Comprehensive
Eye Exams
The Importance of In Depth Eye Exams:
Having your eyes examined annually is one of the most responsible things you can do for your health! At Landa Eye Center, we do more than just determine your prescription for glasses and contacts. We also thoroughly examine the eye for common eye diseases such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, retinal problems and dry eyes. Early detection of these eye diseases is imperative for sustaining eye health and your overall well-being. With the aid of advanced instrumentation, many eye related diseases, such as diabetes and high blood pressure, can be diagnosed and treated before having any impact on your vision.
Eye Exams for Adults Age 65 & Over
Why are geriatric eye exams so important?
As you age, your risk of eye disease and vision problems rises. If you notice any unusual visual symptoms, it’s wise to have an eye exam performed as soon as possible by an eye care professional. Also, many common ocular conditions associated with aging can linger for a long time without symptoms, yet still causing damage. This underscores the importance of routine adult eye exams, which can detect signs of disease before you do! The earlier an eye disease is diagnosed, the earlier treatment can begin. This goes a long way towards preventing blindness, partial vision loss and complications.
When should older adults have comprehensive eye exams?
According to the American Academy of Ophthalmology, adults age 65 and older should have their eyes evaluated thoroughly every year. Many common eye diseases, such as glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, are silent at the beginning and progress very slowly. Experts have estimated that approximately half of the American senior population that has glaucoma is undiagnosed.
Certain health conditions, such as auto immune disorders, hypertension and diabetes, point to a need for more frequent eye exams. Other risk factors include a serious past eye injury, personal family history of eye disease, being African American (has a higher risk of glaucoma) and specific medications. Your eye doctor should be consulted regarding how often to schedule an eye exam.
What are some eye symptoms that need an eye exam immediately?
If you, or a senior in your care, experience any of the following symptoms, an eye examination should be reserved as soon as possible. These may be signs that a serious condition has developed.
Seeing flashes of light or new floaters
Excessive tearing or discharge
Vision loss, including blind spots or a dark spot in the center field of vision
A change in the eye’s appearance, such as crossed-eyes, bumps, bulging or swelling
Double vision
Seeing halos
Blurred or cloudy vision
Straight lines appearing wavy
Eye pain or fatigue
Inability to close an eyelid
Burning or itchiness
During your eye exam, your eye doctor will pay special attention to inspect for signs of age-related eye diseases, such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. The procedures that will be performed are not painful and could save your vision and your life!
Pediatric Eye Exams in New Braunfels
Accurate and healthy vision is crucial for a child’s physical development as well as success in academic endeavors.
Why are eye exams for kids so important?
The American Public Health Association reports that 80% of a student’s learning potential relies on good vision. Unfortunately, most vision problems do not get diagnosed until children reach middle school. It is vital for all children to have regular eye exams throughout their preschool and elementary school years to make sure that their vision and eye health remains on track.
Although many schools and pediatrician offices offer vision screenings, these tests are not designed to catch such problems as farsightedness, astigmatism, or lazy eyes. At Landa Eye Center, we examine children of all ages. It is vital for children to get a comprehensive eye examination before starting school, and to get checked yearly. Children cannot often properly convey whether their vision is good or not. Uncorrected poor vision in children can lead to permanently decreased vision, as their brains never fully develop and function with good vision.
Don’t wait until your child is already in school and struggling to read, see the board, or play sports. At Landa Eye Center we have the clinical knowledge and expertise to identify vision issues early on and intervene before the problems affect different areas of your children’s lives.
Our Staff will Care for Your Child like their own
We know that being a parent carries with it many questions and concerns about your child’s health and healthcare. Our staff is happy to answer any questions that you may have, and we will do our best to give you a thorough understanding of your child’s condition and eye care needs. We will also make sure that your child is not only comfortable, but happy in our office and exam rooms. Thanks to our in-office I-Care tonometer and Optomap technology, children don’t have to sit through uncomfortable air puff tests, and we are often able to perform retinal imaging in lieu of dilation. Plus, our staff loves kids!
If your child requires glasses, we will teach your child how to properly wear and take care of their new spectacles. Our optical offers durable and stylish frames just for kids! We can also evaluate your child for contacts as soon as you feel that they are mature enough. Children often have a desire for contacts when they start middle school or high school, or start playing sports. We will also teach them how to insert, remove, and take care of the contacts!
We look forward to providing wonderful eye care for you and your whole family!
Treatment of Eye Emergencies
The eyes are one of the most sensitive and most important parts of the body. Any injury to the eye can negatively impact your vision long-term and should be checked as soon as possible. If you have an eye emergency call our office at (830) 625-5716 and one of our team members will assist you with an appointment.
Common Eye Injuries
Many eye injuries happen at school, in the office, at home, or while traveling. Sports activities are one of the most common sources of eye injuries. On-site job injuries, such as in the construction industry, are another source of frequent eye emergencies.
Our optometrists treat many types of eye emergencies, such as:
Chemical exposure
Concussion
"Floaters" in the vision
Dislodged contact lenses
Eye infections
Eye trauma
Flashes of light in the vision
Foreign materials stuck in the eyes
Lost or broken contact lenses or eyeglasses
Red or painful eyes
Scratched eyes
Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
Uncomfortable, itchy, or irritated eyes
Optomap Retinal Imaging
What is an Optomap?
At Landa Eye Center, we conduct our eye exams using the Optomap, an ultra-wide digital retinal imaging system.
…a what?
Basically, the Optomap is a machine that can see the retina (the back part of the eye) without dilating the pupil. So, it’s pretty great.
Optomap Technology
Viewing the retina is crucial in the detection of many eye issues such as retinal tears or detachment, as well early detection of diseases like diabetes and glaucoma. The Optomap was created in 1990 to provide a more accurate, efficient and comfortable way to examine the retina.
While traditional retinal exam imaging methods only capture 15% of your retina, the Optomap captures over 80% of the retina through panoramic photo-imaging. The images are captured using different laser light wavelengths and then displayed for immediate viewing.
Using the Optomap
When we use the Optomap in your exam, you will simply place your eye up next to the Optomap to be photographed. It takes just a quarter of a second to snap a shot of your retina and nothing touches your eye or puffs into it. The process only involves a brief flash of light that does not agitate even the most light-sensitive of eyes. The best part, of course, is that the eye does not have to be dilated when using the Optomap. So, for those who don’t respond well to dilation or eye drops, or simply can’t sit comfortably with dilated eyes, the Optomap is a game-changer.
The comfort and ease of the Optomap lends itself well to children’s exams, too. In fact, founder Douglas Anderson created the Optomap to offer a more thorough and comfortable exam alternative after his five year old son went blind from an undetected retinal detachment. Now, we get to use that technology to make sure all of our exams are as thorough and accurate as possible. Not all optometrist offices offer this technology, so we’re happy to be able to bring this type of convenience, comfort, and care to all of our patients at Landa Eye Center.
Myopia Management Treatments
Early myopia intervention can help your child's vision now and reduce their lifetime risk of serious eye diseases. We specialize in treatments proven to help slow or stop your child's vision from getting worse, including options that may allow your child to be free of glasses and contact lenses all day.
Researchers believe that the environment kids grow up in today, with too many near activities (like reading and device use) and lack of outdoor play is contributing to the rapid increase in childhood myopia. While glasses and contact lenses compensate for a child's blurry distance vision, they don't stop your child's vision from continuing to deteriorate and progress. As children grow, myopia often develops as they reach school age and typically gets worse through school age years. We have tools to slow the progression of myopia (nearsightedness). Book an appointment with our office to determine a plan for slowing your child’s vision deterioration.
Corneal Refractive Therapy (CRT)
How CRT lenses work:
The hard lenses for CRT (a form of orthokeratology) are applied at bedtime and worn overnight.
While you sleep, the lenses gently reshape the front surface of your eye (the cornea) to correct your vision, so you can see clearly without glasses or contact lenses when you're awake. The effect is temporary - generally enough to get you through a day or two - so you must wear the reshaping lenses each night to maintain good vision during the day. Patients in CRT can see clearly throughout the day without wearing glasses or contacts! Book an appointment with us to determine if CRT lenses are a good option for you.
