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# NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
  > NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES
This notice describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.We are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI). This notice applies to all records of the health care and services you received at the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare. This notice will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose your PHI. This notice also describes your rights and certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your PHI.
This notice describes the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare’s privacy practices, as well as the privacy practices of:
* any health care professional authorized to enter information into your Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare medical record;
* all departments, sections and units of the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare; and
* all employees, staff, students and other Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare personnel.
**Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecar’s Commitment**
We are required by law to:
* make sure that your PHI is kept private;
* give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI;
* follow the terms of this notice as long as it is currently in effect. If we revise this notice, we will follow the terms of the revised notice as long as it is currently in effect;
* train our personnel concerning privacy and confidentiality; and mitigate (lessen the harm of) any breach of privacy/confidentiality.
**Understanding Your Health Record**
Each time you visit the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare, a record of your visit is made. Typically, this record contains your diagnoses, examination and test results, treatment, and a plan for care or treatment. This information, often referred to as your health or medical record, serves as a:
* basis for planning your care, treatment and any follow up care you may need;
* means of communication among the health professionals who contribute to your care;
* legal document describing the care you received;
* means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided;
* tool in educating heath professionals;
* source of information for medical research;
* source of information for public health officials charged with improving the health of the nation;
* source of information for facility planning and marketing; and
* tool which can be used to assess and improve the care rendered and the results achieved.
Understanding what is in your record and how your health information is used helps you to:
* ensure its accuracy;
* better understand who, what, when, where and why others may access your health information; and
* make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosure to others.
**How We May Use and Disclose Information about You**
The following categories (listed in bold-face print, below) describe different ways that we use and disclose your PHI. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and give you some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information fall within the categories below.
**For Treatment.** We are permitted to use and disclose your PHI to doctors, nurses, technicians, medical students or other personnel who are involved in taking care of you at the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare or provide you with medical treatment or services. For example, a doctor treating you may need to know if you have diabetes because diabetes may slow the healing process. Different departments of the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare also may share your PHI in order to coordinate the different services that you need. We also may disclose your PHI to health care providers outside the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare who may be involved in your medical care such as physicians who will provide follow-up care.
**For Payment.** We are permitted to use and disclose your PHI so that the treatment and services you receive at the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare may be billed to (and payment may be collected from) a third party. For example, we may need to give your health plan information about the surgery you received at the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare so your health plan will pay us or reimburse you for the surgery. We also may tell your health plan about a treatment you are going to receive to obtain prior approval or to determine whether your plan will cover the treatment.
**To Business Associates for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations**. We are permitted to disclose your PHI to our business associates in order to carry out treatment, payment or health care operations. For example, we may disclose your PHI to a company we hire to help us obtain payment for the health care services we provide.
**Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment for Your Care.** We may release your PHI to a family member other relative or close personal friend who is involved in your medical care if the PHI released is directly relevant to the person’s involvement with your care. We also may release information to someone who helps pay for your care.
**Appointment Reminders.** We may use and disclose medical information to contact you as a reminder that you have an appointment for treatment or medical care at the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare.
**Treatment Alternatives.** We may use and disclose medical information to give you information about treatment options or alternatives that may be of interest to you.
**Health-Related Benefits and Services.** We may use and disclose medical information to tell you about health- related benefits or services that may be of interest to you.
**Special Situations**
**As Required By Law.** We will disclose your PHI when required to do so by federal, state, or local law.
**Public Health Activities.** We may disclose your PHI for public health activities. For example, public health activities generally include:
* reporting reactions to medications or problems with products; or
* notifying patients of recalls of products they may be using.
**Health Oversight Activities.** We may disclose PHI to a health oversight agency for activities authorized by law such as audits, investigations, inspections and licensure. These activities are necessary for the government to monitor the health care system, government programs, and compliance with civil rights laws.
**Lawsuits and Disputes**. If you are involved in a lawsuit or a dispute, we may disclose your PHI in response to a court or administrative order. We may also disclose your PHI in response to a subpoena, discovery request or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
**Law Enforcement.** We may release PHI if asked to do so by a law enforcement official:
* in response to a court order, subpoena, warrant, summons or similar process; or
* about criminal conduct we believed occurred on the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare’s premises.
**Research.** Under certain circumstances, we may use and disclose your PHI for research purposes. For example, a research project may involve comparing the outcomes of surgeries of all patients who received treatment from a particular laser to those who received treatment from another laser. Most research projects, however, are subject to a special approval process. This process requires an evaluation of the proposed research project and its use of PHI, and balances these research needs with our patients’ need for privacy. Before we use or disclose PHI for research, the project will have been approved through this special approval process. However, this special approval process is not required when we allow researchers who are preparing a research project to look at information about patients with specific medical needs, so long as the PHI they review does not leave the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare.
**Armed Forces and Foreign Military Personnel.** If you are a member of the armed forces, we may release your PHI as required by military command authorities. We may also release PHI about foreign military personnel to the appropriate foreign military authority.
**National Security and Intelligence Activities.** We may release your PHI to authorized federal officials for intelligence, counterintelligence, and other national security activities authorized by law.
**When Your Authorization is Required**
Uses or disclosures of your PHI for other purposes or activities not listed above will be made only with your written authorization (permission). If you provide us authorization to use or disclose your PHI, you may revoke your authorization in writing at any time. If you revoke your authorization, we will no longer use or disclose your PHI for the reasons covered by your written permission. However, we are unable to take back any disclosures we have already made with your permission.
You may obtain a paper authorization form by contacting:
**The Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare**
**385 State Route 18, Suite H**
**East Brunswick, NJ 08816**
##### East Brunswick, NJ
Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare
Phone (appointments): **732-698-9300**
Phone (general inquiries): **732-698-9300**
Address: 385 State Route 18, Suite H
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
##### Toms River, NJ
Address: 886 Commons Way Building H
Toms River, NJ 08755
© 2022 Copyright The Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare
# How Does Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?
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## 07 Aug How Does Diabetes Affect Your Eyes?
Posted at 06:32h
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Diabetes can affect your health in many ways, including your eye health. In fact, diabetes is a leading cause of blindness in adults. More than 100 million people in the United States have diabetes or . If you are one of the millions of people with diabetes, you are at an increased risk for vision loss and blindness.
At the Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare, we want you to know that the key to preventing vision loss — whether you have diabetes or not — is early detection. Many eye diseases can only be detected during a comprehensive eye exam, which is why it’s crucial to see your eye doctor regularly if you have diabetes.
Diabetic eye disease is a group of eye conditions related to diabetes. Managing your diabetes by taking your medication and watching your blood sugar levels can help reduce your risk for eye disease. Diabetic eye disease includes:
## Diabetic retinopathy
When you’re not managing your diabetes well and your blood sugar stays high for a period of time, it can damage the blood vessels in your retina. The retina is located in the back of your eye, and its role is to transmit light to your brain where that light is converted into images.
Damaged blood vessels can swell and leak, which may lead to blurry vision. Over time, these damaged blood vessels become sealed, and new abnormal blood vessels develop. If left untreated, these damaged blood vessels can severely impact your vision.
## Glaucoma
The longer you have diabetes, the more likely you are to develop glaucoma. Glaucoma, too, is a group of eye diseases. With glaucoma, pressure builds up in your eye due to excess fluid. This pressure, which is called intraocular pressure (IOP), can damage the optic nerve and retina, leading to vision impairment and blindness.
 as people without diabetes.
## Cataracts
High blood sugar levels can also lead to cataracts. Cataracts are a common eye condition for older adults. But  and also develop them at a younger age than people without diabetes.
Cataracts are clumps of protein that cloud your eye lens. They usually develop slowly, not affecting your vision in the early stages. Cataracts in people with diabetes tend to develop more quickly than in people without diabetes. As cataracts grow larger, more of your vision is affected.
The good news is that we can treat and manage most diabetic eye complications if we detect them early. The best way to ensure early detection and effective treatment is to see your eye doctor at least once a year. If you’ve been diagnosed with diabetic eye disease, you may need to see us more frequently.
For more information on how diabetes can affect your vision and eye health,  one of our three Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare locations.
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# Summertime Tips for Chronic Dry Eye Sufferers
## 09 Jul Summertime Tips for Chronic Dry Eye Sufferers
Posted at 06:30h
Keeping your eyes moist and lubricated is vital for eye health. It’s also important for eye comfort. When your eyes don’t get enough lubrication through tears, they can feel dry, scratchy, and irritated. This dry, irritating condition is called , and it’s widespread.
Dry eye syndrome affects about 5 million Americans, mostly older adults. While some report fewer dry eye symptoms in the summer because the air is more humid than in dry winter months, others find summertime dry eye symptoms to be worse because of sun exposure, swimming in chlorinated pools and salty oceans, and the heavy use of air conditioning.
## What is dry eye?
Tears help nourish and lubricate your eyes. When your tear production is impaired through environmental conditions —such as dry air, wind, or sun — your eyes become dry. Tear production usually tapers off as you get older, so dry eye affects older people more than younger people, but anyone can develop it.
You can also develop dry eye when the quality of your tears is lacking. Tears are made up of three layers that all contribute to keeping your eyes moist and healthy. These layers are oil, water, and mucus.
The oil layer weighs down the water layer so it does not evaporate too quickly, while the mucus layer helps spread the water and oil evenly over the front of your eye. If one of those layers is deficient, the result can be dry eye symptoms.
Certain medications and medical conditions can also cause dry eye.
Symptoms include:
* A gritty feeling in your eyes
* Scratchy eyes
* Red eyes
* Irritated eyes
* The feeling that something is in your eyes
* Blurred vision
* Excess tears
## How to treat dry eye in the summer
One of the first and best defenses against dry eye in the summer is a pair of good UV wraparound sunglasses to help shield your eyes from bright sun and glare. Wearing goggles while swimming also helps. Lastly, taking an omega-3 nutritional supplement such as  can help boost your overall eye health and reduce dry eye symptoms.
But if your dry eye is more severe, our specialists at Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare offer more advanced treatment to help relieve problematic dry eye symptoms. A couple of these advanced treatment options include precision-heated eye masks and punctal plugs that restrict the draining of tears at the inner corners of your eyes.
Do you suffer from dry eye?  for an appointment at Witlin Center for Advanced Eyecare with locations in East Brunswick, Toms River, and Morristown, New Jersey, to learn about the best treatment options.