Eye Disease Diagnosis & Management in Sacramento

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that cause damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve plays a crucial role as it carries the information your eye receives to the brain, providing clear vision.

Damage from glaucoma is often caused by high pressure in the eye, known as intraocular pressure. However, it can also develop with normal intraocular pressure levels.

There are different types of glaucoma:

• Primary open-angle glaucoma (most common form)
• Angle-closure glaucoma
• Secondary glaucoma
• Normal-tension glaucoma

We recommend and use the iWellness exam to gather information about glaucoma and how it may be affecting your eyes and vision. Our team also implements applanation tonometry to detect changes in your eye pressure. This type of tonometry test is the most common and considered the most accurate for measuring eye pressure.

Cataracts occur when the eye’s natural lens becomes clouded. Cataracts are a natural part of the aging process, and usually, you’ll experience some form of cataracts by the time you turn 80.

Some common signs and symptoms of cataracts may include:

• Blurred or hazy vision
• Frequent changes in your prescription
• Reduced intensity of colors
• Increased difficulty seeing at night

Making healthy lifestyle choices like protecting your eyes with sunglasses or quitting smoking can help slow the progression of cataracts. Corrective lenses can help provide clear vision when dealing with cataracts. However, when cataracts begin to affect your daily life and prevent you from going about your daily activities—surgery is the only option to remove them.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a vision condition that affects central vision by damaging the macula. AMD is a progressive condition and a leading cause of vision loss among older adults.

Around 11 million people in the US are affected by AMD, and there are 2 main types of AMD to look out for:

• Dry AMD is the more common form of the disease and occurs in early, intermediate, and late stages. Dry AMD usually progresses over several years and results from the macula thinning with age.
• Wet AMD is the less common form of the disease and results in faster and more severe vision loss. Wet AMD happens when abnormal blood vessels grow and leak in the back of the eye and cause damage to the macula.

Our team uses powerful diagnostic tools like the Optovue OCT and the iWellness Exam to get a closer look at your eyes and monitor the progression of macular degeneration. Prevention methods like giving up smoking and switching to a healthier diet can also help slow the progression of the disease.