Regular eye exams are ‘best check’for eye disease

By Sally Rummel

Chances are that sometime in your life, you will experience some of the symptoms of several common diseases of the eye. Thanks to huge advancements in technology, remarkable improvement can be experienced for most patients with cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration.

  “So much more can be done today to treat eye disease,” said Doran Kasper, O.D., whose optometry practice has been located in Fenton for almost four decades.

Cataracts

 A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye’s focus, providing clear vision, both up close and far away.

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  The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it.

 As people age, some of the protein may clump together and start to cloud a small area of the lens. This is a cataract, and over time, it may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see.

 How do I know if I have cataracts?

  A cataract starts out small, and at first has little effect on one’s vision. Vision may be slightly blurred, like looking through a cloudy piece of glass.

 “Around the age of 50, the lens inside peoples’ eyes become cloudy enough that I can see it with my slit-lamp microscope which I use with my eye examination,” said Dr. Juan Alvarado from the Fenton Vision Center. “Eye doctors generally don’t diagnose ‘clinical’ cataracts until the cloudiness becomes vision impairing.”

  A cataract may make light from the sun or a lamp seem too bright or glaring. Night drivers may notice that the oncoming headlights cause more glare than before. Colors may not appear as bright as they once did.

 If you think you have a cataract, see an eye doctor for an exam to find out for sure.

  When cataract surgery becomes the best option, doctors at the Michigan Eye Institute say that there are fewer than half a dozen vision practices in the state of Michigan that offer their level of experience in cataract surgery.

 “We don’t use shots, needles or stitches during this 18-minute surgery,” said Dr. Bernard Tekiele. “Patients actually leave our center after surgery without an eye patch. They can expect a quick recovery with minimal limitations.

Glaucoma



  Glaucoma is a category of eye disorders associated with a dangerous build-up of internal eye pressure, which can damage the eye’s optic nerve that transmits visual information to the brain.

 If left untreated, patients will notice decreased peripheral vision and it can lead to blindness. In fact, glaucoma creates at least some vision loss in more than half of the approximately 2.5 million Americans who have the disease. It is the second leading cause of blindness.

  Glaucoma typically causes no pain and no symptoms, often progressing without detection until the optic nerve has already been irreversibly damaged, with varying degrees of permanent vision loss.

 There is no cure, but proper treatment can dramatically slow or temporarily halt its progress. Glaucoma can be treated with either medication or surgery — both aimed at lowering intraocular pressure (IOP), or pressure within the eye.

 In the U.S., medications are usually the first line of glaucoma treatment. If this fails, then glaucoma surgery is the next treatment considered.

Macular Degeneration

  Macular Degeneration (MD) is the most common cause of irreversible loss of central vision for senior citizens, according to the Fenton Vision Center.

 The macula is located in the center of the retina — the micro-thin membrane that lines the back inside of the eye. The retina has millions of light-sensitive nerve cells that capture images focused on the retina, according to Alvarado. These captured images are transmitted to the brain by the optic nerve.

 Any damage to the macula results in some loss of central vision.

 There are two forms of MD:

  The dry form affects about 90 percent of patients diagnosed with MD. It’s usually a gradual process that develops over the years and may affect only one eye. A person may notice more difficulty seeing with one eye than the other, a distortion of straight lines or small dark spots in the field of vision.

The wet form is less common, but has more devastating vision loss. It occurs when tiny blood vessels in the micro-thin layer of tissue beneath the retina begin to degenerate, causing tiny leaks. This can cause swelling and breaks or lesions in the retina, damaging the retina’s light-sensitive nerve cells.

 “There is no cure for macular degeneration, but there are ways to help cure or delay its progression,” said doctors at the Michigan Eye Institute. Patients who have the disease or a relative with the disease are encouraged to eat a variety of green leafy vegetables, take a multi-vitamin containing lutein, and fish oil or flaxseed supplements for omega-3 fatty acids.

 According to Fenton Vision Center, lasers have been used to treat the wet form of MD, but the best results come from finding the cause, and treat that to slow its progression. “We offer dialation to everyone regardless of age for all diseases,” said Alvarado. “A thorough annual eye exam is the best protection for your vision.”