Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)
Amblyopia
Astigmatism
Accomodative Vision Problem
Blepharitis
Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS)
Convergence Insufficiency
Conjunctivitis
Dry eyes
Diabetic retinopathy
Floaters
Glaucoma
Hyperopia ( farsightedness)
Keratoconus
Myopia ( nearsightedness)
Strabismus
At Vistasite we diagnose and treat most vision and eye disorders. Most
common conditions are described below for your reference.
Age Related Macular
Degeneration (ARMD)
Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD) is currently
a leading cause of blindness in the United States among caucasion population.
This retinal disease affects central vision that is responsible for
fine, detailed vision( reading, driving watching TV, etc). There are
two main types of ARMD: dry and wet. The former is a`more common and
less aggressive form of disease currently treated by eye vitamins. The
latter, wet ARMD is more likely to cause severe visual impairment. Only
recently a viable treatment for this condition has become available
in the U.S. It is called Lucentis, injectable preparation that not only
stabilizes the disease but also improves vision in many cases.
Amblyopia
Amblyopia is reduced vision in one or both eyes. Although it
is not a very common vision disorder( it affects only 5% of total population),
it is important to diagnose it early. If detected early enough most
amblyopic patients can be successfully treated. Having your child examined
by an eye care professional is the only way to determine if amblyopia
is present.
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Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a refractive error when light rays fail to
focus in a single place on the retina. An astigmatic eye is commonly
being described as being shaped like a football, instead of basketball.
Even small amounts of astigmatism can cause night vision problems, glare,
headaches, distortions, computer vision syndrome and tearing.
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Accomodative
Vision Problem
Accomodative vision problems often result in inability
to quickly shift focus from far to near. Eyestrain, eye pain, headache,
coping problems, difficulty working on computer are some of the most
common signs of accommodative dysfunction. Doctors art Vistasite are
trained to detect, diagnose and treat accommodative problems with special
glasses or vision therapy.
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is a fairly common eye disease that affects outer edges
of the lids where eyelashes originate.It can be caused by a number of
infectious micro-orgamisms, but in most cases is related to seborrhea(
a common skin condition) Some of the symptoms include crusty, thickened,
inflamed eyelids, foreing body sensation, itching and scaly skin. Treatment
is directed at physical removal of all the crust with lid scrubs, warm
compresses and in more severe cases antibiotics.
Computer Vision
Syndrome (CVS)
Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS) is a collection of eye- and
vision-related problems, associated with computer use. Most common symptoms
of CVS include eyestrain, headache, blurred vision, difficulty in changing
the focus of the eyes, glare sensitivity, eye irritation, contact lens
discomfort, neck, shoulder and back pain.
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Convergence
Insufficiency
Convergence problems often result from inability of the eye
muscles to work together as a team. Constant or intermittent double
vision, copyng problems, skipping lines during reading, headaches, tiredness
and falling asleep during close or computer work are some of the most
common symptoms of this binocular disorder. It can be treated with special
eyeglasses or vision therapy.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis ( commonly known as pink eye) is an inflammation
of the outside mucus membranes of the eye. There are four main types
of conjunctivitis, depending on the etiology: Viral, bacterial, allergic
and chemical. Treatment depends on the underlying etiology and removal
of the irritant. Sometimes conjunctivitis can be very contagious. In
order to prevent it from spreading patients are advised to frequently
wash their hands, not to share towels, cosmetics or eye drops and to
promptly seek treatment.
Dry eyes
Dry eyes is fairly common ocular condition that results in
poor corneal wettability and, consequently compromised ocular health.
Some of the symptoms include foreign body sensation, burning, redness,
irritation, increased light sensitivity, blurry vision and even headaches.
Different types of artificial tears are used to restore different layers
of tear film. Our doctors of optometry will advise you on optimal moisturizing
eye drop for your type of dry eye. More advanced and severe dry eye
can be also treated with Restasis and/ or punctual plugs. Sometimes
dry eye could be a sign of a systemic problem such as arthritis, diabetes,
thyroid disfunction or other condition. Our doctors will advise you
if you need further medical evaluation to determine the cause of your
dry eye condition.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that affects small blood
vessels in the retina causing them to bleed, swell and decrease amount
of oxygen to the retina. In early stages diabetic retinopathy may cause
blurry vision, or it may not produce any visual symptoms at all. As
the disease progresses patient will notice cloudy vision, floaters and
flashes. If left untreated diabetic retinopathy may lead to blindness.
To detect diabetic retinopathy optometrist will dilate your eye and
examine retina with special lenses and microscope. If you have diabetic
retinopathy you may benefit from laser treatment that will slow down
progression of the disease. All patients with diabetis should have a
dilated eye exam at least one a year.
Floaters
Floaters are spots, clouds or cobwebs moving in the field of
vision. They are clumps of gel inside the vitreous body, jelly-like
substance that fills the inner space of the eye. As we age the vitreous
gel may shrink and form clumps and strands inside the eye causing floaters.
The gel may also pull away or separate from the retina(the back wall
of the eye) causing posterior vitreous detachment. When vitreous gel
pulls on or rubs the retina you may experience flashes or streaks of
lights. In more serious cases shrinking or pulling of the vitreous gel
can lead to retinal tear, a true medical emergency which in turn may
cause retinal detachment. Seeing floaters or fashes must be alarming
and you should immediately consult your eye doctor.
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Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease in which the pressure in the eye increases
and damages optic nerve. If left untreated damage to the optic nerve
can result in severe vision loss and even blindness. Glaucoma is one
of the leading causes of blindness. Incidence of glaucoma increases
with age. People with family history of glaucoma, African Americans
and very nearsighted are at higher risk of developing disease. There
are over two hundred types of glaucoma. Most common type, primary open
angle glaucoma develops gradually, painlessly and usually without any
symptoms. Narrow angle glaucoma is rarer type and sometimes occurs rapidly
with symptoms of ocular pain, headache, nausea loss of vision and redness.
If diagnosed and treated early glaucoma can be controlled. Our doctors
of optometry will examine you for signs of glaucoma by checking your
eye pressure with Goldman applanation tonometer, they will also examine
your optic nerves and may perform pachymetry, visual field and GDx examination.
Treatment of glaucoma includes eye drops and in some cases laser treatment
or surgery.
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Hyperopia ( farsightedness)
Hyperopia ( farsightedness) occurs when distant objects are
seen more clearly than objects at near. Small amounts of hyperopia can
easily go undetected. However, even small amount of hyperopia can result
in headaches, eyestrain, heavy eyes, tearing, intermittent blurry vision,
computer vision syndrome and glare. Our eye doctors are trained to detect
even smallest amount of hyperopia with special objective techniques.
Keratoconus
Keratoconus is a congenital anomaly of the cornea in which
its central part becomes thinner and protrudes forward in a cone shaped
manner. It usually starts at puberty and affects both eyes. Correction
and treatment is best achieved by fitting patient with rigid gas permeable
lenses. Presently some corneal specialists advocate the use of Intacs,
a procedure in which a corneal ring stabilizes and flattens bulging
cornea. Another novel treatment for keratoconus was developed in Germany
is called C3-R (corneal collagen cross-linking riboflavin). It is a
non-invasive procedure that has been shown to strengthen thinned cornea.
It is not FDA approved in the U.S. In severe cases of the condition
where conservative treatment fails corneal transplantation is performed.
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Myopia ( nearsightedness)
Myopia ( nearsightedness) occurs when light rays that enter
the eye through the pupil focus before the retina. People with myopia
have difficulty seeing objects at a distance. If myopia is low to moderate,
vision up close is often very good even without glasses.
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Strabismus
Strabismus occurs when one or both eyes turn in or out either
sometimes or all the time. In strabismus signal traveling from the brain
to the eye and between the eyes is malfunctioning. Since eyes are pointing
in different directions, one image is suppressed. Because supression
is painless a child or adult may not be aware that it is happening.
There are, however some organic causes of eye turn and they must be
addressed immediately, because they may be a sign of impending stroke,
tumor or aneurism.
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