Eye health care is an important part of a person’s overall healthcare. Health centers can help make eye exams and treatment more accessible to people without insurance.
A good support staff and clean, well-organized office will improve patient experience. Doctors who feel respected and valued by their team will be more likely to provide excellent service. Contact Dry Eye Center of Maryland now!
Eye exams are the most important part of your overall health care. An annual visit to an eye doctor can help you maintain good vision, and it can also detect serious diseases like glaucoma. In addition to the standard visual acuity test, there are many other tests that your eye doctor may perform during your appointment.
The first thing your eye doctor will do is review your medical history. This includes any conditions you have that affect your eyes and the medications you take. Your eye doctor will also want to know if you wear glasses or contacts, and how long you’ve worn them.
A common test is the Snellen eye chart, which measures your ability to see at various distances. The test determines if you have 20/20 vision or not. Your doctor may also use a device called a phoroptor, which contains different lenses to assist in determining your prescription.
Another important part of the exam is an ocular motility test, which measures how well you move your eyes. The doctor will ask you to follow an image or their finger as it moves in several directions, looking for any limitations on your movement.
Some eye exams may include a color vision test and a tonometry test, which measures the pressure inside your eyes (also known as intraocular pressure). This is important because high pressure can lead to glaucoma, a disease that causes blindness. The tonometry test is particularly important because it helps screen for glaucoma at an early stage, when treatment is most effective.
A routine eye exam may last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour. You’ll sit in a comfortable padded chair with a technician or eye doctor performing various diagnostic tests on your eyes. If you wear contacts, be sure to bring them with you, as they will need to be removed for some tests. You may also need to remove your eyeglasses. Lastly, the eye doctor will likely dilate your pupil with drops, which will allow them to look at structures in the front of the eye.
Contact Lenses
Many people find contact lenses to be a convenient and comfortable option for correcting their vision. Unlike eyeglasses, which can fog up in low temperatures or during sports activities, contact lenses remain clear and unaffected by these conditions. In addition, the wide variety of contact lens materials and replacement schedules allows for a number of options to suit each individual’s needs. Whether you are looking to correct your vision or simply change the color of your eyes, there is sure to be a contact lens that is right for you.
Your contact lens exam will begin much like a regular eye exam with a thorough check of your eyes to screen for any signs of eye diseases or other issues. Then your doctor will determine your prescription for contact lenses. This is different from your prescription for eyeglasses, because it takes into account the curvature of your corneas and other factors that affect the fit and wear of contact lenses.
After determining your prescription, your doctor will then go through a contact lens fitting to ensure that the contact lenses are a good fit for you. A contact lens fitting will include a number of steps, including measuring the curvature of your corneas and checking the size of your pupils. It may also involve using a tool called a slit lamp to evaluate your tear film and determine how well your eyes are able to blink while wearing contacts.
If your doctor believes that you are a candidate for contact lenses, they will give you instructions about how to insert and remove the contacts, how long to wear them, and how to clean and store them properly. Your doctor will also provide you with a set of care and hygiene products to use with your contact lenses.
There are a number of types of contact lenses to choose from, including soft contacts that can be worn daily or extended wear disposables that can be replaced monthly, weekly, or even on a daily basis. Rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses are made from a more rigid material and are able to provide sharper vision than soft contacts. There are also specialty contact lenses, such as scleral contacts that vault over the cornea and trap a small reservoir of water underneath them to help with dry eye symptoms.
Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses offer an easy solution for common vision problems such as nearsightedness (myopia) and farsightedness. They also correct astigmatism, a condition that creates blurry or distorted vision due to an irregular shape of the cornea or lens.
A well-fitting frame and lenses are an important part of a quality pair of eyeglasses. Our eye care center has a vast selection of frames and lenses, offering patients a wide variety of choices to match style and function. The frames themselves are available in a variety of shapes and colors, with styles that can be subtly chic or loud and proud. The skeleton of the frames is often made of a durable, lightweight material like acetate or metal. These are molded and shaped to the patient’s face, creating a natural fit that complements facial features.
The lens is then placed in the frame to complete the glasses. Various lens options exist, including single vision lenses and progressive polycarbonate lenses. Lenses can be tinted or treated with a number of different coatings to provide additional benefits, such as blue light-blocking or antireflective.
Our opticians take the time to help patients select the best frame and lens for their needs, taking into account long-term wearing comfort as well as style and functionality. They can also assist patients in determining whether or not their insurance coverage offers them a discount on their new eyeglasses.
Regular eye exams and visits to the eye care center can make a difference in your loved one’s comfort, confidence and quality of life. To schedule an appointment, contact Bettner Vision today. We have been making the process of caring for your eyes rewarding, convenient and stress-free since 1973.
Eye Surgery
Eye surgery is used to treat many types of medical issues that can impact your vision. These include cataracts, glaucoma, retinal tears, detached retina and diabetic retinopathy. Many of these procedures can be performed in the office using minimally invasive techniques. However, patients should discuss general anesthesia with their ophthalmologist to see if it is necessary or desired for their specific procedure.
In general, eye surgery is done under the use of monitored sedation. This will help you relax during the procedure and stay calm. However, some surgeries require the use of general anesthesia for young children because they cannot remain still enough under sedation. Before the surgery, you should tell your doctor if you have any medical conditions that could affect your ability to stay still or tolerate anesthesia.
There are several different types of eye surgeries, but refractive surgery is the most common. This involves the use of a laser to change the shape of your cornea or lens so that light rays focus properly on the retina. This helps correct common vision problems such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
Other surgical options include surgery that fixes muscle imbalances in the eye that lead to strabismus. This surgery can improve the alignment of the eyes and is commonly used to address crossed-eyes — also called lazy eye. Strabismus occurs when one or both of the eye muscles is weak and causes the eyes to point in different directions. Surgery to correct strabismus can involve altering where the eye muscles attach to the eyes or repositioning them.
During retinal surgery, the ophthalmologist uses either a freezing probe (cryopexy) or a laser to create small scars around a tear or hole in your retina. These scars will help your retina reattach. This type of surgery can also be used to fix a retinal hemorrhage or vitreous hemorrhage from diabetic retinopathy.
Glaucoma surgery may be able to prevent further damage to your optic nerves and lower your eye pressure. Your ophthalmologist may remove the eye’s excess fluid in a procedure called trabeculectomy or insert a tiny tube into your eye to help extra fluid drain away from the eye.