Dr. Kathy Cao

Tips to Manage Dry Eyes Are you experiencing foreign body sensation (feeling like there is sand or grit in the eye), pain, burning, redness, tearing, discomfort, dryness, fatigue and intermittent blurriness?  Does this worsen in the winter, under dry conditions, or when it is windy?  You may have dry eyes.  Did you know 1 in 4 Canadians are affected by dry eyes?  And now that it’s winter, the symptoms are likely much more prevalent.  So what can you do? Diagnosis : See your ophthalmologist for a full eye examination to first ensure you have the correct diagnosis, as many eye conditions can give similar symptoms. Humidifiers : Use of humidifiers at home especially in winter months will help. Divert vent/heat flow : Point heat and ventilation system outflow away from your eyes both at home and when in the car. Artificial tears : There are many types of artificial tears available.   Try and see which one feels most comfortable for your ...

Evaluation Proposal for Multilingual Eye Health Public Education Videos Program Description and Literature Review Background According to CNIB statistics, (1) only one-third of working-age Canadians with vision loss are employed, (2) seniors with vision loss are three times more likely than those with good vision to experience clinical depression, and (3) people with vision loss are at high risk of social isolation, reduced community participation, falls and associated morbidity and mortality such as hip fractures and death (CNIB, n.d.) .  Vision loss can lead to other major losses in life, including job, relationships, driver’s license, and independence.  Hence, preserving vision and eye health is not just important to each individual, but to society overall.  Anecdotally, as a practicing ophthalmologist, I have noticed many patients who speak limited English present with end-stage blinding eye disease.  I am of Chinese ethnic background and am fl...