UFC Fighter escapes retinal detatchment

UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre had to take a break from competition because of an eye injury.

Following a fight that left him unable to see out of his left eye, he went doctors who suspected a detached retina. This is a serious condition that requires emergency surgery or else permanent blindness may result.

Luckily, Mr. St. Pierre's retina was not detached and he will fully recover in a short time.

This story highlights the importance of taking sports impact injuries seriously when they happen to the eye or the head generally. Detached retina due to impact can happen to anyone.

(But remember that retinal detachment can occur even without an impact. Go see an optometrist immediately or go to the ER if it is after business hours if you experience any sudden changes in your vision)

People who are highly myopic are at increased risk of retinal detachment and they need to be extra careful. Even if you have had laser surgery to correct your myopia, your risk level is still high. This is because the surgery merely alters the cornea at the front of your eye and does not change the physiology at the back of your eye where the retina is located.

I frequently have patients who come in to have their retina examined after being hit in the head or near the eye with a baseball or have suffered some other impact. I'm always pleasantly surprised that these patients know about the risk and take their health seriously!

Read more about Georges St. Pierre's injury here.

Are your kids dangerously inactive? It shows up in their eyes.

We already know that many diseases like diabetes and heart disease show up first in the eyes.
A new study shows that changes in the back of the eye can tell us if a child is on the path to future diseases. A new Australian study published in the journal Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology concludes that dangerously inactive children have narrow arteries in the retina, the back of the eye that contains the cells that send visual information to the brain.

In today's world, where children spend hours sitting in front of the TV or the computer, inactivity is a major problem. Narrow retinal arteries are a marker for increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes down the road. The study found that children with the highest levels of physical activity, one and half hours a day, had significantly wider average retinal arteries than those who spent less than half an hour a day being physically active.

The study shows us that knowledge (and an eye exam) is power. Because optometrists can detect narrow arteries in an eye health exam, we can identify the risk early enough in life and do something about it to prevent often deadly chronic diseases from showing up in adulthood. The doctor can then monitor the retina to track improvement or worsening of the arteries.

Retinal examinations are done by most optometrists during an eye health exam.