Eye Disease Diagnosis & Management

Early Detection & Treatment is Vital

Your eyesight is essential to your quality of life. If you currently have perfect vision, you may not consider the possibility of developing an eye disease. Many eye diseases develop without warning signs or symptoms.

Your routine eye exam is a vital step towards maintaining your visual health. A visit to the optometrist can help detect and treat possible eye diseases in the early stages.

Don’t let eye diseases catch you off guard, book your next eye appointment today!

Common Eye Diseases

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)

Several possible causes can lead to conjunctivitis, also known as pink eye. Some parents may have contended with an outbreak of highly contagious conjunctivitis at their child’s school, and may already be familiar with its signs and symptoms.

Self-diagnosing and treating pink eye may inhibit your recovery. A professional eye exam is the only way to receive a guaranteed diagnosis.

If you live in Chestermere or the surrounding area, visit our practice and have our optometrists determine if the cause of infection is bacterial, viral, or allergic.

Cataracts

Cataracts are the gradual clouding of your eye’s natural lens with age, leading to blurry vision.

Cataracts develop over time, quite naturally, due to aging, but several risk factors exist that could increase your chances of developing them at an earlier age, like:

Family history of cataracts
Smoking
Excessive alcohol consumption
Overexposure to UV light
Side effects from medications or diseases
Eye injury

Symptoms of cataracts include:

Difficulty seeing clearly
Trouble with colour vision
Sensitivity to light
Double vision
Difficulty seeing at night

Cataract surgery is very common in North America and boasts exceptionally high success rates.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that progressively damage your optic nerve. Called “the silent thief of sight,” glaucoma develops gradually, eventually resulting in vision loss. Many patients don’t notice any symptoms until the advanced stages of this condition.

The key to managing glaucoma is an early diagnosis and swift treatment.

Numerous risk factors can heighten your likelihood of developing this condition, like:

Elevated eye pressure
Older age
Myopia
Diabetes
Family history

Your annual eye exam can help us diagnose glaucoma in its early stages before any vision loss occurs.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD has 2 primary forms, dry and wet:

Dry AMD: Dry AMD is more common and generally less severe than wet AMD. Dry AMD occurs when drusen (small lipid deposits) accumulate underneath the macula.
Wet AMD: Wet AMD progresses quickly, causing new blood vessels to form under the macula. However, these new blood vessels are relatively weak, resulting in leaking blood and other fluids. This leakage can permanently damage the macula.

Wet AMD can be treated using intraocular injections, which may halt its progression, but your optometrist cannot reverse vision loss from this condition.

Here When You Need Us

An eye disease diagnosis can be frightening, but with Chestermere Optometry, you’re never alone. Our compassionate and experienced team will walk you through your treatment options, and help you feel as comfortable as possible.

If you’re concerned about eye disease or want more information about an individualized treatment plan for your condition, book your appointment.

Book Your Appointment