Knowing Diabetic Eye Disease

by Administrator 6. September 2010 16:47

Irreversible blindness is one of the leading outcomes of Diabetes Mellitus. This disease is one of the major reasons for blindness in people who are younger than 65 years of age. Also it is a leading cause of a range of problems that can affect the eyes of the individual for example:

  • It may lead to a temporary, reversible blurring of the vision or it can cause a permanent loss of eyesight.
  • Diabetes Mellitus increases the danger of developing glaucoma and cataract.

Many people suffering from Diabetic Mellitus doesn’t even realize for years that they are suffering from it. They only come to know about it when they experience vision or eye related problems.
Diabetic Eye Disease is a collective name for the various eye diseases that can occur in a person due to Diabetes. The most common being:

  1. Diabetic Retinopathy
  2. Cataract
  3. Glaucoma

Diabetic Retinopathy: This is caused due to swelling and leakage of blood vessel on to retina. It is also caused due to growth of new blood vessel on retina. It usually affects the both eyes and you may not be able to notice any symptoms in the initial stages.

Cataract: It is a clouding that develops in the lens of the eye. If a patient has diabetes the chances of getting cataract at younger age gets high. The most common symptoms are blurred or glared vision.

Glaucoma: Glaucoma occurs when the fluid in the eyes does not drain properly and pressure builds up in the eye. The most common symptoms include headaches, eye aches and pain, watering eyes, blurred vision, loss of vision and halos around lights.

Each of the problems has a specific treatment which can include eye surgery, medications, laser treatment and eye drops administration.

For more information on the same, feel free to call us at 254-634-7805.

Eye Doctor Killeen - Eye Doctor Fort Hood

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Healthy Lifestyle For Eyecare

by Administrator 24. May 2010 15:59

If you want to retain the health and wellness of your eyes, it is very important to eat the proper foods containing essential vitamins and minerals. People with bad eating habits are prone to get eye diseases much more easily than health conscious ones.

One of the best ways to reduce the risk of eye problems is to enhance the amount of antioxidants in your meals. These are good for protecting your heart, eyes and even the immune system. Major antioxidants like Vitamin C, E and A help in avoiding eye disorders like cataract, macular degeneration and glaucoma.

Mainly, the natural sources of antioxidants include vegetables and fruits, especially with high pigmentation. You must buy fruits and vegetables with more color and eat them raw to gain maximum benefits. However, too much intake of antioxidants can also lead to problems.

Doctors often recommend Vitamin A for keeping your eyes healthy. This can be found in eggs, fruits and vegetables. Milk also contains good amount of Vitamin A. Its proper consumption ensures appropriate functioning of retina and prevents night blindness. Vitamin A also helps in delaying age-related cataract and macular degeneration.

Apart from Vitamin A, you can also strengthen your eyes with proper consumption of Vitamin C. Its multiple benefits include stronger bones and muscles, better immunity, healthier teeth and good vision. Usually, Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, strawberries, sweet potatoes, broccoli, orange juice and green peppers. Consuming a high amount of Vitamin E can also aid in minimizing the risk of eye diseases like cataract. This can be easily found in green vegetables, cereal and nuts.

Minerals are just as important as Vitamins for maintaining healthy eyes. The key minerals that promote oxidation include Zinc and Selenium. These help your body in absorbing antioxidants and preventing eye problems. Food products like cheese, red meat, pork, yogurt and fortified cereal contain Zinc while Selenium is present in rice, enriched breads, walnuts, cheese and macaroni. Make sure that you get the right quantity of minerals in your diet so that your eyes remain healthy.

Visit us at Killeen Eyecare Center for complete eye check up. We serve Killeen, Fort Hood and Harker Heights regions in Texas and have state-of-the-art equipment to provide eyecare solutions.

Eye Doctor Fort Hood - Optometrist Fort Hood

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Better Vision With Correct Eye Glasses

by Administrator 22. March 2010 15:00

For many years, people have been using eye glasses for vision correction. The lens in your eyeglasses brings clarity as well as safety to your eyes. Traditionally, eyeglasses were available in the form of pince-nez, monocle, scissor glasses and lorgnette but the latest designs include nose and temple padding for greater comfort.

Along with the style, there has been a change in the materials used for making eyeglasses. While glass is still used, new synthetic materials like plastic, CR-39 and polycarbonate have been incorporated to increase the durability and ease-of-use for eyeglasses. These materials also offer protection for the eyes against harmful UV rays, fix higher eye abnormalities and transmit light in a much better way than glass lenses.

Scratch resistance and anti-reflective coating are also new features of modern eyeglasses. These are very effective for glare reduction and improved night vision. Buying hydrophobic glasses allows you to resist dirt and water barring your vision and makes it easier to clean your eyeglasses.

Before you buy any particular eyeglasses, ask your optometrist or doctor for advice. The purpose of eyeglasses is to correct vision by combining the lenses in glasses with your eye lenses. Usually, vision problems like farsightedness, astigmatism and nearsightedness require prescription glasses.

On the other hand, safety eyeglasses may be needed to shield the eyes from chemicals, flying debris or other dangerous materials. People working in laboratories or heavy equipment industries must wear eyeglasses to safeguard their eyes from hazardous exposure.

While eye glasses for vision correction are highly recommendable, it is also important to buy good sunglasses to protect the eyes against UV rays. These may be prescriptive or non prescriptive. In recent times, photo chromatic lenses are being used in eyeglasses to serve the dual purpose of vision correction as well as keeping out the sun.

Contact Killeen Eyecare Center for all kind of Eye Glasses.

Optometrist Fort Hood - Eye Doctor Fort Hood

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Myopia - Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

by Administrator 22. February 2010 08:27

Myopia or near sightedness is an eye defect in which the image of the object being seen is formed in front of the retina, unlike the normal image formation on the retina. This causes near placed objects to be viewed clearly, but objects that are situated far off appears to be blurred. The two causes of myopia are: either the eye ball is too wide or the cornea is too steep which leads to formation of the image in front of the retina, rather than on it. As the image is formed on the vitreous inside the eye, this leads to the formation if a blurred image.

Symptoms of Myopia

The main symptoms of this eye defect include blurred viewing of far off objects, extreme headaches and giddiness while concentrating on far off objects. While looking at distant objects, myopic people tend to squint their eyes.

Diagnosis of Myopia

A patient's vision for the detection of myopia is tested by making him read letters or numbers on a chart posted a set distance away (nearly 20 ft). The investigating doctor/ optometrist asks the patient to look at and read the board through a variety of lenses to obtain the best correction.  Optometrist concerned also carefully examines the inside of the eye and the retina. An instrument known as a slit lamp is used to examine the cornea and the eye lens. The prescription for the corrective eyeglass is written in terms of dioptres (D), which measure the degree of refractive error. Based on this prescription, the patient can get the corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses made.

Treatment

There are 2 ways of treating the problem of myopia and achieving clear vision again. One can choose the preferred treatment by them on the basis of age, health, intensity of the defect and the cost factor. The two possible alternatives are:

  • Corrective lenses: According to the vision testing results, eye glasses or contact lenses with the prescribed power can be purchased and made use of for restoring proper vision. This is the best possible treatment as it is the least invasive, longest-standing, and the most adjustable option. In young age, the power keeps fluctuating time and again. Glasses and lenses can be changed from time to time. They are also more economical than other treatment i.e. Laser surgery.
  • Laser surgery:  Laser surgery is another widely accepted treatment for myopia. There is a good percentage of success rates in treating Myopia of eye through Laser Surgery. In most of the cases, a patient does not need to wear eye glasses or lens after surgery. In some cases, there may again occur the need to wear the glasses.

Prevention of Myopia

The following points should be taken care of, from an early age for prevention of myopia:

  • Do not watch T.V. or computer, continuously for long stretches of time. Take a break, wash your eyes and look around after every 40 minutes.
  • Watch T.V. from a distance. Do not sit too close and watch. It will strain and eventually damage the eye muscles.
  • Take a diet rich in vitamin A, with lots of papaya, carrots, milk products, cod liver oil and meat.
  • Get routine vision tests done.

Contact Killeen Eyecare Centre for Eye Glasses, Eye Exams and Eyecare consultation from experienced Eye Doctor in Killeen, Texas.

Contact Lenses Harker Heights - Eye Doctor Fort Hood

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