At the time, I lived in an unpleasant area of Los Angeles.  I didn’t like anything about it:  the ugly apartment buildings, the noise, dirty sidewalks, and neighbors’ faces…  even the moon annoyed me.

One evening, though, I noticed that the moon wasn’t alone; there were three pale moons in the sky.  If you counted more carefully, there were actually six.  Was I on the same planet?  I only wanted to leave the neighborhood.  When a friend came to help me move, I asked him,

I learned that I had mature cataracts.  Later, I learned that I suffered from depression, as well, but I never took pills for it.

After my second operation, I went for a walk and was struck so deeply with my renewed, clear vision that euphoria overwhelmed me.  Even after that burst of happiness passed, however, I stayed in a great mood.

I was delighted to see the world in such detail:  delicate yellow petals and iridescent flies, both motionless in the sun’s rays as if suspended on strings.  Or perhaps those “strings” were just sparkles that continued for miles.

The overall euphoria didn’t last long, though.  I soon discovered that the left eye was not 20/20, as the doctor had promised, and the right was getting hazy.  My mood declined sharply, and my new street, which was beautiful the day before, became horrible to look at.  This made me realize that choosing a doctor must be done carefully.  I scolded myself for not doing so, but this did nothing to improve my vision.

Looking ahead, I can say that things improved, along with my mood.  Today, we will talk about this with renowned Los Angeles eye surgeon, Arthur Benjamin.

Is there a connection between vision and mood?

It’s a simple fact, thus our office’s slogan, “Life is Beautiful, See It.”  But in order to appreciate beauty, you must see clearly.  Experiments by Israeli scientists have shown vision markedly deteriorates in those with depression.  This causes a feedback loop where deteriorating vision in turn negatively affects perception of life.

Sufferers of depression volunteered to view special images.  Under the conditions of the experiment, subjects can either distinguish between series of vague, individual fragments, or cannot see them at all.  It showed that depression impairs the brain’s ability to process visual information.

That sounds like America, alright.  Obviously, the person who is depressed will be very apathetic.  When you aren’t happy with anything, then you’re aren’t up for noticing these things.

A psychologist could speak more eloquently on the subject, but it would be interesting if a diagnosis of depression could be a sort of vision test, and by the same method monitor the effectiveness of therapy.

I’m more interested in the relationship between the two. 

Ophthalmologists have noticed this for a long time.  If you wear the wrong kind of glasses and contacts, or ignore your cataracts, it will affect your general condition.  Impaired vision affects perception of light, and I use that phrase both literally and figuratively.  Poor eyesight will not help your mood.  If you are watching a movie and cannot hear the characters, or can barely make out their shapes, you will feel disabled when discussing the film with others.

When someone is depressed, the world seems flat and monochrome, with overtones of blue or grey.  For a long time, scientists believed that this was a purely psychological phenomenon, but recent research has shown that it may be biological.  At the University of Freiburg, they recruited 80 subjects, 40 of which were diagnosed with depression, and 20 of those had taken antidepressants.  The other 40 served as a control group.  In addition to questions about perception, electrical impulses between the retina and brain were recorded, which is where information is interpreted as color, shape, and contrast.

LASIK, CATARACT, GLAUCOMA: Take advantage of the latest technology and one of the best teams in LABenjamin Eye Institute 310-494-7193

Зрение и настроение (часть 1)

В свое время я проживал в одном малоприятном районе Лос-Анджелеса. Мне там не нравилось все: уродливые «апартамент билдинги», грохот (то музыка техно, то вопли прохожих), замызганный асфальт, лица соседей… и даже луна раздражала. 

Как-то вечером я заметил, что она не одна: в небе сияли три бледных луны. А если посчитать внимательно, их было шесть. Нашу планету я вроде не покидал, а из этого района собирался съезжать. Ко мне пришел товарищ помочь с переездом, и я спросил его: 

– Слушай, а сколько лун сейчас на небе? 

Он посмотрел на меня и мягким голосом ответил: 

– Одна. – А я вижу шесть с половиной! – похвастал я. 

Товарищ деликатно помолчал, после чего сказал бессмертную фразу: – Кто ж уезжает из такого района? 

И через минуту добавил: – А не сходить ли тебе к офтальмологу, брат?  Так я узнал, что у меня «созревшая» катарактa.  А позже узнал, что у меня депрессия. Но до таблеток не дошло. 

После операции на втором глазу я вышел на улицу (уже не ту, с которой съехал), и меня настолько пронзила картина ясного виденья, что я испытал приступ эйфории. Потом счастье перешло просто в хорошее настроение. 

Мне было радостно видеть мир в мельчайших деталях: какие-то хрупкие желтые лепестки на земле, или зеленоватые мошки, застывшие в солнечных лучах, как на струнах, или сверкающие за пару миль от меня автомобили. 

Но эйфория длилась недолго. Вскоре я обнаружил, что левый глаз не видит обещанные доктором «20х20», а правый начинает заволакивать какими-то тучками. И настроение мое снова упало, и моя новая улица, которая еще вчера была прекрасной, стала ужасной. Я осознал, что врачей нужно было выбирать внимательно. Я ругал себя разными непечатными словами, но зрение от самокритики не улучшалось. 

Забегая вперед, скажу, что ситуацию удалось улучшить. А заодно и настроение. Об этом мы сегодня и поговорим с известным в ЛА глазным хирургом Артуром Бенджамином. 

– Есть ли связь между зрением и настроением?

– Это просто факт. Поэтому наш офисный девиз «Life is beautiful. See it». Но чтобы увидеть, нужно видеть. Эксперименты израильских ученых показали, что у людей с депрессией заметно ухудшается зрение. Бывает и обратная связь, когда резко портящееся зрение влияет на восприятие жизни. 

– А в чем состоял эксперимент?

– Страдающим депрессией предлагали рассматривать специальные изображения. Испытуемые в этом состоянии либо видели отдельные фрагменты нечетко, либо вообще их не различали. Т.е. депрессия ухудшает способность мозга перерабатывать зрительную информацию. 

– Неужто они Америку открыли. Очевидно, что человек, находящийся в депрессии, относится ко многому с апатией. Когда тебя ничто не радует, то тебе не до каких-то там фрагментов. 

– Об этом лучше говорить с психологом, но будет интересно, если диагностику депрессии станут делать по зрительным тестам и тем же методом контролировать эффективность терапии. 

Меня больше интересует обратная зависимость.

– Ну это офтальмологи заметили давно. Если носить неправильные очки или плохо подобранные контактные линзы, или игнорировать катаракту, – это может сказаться на вашем общем состоянии. Нарушение зрения влияет на световосприятие, и «свет» здесь фигурирует в обоих смыслах слова. Плохое зрение не улучшает настроения. Если вы сидите в кино и не только плохо слышите речь героев, но и едва различаете их контуры, то в ходе дальнейшего обсуждения фильма с другими зрителями вы себя будете чувствовать инвалидом. 

А как работает эта связь?

– Когда у кого-то депрессия, мир может ему казаться таким более плоским и монохромным, с превалирующими оттенками синего или серого цвета. Долгое время ученые полагали, что это чисто психологический феномен. Но недавнее исследование показало, что изменения в зрительном восприятии могут иметь биологическую природу. Во Фрейбургском университете набрали 80 испытуемых, у 40 из которых была диагностирована депрессия, причем 20 из них принимали антидепрессанты. Остальные 40 – контрольная группа. Помимо вопросов о восприятии, фиксировались электрические импульсы со стороны сетчатки, идущие в мозг, где эта информация интерпретируется как цвет, форма и контраст. 

en_ru

If you would ask a question is there a connection between vision and mood? The answer would be our office’s slogan, “Life is Beautiful, See It.”

Недаром девизом нашего офиса является фраза: « Life is beautiful. See it”. Но, чтобы увидеть эту прекрасную картину мира в мельчайших деталях - нужно видеть. Научно установлена взаимосвязь восприятия жизни и ухудшением зрения. 



How I Saw Six-and-a-Half Moons

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.

SCHEDULE YOURCONSULTATION TODAY!

Artículos relacionados