Medical Eye Exam
A medical eye exam may result from any eye examination in which the patient does not present for a simple glasses prescription as covered by a comprehensive eye or if any medical condition of the eye is discovered or presents in the eye. Many eye examinations may be covered by your medical insurance provider if you have an existing condition that may cause issues in the eyes; this includes but is not limited to: diabetes, high blood pressure, arthritis, migraines etc. the eye is a window into the body and often times is the first presenting sign of changes in your health. In addition many eye conditions fall into a medical examination such as, cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, dry eyes, floaters etc. if you are unsure and would like to know if it may be covered by your insurance with your condition, feel free to give us a call.
Cataracts generally form very slowly. Signs and symptoms of a cataract may include:
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Blurred or hazy vision
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Reduced intensity of colors
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Increased sensitivity to glare from lights, particularly when driving at night
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Increased difficulty seeing at night
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Change in the eye's refractive error
Cataracts
A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area in the normally clear lens of the eye. Depending upon its size and location, it can interfere with normal vision. Most cataracts develop in people over age 55, but they occasionally occur in infants and young children. Usually cataracts develop in both eyes, but one may be worse than the other.
The lens is located inside the eye behind the iris, the colored part of the eye. Normally, the lens focuses light on the retina, which sends the image through the optic nerve to the brain.
However, if the lens is clouded by a cataract, light is scattered so the lens can no longer focus it properly, causing vision problems. The lens is made of mostly proteins and water. Clouding of the lens occurs due to changes in the proteins and lens fibers.
This eye disease occurs when there are changes to the macula, a small portion of the retina that is located on the inside back layer of the eye. AMD is a loss of central vision that can occur in two forms: "dry" (atrophic) and "wet" (exudative).Most people with macular degeneration have the dry form, for which there is no known treatment. The less common wet form may respond to laser procedures and medication injections, if diagnosed and treated early.
Macular Degeneration
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of severe vision loss in adults over age 50. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 1.8 million people have AMD and another 7.3 million are at substantial risk for vision loss from AMD.
Caucasians are at higher risk for developing AMD than other races. Women also develop AMD at an earlier age than men.
People with conjunctivitis may experience the following symptoms:
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A gritty feeling in one or both eyes
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Itching or burning sensation in one or both eyes
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Excessive tearing
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Discharge from one or both eyes
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Swollen eyelids
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Pink discoloration to the whites of one or both eyes
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Increased sensitivity to light
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is an inflammation or swelling of the conjunctiva. The conjunctiva is the thin transparent layer of tissue that lines the inner surface of the eyelid and covers the white part of the eye.
Often called "pink eye," conjunctivitis is a common eye disease, especially in children. It may affect one or both eyes. Some forms of conjunctivitis are highly contagious and can easily spread in schools and at home. While conjunctivitis is usually a minor eye infection, sometimes it can develop into a more serious problem.
If your symptoms are related to an eye allergy, chances are you will have problems in both eyes.
Typical symptoms include:
• Watery eyes
• Itchiness
• Sensitivity to light
• Redness
• Grittiness
• Eyelid swelling
Ocular Allergies
Also called allergic conjunctivitis or ocular allergy, eye allergy occurs when something you are allergic to irritates the conjunctiva. This is the delicate membrane covering the eye and the inside of the eyelid.
Like all allergies, allergic conjunctivitis starts when the immune system identifies an otherwise harmless substance as an allergen. This causes your immune system to overreact and produce antibodies called Immunoglobulin (IgE). These antibodies travel to cells that release chemicals which cause an allergic reaction. In this case, allergic reactions include eyes that water, itch, hurt or become red or swollen.
Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of blindness in the U.S. It most often occurs in people over age 40, although an infant (congenital) form of glaucoma exists. People with a family history of glaucoma, African Americans over the age of 40 and Hispanics over the age of 60 have an increased risk of developing glaucoma. Other risk factors include thinner corneas, chronic eye inflammation and taking medications that increase the pressure in the eyes.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that lead to progressive damage to the optic nerve. People with glaucoma can lose nerve tissue, resulting in vision loss.
The optic nerve is a bundle of about 1 million individual nerve fibers that transmits the visual signals from the eye to the brain. In the most common form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, the fluid pressure inside the eye increases. This increase in pressure may cause progressive damage to the optic nerve and loss of nerve fibers. Vision loss may result. Advanced glaucoma may even cause blindness.
Not everyone with high eye pressure will develop glaucoma, and some people with normal eye pressure will develop glaucoma. When the pressure inside a person's eye is too high for a particular optic nerve, whatever that pressure measurement may be, glaucoma will develop.