|
|
|
|
 |
Find your
neighborhood
TSO doctor. |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Common vision problems
Every vision problem, no matter how common, is an important concern for TSO Doctors of Optometry because good vision is important for everyone. Complete eye exams can reveal serious and sometimes hidden eye problems. Here is a description of conditions that are often diagnosed and treated at TSO:
A cataract is simply a clouding of your eye's natural lens and often affects both eyes. A cataract may cause hazy, blurred or sometimes double vision, in addition to sensitivity to light and glare and frequent eyeglass prescription changes. Cataracts may develop gradually over many years or progress rapidly.
Your TSO Doctor of Optometry diagnoses cataracts with a thorough eye examination, which determines the density and location of the cataract. When cataracts begin to interfere with your normal activities, your doctor will refer you to a cataract surgeon for an outpatient procedure, which removes the clouded lens and replaces it with a permanently implanted intraocular lens. Your TSO Doctor will co-manage your care with your cataract surgeon before and after surgery. If you need eyeglasses after surgery, your TSO Doctor will examine your eyes and provide you with a prescription for corrective lenses.
Glaucoma is often called "the silent threat". It is a slow, progressive loss of peripheral or side vision. Only a thorough eye examination can determine if you have glaucoma. It important to remember that control of glaucoma usually involves having your TSO Doctor of Optometry regularly check your eye pressure and perform a diagnostic test called a visual field.
Macular degeneration occurs when the eye's macula - the center of the retina where the best vision is located - may be degenerating. Blood vessels can grow abnormally underneath the retina. Blood and other fluids leak out, causing the layers of the retina to separate. A patient with macular degeneration sees a dark blur in the center of their view. Often, straight lines look wavy, or color vision is dim.
This condition often occurs in people over 60. In the final stages of macular degeneration, patients have a large hole in the center of their vision, which prevents them from being able to read, watch TV, drive safely or recognize faces. While damage that has occurred cannot be reversed, slowing down or arresting progress of the disease is possible. Early diagnosis requires a complete eye exam and special testing procedures.
Clues to vision problems in children
Amblyopia, also called "lazy eye", often develops in young children and is characterized by unclear vision. Left undetected, amblyopia can cause a lifetime of visual disability that is not correctable by glasses or contact lenses.
Strabismus is a misalignment of the eye, which causes them to point in different directions. One eye may be directed straight ahead while the other eye is turned inward, outward, upward or downward. Strabismus can be treated at any age. Treatment typically consists of prescription lenses and a program of vision therapy. Surgery may cosmetically straighten the eyes, but does not typically improve vision. It is a misconception to believe that strabismus will go away by itself or that the child will outgrow it. |
|
|
|
|
Copyright © 2004 Texas State Optical
|