Coffee: The Tastiest Wonder Drug?

The best part of waking up...is reducing your risk of neurodegeneration, and depression, and cancer, and cardiovascular disease...  It's becoming increasingly clear that coffee is more than just a morning routine.  The body of data suggesting that the world's most widely used stimulant is beneficial in a variety of mental and medical conditions is growing at a staggering rate.  A recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that coffee consumption lowered all-cause mortality by over 10% at 13-year follow-up.

Bret Stetka, MD, Editorial Director, Medscape from WebMD

Michael Starrels, MD

Matossian Eye Associates employees and their families enjoyed watching the 7-1 win against the Sea Dogs at the Trenton Thunder’s Waterfront Park.  Of added excitement, was George Saunders, CFO throwing out the first pitch in celebration of our 25th year serving the Trenton Community. 

“Every year our family and friends get together to enjoy a night of baseball, and we were not disappointed.”  says George Saunders.  “Events like these are one of the reasons why we have such a great practice.” Matossian Eye Associates are the team ophthalmologists for Trenton Thunder, the minor league affiliate of the Yankees.

An Unexpected Cause of Contact Lens Discomfort

We all know to wash our hands before handling our contact lenses.  In some cases, however, even compliant patients who wash their hands thoroughly before touching their contacts can experience chemical irritation.  This is especially true if antibacterial or moisturizing soaps are used. 

The solution: all contact lens wearers should wash their hands prior to handling their contacts using glycerin soap such as Neutrogena (Neutrogena Corp.) or Pears (Pears International), or a soap made specifically for contact lens wearers such as Vista Prep (Amcon Labs, Inc.).  These soaps minimize the chemical residue left on the hands after rinsing.

Melissa Richard, OD, MS

EyeDROPS App for Smartphones

EyeDROPS is a free smart phone application that keeps track of all your eye medications and reminds you when to take them.  You can even take a picture of the bottle which will show up on your reminder screen to help avoid confusion if you use more than one eye drop.
The EyeDROPS app allows you to enter all your eye medications into a list with a photo if you want to include one.  You set the times you take your drops and the app will remind you when it's time for your next dose as well as when you last took it.  The app also reminds you when it is time to refill your prescription.  With the EyeDROPS app you can also keep a record of drops you were allergic to, your surgical history, your last pressure reading, and your doctor's and pharmacy's phone number.

The EyeDROPS app is available for Android phones through Google Play, and for iPhone through the App Store.  Simply search for “EyeDROPS.”

Melissa Richard, OD, MS

Laser pointers commonly used in classrooms and conference rooms are also being used recreationally.  With increased availability, caution should be taken especially when children may have access to these pointers.  In addition to not looking directly at the laser beam, nor pointing it at someone else, take care not to use a laser pointer with a binocular or microscope. Furthermore, if one is kept at home, make sure it is labeled with FDA warnings to ensure it actually is a laser pointer.  These laser pointers should have an output less than 5 mW; if not, the laser is probably not meant for general use.

Vit Patel, MD