Category: Ophthalmology

Eye Drops for Dry Eyes
I could have chosen a prescription eye drop for my dry eyes. I decided not to. Here's why.

A Pattern of Deceptive Video Ads for Supplements
I've been seeing a pattern of deceptive videos that promise to reveal a secret but make you watch the entire video to learn what it is. They feature alarmist stories, emotional language, and testimonials, but no actual science. They make claims that can't be believed.

Blue Light
Blue light blocking glasses and other products that block blue light promise to improve eye health along with many other questionable claims. The evidence is lacking.

Placenta Eye Drops
If you thought eating the placenta was odd, what about putting it in your eye?

Visual Stress
The Opticalm Clinic claims to diagnose and treat visual stress with colored lenses and other aids. Visual stress is a poorly defined, questionable condition and Opticalm's claims are not backed by scientific evidence.

Blue light blocking glasses: How much of the hype is science-based?
Blue light from our electronics is said to be harmful, and "blue blocking" glasses are touted as a panacea to numerous health issues. Is there any evidence to substantiate these claims?

Vision Therapy Quackery
Behavioral optometry claims to treat a wide range of disorders, including learning difficulty and attention problems. But these claims are not based on solid scientific ground, and are not supported by rigorous evidence.

Patients blinded by stem cell therapy: more egregious than you imagined
Three patients were treated with a slurry of stem cells and blood products, in both eyes, on the same day. Could the outcome, three patients becoming legally blind, have been foreseen? Probably.

Stem Cells for Macular Degeneration: Meticulous Science vs. Unethical Carelessness
Rigorous scientists stabilized a patient’s macular degeneration with a cutting-edge stem cell treatment; less rigorous scientists misapplied stem cell science and left three women blind.
Acupuncture for Macular Degeneration: Why I Reject the Evidence
This post is dedicated to two people who are frequent commenters on SBM, Stephen S. Rodrigues and Peter Moran. Rodrigues is an MD/acupuncturist who tries to persuade us that acupuncture is effective. Moran is a retired surgeon who objects to insulting language and thinks more can be accomplished by trying to better understand why people turn to CAM and by explaining the...