Glaucoma Evaluation & Management
Your eye has pressure just like your blood, and when this intraocular pressure (IOP) increases to dangerous levels, it damages the optic nerve. This can result in decreased peripheral vision and, eventually, blindness.
The best way to prevent vision loss from glaucoma is early diagnosis and treatment. See us every year for a complete examination, including an IOP check. People at higher risk for glaucoma include: a strong family history, ethnicity and age.
A test called a visual field may be performed on glaucoma suspects to detect peripheral vision loss. It involves staring straight ahead into a machine and clicking a button when you notice a blinking light in your peripheral vision. The visual field test may be repeated at regular intervals for your doctor to determine the extent of vision loss.
Generally the first stage of glaucoma treatment is eye drops, which will lower fluid production in the eye. Many of the drugs used for glaucoma interact with common medication.
Diabetic Evaluation & Management
If you have diabetes, you probably know that your body can’t use or store sugar properly. When your blood sugar gets too high, your vision can fluctuate and damage the blood vessels in your eyes. This damage may lead to diabetic retinopathy. In fact, the longer someone has diabetes, the more likely they are to have retinopathy.
In later stages, the disease may lead to new blood vessel growth over the retina. The new blood vessels can cause scar tissue to develop, which can pull the retina away from the back of the eye. This is known as retinal detachment, and it can lead to blindness if untreated. In addition, abnormal blood vessels can grow on the iris, which can lead to glaucoma. People with diabetes are 25 times more likely to lose vision than those who are not diabetic, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.
Diabetic Retinopathy Symptoms and Signs
Floaters can be a sign of diabetic retinopathy. Sometimes difficulty reading or doing close work can indicate that fluid is collecting in the macula, the most light-sensitive part of the retina. This fluid build-up is called macular edema. Another sign is double vision, which occurs when the nerves controlling the eye muscles are affected. If you experience any of these signs, contact us immediately. It is very important that all diabetics see us at least once a year for a comprehensive eye exam.
You can significantly reduce your risk of developing diabetic retinopathy by:
- Keep your blood sugar under good control
- Monitor your blood pressure and keep it under good control, or seek appropriate care
- Maintain a healthy diet
- Exercise regularly
Diabetic Retinopathy Treatment
The possibility of early detection is why it is so important for diabetics to have a dilated eye exam at least once a year. Diabetic retinopathy can be treated with laser therapy to seal off leaking blood vessels and destroy new growth.
Emergency Eye Care Treatments
(foreign body, trauma or eye pain)
For any type of foreign body, trauma or severe eye pain, you should seek immediate assistance! If you experience any of these conditions, please contact our office immediately and convey this to our staff. If you are not able to contact our staff, you must seek care from your nearest hospital’s emergency room. The doctors and staff at Family Eye care Optometry are experienced in removing the foreign body or treating the eye trauma to restore vision and minimize damage to the eye.
Treatment of Eye Infections & Red Eye Problems
Our doctors are very experienced in the diagnosis and treatment of eye infections and red eye conditions.
Cataract Evaluation & Management
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina in the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye’s focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away.
The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. But as we age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.
Cataract Symptoms and Signs
A cataract starts out small, and at first has little effect on your vision. You may notice that your vision is blurred a little, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass or viewing an impressionist painting. A cataract may make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright or glaring. Or you may notice when you drive at night that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Colors may not appear as bright as they once did.
Cataract Treatment
When symptoms begin to appear, you may be able to improve your vision for a while using new glasses, strong bifocals, magnification, appropriate lighting or other visual aids.
When your cataracts have progressed enough to seriously impair your vision and affect your daily life you may think about cataract surgery. Cataract surgery is a simple, relatively painless procedure to regain vision. Cataract surgery is very successful in restoring vision. During surgery, the surgeon will remove your clouded lens, and in most cases replace it with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL). New IOLs are being developed all the time to make the surgery less complicated for surgeons and the lenses more helpful to patients.