An eye clinic can provide comprehensive care for all your eye health and vision needs. This includes state-of-the-art eye exams, treatments, and prevention of eye diseases and vision impairments,as well as eye surgery for a range of conditions.
Vision care throughout all stages of life is an important element of healthcare and crucial in protecting the health of your eyes. Eye exams and vision tests help to identify eye problems in their earliest stages when treatment is typically most effective. An eye clinic can also help to prevent common eye diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma, from causing permanent vision loss and blindness.
Common Types of Eye Surgery
In addition to providing routine eye exams and vision tests, an eye clinic can provide a range of surgical procedures. These may be carried out for a variety of reasons, including treating eye disease, improving vision, and preventing certain eye conditions from getting worse.The most popular eye surgeries performed at an eye clinic include:
Cataract Surgery
Cataracts are a major source of vision loss worldwide. The condition happens when the lens of the eye develops cloudy or misty patches, which usually get bigger over time, and can lead to eventual blindness. Cataract surgery is an innovative procedure that involves replacing the cloudy lens with an artificial one, known as anintraocular lens implant (IOL), to restore vision. In some cases, another type of surgery, known as refractive lens exchange surgery, may be performed to replace the natural lens and correct a refractive error to reduce the need for glasses or contact lenses. Cataract surgery has a high success rate and complications with the procedure are rare.
Laser Surgery for Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most preventable causes of vision loss and a common complication of diabetes. It occurs because of damaged blood vessels in the retina caused by high blood sugar and can lead to scarring and permanent vision loss. Diabetic retinopathy does not always cause symptoms in its early stages, making early detection through testing key in preventing or delaying blindness.
Laser surgery is an effective diabetic retinopathy treatment used to seal off or destroy leaking blood vessels. This reduces swelling of the retina and helps to shrink blood vessels and prevent them from growing again. The treatment can also help lower the risk of vision loss in the future.
For advanced cases of diabetic retinopathy, a vitrectomy procedure may be recommended. This surgery removes blood and vitreous (the jelly-like substance that fills the center of the eye)from leaking vessels at the back of the eye, which can prevent light from focusing properly on the retina.The procedure may also be used to remove scar tissue or to repair a detached retina.
Laser Trabeculoplasty for Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a progressive disease of the optic nerve and a leading cause of blindness for people over 60. The condition occurs when fluid builds up in the anterior chamber, the front part of the eye between the cornea and the iris. This causes excessive pressure (intraocular pressure), which can damage the optic nerve – the part of the eye responsible for carrying the images we see from the eye to the brain.
The most common type of glaucoma is open-angle glaucoma (OAG), which occurs when the angle drainage canals in the anterior chamber of the eye become blocked or narrowed over time. The condition often has no obvious symptoms in its early stages, making regular eye exams an essential part of detecting the disease early, when treatment to stop the progression of vision loss is most effective.
Glaucoma is usually managed with medication. However, laser surgery to reduce intraocular pressure may be recommended for some patients.Selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) is a revolutionary, FDA-approved procedure for patients with OAG. A laser is used to make the drainage angle work better. This reduces eye pressure by allowing the fluid to drain out of the anterior chamber properly.
Corneal Transplant
A corneal transplant may be recommended for patients with a condition such as keratoconus or a severe corneal injury. Keratoconus causes the cornea (the clear, dome-shaped layer at the front of the eye) to thin and become cone-shaped. This prevents light from being focused properly into the eye, resulting in blurry, distorted vision.A corneal transplant involves replacing all or part of the diseased or damaged cornea with healthy donor cornea tissue.
When To Visit An Eye Clinic
Getting regular eye exams is an important way to protect your vision. Regular screenings can help detect eye diseases and vision problems in their early stages when treatment is often more effective. If you are experiencing problems with your vision or other symptoms such as eye pain, headaches and eyestrain, or unexplained redness of the eye, you should visit an eye clinic as soon as possible fora full evaluation.
Eye Clinic Near Me in Washington, MO
If you are looking for comprehensive eye care, visit Advanced Sight Center, in Washington. Our board-certified ophthalmologists offer a full range of eye care to keep your vision healthy. We use innovative diagnostic examinations to pinpoint eye diseases at their earliest stages, and a variety of effective treatments to preserve your vision. To learn more about our services, contact Advanced Sight Center today at (636) 239-1650 or alternatively, you can request an appointment online.
