
Wide Field Imaging
A good photo of the back of your eye is essential to making sure you have a thorough eye exam. The eye doctors in our Amarillo office include wide field imaging in every well eye exam.
Learn MoreA good photo of the back of your eye is essential to making sure you have a thorough eye exam. The eye doctors in our Amarillo office include wide field imaging in every well eye exam.
Learn MoreGetting your eyes checked yearly is one of the best things you can do. It keeps your vision sharp. But that’s not all. Getting your eyes examined by a caring optometrist is an excellent way to make sure your vision stays good for a long time.
Even if don’t need glasses or contacts, getting a regular eye exam is an excellent idea. Our optometrists call these regular eye exams well eye exams. Even though things are healthy, our eye doctors will look closely at your eye. We look for things like how well the eye is lubricating to prevent them from developing dryness. We look at how healthy the nerves of your eye are (our eye doctors are glaucoma specialists). And we look at the back of your eye to make sure it’s not being damaged by something that you aren’t aware of, like high blood pressure.
One of the biggest changes in the quality of your eye exams is wide field imaging. This gives you a really good look at the eye. This is especially true when used with a dilation drop. Think of it as the keyhole effect. The closer you get to a key hole the larger the view of the room is on the other side right? That’s the same concept here. Your eye doctor can get a really good look with a retinal image. This technology is available at most optometrists in Amarillo. But we may be the only eye doctor near you that’s including this level of technology for free, as a courtesy to you. It’s only available in the Amarillo location.
1 or 2? The refraction is the part of the eye exam where the eye doctor sees what power lens (if any) will help you see better. It’s the part where the doctor will flip between two images or rows of letters and ask you which one looks clearer. One nice feature our eye exams have is that the doctor can split the image you see. So you can pick which is better, right or left. It’s kind of nice to be able to look at both images at once instead of flipping back and forth.
And we take most medicaid plans, VSP and Eyemed (learn more here)
Lubricating drops are available for dry eye relief. You may hear them called artificial tears. They will help your eyes supplement tear production You can use them a few times each day to keep your eyes from becoming irritated.
Find Out MoreDry eyes are very common, especially in areas like Amarillo. Low humidity and high winds will test your eyes ability to stay lubricated. You may also be exposed to other things that increase dry eyes, like cell phones and computers. If you have dry eyes you may experience itching or burning in your eyes. Or it may feel like you have something stuck on your eye. If you’re suffering from dry eye, there are treatments available. And those treatments can be found at an eye doctor near you. Like the ones here at Balfour Optical..
If your dry eye is first starting then you may just need an artificial tear. Part of what causes dry eyes is your body doesn’t produce enough tears, or the tear doesn’t have enough lubrication. By using an artificial tear, you can directly supplement your body tear production. It can give you relief from the annoying feeling of scratchiness that comes with dry eyes. Our eye doctors will always recommend you to use non-preservative drops. A drop like OPTASE is non-preservative and isn’t very expensive. You can purchase it without a prescription at our local eye doctors office or at most pharmacies. (We’re a little cheaper)
Dry eye can have several different factors. Your environment can effect your eyes dryness. So can certain medications you may be taking, or digital devices. But one of the most common causes is a lack of healthy Omega 3 fatty acids. A good supplemental vitamin can help give your body what it needs to make healthy tears again.
Omega 3’s are also healthy for your heart, skin and brain. Not all supplements are the same though. Some may have high amounts of Omega 3s, but in a form your body can’t absorb well. To a degree, you get what you pay for with supplements. But there are several Omega 3’s (and other vitamins) that aren’t any better but are high priced anyway. Our eye doctors spend a great deal of time looking into what makes a supplement work vs not work. We have our favorites, but even if you don’t want to use what we recommend our doctors are here for you. We can help guide you by letting you know what to look for and what to avoid when shopping for an Omega 3 suppliment.
Punctal plugs are a really easy pain free procedure for you to have. When you blink, your eye lids are pushing the tear film towards the edges of your eye where a tear duct will drain the older tears off of your eye. If you aren’t producing enough tears, your doctor often install punctual plugs. In this procedure, the doctor will use a tiny plug to block off one or more of your tear ducts. This allows your tears to stay on your eye for longer periods of time. More tears = more comfort.
In more extreme scenarios, the surface of your eye may need restoration. This is usually because your tear film has been poor for long enough that the surface has been damaged. By using an amniotic membrane, your eye can heal itself incredibly well. It’s similar to wearing a bandage for your eye. It isn’t the most comfortable experience in the short term. But the relief you can experience from it long term makes it well worth it. Especially if you have been suffering from severe dry eye for a long time.
Our eye doctor will be looking for a photo of your eye that is similar to this. This photo shows the optometrist that the eye is healthy, and that there are no detectable risks to your vision.
other examplesDiabetes can have a huge impact on you eyes. And even if you don’t know you’re diabetic, early signs of diabetes may show up in your eyes first. That’s because your eye doctor is getting a close look at how your body supplies the eye what it needs. For diabetes, the eye can actually be a window to view your health. Diabetes can cause vision loss. That’s the reason why you need to get a regular eye exam. And that’s why it’s really important to see an eye doctor and your regular doctor every year if you know you have diabetes. Your optometrist might be able to see a problem and catch it early enough that you can get it treated before you loose any vision.
If you have diabetes, your eye doctor should be looking closely for signs of issues. You want to make sure you have a fully dilated exam, including photos of the health of your retina. Your optometrist should go over the results in close detail. In addition to the regular exam, our eye doctors take the time to explain what’s healthy with your eyes and what needs to be addressed to preserve your vision.
Diabetes can potentially cause the vessels in your retina to become damaged. You will hear your eye doctor refer to this a diabetic retinopathy. When these vessels are damaged they have the potential to cause your retina to detach from the eye or for scar tissue to form. Some of the areas affected are in your peripheral vision, so you may not even notice the problem right away. But if it’s not caught and treated, it can quickly cause permanent vision loss. Based on the condition of your eyes health, our eye doctors may recommend more frequent visits to the office for monitoring.
Our optometrists diagnose problems with the eyes. But your primary doctor needs to be involved. So we send regular reports to doctors, keeping them up to date with how your vision is doing. This gives you a better health experience over-all, not just with your eyes.
Sometimes regular contact lenses won’t work for you. If you have a high power range, or a refractive error like astigmatism, you may need a custom contact. Some people also have irregular corneas. If your cornea isn’t stable, a specialty contact lens may help stabilize your vision.
Learn MoreThe human eye is usually very resilient. But being aware of the common conditions that cause vision loss can help you preserve your vision. Our optometrists are glaucoma specialists, well trained in monitoring Macular Degeneration and cataracts. Though these diseases typically show up later in life, getting regular eye exams can help you detect early signs or even situations that make you more likely to develop one of the common vision problems. And if caught early, most vision loss is preventable.
The optic nerve is the part of your body that carries what your eye has seen to your brain. There are several factors that can increase your risks in developing problems with the optic nerve. Diseases with the optic nerve are referred to as glaucoma. Certain people are at Higher risk for glaucoma than others. Our eye doctors can also detect other warning signs during our routine eye exams. By catching glaucoma warning signs early, you can usually prevent most of the damaging effects. Our eye doctors can help monitor your eye health even before glaucoma develops or even once it has began to make sure you stay informed of your vision.
Cataracts develop as we age. Pretty much everybody will get cataracts at some point in their life. They can develop earlier in life, but most commonly they develop past age 60. They are really just a clouding of the lens in your eye. They can easily be removed by an ophthalmologist. Your eye doctor will monitor you for cataracts and send you to an ophthalmologist when they need to be removed. One really cool thing about eye care is that when you have a cataract removed, your ophthalmologist will replace the clouded lens with one that corr. ects your vision to near perfect! You will always need to have some vision correction for reading things that are close up though
You will often hear age related macular degeneration called AMD, or sometimes WET AMD depending on the severity of the disease. AMD is a serious threat to your vision. Like many other eye diseases, regular visits with an eye doctor who takes a close look at the overall health of your eye is key. AMD, if caught early, can be treated by changes in diet, supplements or by medical procedures. The earlier it is detected, the less likely you are to suffer permanent vision loss from AMD. That’s why we always encourage you to get a regular eye exam once a year.
Your eye is really good at preventing things from getting in. You have natural blink reflexes, and the tear film is built to wash off the surface of your eye every time you blink. But sometimes something will get in. You might get something stuck between your lid and your eye, or something that gets stuck in the eye itself. In either case it can be incredibly uncomfortable. But our optometrists are experts at removing foreign objects from the eye. Whether its an eyelash or a splinter, we can get it out quickly and provide almost instant relief. If you have the feeling that something is in your eye don’t suffer and don’t hesitate to call an optometrist near you.
You can get a wide range of services from Balfour Optical. We have myopia management programs (one of the fastest growing areas of eye care), specialty contact lens fittings, and a wide range of optical services. If you’d like to explore more then please click on the links below.