EYE CONDITIONS
Normal “perfect” vision (emmetropia)
The eye’s surface is convex, and light rays that hit it bend toward its center. In an eye that has a normally curved cornea and the correct shape, an image focuses directly on one spot on the retina.
Nearsightedness (myopia)
When the eyeball is too long, light rays focus in front of, rather than on, the retina. Under these circumstances, near objects are perceived clearly, but distant objects are not.
Read about state-of-the-art options for correcting nearsightedness.
Farsightedness (hyperopia)
When the eyeball is too short, light rays entering the eye focus behind the retina. Distant objects are seen clearly but near objects are not.
Read about state-of-the-art options for correcting farsightedness.
Astigmatism
Vision becomes distorted when the surface of the cornea has an uneven curvature; sometimes it is the eye’s lens that is irregularly shaped. This type of irregularity causes light to focus on more than one spot on retina at the back of the eye, causing burred vision.
Read about state-of-the-art options for correcting astigmatism.
Presbyopia (loss of reading vision)
Over time, the eye’s lens gradually loses its elasticity and its ability to change shape to see close objects. Bifocals or reading glasses are the traditional prescription for remedying this presbyopic loss of flexibility, but recent technology makes it possible to exchange the inflexible lens for one designed to compensate for changes in the eye and improve functional vision at all distances.
Do you have presbyopia and cataracts? Read about premium lifestyle replacement lens implants that may correct both.
Cataracts
Like the lens of a camera, the eye’s lens focuses to keep the images of both close and distant objects clear. Over time, the lens becomes less transparent; studies suggest accumulated exposure to ultraviolet light causes the natural lens to cloud. Most often, this clouding takes place slowly as proteins within the lens degenerate.
Read about modern surgery to cure cataracts.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease that can slowly destroy the delicate nerve fibers that carry signals from the back of the eye to the brain. Generally, high pressure within the eye is responsible for the damage, but even patients with normal pressure can experience loss of this important nerve function due to glaucoma.
Read more about glaucoma and glaucoma treatments.
Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) affects the area of the retina called the macula. This small area is responsible for producing sharp central vision required for “straight ahead” activities such as driving, reading, recognizing faces, and performing close-up work.
While scientists are uncertain of its cause, AMD destroys cells in the area of the macula in two different forms, “dry” and “wet.” Dry AMD can advance so slowly that people hardly notice it, or it can rapidly progress to the “wet” type with vision loss in one or both eyes.
Read about treatment for macular degeneration.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes affects blood vessels throughout the body, particularly in the kidneys and the eyes. Diabetic retinopathy is the name we give to diabetes’ adverse affects on the blood vessels in the eye. In the United States, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among adults.
Risk of developing diabetic retinopathy increases over time. An adult who has had diabetes for 15 years or longer stands an 80% chance of experiencing damage to retinal blood vessels.
Read about treatment for diabetic retinopathy.
Dry Eye Syndrome
The eye depends on the flow of tears to provide constant moisture and lubrication to maintain vision and comfort. Tears are a combination of water (for moisture), oils (for lubrication), mucus (for even spreading), and antibiotics and special proteins (for resistance to infection). These components are secreted by special glands located around the eye. When there is an imbalance in this tear system, a person may experience the symptoms of dry eye syndrome.
Read about treatment for dry eye.
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