Eye Disease Management

Common Eye Conditions

Do you have questions about your vision or feel you may be experiencing symptoms from an eye disease or condition? Talk with our doctors today. Keep in mind the information on our website is for educational purposes only. To diagnose your condition, we’ll need to perform a comprehensive eye exam.

Diabetic Eye Exams

Monitoring and treating Diabetic Eye Disease including diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Diabetic eye disease is the leading cause of vision loss in adults under the age of 74 and can be prevented with close monitoring and proper blood sugar control.

The American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Optometric Association recommends that patients with diabetes have a comprehensive dilated fundus exam every year.

Eye care providers are able to view the back of the eye and look for changes in the blood vessels that can cause them to leak fluid and eventually lead to sight-threatening issues.

Most patients with diabetic eye disease do not notice changes in their vision until it has become severe. With routine evaluation, these complications can be prevented.

Cataracts

Cataracts are the leading cause of preventable blindness in the world

Cataracts are a progressive clouding of the natural crystalline lens in the human eye. The clouding can be caused by natural aging changes or can progress earlier in patients on certain long-term medications, and patients with diabetes or other systemic conditions. Your eye doctor is trained to detect and monitor cataracts early during comprehensive eye examinations

Common symptoms include:

• Blurred vision

• Colors seem faded

• Increased glare

• Decreased night vision
  
  

Preventing early cataracts:

• Annual Comprehensive Eye Exams

• Protect your eyes from the sun with sunglasses

• Do not smoke

• Keep blood sugar well controlled

• Avoid long-term use of steroid medication

• Practice a nutritous diet
  
  

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a progressive disease that can lead to irreversible blindness. Glaucoma by causing peripheral vision loss and progressing to the area of central vision. Glaucoma is often asymptomatic until the very late stages. This makes it difficult for a patient to detect early signs of the disease on their own.

Glaucoma causes damage to the Optic Nerve in the back of the eye. This is usually caused by a build-up of high intraocular pressure in the eye.

Regular eye exams can help detect early signs of glaucoma and allow early treatment of the disease

Treatment of glaucoma includes daily eye drops to lower the pressure in the eye and prevent irreversible damage on the optic nerve. If the drops do not lower the pressure enough to prevent damage, further surgical treatment options are utilized

Causes include:

• Family history

• Trauma

• Anatomy of the eye

• inflammatory conditions

• Long-term steroid use
  
  

Macular Degeneration

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is a deterioration in the central portion of the retina, called the macula.

The retina is the part of the eye that works like the film of a camera to change light into images for the brain. The macula is the part of the retina most important for detailed central vision. A healthy macula is important for tasks like reading the fine print, seeing street signs, color recognition, and recognizing faces.

Risk factors for Macular Degeneration include:

• Increasing age *Most important*

• Family history

• Cigarette smoking

• High blood pressure

• Obesity
  
  

There are two types of Macular degeneration; “dry” and “wet”

The most important management is early detection and treatment of conversion to the “wet” form of ARMD

Close monitoring of a patient with ARMD is very important to prevent irreversible vision loss

Torn or Detached Retina

Retinal detachment is a very serious problem that almost always causes permanent vision loss unless treated. This occurs when the retina is pulled away from the back of the eye which may appear as flashing lights or streaks, a curtain or cobweb over vision, and floaters.

Dry Eye

A common condition that occurs when the eye’s tear film isn’t able to produce the necessary quality tear to keep the eye comfortable. There are many causes of dry eye and is very common as you age. The treatment for dry eye varies depending on the cause.

Eye Injuries

A serious eye injury is not always immediately obvious. Delaying medical attention can cause damaged areas to worsen and could result in permanent vision loss or blindness.

Nearsightedness (Myopia)

Myopia, or nearsightedness, is a focusing disorder, not an eye disease. This means that the eye does not bend or refract light properly to a single focus to see images clearly. With myopia, the light is focused in front of the retina. Myopia is treated with glasses or contact lenses in minus power to move the image back onto the retina.

Hyperopia

Hyperopia, or farsightedness, is a focusing disorder, not an eye disease. This means that the eye does not bend or refract light properly to a single focus to see images clearly. With hyperopia, the light is focused behind the retina. Hyperopia is treated with glasses or contact lenses in plus power to move the image forward onto the retina.

Presbyopia

Presbyopia is an eye condition that occurs with more birthdays. As we get older, the lens inside the eye becomes less elastic and more firm. This prohibits the eye from focusing up close as well as it was once able to. Presbyopia is treated with contact lenses or glasses. There are multiple options such as bifocal glasses, progressive glasses, and multifocal or monovision contact lenses.
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Lazy Eye (Amblyopia)

Amblyopia is a poor vision in an eye that did not develop normal sight during early childhood. Amblyopia is often referred to as “lazy eye”, this is a common condition that can be corrected with glasses during infancy or childhood.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is the term used to describe swelling (inflammation) of the conjunctiva — the thin, clear membrane that covers the inside of your eyelids and the white part of your eye. Conjunctivitis is treated specifically to the cause. An eye exam must be done to determine the best treatment.

Chalazia and Styes (Hordeolum)

A chalazion and a style are both lumps in or along the edge of an eyelid caused by an infected eyelash follicle or clogged oil-producing gland opening. They are both easily treatable with either medication or a minor surgical procedure.

Low Vision

Low vision is a condition when a person’s vision is decreased due to something other than refractive error. This means that glasses or contact lenses will not improve the vision. There are ways to help a patient with a low vision be able to function in their daily life more comfortable. Training and low vision devices are often utilized with low vision treatment.