Family Eye Care
As physicians, ophthalmologists pledge to protect and preserve optimal vision from infancy through old age. This is a challenging promise considering there are over hundreds of eye diseases and visual disorders. Although onset may occur at any age, some conditions are more frequently diagnosed in children, others onset during adulthood and still other conditions occur most often among the elderly.
Some serious eye diseases and disorders develop without presenting any noticeable symptoms.Detection depends upon an examination by an ophthalmologist. Family members who have regular eye examinations are most likely to have eye diseases and visual disorders identified, evaluated and treated during their earliest stages; an essential element of optimum treatment results.
Infants and young children don’t yet possess the language skills to describe light flashes or blurred images that come and go, so examinations are especially important for this age group. An ophthalmologist may discover glaucoma or torn and detached retinas or clouded tissue in a cornea or lens.
Children’s eyes and their visual acuity continue to develop into their 7th year. An ophthalmologist’s evaluation at this stage of a child’s development includes the possible detection of unresolved, refractive problems such as nearsightedness or farsightedness.
In addition to eye diseases, focal abnormalities and misaligned eyes (strabismus), children contract contagious eye conditions from other children such as infectious conjunctivitis (pink eye). Non-contagious conjunctivitis and seasonal allergies can be just as irritating to a child’s eyes.Inflammation of sensitive eye tissues are also caused by bacterial, viral and fungal infections. If untreated, they can lead to vision loss or travel the short distance to the brain possibly producing significant neural problems.
Children play and sometimes get hurt. As youngsters begin to compete in team sports and participate in athletic activities, the probability of eye injury increases. Adolescent eye injuries also occur in cars and on cycles as well as accidentally running into objects and, of course, from “horsing around”. Eye injuries continue throughout adulthood and the elder years; only the causes vary.
Every eye injury has the potential to become a serious problem. If not promptly evaluated and expertly treated, even a minor eye injury can develop into a major vision disorder.
Eye diseases and disorders that are diagnosed most often during adulthood include glaucoma (optic nerve damage usually due to elevated intraocular fluid pressure), diabetic eye disease (blood vessel abnormalities due to elevated blood sugar), cataracts (clouded lenses), dry eye, skin cancer tumors and accidental eye injuries.
Elderly individuals are affected by the greatest number of eye diseases and disorders. In addition to the previously identified conditions, patients over the age of 60 are more likely to be diagnosed with macular degeneration (loss of sharp, clear images in the center of the visual field); eye shingles, a painful, viral rash medically termed Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus (HZO); stroke related vision disorders and eye injuries resulting from falls.
Ophthalmologists help individuals see their best life throughout their life: looking out for early symptoms of over 100 eye diseases and visual disorders, providing numerous treatments from medicinal eye drops to lens implants to reshaping eye tissues.
A board certified ophthalmologist experienced in diagnosing, treating and performing sophisticated, complex state of the art surgery on infants, children, adolescents, adults and the elderly presents a family’s best choice for complete, continuous eye care.
Frequently Asked Questions
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