Ocular Disease Management

During comprehensive eye exams, we can identify early indicators of eye diseases, some of which have no obvious symptoms. When some of these eye diseases are identified early on, we may be able to advise on steps to slow the progression of the disease or control the disease through lifestyle changes.

Your exam will include a series of tests which will enable us to diagnose eye diseases such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy. Here is a list of common eye diseases which we can diagnose and manage or co-manage, depending on the situation.

Different Types of Eye Diseases

Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. Clouded vision caused by cataracts can make it more difficult to read, drive a car, especially at night, or see the expression on a friend’s face.

Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome occurs when there is a decreased production of tears that moisten, protect, and cleanse the eyes. Dry eye syndrome is one of the most common eye problems. And it becomes more common as people age because tear production can diminish as part of the aging process.

Diabetic Retinopathy

If you have been diagnosed with diabetes, you may be at risk of losing your vision since your body does not utilize sugar properly and, when the sugar levels rise, damage to the retinal blood vessels may occur. This injury to the retinal vessels is known as Diabetic Retinopathy. Diabetic Retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness in working-age adults.

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis an inflammation of the conjunctiva. Conjunctivitis can be highly contagious and easily spread in schools or at home. While it’s usually a minor eye infection, sometimes it can develop into a more serious problem.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders leading to progressive damage to the optic nerve and is characterized by loss of nerve tissue resulting in loss of vision. The optic nerve is a bundle of about one million individual nerve fibers and transmits the visual signals from the eye to the brain. The most common form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, is associated with an increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye. This increase in pressure may cause progressive damage to the optic nerve and loss of nerve fibers. Vision loss may result. Advanced glaucoma may even cause blindness. Not everyone with high eye pressure will develop glaucoma, and many people with normal eye pressure will develop glaucoma. When the pressure inside an eye is too high for that particular optic nerve, whatever that pressure measurement may be, glaucoma will develop.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over age 50. This eye disease occurs when there are changes to the macula, a small portion of the retina that is located on the inside back layer of the eye. AMD is a loss of central vision that can occur in two forms: “dry” or atrophic and “wet” or exudative. Most people with macular degeneration have the dry form, for which there is no known treatment. The less common wet form may respond to laser procedures, if diagnosed and treated early.

Schedule an Appointment

To schedule an appointment with Spring House Eye Associates for an exam, contact us at 215-628-8799 (Spring House, PA location) or (215) 886-5510 (Glenside, PA location).