What Central Florida doctors want you to know about dry eye, screen time, emerging treatments and everyday habits.

Vision plays an essential role in our overall health and quality of life, yet eye health is often overlooked until a problem arises. From daily habits to routine care, protecting our eyes requires more attention than we may realize. To explore the best ways to maintain healthy eyes and preserve clear vision, we spoke with several experts who shared their insights, recommendations, and practical advice for supporting eye health at every stage of life.

What are some major recent advancements in eye health and how have they been helping patients throughout Central Florida?

“We have a better understanding of things that are harmful for the eyes, as far as different chemicals and products. Lash serums are not safe and lash extensions are falling out of favor because people are noticing more and more that they have affected their eye health, especially their ocular surface.” 

–Dr. Keshini Parbhu, Remagin

“One of the biggest recent breakthroughs in retina care has been the introduction of much longer-lasting treatments for potentially blinding conditions like wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal vein occlusions and diabetic macular edema. In the past, our patients often needed eye injections as frequently as every four weeks to maintain their sight. Now, with newer medications that target multiple disease pathways at the same time, we can stretch those treatments out to every three or four months for many people—all while keeping their vision steady and clear. Furthermore, we finally have effective therapies for advanced dry AMD, a condition that had zero treatment options just a few short years ago.”

-Dr. Vikram Ponnusamy, Florida Retina Institute

Are there any eye concerns that are uniquely prominent in the Orlando area?

“Age-related macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy are especially common here in our local clinics. When it comes to surgical retina, we’re catching diabetic eye disease and retinal tears earlier than ever. That’s mostly thanks to high-resolution imaging tools—like optical coherence tomography and ultra-widefield fundus photography—that are now routinely used right in your primary eye doctor’s office.”

-Dr. Ponnusamy

Have there been any changes in the kinds of eye health concerns you’ve been seeing in recent years?

“Of course we worry about blue light exposure to the retina. The constant exposure to blue light from screens at such a young age is a concern to the health of the retina. We recommend blue light protection in our patients’ glasses as well as antioxidant supplementation for systemic protection for the retina.”

–Dr. Brenda DeForrest, DeForrest Eye Center

“Dry eye is the biggest because of our use of technology. Studies are showing that we tend to blink less and not have a complete blink when we’re looking at screens for long periods of time. … And in my 16 years of practice, there have been a lot more patients that come in with chalazions and blocked oil glands, which I would say is one of the later stage things that we see with patients with dry eyes. The oil glands in our eyelids start malfunctioning, and I see that a lot more frequently than I did in the beginning of my career.”

-Dr. Parbhu

What are some specific improvements or advancements in your field of eye health from recent years?

“I love recommending bifocal implants for cataract surgery candidates. The optics have improved greatly and leave patients with great vision at a distance and up close without relying on glasses after surgery.”

-Dr. DeForrest

What general advice would you give to readers about how to properly care for their eyes?

“When you’re looking at screens or doing any activity where you might be concentrating and looking at something for a long time, like watching TV, looking at a computer screen or even hobbies like knitting, just blink. Give your eye a good blink every so often. That helps the muscles around our oil glands to contract and help get the oil out onto our tear film. And a warm compress every day is great for eye health. And always make sure that you get eye makeup off at the end of the day. That’s another thing that can block up your oil glands.”

-Dr. Parbhu 

“Wear an eye mask to sleep. The absence of light while sleeping triggers the release of melatonin. Melatonin is the natural hormone that signals the body that it is time to rest. Bonus coverage: the mask helps seal the eyelids, benefiting any dry eye symptoms that arise from incomplete eyelid closure or ceiling fan irritation while sleeping.”

-Dr. DeForrest

“In Central Florida, quality sunglasses blocking 100% of UVA and UVB rays are an absolute must. Wraparound styles and wide-brimmed hats offer the best defense against long-term sunlight damage. Also know your systemic health numbers. Conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol directly impact the delicate blood vessels in your retina. Managing your overall health is one of the most effective ways to protect your sight. And don’t skip comprehensive dilated eye exams. Many sight-threatening retinal diseases progress silently in their early stages without causing any pain or obvious visual changes. Annual dilated eye exams are essential for catching issues early and preserving your vision for years to come.”

-Dr. Ponnusamy