Board Certified Optometrist Serving Opa-locka Florida

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Are you searching for a board certified eye doctor in or near Opa-locka, FL? Dr. Maria Briceno Martin at Lakes Eye Care would like to invite you to our family practice

Make an Appointment

Are you looking for a board certified optometrist in or near Opa-locka, Florida? If you are! Then, is it more than likely that you will do what the majority of families in Opa-locka do! Go to social media in search of the best optometrist in Opa-locka. If you belong to this group it is important to highlight that many polls show that families looking for Eye Doctor often end up with lesser quality service than those whose seek out for referrals from co-workers. This is because today a good number of Opa-locka optometrist depend SEO companies to provide them with artificial reviews. Something you can’t fake is qualifications and that is what Dr. Maria Briceno Martin at LakesEyeCare.Com bring to the table. Individuals in both Dade and Broward County come to see her because they expect getting nothing but the best a optometrist in Opa-locka, Florida can offer! And if you have not see your optometrist as of late perhaps it is time you do so.

When Should You Have An Eye Test

If you would like to make your eyes as healthy as you possibly can, you will need to give money and time in routine eye exams. Below, we will be going over some things that you must consider when having and eye test; who you should see, and when it needs to be done. Here are some points to deliberate.

Individual Health History – Just about the most important things that you will want to consider if you are deciding whether or not to get an eye exam and what type of eye test, will be your family history. You want to include your individual health history if you are trying to puzzle out whether or not to get one because lots of eye conditions and diseases may be passed from genetation to generation. If your family has a medical history of eye diseases, you happen to be at increased risk also.
Trouble Seeing – When you are having trouble seeing, whether it’s daytime or nighttime, you need to get an eye test completed. That way, it is possible to understand what is causing your vision to become blurry. This really is something that you need to be taking very seriously as it could worsen if left unattended.
How Old You Are – The older you happen to be, the greater the chances you are going to have some form of eye problems which should be resolved.While a growing number of kids are finding their eyesight failing whether as a result of over use of technology devices or something else, you are definitely going to need to visit the optometrist much more regularly as you age. People who are 18 to 60 must have a minimum of one eye text every 2 years. But, people who are 61 and older must have an annual eye exam.
Previous Eye Injuries – Another huge point that you need to think over with regards to identifying whether it’s worth having an exam is if you have a past of eye injuries which might leave you susceptible to eye degeneration.

Who Should You See?

There are actually different types of eye care pros that you can pick from. Below, we will be laying out ways to identifying the person you should see.

Optometrists – He or She is typically who you should see if you have relatively healthy eyesight and you just need simple corrections and modifications such as glasses, contact lenses, and more. They are going to be able to treating eye diseases too, nevertheless they may not normally be skilled or licensed to perform surgery.
Ophthalmologists – They are medical doctors that specialize in exact eye care and will be certified and qualified to perform eye surgery of a certain nature. They can also be more appropriate to take care of various eye diseases and conditions.
Opticians – They will not be medical doctors. These are eye care experts who have been proficient at fitting glasses.

Overall, there is lots that you need to be considering when you are planning to have your eyes looked at. Ideally, you need to get them tested routinely and periodically. In case you are someone who has a specific condition or you are at increased risk for a particular worstening eye condition, you will need to increase your visits to be much more frequent. At the end of the day we only have one set of eyes and it is important that we take care of it. For more information about the role of an optometrist visit at our blog where we talk about thing like Eye Glasses. And if you haven’t visited your Opa-locka eye doctor as of late give us a call. We’ll love to show you why individuals who seek the best optometrist in Opa-locka don’t settle for less!

New Blog Post Related to Eye Doctor in Opa-locka FL

All You Need to Know About Keratoconus

Keratoconus is an eye disease that can occur in one or both of the eyes, and it usually starts during the teenage years. The cornea which is normally round, progressively starts to bulge and look like a cone. Because of this, the light is deflected on its way to the retina, and is causing a distorted vision.

Keratoconus Symptoms

What initially appears as a myopia (nearsightedness) or astigmatism, then evolves. The patient needs a new prescription for eyeglasses each time they visit the doctor, since the cornea is constantly changing its shape. Symptoms include:

Distorted vision
Blurred vision
Glare
Light sensitivity

Causes of Keratoconus

The latest research is showing that this eye condition occurs because of an imbalance of the enzymes inside the cornea. This allows the cornea to be affected by free radicals (oxidative damage), become weaker and then bulge forward. Causes may include:

A genetic predisposition (usually if parents have this condition it is most likely to be transmitted to kids)
Too much exposure to UV rays from the sun
Rubbing the eyes too much
Wearing misfit contact lenses
A chronic irritation of the eye

Keratoconus Treatment

Initially this condition can be corrected with prescription glasses or soft contact lenses. But as it progresses and the cornea becomes more irregular, these measures won’t help anymore. There are other methods that can cure keratoconus, they are as follows:

Corneal crosslinking

This method is also known as CXL and it implies strengthening the corneal tissue in order to stop it from changing its shape. This procedure has 2 possible options: the epithelium-off and the epithelium-on. When the epithelium-off crosslinking is made, the outer layer of the cornea is removed in order to allow riboflavin to enter. This is then activated with UV light and it strengthens the cornea. During the other method (epithelium-on), the tissue is left intact. While it does take more time for the riboflavin to enter the cornea, it also has fewer side effects (such as an infection or discomfort). The recovery of the sight also takes place much faster. These methods are efficient in most cases and reduce the need for corneal transplants. They are also used in order to prevent or to treat complications after corrective surgeries such as LASIK. Sometimes they are also combined with other methods in order to offer the best results.

Custom soft contact lenses

This kind of lens has been recently introduced and it can correct mild or moderate forms of keratoconus. Since this condition is unique to each and every person, these lenses are custom made for each one of them. This means that they are more comfortable as well. There are various types of such lenses made by different companies, and they can correct up to 30 diopters of myopia or hyperopia, and up to -12 diopters of astigmatism.

Gas permeable contact lenses

If the previous methods don’t work, then this one is preferred. These lenses cover the irregular shape of the cornea with a smooth and uniform surface that is also refractive. This method is time consuming and you might need to do multiple visits to your doctor in order to fine tune the lenses until they offer perfect vision. As the keratoconus progresses and the cornea changes its shape again, more tuning will be needed.

“Piggybacking” contact lenses

The previous methods can be uncomfortable for some patients, so many practitioners prefer this one. It involves the process of “piggybacking” the two types of lenses mentioned before on the same eye. Usually a soft contact lens is added on the eye surface, and then a gas permeable lens is added on top of it. This process needs to be supervised by your doctor in order to make sure that enough oxygen reaches the eye surface.

Hybrid contact lenses

These lenses are also a combination of the two types mentioned above. They offer the clear optics of a gas permeable contact lens combined with the comfort of wearing a soft lens. They are available in various shapes and sizes in order to adapt with the irregular eye affected by keratoconus.

Scleral and semi scleral lenses

Their name comes from the fact that they are much larger than the gas permeable lenses, covering a part of the white of the eye (the sclera). Scleral lenses are larger, while semi scleral ones only cover a small part. Thanks to their shape they don’t apply any pressure to the eye, so they are more comfortable. They are also more stable, compared to other types which move with each blink of the eye.

Prosthetic lenses

Because of some cases of keratoconus are very severe, none of the methods above doesn’t work. In this case a prosthetic lens may be the right solution. For severe or untreatable eyes, prosthetic lenses have worked very well since the 1990’s, restoring eye sight, reducing the symptoms and improving the quality of life. Since then various companies are making their own prosthetic lenses, each with its own benefits.

Intacs

When glasses no longer provide a clear vision, intacs are needed. These are corneal inserts with the shape of an arc that are surgically placed on the cornea to reshape its surface. The entire procedure takes only 10 minutes, and these implants are also removable and can be changed. They can’t prevent a corneal transplant if the condition is still progressing, but they can delay it for a few years.

Topography guided conductive keratoplasty

Simply known as CK, this procedure helps to smooth the irregularities on the surface of the cornea. A topographic map of the eye is first created, and then radio waves are used to reshape it.

Corneal transplant

If all the previous methods don’t work anymore or if the person simply can’t stand to wear a lens, then a corneal transplant may be the only solution left. It is also known as penetrating keratoplasty (PK) and it does not guarantee a perfect vision. Even after the transplant, some patients may still need to wear glasses or lenses. If you suffer from keratoconus or feel like your vision could be better, please follow up with your eye doctor to discuss your treatment options. Thank you for reading.