Medical Eye Problems
Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of the human lens. The most common causes for cataract formation are typically age, diabetes, trauma, and certain systemic medications. The good news however is that cataracts can almost always be treated with surgery done as an outpatient. Now, with modern cataract surgery, the physicians at Mississippi Eye Associates can remove cataracts and restore a patient’s vision with a multitude of lens implant choices. Intra ocular lens implants now come in both fixed power and adjustable power. Additionally, these lenses can correct distance vision, intermediate vision, near vision, and astigmatism, all within the eye itself. Once a cataract has been removed, it can never return. Advances in anesthesia techniques now allow us to perform this outpatient procedure in a safe and comfortable manner. Patients literally don’t see, smell, taste, hear anything for the fifteen minutes or so that it take to actually do the surgery. Post op, the patient is back to their regular activities almost immediately, with the healing process taking place over a couple of weeks.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition that can affect the optic nerve. Typically elevated pressure within the eye exerts a force onto the face of the optic nerve and over a prolonged period of time causing damage. The significance of this is that once damage occurs it cannot be reversed. Because glaucoma is typically not painful it is often the case that patients don’t realize they even have an issue. Special testing such as visual field examinations and optic nerve OCT are performed on a regular basis to monitor for changes.
Glaucoma is typically treated with eye drops designed to lower the intra ocular pressure. If or when eye drops begin to lose their effectiveness, laser treatments and surgery may be required. Edmond Wright, M.D. is Mississippi Eye Associates fellowship trained glaucoma specialist.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide and is especially prevalent on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Diabetes causes changes to the blood vessels throughout the body. These changes are typically most easily observed in the eye. One’s medical team can get a sense as to the severity of a patient’s diabetes by performing a retinal evaluation. This exam helps to determine if leakage and bleeding in the is occurring in the retina. One can extrapolate in many cases the condition of other body organs just by looking at a patient's retinas. Treatment in the past has included laser photocoagulation to decrease stimuli causing the abnormal blood vessels to grow, but Anti VEGF (anti vascular endothelial growth factor) medicines have taken over as the primary treatment technique. Diagnostic test including OCT, fluorescein angiogram, and retinal photography help to determine the significance of the retinal involvement.
Macular Degeneration
There are two main types of macular degeneration or AMD, wet and dry. Both types of age related macular degeneration are treated by our team of Board Certified Retinal specialists. Dr’s Semple, Douglas, and Ball are South Mississippi’s premier retinal experts, and are able to bring sight saving therapy to patients on the Gulf Coast. Macular degeneration steals the central vision and can sometimes have a very rapid onset. Often manifesting with a sudden change in central or straight ahead vision. In the case of wet AMD there are revolutionary new medicines called Anti VEGF that can be administered by a safe procedure in the office to cause the abnormal new leaky blood vessels under the retina to resorb and go away, many times leading to a marked improvement in central vision. Dry AMD usually progresses much slower. There is typically no bleeding associated with dry AMD, but it can still be quite problematic for patients. There can be a genetic component to both diseases.
