Exceptional Eye Care Services
Discover the comprehensive eyecare services at our practice in Potomac Falls, Virginia. From routine eye exams to advanced treatments including cataract surgery and YAG capsulotomy, our expert team is dedicated to providing personalized care for all your vision needs.
Eye Exams
We offer comprehensive eye exams designed to assess and maintain your eye health. Our comprehensive exams include the following:
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Visual Acuity Test: Measures the sharpness of your vision.
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Peripheral Vision Measurement: Evaluate your side vision to detect any issues.
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Pupil Reaction and Eye Movement Tests: Assess how well your eyes respond and move.
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Intraocular Pressure Check: Screen for glaucoma by measuring the pressure inside your eyes.
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Slit Lamp Examination: Examines the front surface of the eye for any abnormalities.
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Dilated Exam: Check the internal health of your eyes, including the retina, macula, and optic nerves, to ensure overall eye health.
Visual Acuity
Measures how clearly you can see objects at various distances, typically using a standardized eye chart.
Pupillary Reaction
Assesses how your pupils respond to light, helping to identify potential neurological issues.
Eye Muscle Strength
Evaluates the coordination and function of the muscles that control eye movement to detect any alignment or focusing issues.
Intraocular Pressure Measurement
Also known as tonometry, this test measures the pressure inside your eyes to screen for glaucoma.
Refraction
Determines the correct lens prescription for glasses or contact lenses by measuring how light bends as it enters your eyes.
Pupil Dilation
Enlarges your pupils using eye drops, allowing for a more thorough examination of your retina and optic nerve.
Glare Testing
Assesses how well your eyes handle bright light and glare, which is especially important for driving at night or in bright conditions.
Pachymetry
Measures the thickness of your cornea, which can help in diagnosing conditions like glaucoma and planning surgeries like LASIK.
Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT)
Provides high-resolution images of the internal structures of your eyes, helping in the detection of retinal diseases.
Visual Field (Automated Perimetry)
Detects blind spots and evaluates your peripheral vision to identify potential eye or brain conditions.
Common Eye Conditions
During your comprehensive exam, we will be screening for a variety of eye conditions which are explained below.
Cataracts
What is a Cataract?
A cataract is a clouding, or haziness, of the lens of your eye. The lens helps focus light on your retina, the area where images are formed. When the lens becomes cloudy, images are less clear.
Cataracts usually develop slowly, so you might not notice any vision changes at first.
Cataract symptoms include:
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Blurry vision
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Difficulty seeing well at night
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Glare, halos around objects or sensitivity to bright light
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Double vision
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Loss of color vision (colors look yellow or faded)
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More frequent changes in glasses or contact lens prescriptions
With cataracts, you might notice problems with activities that require clear vision, such as reading or playing golf. By examining your eyes, an eye doctor can tell you if you have cataracts in one or both eyes.
Diabetes
What is Diabetes?
Diabetes Mellitus is a common disease in which blood-sugar levels are chronically high. The disease has many related complications, and several eye diseases among them. The most common eye complication of diabetes is diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of adult blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood-sugar levels affect the functionality of blood vessels in the retina (light-sensing cells in the eye). In early phases of the disease, capillaries will leak blood or fluid. This can cause swelling in the retina (which may result in blurring of central vision), and it can leak into the vitreous humor (the fluid surrounding the retina) causing floaters or obscuring vision.
During the beginning stages of diabetes, serious vision damage is less likely. However, diabetes can lead to a more advanced stage of the disease, called proliferative diabetic retinopathy. In this form, blood vessels in the retinaÂ
actually close off. New blood vessels grow to make up for the lack of blood flow to the retina. The new blood vessels are accompanied by scarring and more leakage. This can lead to serious vision loss and blindness.
Early symptoms of diabetic retinopathy may include:
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Decreased night vision
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Floaters
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Blurry Vision
The condition can typically be diagnosed during a dilated eye exam, long before noticeable vision symptoms occur and when more treatment options are still available. Thus it is very important for those suffering from diabetes to have regular eye exams, to monitor for diabetic retinopathy and other complications.
Macular Degeneration
What is Macular Degeneration?
Macular degeneration is an eye condition that occurs when the macula suffers damage. The macula is part of the retina and is responsible for your central vision.
When you have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), you lose central vision, meaning you can’t see fine details.
This is the case whether you’re looking at something up close or further away. However, macular degeneration doesn’t harm your peripheral vision.
There are two kinds of macular degeneration: dry and wet. Dry macular degeneration affects about 80% of patients with AMD.
Dry macular degeneration occurs when the macula gets thinner as you age, causing drusen to develop. These patients slowly lose their central vision. There is no way to treat dry macular degeneration.
The second form of macular degeneration is wet AMD. Wet macular degeneration is much rarer and forms when abnormal blood vessels develop under the retina. The new vessels are weak and often leak blood or fluids, which scars the macula. Patients with wet macular degeneration lose their vision much faster than those with dry AMD.
Many patients with macular degeneration don’t realize they have the eye condition until their vision is extremely blurry. This is why regular eye exams are so important.
Glaucoma
What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve, the part of the eye which receives images collected by the retina and sends them to the brain. Every eye maintains a certain amount of internal pressure, called intraocular pressure. When this pressure rises to abnormal levels, it can put extra stress on the optic nerve, causing significant damage. Optic nerve damage results in loss of vision, and ultimately blindness.
The front of the eye is constantly producing a fluid called aqueous humor. A healthy eye will continually produce small amounts of aqueous humor to ensure consistent pressure within the eye. When normal drainage becomes slowed or blocked, pressure increases, and may lead to glaucoma. There are several different types of glaucoma, the two most common types being chronic open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma.
Chronic open-angle glaucoma is the most common form of the disease and usually develops with age. With this type of glaucoma, pressure gradually increases inside the eye causing it to work less effectively over a period of time. There are no symptoms in the early stages of open-angle glaucoma. Peripheral vision is usually the first to deteriorate. As the disease becomes more advanced, blank spots begin to appear in one’s vision. If left untreated, it eventually develops into blindness. The best way to avoid serious vision loss is early diagnosis and treatment.
Dry Eye
What is Dry Eye?
The goal of tears is to protect the eyes from infection, while also keeping the eyes lubricated. Dry eye is due to a decrease in quantity and quality of the tear film or when there is an increase in the evaporation of the tear film. Symptoms include discomfort, redness, irritation, or burning. Dry eye is an extremely common eye condition. The incidence has increased due to increased screen time, contact lens wear, allergies, etc. It can become increasingly uncomfortable if left untreated leading to potential corneal damage. There are many effective treatments to prevent this!
How Often Should I See My Eye Doctor for an Eye Exam?
How often you should see your eye doctor for an eye exam depends on several things, including your age and family history of eye conditions. Talk to your eye doctor to determine the best schedule for comprehensive eye exams, as this is different for everyone.
Your Eye Health Starts Here
Our comprehensive eye exams are a keystone of ocular health to ensure lifelong clarity and wellness. To schedule an appointment, please contact us.