As you age you need to be more on guard against eye issues that can cause permanent vision loss. At Briggs Vision Group we can monitor your eye health and vision through annual eye exams. If you show signs of eye disease, we will provide you with an accurate diagnosis of your condition so you can get treatment. Professional eye disease management can help preserve your sight.

Seniors are susceptible to several eye diseases that can impair their vision. Many of these diseases are incurable and do not show symptoms until the damage is done. Through medications and treatments, we can help you manage your symptoms to protect your sight.

Here are some of the eye diseases we manage and treat:

Dry Eye

Dry eye occurs when your eyes stop producing sufficient quality tears to keep them lubricated and moist. As a result, they become dry, irritated, and itchy, making you more prone to eye infections and disease. Mild cases of dry eye can be treated with over-the-counter artificial tears to keep your eyes moist. For serious cases we may recommend prescription eye drops to stimulate tear production and manage symptoms.

Cataracts

Cataracts are cloudy protein deposits that develop over the lens of your eye obstructing your vision. This condition is more common in seniors, as the cataract develops slowly over the years. In the initial stages cataracts may not affect your sight. As cataracts grow, they begin to obstruct your vision. When cataracts interfere with daily living, we recommend you have cataract surgery. We offer pre- and post-operative care for cataract surgery.

Diabetic Retinopathy

If you have diabetes, you are prone to diabetic retinopathy, an incurable eye disease that can damage the retina of your eyes, which will impair your sight. Early detection and treatment are the key to reducing, delaying, or preventing vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma damages the optic nerve, causing you to lose your vision. Although there is no cure for this disease, symptoms can be managed with prescription eye drops, laser therapy, or surgical procedures to slow or prevent further vision loss.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

This disease attacks the macula of the eye, causing loss of central vision. There are two types of AMD: Dry AMD and Wet AMD. Diagnosed early, vitamin supplements and a healthy diet can help slow the progression of Dry AMD. In its early stages, symptoms of Wet AMD can often be managed through laser procedures or eye injections.

Myopia

What is myopia and what is the risk?

Myopia (nearsightedness) is a common refractive error in which the eyes do not focus light correctly causing distance vision to be blurred. When the eyeball is too long the light that enters the eye does not focus correctly. As the length of the eye increases as a child grows, there is a higher risk of complications such as retinal detachment, glaucoma, cataracts, and myopic macular degeneration. Globally, myopia is becoming more common and progressing more rapidly than it used to. A recent publication predicts that by 2050 more than half of the world’s population will have myopia. With myopia management our goal is to slow down the lengthening of the eye during a child’s growth, and therefore, slow the progression of myopia.

What causes myopia?

Although the exact reason some children become nearsighted, and others do not is not fully understood. Multiple factors have been linked to the progression of myopia: parents who are myopic, children spending more time doing near work (reading, screen time, etc.), and spending less time outdoors. Myopia is often discovered in children when they are elementary school age and worsens throughout the teenage years until early adulthood. Implementing myopia management during the early years can have the biggest impact on slowing down progression.

How can we control myopia?

There are several treatment options available!

Prevention: lifestyle modifications. Studies have shown myopia progression decreases as outdoor time increases. It is recommended to spend at least 90-120 minutes outdoors per day. It is also important to hold reading material and handheld devices at the level of the child’s elbow.

Soft contact lens option: MiSight contact lenses are the first and only FDA approved daily soft contact lenses that are used to slow progression of myopia. These have been shown to slow myopia progression up to 59%.

Hard contacts lens option: Orthokeratology (Ortho-K) is the use of specially designed and fitted rigid gas permeable lenses to temporarily reshape the cornea to improve vision. Typically, the lenses are worn at night to reshape the surface of the cornea while sleeping. Statistically, these lenses slow progression up to 45%.

See mykidsvision.org for more information about myopia. 

Hyperopia

Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, is a vision condition in which distant objects are usually seen more clearly than close ones. With
farsightedness. The shape of your eye prevents light from bending properly, so that light is aimed behind your retina instead of on your retina. For example, your eye may be shorter than normal (from front to back) or the cornea at the front of your eye may be too flat. This causes light rays to focus behind the retina. These vision problems may not develop until a person’s late teens and early adulthood. People who experience extreme farsightedness may have blurry vision regardless of distance.

How Does It Develop?

Normally, eyes focus images in front of the retina. In hyperopia the light focuses behind the retina which will create blurry vision and makes it difficult to see well in certain situations. This tends to happen if the eyeball is too short. This prevents light from focusing on the retina which would allow the person to see normally. Farsightedness can also develop if the cornea or lens are developed abnormally like astigmatism.Symptoms

Here are some various symptoms of farsightedness and how to look out for them.

• Recurring headaches
• Strain on your eyes
• Constant squinting
• Blurry vision. Far objects may become clearer whereas closer objects
  are harder to focus on.

Treatment

Fortunately, there are various methods available that can help an individual correct their vision. We can provide this service for you if you are experiencing the symptoms listed above. Typical treatments include eyeglasses, contact lenses, or refractive laser surgery.

Keratoconus

The cornea is the thin layer that coats the eye. This clear shield protects the eyeball and gives it structure. Those who suffer from keratoconus have an issue with the cornea that can affect how well they see. At Briggs Vision Group we provide treatment for the condition.

Definition of Keratoconus

Keratoconus is classified as a vision disorder that affects the front part of the eye, known as the cornea. If you have keratoconus, your cornea thins and becomes irregularly shaped, causing the cornea to bulge outward. The cornea causes the eye to shape like a cone since it is not strong enough to keep its round shape.

Symptoms of Keratoconus

This eye disorder causes blurry, clouded, or distorted vision. Sensitivity to glare or bright lights is possible, which interferes with driving at night. Those who have this condition often require frequent changes in their prescription The symptoms change as the disease progresses. Sometimes, the changes occur suddenly.

Typically, keratoconus symptoms begin when you are in your late teens or early twenties. In its early stages, the condition causes distorted vision and a sensitivity to light and glare. Keratoconus symptoms tend to progress for 10 to 20 years. At this point, these symptoms tend to slow. In some cases, the disease does not progress the same in each eye. You could have a significant decrease in vision. It is possible for the swelling to cause small cracks to develop, which could take weeks or months to heal.

Causes of Keratoconus

Currently, the cause of keratoconus is not known. Certain risk factors put you more at risk for the condition such as a family history of the condition. Rubbing your eyes vigorously can contribute, as well as other eye problems such as retinitis pigmentosa, hay fever, asthma, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome or Down syndrome. A low level of antioxidants contributes to the condition The antioxidants protect the cornea, and when there is an inadequate amount of them, the free radicals can damage the collagen fibers. When the fibers become damaged, the cornea will bulge.

Keratoconus Treatment

Keratoconus treatment for mild to moderate cases consists of contacts or glasses to correct vision problems. In most cases, the cornea stabilizes over the years. However, for conditions that continue to progress, surgery may be required. If you should happen to develop a tiny cut because of the condition, our optometrist will prescribe specialized eye drops to ease the discomfort.

If you have any symptoms of keratoconus, you should call us for an appointment today. Early detection can help stabilize the cornea and prevent the need for surgery.