Risky Contact Lens Behaviors

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) there are more than 41 million contact lens wearer above 18 years of age and the majority engage in behaviors that put them at risk for serious eye infections. Further, there are more than 3.5 million adolescents 12-17 years of age of which 85% admit to at least one behavior that exposes them to increased risk of a contact lens related eye infection. The clearly risky behaviors include sleeping in lenses, exposing lenses to water, not adhering to replacement schedules, and reusing disinfecting solution. Contact lens related eye infections, which can lead to serious outcomes, including blindness, are preventable with good hygiene and wearing habits such as replacing the storage case regularly, not sleeping or even napping in lenses, not swimming in lenses and especially not exposing them to lake or pond water and preferably not even tap water.

If you or someone you know is a contact lens wearer please make sure they use the necessary behaviors and care of their lenses to prevent risking an eye infection. To learn more call us at

Baltimore Washington Eye Center at 800-495-3937, or visit Baltimore Washington Eye Center, Google+ or facebook.com/baltimorewashingtoneyecenter.

Baltimore Washington Eye Center is a leading eye care practice with office locations at 200 Hospital Drive, Suite 600, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061, and 2391 Brandermill Blvd., Suite 200, Gambrills, Maryland 21061 serving the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.

Taking Aspirin Makes AMD Worse?

Most seniors and other people who suffer from vascular, heart, blood clotting problems or even arthritis are well aware of the benefits of taking a daily aspirin. In fact many people have been prescribed aspirin as part of their overall care by their primary care or other specialty physicians. Seniors are also well aware that age related macular degeneration (AMD) continues to be a leading cause of vision loss. Until recently there was some confusion and disagreement regarding whether it was safe or even risky for those who have AMD to take aspirin as it could increase bleeding risk in the retina and worsen AMD. A very careful review of information was reported in the journal Retina and gave us good insight into the conclusions that overall, the types and size of studies showing the positive benefits of aspirin use for cardiovascular health were quite a bit better that the smaller limited studies showing a possible adverse effect of aspirin use in relation to AMD. The benefits of aspirin usage include preserving the duration and quality of life by decreasing stroke and heart attack risk. These benefits seem to far outweigh the theoretical risks of possibly exacerbating wet AMD, which we can now control reasonably well with anti-VEGF injection therapy with Eylea®, Lucentis® and other available medications.

If you or someone you know takes aspirin and has or has been recently diagnosed with age related macular degeneration (AMD), it appears safe and beneficial to follow your physician’s prescribing instructions and not worry about any increased risk of worsening AMD. If you have questions or need to schedule an eye exam please call Baltimore Washington Eye Center at 800-495-3937, or visit Baltimore Washington Eye Center, Google+ or www.facebook.com/baltimorewashingtoneyecenter.

Baltimore Washington Eye Center is a leading eye care practice with office locations at 200 Hospital Drive, Suite 600, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061, and 2391 Brandermill Blvd., Suite 200, Gambrills, Maryland 21061 serving the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.

Closed Angle Glaucoma Diagnosis Improvements

Closed Angle Glaucoma Diagnosis with Machine Learning Artificial Intelligence

Closed Angle Glaucoma is a sight threatening medical emergency that can cause catastrophic vision loss in a short time if not treated quickly. It is possible to use a number of tests during your eye exam to determine whether you might be at risk. If you are, we can provide an in office laser treatment to easily decrease your risk of Closed Angle Glaucoma. One of these tests is Optical Coherence Tomography, also called AS-OCT short for Anterior Segment Optical Coherence Tomography which allows us to create digital images that are cross-sectional pictures of the eyes’ anterior chambers. Researchers are now developing a fully automated database for screening for AS-OCT screening for Closed Angle Glaucoma using machine learning artificial intelligence that will make the diagnosis very reliable and consistent and readily performed by our staff as part of your eye exams if you are at risk.

If you are someone you know has not had a recent eye exam and glaucoma testing please schedule an appointment at Baltimore Washington Eye Center at 800-495-3937, or visit Baltimore Washington Eye Center, Google+ or facebook.com/baltimorewashingtoneyecenter.

Baltimore Washington Eye Center is a leading eye care practice with office locations at 200 Hospital Drive, Suite 600, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061, and 2391 Brandermill Blvd., Suite 200, Gambrills, Maryland 21061 serving the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.

Karen’s and Lucenna’s Cataract Patient Stories

“I have been really pleased with my treatment and the results. Everyone at Baltimore Washington Eye is caring and helpful. Dr. Spagnolo explained the steps to me and made me at ease about the surgery. During the surgery, everyone in the surgery center had me at ease. Great place!”
-Karen K. had Laser Cataract Surgery with a Toric Implant for Astigmatism

“Dr. Betancourt did my cataract surgery. I am so please with the Multifocal IOL Implant he recommended….the staff is so friendly and caring that they made sure I understood the procedure and answered my questions. I am just so pleased with everything.”
-Lucenna H. had Laser Cataract Surgery with a Multifocal Implant

If you or some you know is experiencing cataract symptoms such as cloudy foggy vision, glare, or difficult night driving and would like to learn more about cataract surgery & lens implants please call Baltimore Washington Eye Center at 800-495-3937, or visit Baltimore Washington Eye Center, Google+ or facebook.com/baltimorewashingtoneyecenter.

Baltimore Washington Eye Center is a leading eye care practice with office locations at 200 Hospital Drive, Suite 600, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061, and 2391 Brandermill Blvd., Suite 200, Gambrills, Maryland 21061 serving the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.

Pterygia “Surfer’s Eye” & Melanoma Skin Cancer Risk

Does a Pterygium or "Surfer's Eye" Increase Melanoma Risk?

A pterygium (pronounced “tuh-RIJ-ee-uhm”) is an elevated, wedged-shaped bump of tissue on your eyeball that starts on the sclera or white of your eye-most often on the side near your nose and can extend to the cornea. Although a pterygium is commonly referred to as "surfer's eye" because being around bright sunlight for long periods of time-particularly the harmful UV reflected light from water such as the ocean-can increase your risk. But, there are other causes as well and you don't have to be a surfer or ever see the ocean to get a pterygium. Ultraviolet radiation from the sun appears to be the primary cause for the growth of pterygia, but exposure to dust and wind along with dry eye disease are very common causes. Pterygia usually develop in 30- to 50-year-olds, and are rarely are found in children. If you have a light skin complexion and light eyes you have a greater chance of getting a pterygium.

Recently, researchers reporting in the British Journal of Ophthalmology reported the results of a study that considered whether people who had pterygia were at greater risk of melanoma skin cancer. They felt that since pterygia seemed to me more common in light skinned, light eyed people who were exposed to a lot of sunlight, that maybe they had greater melanoma skin cancer risk. They found that having a pterygium indicates a significantly increased risk of developing a melanoma of the skin and that eye care providers who see patients with developing pterygia should advise these patients of this increased risk and recommend regular skin surveillance with a dermatologist. Further, we know that if a pterygium becomes inflamed and affects the cornea, excision- pterygium surgery-may be necessary to avoid vision changes from corneal distortion or even scarring.

If you or someone you know has a pterygium, please schedule an eye exam at Baltimore Washington Eye Center 800-495-3937, or visit Baltimore Washington Eye Center, Google+ or facebook.com/baltimorewashingtoneyecenter.

Baltimore Washington Eye Center is a leading eye care practice with office locations at 200 Hospital Drive, Suite 600, Glen Burnie, Maryland 21061, and 2391 Brandermill Blvd., Suite 200, Gambrills, Maryland 21061 serving the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. area.