The importance of routine eye exams
Whether you are in good health or not routine eye exams are important to not only preserve the health of your eyes but to preserve your sight.
Many diseases that affect the body can naturally also affect the eyes. This can apply to autoimmune diseases such as Lupus or Rheumatoid arthritis that may result in an inflamed eye requiring treatment. There are also specific diseases that affect only the eye. Otherwise healthy people may not be aware they are having a problem with their eyes until they are aware that they are losing their vision. Unfortunately by this time significant vision as demonstrated by a visual field test may be lost.
Glaucoma is one such disease. The bottom line with this disease is that it causes permanent damage to the optilc nerve which is like the cable that connects to your TV, and we all know what a bad cable connection can do to the picture on your screen. Glaucoma is usually caused by increased pressure in the eye which occurs when the fluid that nourishes your eye, the aqueous humor, has a difficult time evacuating the eye. This happens when the trabecular meshwork which acts like the drain in your sink doesn't function as efficiently as it used too. When the trabecular meshwork is wide open we refer to this disease as chronic open angle glaucoma. If it starts to close off which may occur in up to 10% of the time it is referred to as angle closure glaucoma. Open angle glaucoma can be treated wilth medications, laser, or surgery. Angle closure glaucoma is simply treated with a laser iridotomy which is a small hole made in the iris enabling the aqueous made behind the iris to evacuate to the trabecular meshwork more easily.
The important thing to realize is that this is a treatable disease and by coming in for routine, annual exams the Doctors at North Shore Eye Care, Drs. John Mauro, Dr. Sidney and Jeffrey Martin, and Dr. Lawrence Zweibel and soon to join our practice, Dr. Sonya Dahl, a glaucoma expert, will be happy to take care of all your eye needs. Of note our busy office in Smithtown will soon be expanding to Riverhead.