Allergic conjunctivitis is a very common condition in our area. It causes significant itching of the eyes and can cause the eyes to water as well. Luckily there are several different eyedrops to help alleviate this condition.

Diabetes is becoming more and more prevalent and one complication to be concerned about is diabetic retinopathy. This is where the small blood vessels inside the eye have become damaged and we begin to see leakage of blood or in worse cases fluid and cholesterol into the retina which is shown in the picture above. Luckily all that is needed to diagnose this problem is a dilated eye exam.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

Age related macular degeneration is a disease of the macula which is the most sensitive area within the eye and is responsible for your central vision. It can cause a slow degradation in vision. There is no cure for macular degeneration but there are specific vitamins which have been shown to slow the progression significantly.

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Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

Cataracts are a clouding of the crystalline lens inside the eye. It is a normal part of the aging process but can be accelerated by trauma, eye surgery, and some diseases such as diabetes. They cause an overall decrease in the quality of vision, blurring, and glare while driving at night. Luckily cataract surgery has become one of the safest and most effective surgeries performed today.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

Dry eye syndrome is a very common condition where there are insufficient tears to bathe the eye. It is usually a chronic condition that requires long term management. Many things increase the dryness of the eye including age, some medications, some eye surgeries, and being a female.

Presbyopia is a decreased ability to read at near. It usually starts around 40. Usually people notice that they are moving their reading material in and out and often feel their arms are too short. It is a normal aging change to the lens inside the eye where it is losing flexibility making it more difficult to change focus for near work. There are many options to help this including reading glasses, line bifocals and trifocals, progressive addition lenses(no -line bifocals), and even contact lenses are an option for most people.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

Astigmatism is essentially where the eye is shaped like the side of a football with one side more flat and the other more steep instead of being round like a baseball. It causes an overall distortion of the image. It can affect your vision at distance as well as up close. Glasses and contact lenses can correct astigmatism eliminating the distortion.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

People who are far-sighted or hyperopic have difficulty seeing up close. They usually notice difficulty reading a book or looking at a computer for long periods of time. Besides blurry vision, symptoms can include headaches and eyestrain with prolonged near work. The eye is too short which causes the image to fall behind the retina. Glasses or contact lenses are needed to focus the image on the retina.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

People who are near-sighted or myopic have difficulty seeing clearly at distance. They usually notice difficulty seeing road signs, television, or the board at school. The eye is too long which causes the image to fall in front of the retina. Glasses or contact lenses are needed to focus the image on the retina.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.

Most people start to have significant health changes to their eyes including cataracts, glaucoma, and age related macular degeneration. For this reason we always recommend a yearly exam for patients over 60 that includes a dilated examination.

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Vision in teenagers like in children can change drastically from year to year especially after growth spurts. We always recommend yearly exams of teenagers. 

Most people in their forties begin to need correction for vision up close. It is in this age that up close vision becomes blurry, you can experience eye fatigue, and the arms can feel too short. Often reading glasses, bifocals, or progressive addition lenses are needed for the first time. 

Children's vision is critical to learning. 80% of what they learn is through their vision. The connections from the eye to the brain are developing from birth until about age 8. It can also change dramatically from year to year as they grow which is why it is so important to have yearly eye exams.

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Phone: 937-393-3212

Glaucoma is a disease of the optic nerve that is characterized by progressive damage to the nerve and subsequent decreases in peripheral vision. There are several different types of glaucoma but luckily most cases can be controlled successfully with the use of eyedrops which help to decrease the pressure inside the eye.

Photo courtesy of  National Eye Institute, National Institute of Health.