Common Eye Conditions

Blepharitis is inflammation of eyelids and maybe more common in older adults.  Patients often experience redness, stickiness, grittiness, and irritation.  Depending on the severity, the condition can be treated with lid hygiene or with medications.

 

Dry Eyes is a common problem and patients often exprience sandiness, grittiness, irritation, and blurry vision; the condition may be exacerbated by contact lens use or the use of fan and air conditioning in the summer.  Multiple treatment regimen is available, including health supplements, eye drops, medications, and minor surgery.  Individualized step therapy is the most appropriate depending on the severity of your symptoms.

 

Dermatochalasis and Ptosis refer to droopy upper eyelids.  These condition occur from increased laxity of eyelid muscles.  Sometimes, patients can look like they have droopy eyelids but actually have the appearance from a condition called brow ptosis, droopy brows that results from laxity of forehead muscles.  Definitive treatment is surgical and our physicians can recommend the most appropriate surgery for you depending on your specific condition, including blepharoplasty, ptosis repair, or brow lift.

 

Cataract is the clouding of the crystalline lens inside the eye and our cataract patients tell us their vision is blurry, the color is dimmer, it looks like they are in a fog, or they have problems with glare.  The treatment for cataract is also surgery and our physicians can go over the procedure with you.  Modern surgical techniques make cataract surgery minimally insasive.  It is sutureless, needless, the incision is only about two millimeters, and vision recovery can be as quick as the day of surgery.

 

Diabetic retinopathy causes edema (swelling) and hemorrhage (bleeding) of the retina and can lead to loss of vision and possible blindness.  Controlling diabetes is the best way to provent the development of diabetic retinopathy. Routine annual examination for early detection and treatment is recommended.  Mild disease can be monitored with possible improvement from better diabetic control.  Moderate to servere disease may require laser or surgery.

 

Entropion and ectropion  and in-turing and out-turning of the eyelids that can lead to irritation from mis-directed eyelashes or severe dry eyes.  The treatment is surgical and involves tightening and repositioning of loose eyelids.

 

Glaucoma is deterioration of the optic nerve from increased intraocular pressure.  It is a slow irreversible process and requires early detection and control of pressure to provent loss of vision and eventuall blindness.  It is important to know there is no symptom in early glaucoma but by the time patients notice a change in vision, the condition is often severe and rapidly process, making treatment difficult.  Treatment needs to be individualized based on the patients age, disease severity, and rate of progression.  Pressure can be controlled with medication, laser, or surgery.

 

Macular degeneration is degeneration of the retina and may lead to distorted and possible severe loss of central vision.  Dry macular degeneration may be stable or slowly progressive.  Wet macular degeneration involves edema (swelling) and neovascularization (abnormal blood veseel formation) of the retina and can lead to rapid visual loss.  Macular degeneration should be monitored and wet macular degeneration needs to be promptly treated.