Continuing Eye Care Services in Medicine Hat

Name: 20/20 Vision Care
Address: 431 3rd St SE, Medicine Hat, Alberta, T1A 0G8, CA
Telephone: 403-526-2020

Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision loss in those over the age of 60. It occurs when the small central portion of the retina, known as the macula, deteriorates. The retina is the light-sensing nerve tissue at the back of the eye.

Diabetic Dilation Exam

Diabetes affects your whole body, including your eyes. It increases your risk for eye conditions, such as glaucoma and cataracts. However, the main concern for diabetics (type 1 or type 2) is diabetic retinopathy.

Diabetic retinopathy develops when the blood vessels in your retina become damaged. If there is enough damage, you could lose your vision entirely.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease that is often associated with elevated intraocular pressure, in which damage to the eye (optic) nerve can lead to loss of vision and even blindness. Glaucoma is the leading cause of irreversible blindness in the world.

Peripheral Retinal Examination

Occasionally, a routine eye examination is unable to give us all the information that we need to fully understand the needs or concerns of your eyes. In some cases, a dilated eye exam will be recommended in order to make sure all of your ocular tissues are in good health.

During a peripheral retinal examination, eye drops will be instilled in your eyes, which will dilate (enlarge) your pupils. Those drops take about 15 minutes to take effect. Once the pupils are dilated, special digital images will be taken, and our doctors will review the images and perform their portion of the exam.

During their assessment, they will use microscopes, bright lights, special retinal lenses, and other equipment to look for any type of retinal abnormality. The list of possible abnormalities that could be found are too long to list, but the more common concerns that are looked for include: congenital retinal defects, vitreoretinal tufts, lattice degeneration, small retinal holes, retinal breaks, hemorrhages, inflammation, retinal separation, detachments, and so forth.

If a problem is found, appropriate management will be arranged, which may involve a referral to another practitioner, or more commonly, will involve scheduling repeat visits at our office for continued observation. Your pupils will remain dilated for several hours after the exam is complete but will return to normal within 24 hours.

Preventitive Medicine

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

AMD is an inherited disease and can cause severe vision loss in people over 50 years of age. It can destroy central vision, impairs the ability to perform everyday tasks such as reading, driving or watching television.

The following factors can put you at higher risk of developing AMD:

Having a first-degree relative (mother, father, brother, sister) with AMD.
Lifestyle factors such as age, smoking history, Body Mass Index (BMI).
AND status also plays a role in progression to advanced AND.

Most often, people suffering from AMD are unaware of it until they start to lose central vision in one of the eyes. Early detection and treatment hold paramount importance as vision loss can happen quickly and without any warning.

With the advancement in treatments, AMD can be detected and treated on time. Frequent monitoring by the eye care physician and taking the appropriate medication can prove to be beneficial for patients at risk. DNA testing to determine a patient’s genetic profile helps treat, manage and make nutritional recommendations to preserve vision.

Macula Risk

It is a DNA test for patients with a diagnosis of early or intermediate AMD.

Vita Risk

It is available as part of Macula Risk or as a stand-alone test. The results help your eye physician to prescribe the safest and most effective eye vitamin formulation based on your genetic profile.

Patients who are at increased risk may benefit from:

Treatment with personalized preventive eye supplements
Increased frequency of eye examinations
Disease education and 'at-home' Amsler Grid testing
Early diagnosis and treatment of 'Wet' AMD with effective therapies
Other disease management strategies as determined by the doctor

Contact Lenses to Treat Dry Eyes
Anyone who is familiar with dry eyes may find the above statement quite a surprise, or maybe even an error, especially since most types of contact lenses have a tendency to make dry eye symptoms worse. However, as odd as it sounds, there is actually a type of specialty contact lens that successfully manages and treats dry eyes. This type of contact lens is called a "scleral contact lens."

Scleral contact lenses have been around for over 100 years. In fact, scleral contact lenses were the very first type of contact lenses ever made. However, in their early years, they were unsafe, ineffective, and impractical. For this reason, they were quickly made obsolete in the eye care world. Gratefully, contact lens manufacturing, lens materials, and technology dramatically improved, scleral contact lenses have begun to make a powerful comeback, especially for specific types of eye conditions such as keratoconus, corneal transplant patients, and yes, even severe dry eyes.

So, How Does a Scleral Contact Lens Help With Dryness?
The first thing to understand is that, unlike soft contact lenses, scleral contact lenses are made of a rigid material. This means that the shape of the lens does not change when it is on the eye. Although this seems unusual, this is actually a unique advantage! You see, when a scleral contact lens is worn, the contact does not even touch the highly sensitive cornea. Instead, it rests on the much more comfortable and less sensitive sclera. Not only this, but the lens creates a seal in which it traps a layer of liquid between the cornea and the scleral lens, which provides constant lubrication to the cornea throughout the entire time the contact lens is in the eye.

Are Scleral Contact Lenses Comfortable?

Yes. In fact, because they do not make contact with the cornea at all, they are often more comfortable than soft lenses.

Other notes about scleral contact lenses:
- In general, they provide superior vision compared to soft lenses.
- The lenses are NOT disposable. One set of contacts can last between 1-3 years.
- Scleral contact lenses need a different cleaning solution than you would use for a soft contact lens.
- Each scleral lens is custom-made for each patient.
- Scleral lenses require special plungers to insert and remove the lenses.

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