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Common Eye Conditions

 

Common Eye Conditions

 

DIABETIC EYE CONDITIONS 

Diabetic eye conditions affect the vast majority of long-term diabetic patients and can contribute to significant sight loss if not treated properly. Fortunately, Zeldes Eye Center is well-equipped to help you maintain normal, healthy vision

Video Transcription

Treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) is often done with a laser, and it is called PRP: Panretinal Photocoagulation. It is also known as ‘Scatter Photocoagulation.’ The treatment usually performed in an office setting.

In some cases, multiple laser treatments may be necessary.

 

Macular degeneration is characterized by a loss of focus in the center of the visual field, often while leaving peripheral vision intact. Patients with macular degeneration will have difficulty focusing directly on objects and faces, and will likely struggle with activities such as driving or reading.

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Light rays enter the eye through the cornea, pupil, and lens. These light rays are focused on the retina, a light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye. The retina has two areas: the peripheral retina, and the macula. The macula is a small area at the center of the retina. The peripheral retina is the large area surrounding the macula.

It is the peripheral retina that gives is our side or wide-angle vision. It is the macula that gives us our pinpoint vision and allows us to see details clearly, helping us to do things like drive, read, or recognize a face. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a breakdown of the macula.

When the macula doesn’t work properly, your central vision can be affected by blurriness, dark areas, or distortion. This condition affects many people as they get older.

 

If not treated properly, glaucoma can result in permanent loss of sight and even total blindness. Fortunately, with proper diagnosis and treatment, Dr. Zeldes can help prevent further damage to your optic nerve.

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In the healthy eye, a clear liquid called aqueous humor circulates inside the front portion of the eye. To maintain a constant healthy eye pressure your eye continually produces a small amount of aqueous humor, and an equal amount of this fluid flows out of the eye through a microscopic drain called a trabecular meshwork in the drainage angle. If you have glaucoma, the aqueous humor does not flow through the drainage angle properly. Fluid pressure in the eye increases and this extra force presses on the optic nerve on the back of the eye, causing damage to the nerve fibers.

Remember, glaucoma usually has no symptoms early in its course. Proper treatment can usually stop or delay any further vision loss. An evaluation for glaucoma is particularly important for those over age 60, relatives of people with glaucoma, people of African descent, and those with elevated eye pressure.

While there is no cure for glaucoma, and optic nerve damage cannot be reversed, we can usually prevent vision loss if glaucoma is diagnosed and treated, especially if it is detected in its early stages.

 

DRY EYES

Dry eyes are the result of decreased tear production or an abnormal chemical composition of tears. This can occur for any number of reasons, the most common of which is aging.

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Tears lubricate our eyes and make it possible to see the world clearly. When you blink, a tear film spreads over the eye, making the surface smooth and clear.

This film is made up of three distinct layers: the outermost layer is oily; next, the watery layer makes up most of what we think of as tears; finally, a layer of mucus helps the watery layer spread evenly over the surface of the eye.

Each of these three distinct layers is necessary in order for the tear film to adequately lubricate our eyes.