Eye Diseases
Amblyopia
Most commonly amblyopia occurs under the age of 6 years and is characterized as poor vision in one eye no matter what corrective lenses are provided. This poor eye can frequently be improved when treatment is provided early in life. It is typically entrenched by adulthood.
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Cataract
Turned eye during early childhood and into adulthood needs to be diagnosed and managed.
Most cataract occurs over 60 years of age due to opacity or clouded areas in the lens of the eye. The effect may be misty, foggy or dimness of sight. It has become eminently treatable by eye surgeons. After a vision exam we can refer to to public or private eye surgeons based on the results. When spectacles or contact lenses can no longer provide reasonable vision referral is made for surgical treatment.
Glaucoma
Routine vision exams from age 40years of age are strongly recommended to record the eye health and advise on changes which may include Glaucoma. This affects 10 % of the population between age 40 - 50 years. People are unaware of loosing peripheral vision until up to 75% of the peripheral vision is gone. The risk is higher if it is present in close relatives.
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Chronic open angle glaucoma has no symptoms for most of the course of the disease.
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Acute glaucoma typically causes a sudden extremely painful eye.
Tests for glaucoma include the examination of the anterior eye, the optic disc; measuring the pressure of the eye, and checking visual fields. Where indicated Optical coherence Tomography can be completed to create a report on the nerve fibre volume.
When the optometrist has concerns for the eye health referral to an Ophthalmologist for treatment will be made with the aim to stabilize the eye. This includes medication, surgery and laser technology play a role in treating glaucoma.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a major sight threatening disease and is a leading cause of blindness in the 40+ year group. Regular routine visits to a general medical doctor are recommended. Poor management leads to diabetic retinopathy and following your General Practitioners medical advice is critically important.
We can add additional tests to the vision exam specifically for this such as retinal photos and retinal layer scans to monitor for changes to the retina.
Hypertension
Hypertension, when treatment is less effective, may drive the blood vessels to the eye to break and bleed, and this harms the retina. Routine vision examinations can help provide information to assist your doctor or to warn of early problems developing in the eye.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration describes the deterioration of the central vision. For the last 20 years this has presented as young as 40 years of age.It is a breakdown of the finely connected retinal layers at the back of the eye. It only occurs in the central part of the vision but this can cause distortion or jumbling of the eyesight and lead to extreme loss of ability to see detail. Prevention is difficult but scientific research has indicated that high levels of certain vitamins and minerals plus compounds found in vegetables, red skinned berries and tuna, may be helpful over a life time.
Treatments by the eye specialist( ophthalmologist) stabilise a large number of ARM. Particularly the wet or leaky vessel kind.