Primary eye care includes a vision and comprehensive eye health examination. Eye Health examinations are designed to detect a wide range of problems effecting vision function and all types of eye diseases. Our doctors recommend annual eye exams for vision stability, early detection, and possible prevention and management of ocular disease. We are dedicated to educating our patients about their vision and eye health needs. We welcome all of your questions.
Traverse City is home to some of the best eye specialists (ophthalmologists and optometrists) whom we work closely with to help diagnose and treat the different types of ocular disease and trauma.
The best way to maintain healthy eyes and to protect your vision is to have regular comprehensive eye examinations. Traverse Eye Care Services provides diagnosis, treatment, and management of diseases which affect the human eye and visual system.
Many eye diseases have no early symptoms. With some ocular diseases, you may have no change in your vision until the disease has become advanced.
Make an appointment today for an eye examination to assess the overall health of your eyes.
A clouding or opacity of the natural internal lens of the eye. This opacity may be a small spot or may cover the entire lens. When light enters the eye it is scattered, causing images to appear hazy and blurred. There are many different types of cataracts. Ultimately, the best treatment is to remove the cataract lens and replace it with an acrylic man made lens. This is referred to as cataract surgery.
A condition when a diabetic person's blood sugar gets too high. High blood sugar levels start a series of events which end in damaged blood vessel walls. As such, the blood vessels begin to leak fluid or bleed, causing the retina to swell and form deposits know as exudates. Vision can be lost if these spots are not watched and treated. Here, at our office, we carefully examine the back of your eyes to follow and manage this and other important eye diseases.
Occurs when the normal flow of tears over the eyes is interrupted, or the tear film is abnormal. In many cases, dry eye syndrome is a lifelong problem. You can relieve the symptoms, but not cure the original cause. Artificial tear lubricants or in some cases blocking the tear ducts will concentrate the limited tears that are available.
A disorder that occurs when the cornea, which is typically rounded, becomes cone-shaped. The progression is usually slow and can stop at any stage from mild to severe. This distortion increases as the cornea bulges and thins. The apex of the cornea often scars, reducing the vision. Treatment of Keratoconus is most effective with gas permeable contact lenses, designed specifically for the irregular corneal surface. If contact lens treatment is not successful, surgical corneal transplant may be necessary.
A condition in which the central part of the back of the eye loses blood circulation. It is considered a natural aging process. There is a breakdown of retinal pigment epithelium cells in the macular region. As the disease progresses, central vision diminishes. It is believed that this breakdown may be due to a lack of nutrients being supplied to the region. Additional studies have found a genetic link to this disease. Treatment can range from better nutritional management, sometimes to include a tablet containing the primary minerals and vitamins that are found lacking in many macular degenerated patients.
Eye injuries can occur at any time. Our office is equiped to handle most eye injuries. The primary instrument we use is a biomicroscope, sometimes referred to as a slit lamp. The biomicroscope has a high magnification and is particularly designed to aid us in evaluating the extent of an eye injury. Whether it is a laceration, foreign particle embedded or a burn, the biomicroscope is the primary tool to carefully examination the injury.
This may include, wood, plastic, metal or many others, the most common injury is a hot iron metallic foreign body embedded in the cornea. Grinding or drilling in iron or other metals will release particles that are hot and when they hit the eyes they embed themselves in the cornea. If it is iron, as in the example, it will immediately begin to rust due to the salty consistency of our tears. When the metal particle is removed, there is a remaining rust deposit that has infiltrated the surrounding cornea. We have experience at removing these rust spots. If the foreign particle was embedded in the central visual axis of the cornea, there may be a scar remaining which could affect the patient's ultimate visual acuity. Safety glasses are always recommended to prevent these types of injuries.
Contusions, otherwise referred to as a "black eye" can result in more than just the obvious bruises on the face. The retina is the nerve tissue that senses light which lines the back of the eye. There is a blood vessel layer under the retina. This is very delicate and sensitive tissue.
A compression type of injury can knock the retina loose and cause bleeding underneath. These examples show both retinal hemorrhage and retinal detachment. Both can result in blindness to the effected eye. Immediate examination and subsequent treatment is needed in these type of injuries.