Eye Disease Diagnosis & Management in the GTA

Cataracts are a common eye condition that occurs when your clear crystalline lens becomes denser and more opaque, leading to a cloudy appearance.

If your vision is affected by cataracts, your optometrist may suggest glasses or contact lenses to help improve your vision. However, some optometrists may recommend cataract surgery to treat your symptoms.

Glaucoma is one of the most common eye diseases around the world. It usually occurs when your eye is either producing too much intraocular fluid or draining it fast enough. When this happens, your intraocular pressure (IOP) rises and damages your optic nerve and leads to vision loss.

However, other forms of glaucoma can also develop without raising your IOP levels.

There are 3 common types of glaucoma:

• Open-angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage angle between your cornea and iris remains open, but your eye isn’t draining enough fluids to keep your IOP levels stable. When your IOP rises, it places pressure on your optic nerve and leads to vision loss.
• Closed-angle glaucoma, or angle-closure glaucoma, occurs when the drainage angle between your cornea and iris closes, rapidly raising IOP levels. This can lead to sudden vision loss, making it a medical emergency that requires medical attention.
• Normal-tension glaucoma is a type of glaucoma that can occur without raising IOP levels. However, your optometrist can still detect this disease by observing your optic nerve during a comprehensive eye exam.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common eye disease affecting patients over 55.

AMD deteriorates your macula, the part of your retina responsible for your central vision. When your macula is damaged, it can affect your ability to read, drive, or recognize faces.

There are 2 common types of AMD:

• Dry AMD occurs when deposits of drusen form underneath your macula, deteriorating your macula and damaging your vision.
• Wet AMD occurs when fragile blood vessels form underneath your macula. When these vessels break, they leak fluids underneath your macula that damage it, leading to sudden vision loss. Wet AMD is also considered a medical emergency that requires immediate attention.

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the most common eye diseases you can develop because of diabetes. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when high blood sugar damages the blood vessels in your retina. To help get the oxygen your retina needs, it develops new but fragile blood vessels to compensate.

Because these new vessels are very delicate, they can break easily. When they break, they can leak blood and fluids into your retina and cause vision loss.

Conjunctivitis, sometimes known as pink eye, is a common eye condition. Each version shares similar symptoms, including redness, irritation, and even discharge around your eyes.

There are 3 types of conjunctivitis:

• If you have allergies, you can experience allergic conjunctivitis. You may use over-the-counter eye drops or allergy medication to help relieve your symptoms, but please consult your optometrist before using these products.
• Viral conjunctivitis is very contagious, but the only way to treat it is by letting it run its course. Generally, viral conjunctivitis only lasts for a few days, but please contact your optometrist if you’re experiencing prolonged symptoms.
• Bacterial conjunctivitis is also highly contagious and requires antibiotics. Please speak to your optometrist to get the medication you need before you spread it to other people.