- What is Conjunctivitis?
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, a thin, transparent layer covering the surface of the inner eyelid and a portion of the front of the eye. This condition appears in many forms and affects people of all ages.
What Causes Conjunctivitis?
The three main types of conjunctivitis are infectious, allergic and chemical. The infectious form, commonly known as "pink eye", is caused by a contagious virus or bacteria.
Your body's allergies to pollen, cosmetics, animals or fabrics often bring on allergic conjunctivitis.
Irritants, such as air pollution, noxious fumes and chlorine in swimming pools may produce the chemical form.
- Will Conjunctivitis Harm My Eyes?
Certain forms of conjunctivitis can develop into a more severe condition that may harm your eye.
Therefore, it's important to have your condition diagnosed and properly treated quickly.
- What is Dry Eye?
The tears your eyes normally produce are necessary for overall eye health and clear vision.
Dry eye occurs when your eyes do not produce enough tears or produce tears which do not have the proper chemical composition.
- What Causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye symptoms can result from the normal aging process, exposure to environmental conditions, problems with normal blinking or from medications such as antihistamines, oral contraceptives or antidepressants.
Dry eye can also be symptomatic of general health problems, or other diseases or can result from chemical or thermal burns to the eye.
- Will Dry Eye Harm My Eyes?
If dry eye is untreated, it can harm your eyes. Excessive dry eye can damage tissue and possibly scar the cornea of your eye, impairing vision.
Dry eye can make contact lens wear more difficult due to increased irritation and a greater chance of eye infection.
To keep dry eye symptoms in check, you and your doctor of optometry need to work together.
Follow your doctor's instructions carefully.
If you have increased dryness or redness that is not relieved by the prescribed treatment, let your optometrist know as soon as possible.
- What Are Spots and Floaters?
Spots (often called floaters) are small semi-transparent or cloudy specks or particles within the eye that become noticeable when they fall within the line of sight.
They may also appear with flashes of light.
- Does Everyone Have Spots?
Almost everyone sees a few spots at one time or another.
They can occur more frequently and become more noticeable as you grow older.
If you notice a sudden change in the number or size of the spots, contact our office right away, so that you can be sure they are not the result of a more serious problem.
- What is Diabetes?
Diabetes is a disease that prevents your body from making or using insulin to break down sugar in your bloodstream.
- How Does Diabetes Affect the Eye?
Diabetes and its complications can affect many parts of the eye.
Diabetes can cause changes in nearsightedness, farsightedness and premature presbyopia (the inability to focus on close objects with age).
It can result in cataracts, glaucoma, strabismus (a lack of eye alignment), and decreased corneal sensitivity.
Visual symptoms of diabetes include fluctuating or blurring of vision, occasional double vision, night vision problems, flashes of light and floaters within the eye.
Sometimes, early signs of diabetes are detected in a thorough optometric examination.
The most serious eye problem associated with diabetes is diabetic retinopathy.
- What is Diabetic Retinopathy?
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when there is a weakening or swelling of the tiny blood vessels in the retina of your eye, resulting in blood leakage, the growth of new blood vessels, and other changes.
If diabetic retinopathy is untreated, it can lead to blurry, distorted vision and blindness.
- OCULAR HYPERTENSION
What is Ocular Hypertension?
Ocular hypertension is an elevation in the pressure of the eye above the range considered normal with no detectable changes in vision or damage to the structures of the eye.
The term is used to distinguish patients with elevated pressure from those who have glaucoma, a progressive disease of the eye. The cause of ocular hypertension is unknown.
- GLAUCOMA
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease of the eye that is usually the result of an abnormal elevation in eye pressure that causes damage to the optic nerve and vision loss.
Our examination and instrumentation will identify an elevation in eye pressure.
Glaucoma can also be present in patients who have normal eye pressure measurements so other tests will be conducted to examine the inner structures of your eye to assess the health of your optic nerve.
Glaucoma cannot be cured, but it can usually be successfully controlled with prescription eye drops and other medicines. In some cases treatment with lasers or surgery may be required.
Humphrey Visual Field Analyzer - used to detect early visual field loss which could indicate glaucoma or neurological disease
- CATARACTS
What is a Cataract?
A cataract is a clouding or darkening that develops in the normally clear lens of the eye.
This prevents the lens from properly focusing light on the retina at the back of the eye resulting in a loss of vision.
It is not a film that grows over the surface of the eye.
What are the Symptoms of Cataracts?
Cataracts vary in their development from person to person, so the symptoms may also vary.
Here are some symptoms that people experience:
- Increasing haziness causing blurred or distorted vision...colors may seem yellowed.
- The appearance of dark spots or shadows that seem to move when the eye moves.
- An increasing need for more light to see clearly.
- A tendency to become more nearsighted because of increasing density of the lens.
- Double vision.
- A gradual loss of color vision.
- A stage where it is easier to see without glasses..."second sight."
MACULAR DEGENERATION
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of the central vision loss among older people.
It results from changes to the macula, a portion of the retina responsible for clear, sharp vision and located on the inside back wall of the eye.
The macula is many times more sensitive than the rest of the retina and without a healthy macula, seeing detail or vivid color is not possible.
Macular degeneration develops differently in each person, so the symptoms may vary.
Some of the most common symptoms include:
- A gradual loss of the ability to see objects clearly.
- Distorted vision. Objects appear to be the wrong size or shape. Straight lines may appear wavy or crooked.
- A gradual loss of clear color vision.
- A dark or empty area appearing in the center of vision.
These symptoms may also indicate other eye health problems, so if you are experiencing any of these symptoms contact our office or your own eye doctor immediately.
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