Dr. Shalu Pal

  • "If you want quality and wonderful service, please go to Dr. Shalu Pal! The patience, care, and true concern that Dr. Pal has for her clients is wonderful. "

    --Seleena J
  • " I was pleasantly surprised by finding a hidden gem within Dr. Pal's office"

    --Naveed
  • "Finally a doctor who is extremely knowledgeable, patient and explains things clearly. She is a wonderful human being who really takes the time to care for your needs. The office has a wonderful atmosphere and the staff are just as helpful as Dr. Pal. "

    --Mikail
  • "I couldn't ask for a better Optometrist. She is a delight to deal with, very patient, helpful and extremely knowledgeable. She was very good with my kids who can be very fussy at times.. And who could ask for a more beautiful location. Highly Recommend! "

    --Natalie M.
  • "My wife and I, highly recommend Dr. Pal. The staff, the service, the merchandise, are all top notch. They really make you feel welcomed. It has been several years since I have been able to see this well !!! You and your staff are the best !!!! "

    --Steve and Maria L.
  • "We barely go to optometrists so when we do, we should look for the best! I am super pleased I chose Dr. Pal\'s office. They were helpful from beginning to end, from booking on the phone to my actual visit. Dr. Pal was very detailed and went in-depth about my eye health. She is very patient and made me feel calm. The optician helped me pick a great pair of glasses, they were genuinely friendly which is a huge bonus."

    --Ahmad S
  • "I have been going to Dr. Pal for several years now. My most recent visit on June 6, 2016 was the best experience there that I have ever had. Firstly, the women on the desk were friendly and efficient - a very good prelude to my examination. Dr. Pal, herself, was, as usual, very thorough and encouraging in her examination. And she puts you at ease before we get into the eyes examination by discussing other things in life. That helps to ease any stress I may have. And they now have a man in the office who does that difficult examination (name of which I do not know!). He is so patient and encouraging and made the exam not so difficult for me this time. After all that, I saw Dr. Pal again before I left and she told me my eyes were good! Even had the news been not so good, I believe that I would be able to handle it because I truly believe that Dr. Pal and her staff would have taken good care of me. I will always go back to Dr. Pal and members of her team because I truly believe"

    --A. Howlett
  • " I have been to a few appointments at Dr. Pal\'s office over the last year for dry eye issues and every time it has been a very positive experience. The 3 receptionists at the front desk are warm and friendly. They are attentive and provide a very high level of customer service. I appreciate that they call me by name and remembered conversations we had at previous visits. I find Dr. Pal to be an excellent practitioner who is very thorough with her exams, has a lovely personality and takes the time to answer any and all questions that may arise. I am happy with the computer glasses I purchased and value the honest opinions I received from the staff when selecting frames. It was refreshing to have multiple opinions on styles and I felt they truly wanted me to walk out with a frame that was best suited to me. I highly recommend Dr. Pal \'s office! As a health care practitioner myself, I think all health care experiences should be this personilzed and friendly!"

    --A. Mclean
Causes of Conjunctivitis


Contents

Causes of Conjunctivitis

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If your eye becomes red and irritated let your eye doctor take a look. Causes of Conjunctivitis

Determining that you have conjunctivitis is usually easier than determining how your conjunctiva became inflamed. However there are a few common culprits that you should know about. Click here to learn more about conjunctivitis. If your eye becomes red and irritated let your eye doctor take a look. The irritation could be due to something very simple and benign but it also could be the early stages of something much more serious.

Bacterial infection

As one of the most common infections on the planet bacterial conjunctivitis is usually self-limiting but it can escalate to something more serious. Bacterial infection can also sometimes signify a severe underlying systemic disease.

If one were to go out and take culture swabs from the eyes of 100 random people on the street it’s highly probable to find that all of them would have bacteria growing on their conjunctiva. Fortunately there are built-in defense mechanisms preventing these bacteria from multiplying and causing infection. It’s when something happens to lower our defense mechanisms that these bacteria seize the opportunity to cause infection.

Conjunctivitis spreads easily and quickly. Here’s a typical sequence of events: I have conjunctivitis. I rub my eyes. I touch a doorknob or shake hands with you. You rub your eyes. You have conjunctivitis.

Viral infection

Adenovirus Viral infection of the conjunctiva is extremely common. Of all the viruses that can cause conjunctivitis adenovirus the ever-present virus that lurks in our nose throat and upper respiratory airway is probably the most common. Adenovirus can spread like wildfire and the infection can cause significant discomfort to an individual. Unfortunately it can also persist for weeks.

Frequent hand washing is important as adenoviruses are hearty. A virus from an infected person can survive on a counter top refrigerator handle or door knob for several days just waiting to be picked up by its next victim.

If there were one eye infection more deserving of the term ‘pink eye’ it would be adenoviral infection for the inflammation in these infections causes the eyes to turn a very pink color.

Type I herpes simplex

Another not-uncommon cause of viral conjunctivitis is the herpes virus. Type I herpes simplex better known as “above-the-waist” herpes has at one time or another infected over 90% of the population. This form of herpes which is not the sexually-transmitted form of the disease initially manifests as a flu-like illness in childhood. The problem is in most people the virus remains in the body existing in a dormant state in the nervous system. Periodically usually during times of stress the virus becomes activated and causes infection usually in the form of cold sores of the lip skin rashes or eye infections.

Currently there are no medications to treat adenoviral infection but if it is caught early its discomfort can be minimized. There are several medications to combat (not cure) herpes eye infections. However the virus continues to run its course in some individuals being a major cause of severe corneal scarring that could require transplantation.

Most viral conjunctivitis although usually benign and self-limiting tends to follow a longer course than acute bacterial conjunctivitis lasting for approximately 2-4 weeks.

What’s the best way to get a viral infection?

Don’t wash your hands. Another way that viral particles are passed from person to person is through respiratory droplets. When an infected person sneezes zillions of contaminated droplets enter the immediate airspace. These particles are picked up by air currents and can easily drift into another person’s airspace and then inhaled. If some of these freely floating droplets happen to land on your conjunctiva there could be trouble ahead in the form of full blown conjunctivitis or worse yet a cold or the flu. Viruses can also be passed on through contaminated swimming pools and spas.

Allergic conjunctivitis

Since the conjunctiva is a mucosal surface similar to the nasal mucosa the same particles that trigger hay fever or allergic rhinitis may also trigger an allergic conjunctivitis.

Common pollen and airborne particles from grasses and weeds can trigger an allergic reaction. These particles can provoke the symptoms of acute allergic conjunctivitis which include: itching redness burning and tearing. Allergic conjunctivitis can be a seasonal disorder or it can plague certain individuals throughout the course of the year.

What does conjunctivitis look like?

All too often medical textbooks make it sound as if the differentiation of viral and bacterial conjunctivitis couldn’t be more obvious. This is not always the case as these two infections often have very similar clinical manifestations. In both cases the eyes are red though viral infections tend to be more brilliantly red. Another point of differentiation is the type of discharge. Usually viral infections trigger a characteristic watery discharge whereas the discharge in a bacterial infection is typically thick and mucous-like with a yellow-green color. Both infections can show signs of irritation swelling and pain.

Allergic conjunctivitis too presents as a red swollen irritated eye. But what gives allergy away is the characteristic itching. To eye doctors itching means allergy until proven otherwise. Allergic conjunctivitis sufferers usually have a lot of mucous strands in their eyes.

Treatment of conjunctivitis

To combat conjunctivitis that is due to a bacterial infection there are some very potent antibiotics that can be of help. However there are no anti-virals at this time that eradicate the herpes virus from the body. There are medications that will stop the infection in its tracks but the virus will continue to live in the nervous system. No cure or method to kill adenovirus yet exists. When patients are infected with adenovirus therapy is directed towards minimizing symptoms and tissue damage.

Treatments for allergic conjunctivitis consist of a host of relatively new medications designed to suppress the allergic response and minimize the patient’s symptoms.

See your eye doctor

If your eye is red swollen or painful it’s important that you see your eye doctor right away. Don’t assume that your eyes are red because you didn’t get enough sleep or because you had too much to drink. If you do have an infection it’s important that the fire is put out immediately before any tissue damage takes place.


 
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