Champion Eye Care accepts assignment with Medicare and secondary plans. We also participate with many major insurance providers, including: 

• BCBS
• Cigna
• Aetna
• Medicare Part B
• Tricare for Life
• Tricare Select PPO
• United Health Care
• Wellmed Medicare HMO
• Multiplan / PHCS
• Railroad Medicare

Our office is working tirelessly to become in-network with all carriers. If you have questions about a particular insurance not listed here, please contact us.

Many people living with dry eye feel misunderstood and unsatisfied with their treatment, according to a new survey. Health Union interviewed 415 Americans with chronic dry eye about their experience managing the condition. Here’s what the survey found, and what ophthalmologists say could help.

The most frustrating thing about dry eye is ...

Difficulty finding relief from dry eye symptoms

• Almost half (48%) of patients with dry eye said they followed their treatment plan carefully, but only 13% experienced lasting relief
• Most people say that over-the-counter eye drops alone do not provide sufficient relief, and seek out additional treatments
• Home remedies include drinking additional water throughout the day (reported by 76% of survey respondents), using a warm compress (56%), blinking often (52%), avoiding cigarettes and secondhand smoke (45%) and thoroughly removing eye makeup (34%)

Frustration with how dry eye is diagnosed or perceived

• Between a quarter and a third of people say that their condition has been written off as an “old person’s disease” or attributed to something less severe such as allergies
• Nearly half of people feel others don’t understand what they’re going through or appreciate the reality of their discomfort

Struggling with the debilitating symptoms of dry eye

• Many people struggle with multiple symptoms such as dryness (76%), foreign body sensation (64%), eye fatigue (62%), light sensitivity (62%) and blurred vision (60%), as well as burning, scratchiness and itchiness
• Dry eye interferes with many aspects of everyday life, including driving at night (56%), reading (42%), using a computer (34%) and watching television (24%)

Experts say dry eye is often mistaken for other conditions

Dry eye is one type of ocular surface disease, a group of disorders that causes the eyes to not produce enough tears or the right quality of tears. Tears are essential for keeping your eyes healthy and comfortable. “Ocular surface disease is very complex with many subtypes and overlapping symptoms. Getting to a correct diagnosis requires expertise and can take time,” says dry eye expert Christopher Starr, MD, an associate professor of ophthalmology at Weill Cornell Medical Center. “A lot of symptoms are labeled and treated as dry eye, but patients may not be getting better because there are other things going on” he says. Allergic conjunctivitis, blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction, floppy eyelid syndrome, corneal dystrophies and toxicity to medications or cosmetics are just a handful of the many conditions that can be incorrectly referred to as dry eye disease, Starr says. While artificial tears can provide temporary relief in many of these cases, they don’t treat the underlying causes.

Here are the best tools and tests for diagnosing dry eye

“People who are feeling frustrated should not give up. There are a growing number of diagnostic tools to pinpoint the root problems and an expanding number of treatments to address them,” Starr says. Eye doctors may also use other tests that measure the quality of tears. They may also perform imaging tests to look for problems with the meibomian glands, which produce an oil found in healthy tears.

Treating dry eye is tricky, but not impossible

There are many treatment options today and finding a solution may involve some trial and error. Many people find it necessary to combine therapies and make a few lifestyle changes. The right treatment regimen can involve a lot of daily maintenance.

Your eye doctor may suggest:

• Lifestyle, environmental and dietary changes
• Punctal plugs
• Topical medications or pills that prevent inflammation and infection
• FDA-approved drugs such as Restasis, Xiidra, Cequa or Eyesuvis
• Devices such as LipiFlow, TearCare, Blephex and/or specialty contact lenses

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a problem with your retina. It happens when a part of the retina called the macula is damaged. In this article: With AMD you lose your central vision. You cannot see fine details, whether you are looking at something close or far. But your peripheral (side) vision will still be normal. For instance, imagine you are looking at a clock with hands. With AMD, you might see the clock’s numbers but not the hands. AMD is very common. It is a leading cause of vision loss in people 50 years or older.

Two types of AMD

Dry AMD

This form is quite common. About 80% (8 out of 10) of people who have AMD have the dry form. Dry AMD is when parts of the macula get thinner with age and tiny clumps of protein called drusen grow. You slowly lose central vision. There is no way to treat dry AMD yet.

Wet AMD

This form is less common but much more serious. Wet AMD is when new, abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina. These vessels may leak blood or other fluids, causing scarring of the macula. You lose vision faster with wet AMD than with dry AMD. Many people don’t realize they have AMD until their vision is very blurry. This is why it is important to have regular visits to an ophthalmologist. He or she can look for early signs of AMD before you have any vision problems.

Who Is at Risk for AMD?

You are more likely to develop AMD if you:

• have a family history of AMD
• smoke cigarettes
• are white
• eat a diet high in saturated fat (found in foods like meat, butter, and cheese)
• are overweight
• have hypertension (high blood pressure)
• are over 50 years old

Having heart disease is another risk factor for AMD, as is having high cholesterol levels.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Diagnosis

During an eye exam, your ophthalmologist may ask you to look at an Amsler grid. This grid helps you notice any blurry, distorted, or blank spots in your field of vision. Your ophthalmologist will also look inside your eye through a special lens. He or she can see if there are changes in the retina and macula. Your ophthalmologist will put dilating eye drops in your eye to widen your pupil. This allows him or her to look through a special lens at the inside of your eye. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is another way to look closely at the retina. A machine scans the retina and provides very detailed images of the retina and macula. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is another way to look closely at the blood vessels in and under the retina. This is like fluorescein angiography but does not use a dye.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration Treatment

Dry AMD treatment

Right now, there is no way to treat the dry form of AMD. However certain people with lots of drusen or serious vision loss might benefit from taking a certain combination of nutritional supplements. A large study (AREDS and the later AREDS 2 study) found those people may slow their dry AMD by taking these vitamins and minerals daily:

• Vitamin C (500 mg)
• Vitamin E (400 IU)
• Lutein (10 mg)
• Zeaxanthin (2 mg)
• Zinc (80 mg)
• Copper (2 mg)

Your ophthalmologist can tell you if vitamins and minerals are recommended for your dry AMD, as not all forms will benefit from the AREDS supplements. Beta carotene should not be used by smokers as it raises the risk of lung cancer.

Eye-healthy foods

Dark leafy greens, yellow fruits and vegetables, fish, and a balanced, nutrient-rich diet have been shown beneficial for people with AMD.

Wet AMD treatment

To help treat wet AMD, there are medications called anti-VEGF drugs. Anti-VEGF treatment helps reduce the number of abnormal blood vessels in your retina. It also slows any leaking from blood vessels. This medicine is delivered to your eye through a very slender needle.

Making the Most of the Vision You Have

If you have AMD, you can learn how to make the most of your vision. Often you can still do many of your favorite things with special low vision tools. These can include different kinds of magnifying tools, handheld computers, electronic items and more. Also, you can learn how to use your side vision to help you do things. A vision rehabilitation specialist can teach you how this works. They also can help you find many low vision support services and tools. Ask your ophthalmologist to help you find a vision rehabilitation specialist in your area. The goal is to learn new ways to be as independent as possible.

Test Your Vision with the Amsler Grid

AMD causes your vision to change over time. You may not notice these changes when they happen. But you need to catch vision changes as soon as possible. Treating them early can help slow or stop further loss of sight. You should use an Amsler grid every day to monitor your vision. One is below for you to use.

Here is how to use the Amsler grid:

• Keep the Amsler grid in a place where you see it every day. Many people keep an Amsler grid on their refrigerator door or on their bathroom mirror.
• In good light, look at the grid from about 12–15 inches away. Be sure to wear your reading glasses if you normally use them.
• Cover one eye. Look directly at the dot in the center of the grid with your uncovered eye. Notice if any of the lines look bent or wavy. See if any part of the grid looks blurry, dim, or out of shape.
• Now cover your other eye and test your vision this same way again.