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Glaucoma
| Macular Degeneration
| Cataracts
Eyelid Surgery |
Diabetic Retinopathy |
Optomap
Correcting Glaucoma
Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness
in the United States. It is a disease that typically affects
older people, but it can occur at any age. Loss of vision
is preventable if the disease is detected early and treatment
is started.
The eye has about 1 million tiny nerve
fibers which run from the back of the eye to the brain.
These nerve fibers allow us to see. Glaucoma is a disease
which causes the destruction of these fibers. It was once
thought that the loss of these fibers was due strictly to
high pressure in the eye, but now it is known that even
patients with normal eye pressure can have glaucoma and
loss of nerve fibers.
In many patients, the disease is not noticed
in the early stages, because there is no pain and no noticeable
change in vision. Early detection by an eye doctor is the
key to the prevention of vision damage from glaucoma. Routine
eye examinations are recommended.
Types of Glaucoma
The reason that eye pressure is high in
many glaucoma patients is that the drainage system in the
eye is not working properly. The fluid in the eye, called
aqueous humor, does not flow out of the eye as quickly as
it should. The drainage system lies in a part of the eye
called the angle, which is between the outer layer and the
iris of the eye. This angle can be open or closed.
There are several kinds of glaucoma. The
most common form of glaucoma is called chronic open angle
glaucoma. The drainage angle is open in these patients,
but the eye fluid does not drain as quickly as it should.
Closed-angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage angle closes,
and almost no eye fluid can escape. During closed-angle
glaucoma, eye pressure can get very high and there is pain.
Angle closure glaucoma is an emergency and must be treated
immediately. If the high pressure is allowed to continue
for too long, blindness can result.
Some persons are more likely to have glaucoma.
These include persons who are older, have nearsightedness,
have a family history of glaucoma, have had past eye injury,
have diabetes or have a past history of vascular shock.
Also, African-Americans are 6 times more likely to have
the disease.
Glaucoma is treated with eye drops that
lower the eye pressure. If the pressure does not fall to
a low enough level with drops, then surgery may be necessary.
Glaucoma surgery, a type of laser eye surgery, opens up
the drainage system in the angle so that the eye fluid can
flow more freely. Please do not hesitate, contact our
laser eye surgeon Dr. Mauer to
schedule a laser vision correction consultation. Laser eye
surgery candidates seek our help often.
Correcting Macular Degeneration
The macula is the tiny central part of
the retina which is responsible for fine detail vision and
for color perception. Macular degeneration is a disease
of this very important portion of the retina. It usually
affects both eyes, but often begins in only one.
In many cases, patients are not aware
of macular degeneration in one eye because the other eye
compensates for the weaker one. The most common symptoms
include difficulty reading or seeing up close, or distorted
lines. It occurs most often in people over fifty years of
age. If you notice a dimness of vision in one or both eyes
or if straight lines appear distorted, you should see an
eye doctor immediately. There is no cure for macular degeneration,
but recent research suggests that certain vitamins and nutrients
may slow the progress of the disease in certain patients.
If the disease is advancing, laser eye surgery can be also
be used to slow the disease. Our laser eye surgeon Dr. Mauer
can perform laser vision correction on patients with advanced
macular degeneration. Please contact the
Mauer Eye Center today!
If you are over fifty, have your eyes
examined regularly. If you have symptoms, report them to
your eye doctor immediately, before the disease progresses
too far.
Cataracts
Cataracts occur as part of the normal
aging process. Studies show that virtually everyone over
age 65 has some cataract formation in their eyes! Cataracts
can severely reduce your vision. At one time, cataracts
were a leading cause of blindness in the world. But today,
fortunately, they can be treated. Modern surgical techniques,
intraocular lens implantation, and "same day surgery" make
cataract surgery safe, fast and effective.
A cataract occurs when the normally clear
lens of the eye becomes cloudy. As the cataract develops,
the cloudiness no longer allows the lens to properly focus
light on the back of the eye. This unfocused light causes
the vision to look blurry or hazy. Development of cataracts
has been associated with exposure to ultraviolet radiation.
They are particularly prevalent in persons who spend a lot
of time in the sun, such as fisherman. There is nothing
you can do to prevent the formation of cataracts.
Treatment is indicated when decreased
vision affects your everyday activities or hobbies. To determine
how much your vision is decreased, your doctor should test
you with a new test called contrast sensitivity. This test
determines how much your everyday vision has been affected
by the cataract.
Cataract surgery, in which the normal
cloudy lens is removed, is now a very successful procedure.
The most widely used technique is called phacoemulsification.
A very small incision is made and a tiny ultrasonic probe
is used to break up the cataract and gently suction it away.
A clear membrane is left in your eye where an intraocular
lens is placed (IOL). This IOL is necessary to replace the
focusing power of the natural lens, which was removed. With
insertion of an IOL, there is little need for thick cataract
glasses and contact lenses that were used years ago.
Small incision surgery has several benefits.
The procedure is very quick, sometimes taking less than
20 minutes. Also, recovery time is short. Patients are able
to eat a light snack and drink immediately after the surgery.
The results of the surgery are almost immediate. Most people
notice an improvement in their vision soon after surgery.
You will still need glasses to read after the surgery. Your
new prescription is given several weeks after the procedure.
Eyelid Surgery
Drooping eyelids create a tired and aged
appearance. Eyelid surgery raises droopy eyelids and can
make people appear years younger. Often combined with the
LASIK procedure, eyelid surgery is a great way to revitalize
a patients appearance while also improving their vision.
Droopy eyelids can block the field of vision making the
surgery enhance both quality of vision and appearance.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes is a disease which affects the
blood vessels throughout the body, particularly vessels
in the kidney and eye. When the blood vessels in the eye
are affected, this is called diabetic retinopathy.
The retina lies in the back of the eye
and is a multi-layered tissue which detects visual images
and transmits these to the brain. There are major blood
vessels which lie on the surface, or the front portion,
of the retina. When these blood vessels are damaged due
to diabetes, they may leak fluid or blood and grow scar
tissue. This leakage affects the ability of the retina to
detect and transmit images.
Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause
of new blindness among adults in the United States. If untreated,
there is a risk of becoming blind. The longer one has diabetes,
the higher the incidence of developing diabetic retinopathy.
Approximately 80% of people who have diabetes for 15 years
have some damage to their retinal vessels. With today's
treatment only a small percentage of people have serious
vision problems.
There are two types of diabetic retinopathy.
Background retinopathy is considered the early stage. Reading
vision is typically not affected, but it can advance and
cause severe vision problems. There are usually no symptoms
with background diabetic retinopathy. An exam is the only
way to diagnose changes in the vessels of your eyes.
When the retinopathy becomes advanced,
new vessels grow, or proliferate, in the retina. These new
vessels are the body's attempt to overcome and replace the
vessels which have been damaged by diabetes. But these new
vessels are not normal. They may bleed, which causes vision
to become hazy and sometimes causing a total loss of vision.
These new vessels can also damage the retina by forming
scar tissue and by pulling the retina away from its proper
location. This stage, called proliferative retinopathy,
requires immediate medical attention. Treatment is necessary
to prevent severe loss of vision. Regular eye exams are
crucial for all persons with diabetes. The progressing damage
to the blood vessels in the eye can be slowed with treatment.
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