For treatment or diagnosis of a vision disorder, schedule an appointment today.
Vision disorders can have a huge impact on your daily life. When you need diagnosis or treatment for your vision disorder, Visionary Eye Doctors is here for you. Our experienced board-certified optometrists and ophthalmologists work diligently with each patient to assess eye health and recommend a plan for your clearest and most comfortable vision. Our optometrists work closely with our ophthalmologists to meet the needs of each patient.
Vision disorders are not always obvious, but they affect many people every day. Fortunately, there are treatments and options available if you are experiencing a vision disorder.
The common vision disorders we treat are:
Astigmatism
Asymmetric steepening of the cornea or natural lens causes light to be focused unevenly, which is the main optical problem in astigmatism. To individuals with uncorrected astigmatism, images may look blurry or shadowed. Astigmatism can accompany any form of refractive error and is very common.
Astigmatism can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses, corneal relaxing incisions, laser vision correction, and special implant lenses.
Keratoconus
Men and women with keratoconus typically present with myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism. Some are surprised to learn that they have keratoconus which results in a thinning of the corneal tissue. This thinning, combined with the normal pressure from within the eye, causes the cornea to bulge, changing from round to cone-shaped and distorting vision.
Keratoconus causes a steepening of the corneal curve that happens gradually. As the cornea changes shape from round to more cone-like, vision deteriorates. In most cases, the changes in the cornea due to keratoconus begin in the teen years and stabilize at about 30 years of age. Patients are almost always left highly nearsighted with astigmatism.
The cause of keratoconus is unclear, although it is believed to be hereditary and environmental factors like allergens can worsen the condition. The changes from keratoconus may progress quickly or gradually; they may also stop altogether or continue over decades. It is not uncommon for keratoconus to present first in only one eye, however both eyes will eventually be affected.
Diagnosing keratoconus involves measuring the shape of the cornea, usually with corneal topography, which captures an image of the cornea in seconds.
At Visionary Eye Doctors, we are fortunate to have our Johns Hopkins, Wilmer Eye Institute, fellowship-trained cornea specialist, Daniel Sarezky, MD for the optimal treatment of this condition.
When glasses alone don’t do the trick, keratoconus is often treated with specialty contact lenses to improve your vision. Additionally, Dr. Sarezky can help keratoconus patients to have clearer vision with the Corneal Collagen Crosslinking (CXL) procedure to stop the progression and strengthen your cornea. Ultimately, as the condition progresses, it may be necessary for a corneal transplant surgery using the latest techniques.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness)
Farsighted individuals typically develop problems reading up close before the age of 40. The farsighted eye is usually slightly shorter than a normal eye and may have a flatter cornea. Thus, the light of distant objects focuses behind the retina unless the natural lens can compensate fully. Near objects require even greater focusing power to be seen clearly and therefore, blur more easily.
LASIK, refractive lens exchange, and contact lenses are a few of the options available to correct farsightedness.
Myopia (Nearsightedness)
Nearsighted individuals typically have problems seeing well at a distance and are forced to wear glasses or contact lenses. The nearsighted eye is usually longer than a normal eye, and its cornea may also be steeper. Therefore, when light passes through the cornea and lens, it is focused in front of the retina. This will make distant images appear blurred.
Eyeglasses, contact lenses, and refractive surgery solutions available to correct nearly all levels of nearsightedness.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a condition that typically becomes noticeable for most people around age 45. In children and young adults, the lens inside the eye can easily focus on distant and near objects. With age, the lens loses its ability to focus adequately.
Although presbyopia is not completely understood, it is thought that the lens and its supporting structures lose the ability to make the lens longer during close vision effort. To compensate, affected individuals usually find that holding reading material further away makes the image clearer. Ultimately, aids such as reading glasses are typically needed by the mid-40s.
Besides glasses, presbyopia can be dealt with in a number of ways. Options include: monovision and multifocal contact lenses, monovision laser vision correction, and new presbyopia correcting implant lenses.
If you are experiencing one of the above vision disorders, the first step is to set up an appointment with one of our eye care specialists. We will examine your eyes for signs and symptoms of possible vision disorders and explain all of the options clearly and honestly.
Contact us today to learn more about vision disorder treatments and solutions.
Whether your last eye examination was last year or in the last decade, our highly trained team of expert eye doctors at Visionary Eye Doctors can provide you with a comprehensive eye examination to help maintain or improve your visual health. Call us today at (301) 591-1763, or click here to schedule your eye exam online.