Dry Eye Treatment

What Conditions Does Medical Eye Disease Testing Cover?

When you get medical eye disease testing in Corinth, MS at Corinth Eye Clinic, your optometrist has access to a range of diagnostic results to use for detecting dangerous conditions that threaten your vision. Not only will your eye doctor be able to offer treatment plans, but the optometrist may be able to provide early detection, which is always a positive factor in terms of outcome. Here are some of the conditions that medical eye disease testing covers:

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an insidious eye condition that often has no visible symptoms for the person. Yet, it threatens eyesight because it can lead to blindness unless detected and treated as early as possible. Millions of people around the world have some stage of glaucoma. With medical eye disease testing, early detection and treatment is possible.

Macular Degeneration

Medical eye disease testing is especially helpful for older patients who may be experiencing age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This condition negatively impacts the macula of the eye, which is the part responsible for clarity of vision. With retinal imaging and optical coherence tomography—part of medical eye disease testing—progression can be slowed and vision may be preserved.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a secondary condition that often happens to patients who have diabetes. It’s especially dangerous when the underlying diabetes has not been diagnosed or treated, or is not being actively managed. With the help of medical eye disease testing, the earliest signs of diabetic retinopathy may be detected, which can help to stop its progression and save eyesight.

Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment can happen suddenly for a variety of reasons, including ones that can’t be predicted, such as eye trauma and motor vehicle accidents. But sometimes there are early indicators that the retina is in danger of detachment due to underlying eye health problems. That’s where medical eye disease testing can be incredibly helpful, through early detection, diagnosis and treatment.

Whether or not you have any underlying conditions that threaten eye health, and no matter the age, you should strive to get medical eye disease testing at least once a year. Contact your Corinth, MS optometrist at Corinth Eye Clinic today to book your appointment.

Don’t Forget to Make Annual Eye Exams Part of Your Diabetic Care Plan

When diabetic blood sugar levels remain high over an extended period, damage to the blood vessels and nerves of the eyes can occur. The best way to prevent serious and permanent damage is to schedule adiabetic eye exam in Corinth MS at least once a year.

Visual Risks Associated with Diabetes

The retina in each eye is at the greatest risk of sustaining long-term damage due to diabetes. Your retina sits at the back of the eye and is responsible for transforming incoming light into electrical signals and sending those signals to the brain.

The macula is part of the retina, which is the part of the eye that allows you to see fine details. Each macula receives support from blood vessels located in and near the retina. When the blood vessels sustain damage, you start developing the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy. Swelling, bleeding, or leaking of the blood vessels causes vision changes, including blindness.

People with diabetes are also at a much higher risk of developing glaucoma, a condition that damages the optic nerves of the eyes.

What to Expect at Your Diabetic Eye Exam

The diabetic eye exam includes several tests to determine your level of visual clarity and whether you have diabetic damage. These include:

  • Dilation: Your optometrist places drops in your eyes that widen your pupils. The specialty eye drops make it possible for your eye doctor to see the back of your eye to look for swelling, leaking of fluids, cataracts, nerve damage, and other symptoms that require prompt attention.
  • Retinal imaging: This device allows our eye doctors to notice subtle changes to your eye health that otherwise would have gone undetected.
  • Tonometry: The tonometry test measures pressure in your eyes. Excessive pressure in the eyes is a leading sign of glaucoma.
  • Visual acuity testing: This test involves your eye doctor placing a chart with letters at varying sizes and boldness levels several feet away from you to determine the lowest line you can read.

Each of these tests lets our optometry team know whether diabetes has caused any visual changes for you or is likely to in the future. Please schedule yourdiabetic eye exam in Corinth MS today to stay ahead of these very real threats to your vision.