We provide thorough examinations for medical eye conditions including dry eyes, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, and many more.
Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in people under age 65 and is the most common cause of new blindness in North America. Diabetes is known as a disease of small blood vessels. There are many small blood vessels on the inside of the eye (retina) that can become leaky and lead to bleeding and swelling in the eye. In the early stages, typically there are no symptoms. Because of the prevalence of retinopathy, the standard of care for diabetics is to have a comprehensive eye exam with dilation every year. With early diagnosis and intervention, the progression of the eye disease can be greatly slowed or potentially stopped. If left unmanaged, diabetes can be devastating for the eye.
Glaucoma is a group of diseases of the optic nerve. The optic nerve is the connection from the eye to the brain. Over time with glaucoma, optic nerve fibers are damaged, and the brain no longer receives the proper information from the eye. The loss of nerve fibers leads to a painless, and typically very slow, progressive loss of vision. Glaucoma often affects the peripheral or side vision first, but it can progress to total vision loss if left untreated. There are many treatments for glaucoma including eye drops, laser procedures, and surgeries. These treatments have been shown to slow and in some cases stop the progression of the disease. However, glaucoma is a chronic condition that requires consistent monitoring and management to maintain effective therapy.
Cataracts are defects in the eye’s natural lens. They occur naturally and painlessly over time, however certain illnesses, medications, and trauma can increase a person’s risk of developing cataracts at an earlier age. The lens becomes cloudy and distorts/blocks light from passing through the eyes properly. This causes blur and loss of vision. Luckily, cataracts can be removed, and vision restored. Cataracts are often first detected upon routine examination. When it becomes time for surgery, the surgeon removes the natural lens (including the cataract) and replaces it with an artificial lens. This procedure is typically very successful in restoring a person’s vision.
Macular degeneration is a retinal disease. The portion of the retina that corresponds to a person’s central, fine detail vision is called the macula. Over time with macular degeneration, the cells of the macula become sick and do not function properly. This leads to poor or distorted central vision even with the best prescription glasses. A person’s risk of macular degeneration increases with age, strong family history of the condition, a history of increased UV light exposure, and smoking. Often macular degeneration can be present for many years before a person has symptoms. Therefore it is important to detect, monitor, and treat this condition appropriately to reduce the risk of vision loss.
Dry eye disease occurs when there is insufficient or inconsistent coverage of tears over the surface of the eye. There are generally two types of dry eye disease. The first is a lack of production of adequate tear volume. The second is the excessive evaporation of the tears. The two types can also occur together. Chronic dry eyes can lead to many frustrating symptoms including tired eyes, redness, foreign body sensation, excess tearing, and fluctuations in vision. Risk of chronic dry eye increases with age, dry climate, certain medications/systemic illness, computer use, and certain occupations/hobbies. Dry eye disease has many treatment options, from artificial tears to prescription medication and other more advanced therapies.
We are happy to offer evaluations and referrals for many refractive surgeries including LASIK, PRK, Kamra, and Refractive Lens Exchange.