are important so make sure you consult with the best.Thank you Dr. Benjamin and team!!!

Dr. Benjamin is an exceptional doctor and eye surgeon. He is innovative, and anticipates a patient’s needs. Above all Dr. Benjamin is kind and caring. My results are outstanding. I can thank him for changing my life. Thank you.

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