Many people call all healthcare providers who take care of your eyes and vision your eye doctor. In reality, there are different levels of training and expertise that determine what each type of eye specialist can do for you.
Ophthalmologists are medical doctors (MDs or DOs) who specialize in the eyes and vision. They have more years of medical and surgical education than optometrists and can perform surgery on your eye. Contact the Dry Eye Center of Maryland now!
Getting a routine eye exam is an important part of your overall health care. However, many men and women don’t schedule these appointments often enough. If you have vision insurance, it may cover a portion of the cost of your exam. If you don’t have insurance, the cost of an eye exam can range from $50 to $200.
A complete eye exam includes more than just a review of your vision. The examination can also detect other issues, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which can affect your eye health. If the eye doctor diagnoses a medical condition, such as glaucoma or cataracts, you may need further tests and/or treatment from another physician or specialist.
The first step of an eye exam typically involves the ophthalmologist or optometrist reviewing your family and personal medical history. You’ll be asked about any problems you’ve been having with your eyes and what treatments you’ve had. You’ll also have to fill out some paperwork and hand over your medical insurance card.
Once the medical history review is completed, the eye doctor will begin the examination by testing your vision (visual acuity). You’ll read an eye chart that contains various sizes of letters and you’ll have to cover one eye while reading it. The doctor will then use a device called a phoroptor that contains different lenses to determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contacts. The doctor will also test how your pupils react to light by shining a bright beam of light into them. Your pupils will usually contract and get smaller, but if they don’t or if you have an enlarged pupil, it could indicate an underlying issue.
Most eye exams take around 30 minutes to an hour, depending on whether you need your pupils dilated. Optical stores and retail chains like Target Optical, Walmart, Pearle Vision and LensCrafters offer eye exams for both children and adults. These locations are popular choices for people who don’t have eye insurance because they often provide lower prices than a traditional office or ophthalmologist’s office. However, these options often have long wait times as well.
Eye Diseases
The eye is a complex organ, with specialized cells and structures that work together to process visual signals. Those signals go to the brain, which then creates what you see. That’s why diseases that affect your eyes can cause problems with sight and vision, whether they’re temporary or chronic.
Your eye care provider will check the status of your eyes during your routine eye exam, but he or she can also do more in-depth tests when you have specific symptoms or signs that indicate a disease. These tests may include pupil dilation and a slit lamp exam to get a closer look at the inside of your eyes, blood or urine tests looking for chemical markers that indicate certain immune conditions or infections, imaging tests like ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and neurological exams that evaluate how well your eyes and brain work together.
Some eye diseases don’t have any early warning signs, but some do. That’s why it’s important to come in for regular exams and to follow your eye care provider’s recommendations for what you can do to protect your eyes and vision.
Eye diseases can range from mild to serious, and many of them can be prevented by getting the right amount of sleep and drinking enough water, eating a healthy diet, protecting your eyes from UV rays and wearing proper sunglasses, and staying physically active. Some can be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses or medications. Others can be treated with a variety of surgical procedures, including cataract removal and laser eye surgery for glaucoma.
Age-related macular degeneration is a leading cause of blindness in Americans, but it can be delayed by taking vitamins A and C, eating a diet high in omega-3 fatty acids, exercising regularly, not smoking and using sun protection. A condition called Stargardt’s disease, meanwhile, is caused by the buildup of an egg-yolk-like substance in the macula, which can distort central vision. There’s no cure yet, but researchers are working on gene therapies and retinal implants to help restore vision in these patients.
Contact Lenses
Contact lenses, when used properly by an eye care professional, can be an effective alternative to glasses. They provide a more natural appearance than glasses, and they give you a wider field of vision than spectacles. In addition, contacts do not fog up when your eyes become wet or sweaty.
The type of contact lens your eye care professional recommends will depend on the results of your exam and your lifestyle. Contact lenses are available in a wide range of sizes, shapes and materials. These include soft contacts, rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses and hybrid contact lenses.
Most contact lenses correct vision by directly focusing light to the back surface of the cornea. This is called refractive error correction. A spherical contact lens corrects myopia (nearsightedness) and hypermetropia (farsightedness). Contact lenses can also correct presbyopia, which is the normal loss of the ability to focus on near objects that occurs in people over 40. This is corrected using bifocal contact lenses or mono-vision correction, in which one eye wears a contact lens for distance vision and the other wears a contact lens for near vision.
Your eye care professional will discuss the pros and cons of each type of contact lens for your specific needs. Contact lenses are not one size fits all, and many people find that certain types of lenses cause discomfort or do not fit properly. Some of the reasons for this can include dry eyes, a history of infections or wearing the lenses for extended periods of time.
It is important to be very careful when inserting and removing contact lenses, as the delicate tissues around the eyes can be damaged by a sudden change in pressure or by accidental touching. Your eye care professional will explain the proper technique for inserting and removing contact lenses.
If you are going to wear contact lenses, it is essential that you schedule regular annual appointments for your eye health. This will help you stay up-to-date with your prescription for contact lenses and to ensure that you are receiving the best possible care. It is also recommended that you keep a supply of multipurpose solution and a contact case on hand.
Scleral Lenses
Scleral lenses are designed to sit over the cornea, rather than resting on the surface of the eye like conventional soft contact lenses do. This design allows them to sit over a larger area of the eye, protecting it from irritants that can be found in the eye’s environment such as dust and debris. Additionally, scleral lenses create an ideal optical surface that is able to provide clear, sharp vision.
If you are suffering from a number of common eye conditions that affect your vision and can’t get the results you need with regular contact lenses, it may be time to talk to our team about scleral lens options. Scleral lenses are a custom fit for each patient, and at your first appointment the surface of your eye will be mapped to locate any areas of damage or irregularities. This map gives our practitioners all of the information they need to create a scleral lens that fits your eyes perfectly.
Some common eye conditions that can benefit from scleral lenses include:
Keratoconus: This condition is characterized by the gradual thinning of the cornea, which causes distorted vision. Scleral lenses create a smooth optical surface that improves the visual quality of keratoconus patients, especially in low-light conditions.
Irregular Astigmatism: This condition is characterized by irregular astigmatic distortions that can interfere with your ability to see clearly. Scleral lenses can help correct this issue by providing a more regular astigmatic surface, improving your vision.
Dry Eyes: Many people who wear scleral lenses have chronic exposure dry eye symptoms. These can make it difficult to perform certain activities and often worsen during the night. Scleral lenses create a reservoir of non-preserved saline in front of the eye, which helps to keep the lens and eye surface hydrated throughout the day.
There are no age restrictions for those who wish to use scleral lenses. However, they can be more challenging for children or elderly patients to insert and remove. Our team will provide thorough instructions and training on safe device handling to ensure that your vision is protected properly.