The colored part of the eye is called the iris. The iris has pigmentation that determines our eye color. Irises are classified as being one of six colors: amber, blue, brown, gray, green, hazel, or red. Often confused with hazel eyes, amber eyes tend to be a solid golden or copper color without flecks of blue or green typical of hazel eyes.

Blue eyes have a low level of pigment present in the iris. Recently, scientists announced that everyone with blue eyes is related! Because of various racial groups intermarrying, blue eyes, which are generally recessive, are becoming rarer and rarer. (Note: I recently asked my blue-eyed in-laws how they produced my amber-eyed spouse, incorrectly telling them it was genetically impossible. Lesson #381: it’s not funny to suggest your mother-in-law was unfaithful.)

Brown is the most common eye color. Individuals with brown eyes have more melanin present, and over half of the people in the world have brown eyes.

Gray eyes may be called “blue” at first glance, but they tend to have flecks of gold and brown. And they may appear to “change color” from gray to blue to green depending on clothing, lighting, and mood (which may change the size of the pupil, compressing the colors of the iris).

Green is the least common eye color, but it is found most frequently in northern and central Europe. I have always incorrectly called this color eye hazel!

Hazel eyes mostly consist of shades of brown and green. Much like gray eyes, hazel eyes may appear to “change color” from green to light brown to gold. Individuals whose eyes appear to be one color closest to the pupil, another color a little farther our, and another color around the edge of the iris are likely to have hazel eyes.

Red eyes do exist. “Red?” you say. “Yes, red,” I say. Although we often call them pink. Picture white bunnies with pink eyes. What you’re actually seeing in these rabbits and in albinos is the blood vessels behind the iris. Because there is so little melanin in the eyes, there is nothing to conceal the blood vessels hard at work. These red eyes are different from the red eyes you sometimes see in photographs when a flash is used. The red you see in pictures is a reflection of the flash off of the back of the eye which is filled with blood vessels.

If you’re dissatisfied with your eye color for whatever reason, there are always colored contacts. Just be sure to get a prescription for them from your eye doctor at Eye Doctors of Washington. Don’t buy them online or borrow them from a friend–you’d just be begging for an eye infection.

1. TWO lasers are usually used to perform LASIK. The first is the Intralase that is used to create the corneal flap. The second is the CustomVUE laser that corrects the unique imperfections of an individual’s eyes.

2. LASIK and PRK only take a few minutes to perform, and it is done in the office surgical suite.

3. Most LASIK patients can drive themselves to their follow-up visit the day after their surgery!

4. Eye Doctors of Washington charges a flat fee for LASIK and PRK. We don’t charge you more for the more advanced Intralase and CustomVUE technology.

5. LASIK and PRK do not prevent the natural changes that occur over time within the eye. That means you may still need reading glasses in middle age and develop cataracts later in life.

6. Having LASIK or PRK now doesn’t preclude you from having cataract surgery in the future. And having cataract surgery now doesn’t preclude you from having LASIK or PRK in the future.

7. You can fly in a plane right after your LASIK or PRK surgery. The changes in pressure will not affect your eye surgery.

8. LASIK is affordable! With the myriad promotions that Eye Doctors of Washington runs and interest-free financing, we’re confident we can help you make it work.

Sunglasses with a wrap-around frame offer the most coverage but they should block 100% of UV rays. In fact, if you’re wearing sunglasses that don’t offer UV protection, you may actually increase your potential for damaging your eyes. Those dark sunglasses cause your eyes to dilate, opening them up to more UV exposure. And since UV rays easily penetrate cloud cover, you should wear your sunglasses outside on overcast days as well.

Unfortunately, by the time we realize we need to protect our eyes, most of the damage has been done. Approximately 80% of the UV ray our eyes will be exposed to occurs before the age of 18. So get your kids some cool shades to protect their eyes for the future!

What is LASIK?
LASIK is a laser vision correction surgery that utilizes laser energy to correct an individuals nearsightedness, farsightedness, and/or astigmatism. In fact, there are two lasers that are used. The Intralase creates a corneal flap in the first step of the surgery. That flap is lifted by the surgeon and the second laser, the VISX S4 CustomVue laser, actually corrects your prescription by flattening or steepening your cornea.

Am I a good candidate for LASIK?
Good candidates for LASIK are 21 years of age or older, have a stable prescription, and have no corneal abnormalities. Most people don’t know if they have corneal abnormalities, so the purpose of the complimentary LASIK consultation is to determine if your cornea is healthy for LASIK. Contact lens wearers will need to come out of their contact lenses for a period of time before their preoperative exam.

How long does it take?
The LASIK procedure takes a few minutes. Patients are in the operating suite for about 15 or 20 minutes, on average. It is cold in there to keep the lasers happy, so be sure to being a sweater.

Does it hurt?
No, it doesn’t hurt. We use topical numbing drops during the surgery so you shouldn’t feel any pain. There is some pressure associated with the creation of the corneal flap using the Intralase. If you close your eye and firmly push on your eyelid, the pressure is about the same.

I have an astigmatism. Can I still have LASIK?
Absolutely. The FDA has approved LASIK for individuals who are nearsighted, farsighted, and have astigmatism.

I have more questions. Who do I contact?
The Refractive Team at EDOW would be happy to answer any questions you have over the phone or via email. Please call 240-482-1220 or go to our contact form to send us an email. We look forward to seeing you soon!

The speculations about the causes of increased myopia are myriad. Some think optometrists are conspiring against the public and are prescribing glasses to children unnecessarily to make money! More often, it is hypothesized that genetics, increased up-close work like video games and computers, and a decrease in the time children spent outside are contributing to the rise in the frequency and severity of myopia.

The treatment for high myopia is strong glasses, strong contact lenses, laser vision correction like LASIK, and implantable contact lens surgery like Visian. In fact, the Visian ICL was designed specifically for individuals with very high degress of nearsightedness. Because of the prevalence of myopia among the Asian population, a study that was publised earlier this year involved placing the Visian ICL in only Asian eyes. The lens that was used also corrected astigmatism. The results were very similar to the results of the FDA clinical trials: after 6 months, almost 95% of all subjects could see 20/25 or better without correction. Remember that these are high myopes who probably couldn’t even see the eye chart when they were evaluated for surgery!

So with myopia on the rise we anticipate more and more people will see out correction for their vision using the Visian ICL. For more information about the Visian ICL, call our office to schedule a complimentary consultation.

Using LATISSE is easy. Before going to bed, place one drop of the Latisse solution on the applicator. Then draw the applicator carefully across the skin of the upper eyelid at the base of the eyelashes moving from the inner part of your lash line near your nose to the outer part.

There is a small group of people who are allergic to one of the ingredients of Latisse. In addition, if you have been told you have eye pressure problems or have a family history of glaucoma, please let me know during you initial consultation. Of course if you are presently using drops for eye pressure or have a history of glaucoma, please schedule a complete eye exam before starting Latisse.

The most common side effect is an itching sensation or redness of the eye. In addition, Latisse may cause darkening of the eyelid skin, which may be reversible. Although not reported in the clinical trial, Latisse may cause brown pigment to deposit in the color part of the eye of certain individuals, and this likely to be permanent. It is important to allow me to do a close eye exam to determine if you are at risk.

Stop by our Facial Rejuvenation Center to determine if Latisse will work for you!