Board Certified Eye Doctor Serving Richmond Heights Florida

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Are you searching for a board certified eye doctor in Richmond Heights, FL? Dr. Maria Briceno Martin at Lakes Eye Care would like to show you what it means to have an eye doctor that cares work for you

Make an Appointment!

Are you looking for an affordable eye doctor in or near Richmond Heights, Florida? If you are! Then, is it more than likely that you will do what many of local residents in Richmond Heights do! Go to Yelp in search of the best eye doctor in Richmond Heights. With that said it is important to point out that many polls show that people looking for What Is An Ophthalmology Doctor often end up with lesser quality service than those whose ask for referrals from co-workers. That is because nowadays a good number of Richmond Heights eye doctor count on Reputation Management agencies to provide them with artificial reviews. One thing you cannot fake is credentials and that is what Dr. Maria Briceno Martin at Lakes Eye Care Center bring to the table. Professional in both Miami-Dade and Broward travel to Miami Lakes to see her because they expect getting nothing but the best a eye doctor near Richmond Heights, FL can offer. …and if you haven’t see your optometrist as of late perhaps it is time you do so.

Should You Receive An Eye Exam

If you would like to maintain your eyes as healthy as you possibly can, you will need to invest time and money in routine eye exams. Below, we are going to review some points that you must mull over when getting one; who to see, and when it needs to be done. Here are some points to deliberate.

Family Health History – Probably the most important matters that you will need to consider while you are deciding if you should have an eye exam and what type of eye test, could be your family history. You should include your family health history when you are considering whether or not to have one because plenty of eye diseases and conditions may be inherited through geneics. When your family has a medical history of eye diseases, you will be at increased risk also.
Trouble Seeing – When you are experiencing difficulty seeing, whether it’s daytime or nighttime, you will have to get an eye exam completed. This way, it will be easy to determine what has caused your vision to be blurry. This really is something you should be taking very seriously as it could get worst if not dealt with.
How Old You Are – The older you get, the greater the chances you will have some form of eye troubles that will need to be resolved.While a lot more children are finding their eyesight deteriorating whether as a result of excessive hours spent on mobile devices or another reason, you are generally going to have to see the optometrist much more frequently as you get older. Folks who are between 18 and 60 needs to have a minimum of one eye exam every 2 years. Whereas, the ones that are 61 and older should have an annual eye test.
Earlier Eye Injuries – Another major thing that you need to take into account in relation to identifying whether or not it is worth getting an exam is whether you have a background of eye injuries that could make you vulnerable to eye degeneration.

Who Must You Seek Help From?

You can find kinds of eye care pros that you can choose from. Following, we are going to be going through tips to determining the person you should see.

Optometrists – This eye doctor is usually who you should call if you have fairly healthy eyesight and you just need simple alterations and adjustments like glasses, contact lenses, and more. This type of eye doctor will be able to detecting eye diseases also, nevertheless they might not normally be skilled or licensed to perform surgery.
Ophthalmologists – These are generally medical doctors that specialize in specific eye care and are licensed and educated to conduct eye surgery of a particular nature. They can also be better suited to deal with many types of eye diseases and conditions.
Opticians – Opticians will not be medical doctors. These are eye care pros who were proficient at fitting glasses.

Overall, there is a lot that you need to be considering when you are planning to have your eyes examined. Ideally, you must have them looked at regularly and periodically. Should you be someone with a specific condition or maybe you are at increased risk for a specific worstening eye condition, you must increase your visits to be much more frequent. At the end of the day we only have one set of eyes and it is vital that we take care of it… For additional information about the role of an eye doctor take a look at our blog where we debate thing like Lasek Evaluation. And if you haven’t gone to see your Richmond Heights optometrist this year contact us. We’ll like to show you why people who seek the best optometrist in Richmond Heights are not satisfied with nothing but the best!

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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.