Eye Care

The cornerstone of healthy eyes

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.

Photos of your eye for an overall view of your vision health

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.

How many optometrists does it take to change a light-bulb?

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)

A good starting point

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)

Give your body what it needs to produce healthy tears

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.

GOOD FOR YOUR WHOLE BODY

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

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.

AMNIOTIC MEMBRANE

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.

A Diabetic Exam should look for any threat to vision loss

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.

Regular visits to an eye doctor near you is the best prevention

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.

We work with your doctor to provide overall health care

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.

Preventable Vision Loss

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.

Causes and Treatment of Cataracts

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

Often Called AMD

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.

Irritating objects in your eye

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.