|
 Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in the U.S. It occurs when the pressure inside the eye damages the optic nerve and causing vision loss. The condition often develops over many years without causing pain or other noticeable symptoms – so you may not notice vision loss until the disease has reached an advanced stage. Risk factors include increasing age, diabetes, nearsightedness, a family history of glaucoma, and African-American, Japanese, or Hispanic ancestry.
To detect and monitor glaucoma, your eye doctor may test your visual acuity and peripheral vision, eye pressure, corneal thickness, and examine your eye and optic nerve configuration. Regular eye exams help to monitor for changes in your eyes and help detect glaucoma at its earliest stages. Once diagnosed, glaucoma can be controlled, and loss of vision prevented with appropriate treatment. Treatment is aimed at lowering the pressure in the eye, and may include prescription eye drops and medications, laser treatment, or surgery.
Newer laser treatments, such as diode micropulse or selective laser trabeculoplasty, offer a non-drop, non-surgical option for many glaucoma patients.
Click here for more information on Glaucoma
 A pterygium is a raised growth in the surface of the eye that can become red and irritated, and invade the cornea (the clear window over the front of the eye). It is usually caused by long-term exposure to sunlight, dry air, smog, smoke and other irritants. In some cases pterygia can affect vision. Initial treatment includes lubricating drops, sunglasses and protective eyewear, and sometimes prescription drops to reduce redness and swelling. If a pterygium remains symptomatic or threatens vision, surgical removal is recommended.
Pterygiums can recur after removal. To reduce this risk, experienced surgeons usually combine removal of the pterygium with a graft or transplant to cover the bare surface of the eye left behind. This graft can be taken from the patient’s own eye, or from donor tissue. Modern biologic adhesives allow the graft to be secured without stitches. These advanced techniques can speed healing, minimize discomfort and redness, and reduce the risk of recurrence.
Click here for more information on Pterygium
 The cornea is the clear window covering the front of the eye which allows light to enter the eye. For clear vision, the cornea must have the correct shape and clarity to help focus light properly. When the cornea becomes cloudy or misshapen from injury, infection or disease, transplantation of a donor cornea may be recommended to replace it.
Corneal transplants are usually performed with local anesthesia as an outpatient. The new cornea carries a very small risk of rejection and can last for many years. Healing from a corneal transplant is a slow process, but the procedure has an excellent success rate, and can provide an almost miraculous improvement in vision.
More recently, advanced partial-thickness corneal transplant techniques have been developed, and offer new options for patients with corneal swelling and clouding.
Click here for more information on Corneal Transplantation
Patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of developing eye diseases that can cause vision loss and blindness, such as diabetic retinopathy, cataracts and glaucoma. Treatment is highly effective in preventing vision loss from diabetes, but is usually best done before vision loss or other symptoms occur. For this reason it is very important for diabetic patients to have their eyes examined at least once a year. It is also important to maintain a stable, controlled blood sugar level, take prescribed medications as directed, follow a healthy diet, exercise regularly and control blood pressure and other health conditions.
Click here for more information on Diabetic Eye Care
The macula is the part of the retina in the center that provides clear, sharp detailed vision. Macular degeneration, which occurs primarily as part of the aging process, causes a progressive loss of central vision. It is the number-one cause of blindness in American seniors. Symptoms of macular degeneration can include a blind spot, blurring, discoloration, or distortion at or near the center of vision.
There are two types of macular degeneration: "dry,” which is usually mild & slowly progressive, and “wet,” which can cause severe vision loss. Revolutionary new treatment options using injectable medications are now available for “wet” macular degeneration, if caught at the right point. Regular monitoring is recommended for macular degeneration to help catch progression at its most treatable stages.
Antioxidant vitamins may be helpful in slowing the disease in high-risk patients. A low-fat diet rich in green leafy vegetables, control of blood pressure and cholesterol, regular exercise, and stopping smoking all help reduce the risks from macular degeneration.
Click here for more information on Macular Degeneration
|
