– Congenital

– Hereditary

– AMD (age-dependent macular degeneration)

– Inflammatory diseases,

– Vascular,

– Systemic diseases dependent disorders (hypertension, diabetes, collageneous, etc.)

– Macular diseases (involving in visual cortex)

– Retinal toxicity (medication-dependent retinal damage)

– Tumors, retinal degeneration, retinal detachment

What are the Diagnosis and Test Methods?

Subjective

Anamnesis, visual acuity, contrast sensitivity, PAM (Potential Acuity Meter), visual space, Amsler chats.

Objective

Fundus examination (Direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy),

Tests

FFA, ICG, Electrophysiological tests (ERG, EOG, etc.), OCT (Laser Tomography of Eye Layers).

You may contact us if you have problems with your vision.

The post Retinal Diseases appeared first on SEE WELL.

Glaucoma, which is known as high eye pressure colloquially, is a common eye disease affecting millions of people. It may cause sight impairment if not treated. In glaucoma, the fluid pressure inside the eye is high at a level to give harm to the visual nerve which is essential for eyesight.

Frequently occurring over the age of 40, glaucoma keeps progressing in years sneakily. This is also called “Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma” which is the type of glaucoma. During this time, no symptom is seen in some part of the patients with glaucoma. Glaucoma comes to attention of most of the patients in the advanced stage when a distinctive sight loss occurs. Early diagnosis is essential in glaucoma due to there is no turning back from the sight loss. Abnormal intraocular pressure determined during the normal eye examination may be the first symptom the disease. Examination performed by an ophthalmologist in regular intervals is the best way for the early diagnosis and treatment of glaucoma.

Another type of glaucoma is the narrow-angle glaucoma which occurs with a sudden crisis in the advanced ages. It is a clinical picture characterized by severe eye pain, decrease in sight, redness in eye, nausea and vomiting and requires urgent treatment. Watering of eyes, sensitivity to light and looming are observed in the types of the disease observed in infantry and childhood.

What Causes to Glaucoma?

Normally, there is an eye fluid for the feeding of some eye tissues and this eye fluid is also discharged from the eye in some ways (trabecular network). Glaucoma occurs as a result of insufficient discharge of the eye fluid due to obstructions in these channels and increase of intraocular pressure accordingly. Increasing intraocular pressure will harm and cause to death of the visual nerves. In some patients, although intraocular pressure is normal, visual nerves are damaged because of impaired blood flow (normal pressure glaucoma). Permanent visual loss occurs when visual nerves die.

How is Glaucoma Diagnosed?

Glaucoma is diagnosed with a careful eye examination. During the diagnostic eye examination, ophthalmologist:

• Measures your intraocular pressure through a device called tonometer and examines the eye nerves making an eye ground examination.

• Performs visual space test to determine whether or not there is a loss in the visual space if necessary.

• Advanced methods can be applied which examine visual nerves and nerve fiber layer.

Early diagnosis is the only way to prevent glaucoma dependent sight loss. Unless there is a distinct damage in the visual space, patient cannot be aware of these losses. Therefore, making eye examinations and performing advanced tests such as visual space at regular intervals are essential.

Who are Under Risk?

Glaucoma is a disease which is seen in millions of people throughout the world and may affect everyone. However, some factors may increase the disease risk. Factors increasing the rise of Glaucoma are

• Advancing age,

• Glaucoma history in family (genetic susceptibility)

• Smoking

• Diabetes

• High-low blood pressure

• Myopia

• Long term cortisone treatment

• Eye injuries

• Migraine

Patients having these features had better get eye examination in terms of glaucoma.

Can Glaucoma be Cured?

Glaucoma cannot be recovered and healed completely after being diagnosed, but it can be brought under control successfully with appropriate treatment and advancing visual loss can be prevented in many cases.

If you suffer from glaucoma, then the treatment and follow up of your disease will permanently continue for the rest of your life. Therefore, it is essential you to obey the follow up program of your ophthalmologist regularly and to apply the suggested treatment carefully.

How is Glaucoma Treated?

The open-angle glaucoma is treated with various medications lowering the intraocular pressure. These medications are mostly eye lotions. Surgical and laser interventions can also be applied if necessary. The purpose of this study is to protect the remaining sight rather than increasing it. Treatment is very urgent in the narrow-angle type which occurs with a crisis. Surgical treatment is primarily applied in congenital glaucoma. More than one surgical intervention may be necessary in some cases.

How Often Should Eye Lotions be Used?

Daily use of eye lotions is compulsory. You may drop one or more drop of lotion at certain intervals depending on the suggested medication treatment. What’s important is always to follow the instructions of your doctor.

Will I Always Use the Same Eye Lotions?

Due to glaucoma is a progressive disease, your eye doctor may have to change your eye lotions or add other lotions to your treatment. The first reason in making these changes is to keep intraocular pressure under control and protect your visual space. Besides, the possible side effects of the lotions may require making changes.

Simple Rules to Follow

Use your medication as suggested by your doctor! Take your medication at the same time every day! So you can both easily remember taking your eye lotion and ensure it to be more influential. Consult your doctor about any side effect affecting your daily life. Obey the check appointments determined by your doctor. Your disease can barely be cured successfully under regular control of your doctor.

Warn your eye doctor about the medications you receive for your other diseases! When you are examined by another doctor other your ophthalmologist, inform him/her about that you suffer from glaucoma.

Warn all the member of your family about getting their eyes examined due to glaucoma can be a genetic disorder!

Get your periodical visual space examinations upon your doctor’s instruction.

Remember

Your role is important in the treatment of glaucoma. Because of being a chronic disease, glaucoma continues for a life time and requires determination. But remember, what will protect your sight which is all important for you is this determination.

The post Glaucoma appeared first on SEE WELL.

A cataract is the opacification of the lens, which is one of the refractive ambients in the human eye and focuses the rays entering the eye on the vision point, losing its transparency and having the appearance of mat glass.

What are the Causes of Cataract?

A cataract generally depends on age and seen mostly over the age of 50. Cataract possibility increases with advancing age. The natural lens comprises of water and protein. Proteins degenerate with aging. This causes the opacification of the lens and decrease of vision. Moreover, it may occur in diabetes, calcium disorders, following long-term steroid use, as a result of impacts to the eye or innately.

What are the Symptoms of Cataract?

Impairment of visual clearness, eye-glasses numbers to be insufficient, frequent changes in near and distance acuity prescriptions, sudden recovery in near acuity disorders of some patients, having troubles under brilliant light, a shaded vision of colors, decrease in vision at night are the most frequent symptoms of cataract.

How is Cataract Treated?

Surgical operation is the only way of treatment of cataracts. Despite the presence of many surgical methods implemented in the past, the operation technique used successfully and frequently in our day is the Phacoemulsification method, which is known to be a sutureless technique. This method is known colloquially as “PHACO” in brief.

When should Cataract Operation be performed?

Today, cataract operations should be performed when it gets to the level where humans cannot carry out their daily life and social activities. While cataract used to be expected to develop and vision to close almost completely in the past, cataract to develop at an advanced level affects both surgeon and patient comfort negatively in our day. Therefore, when cataract starts to affect a person’s daily life, it should not be avoided from an operation following the detailed examination under physician control.

How is Operation performed under the Phacoemulsification Method?

It is entered inside the eye with approximately 3mm laceration in the phacoemulsification method. A cataract is divided into very small pieces through the sound waves propagated by the state of the art technology PHACO device. Then these pieces are absorbed and discharged. Following the cleaning of the opaque cataract completely, a thin capsule is left behind. An artificial lens is placed to stay in the eye of the patient for life. No suture is needed due to the operation is performed through a very small laceration. The operation time is mostly 15-20 minutes.

Which type of Anaesthesia is used in Cataract Operations?

Drop anesthesia is frequently used during the operations. The eye is ensured to be benumbed being poured eye lotion. General anesthesia is sometimes preferred in children or in patients who are not capable of undergoing operation under local anesthesia. Local anesthesia can be applied through injection to supraorbital.

Are glasses needed after the operation?

A private corrective lens is placed during the operation. This lens ensures distance acuity, glasses are necessary for near acuity. Some patients may need distance acuity prescription glasses. If a multifocal lens (the lens that aims to correct both distance and near acuity) is used, then patients may continue their lives without using glasses. Glasses are prescribed 2 weeks after the operation at the earliest.

Does Cataract Recur?

Cataract ingenerates in the eye once and does not recur when a natural lens is replaced by the new artificial lens with the operation. However, the transparency of the membrane in which the lens is placed may decrease particularly in young patients. Therefore, the patient’s clarity of vision may decrease. If sight decreases in these patients, a special laser (YAG laser) treatment is applied and the membrane which loses its transparency is cleaned and the patient is ensured to reach to seeing level.

How is Congenital Cataract Treated?

If a congenital cataract prevents seeing, then it must be operated at the earliest. Permanent amblyopia occurs if an operation is not performed as soon as possible. The operation is applied through the phacoemulsification method again and a folding lens is placed into the eye if age is appropriate.

ABOUT CATARACT OPERATION

Things to Pay Attention before and after Cataract Operation

• Aspirin and the like medications must be discontinued 3 days before the operation.

• Patients may have breakfast on the operation morning but it should not be a heavy breakfast.

• Medications used for systemic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and asthma must not be discontinued on the operation day.

• Oral antidiabetic treatment, the diet must continue normally.

• It would be useful to bring your systemic medications on the day of operation.

• The face should be washed thoroughly on the day of operation.

• Please do not put on make-up, lotion, and perfume.

• Your clothes will be changed with the sterile clothes to be given to you during the operation.

• You may return home after a short while following the completion of the operation. Your doctor may invite you to examination again within the first 36 hours.

• You may have a bath 3 days after the operation.

• You’d better not return home alone or drive a car.

What about my Operation?

• You may convey anything you want to say to your doctor during the operation because you will not be completely anesthetized.

• The operation will be performed through the phaco method which is known to be the sutureless technique. This method will ensure an increase in your vision early and there will not be situations such as removing sutures.

• You’d better not move your head or eye for a very short time during the operation.

How I should drop my eye lotion?

• Hands must be washed thoroughly before dropping lotion.

• If your physician recommended the use of 2 different lotions after the operation, both lotions must not be dropped simultaneously. There may be an interaction between the two medications. The second lotion must be dropped 15 minutes later than the first lotion.

• You’d better shake the bottle before dropping the lotion.

• The lotion must be dropped into the eyelid without touching the tip of the lotion to the eye and looking upward and pulling the lower eyelid down.

• Eye drops must continue during the day, there is no need for drops while sleeping at night.

• Unless said otherwise, using lotions for 15 days in accordance with the time table given to you will be sufficient.

Recovery

The recovery time is short. Wide laceration applied with the old methods delays the postoperative recovery of sight. However, the small laceration applied with the phaco method accelerates the period of recovery.

1) You need to be checked one after the operation. The closed eye is opened. Sight can be blurred or very clear at first. There can be different healing processes for everyone.

2) Following a few weeks, clearness insight increases more, and more and measurement can be performed for new glasses after one month. The 1st day, 1st week, and 1st-month checks are made after the operation. During this time, both healings of the eye and protection against infection is ensured with eye lotions.

3) You may feel the need for glasses following the operation. Because following the cataract operation, light passes through the cornea and artificial lens and reaches to the retina. For a good sight, the light should focus on the retina and if your eye is not capable of doing this, then you may need glasses.

4) While young lenses change shape when looking near, the lens placed into your eye cannot do this. And while distant objects are clearly seen, you may need glasses when looking near.

Femtosecond Laser Cataract Surgery

The place of entrance to the eye has been made through the “femtosecond laser cataract” method used in the cataract surgery, peeling the anterior membrane of the cataract (capsule) and dividing the cataract into pieces have been performed with laser energy for the last 5 years. In the classical phaco method, entrance to the eye is made through bistoury and the anterior membrane is peeled by a surgeon.

These processes in the laser cataract surgery are performed nonsurgically and with exact sizes. Besides, lesser energy is applied to the eye due to cataract is divided into pieces with laser energy, thus the risk of cornea damage is reduced. Femtosecond laser cataract surgery minimizes the error margin for patients and cataract surgery provides safer results.

Following the cleaning of the cataract with the operation, lenses are placed into the eye, which is permanent for life. It is aimed nonexistence of the need for glasses after the operation placing lenses with distant/near acuity and stigmata features. The astigmatism disorder can also be corrected during the same operation via Femtosecond laser surgery.

Consequently, cataract can be healed effectively, quickly, and safely thanks to the state of the art technology devices and methods with “Femtosecond laser cataract surgery”.

You may contact us for information and detailed examination if you have the symptoms above.

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To see the objects clearly, rays of light pass through the eye and focus on the retina, which constitutes the back wall of the eye. The lens inside the eye is responsible for refracting the rays of light to ensure the best focus. Retina receives the vision formed by the rays of light and sends it to the brain through the optic nerve.

The most important symptoms of fracture errors are low vision, pain, and discomfort in the eyes. Short-sightedness (myopia and hyperopia), farsightedness (presbyopia), the difference between vertical and horizontal refractivenesses of the eye (astigmatism) are the names of visual impairments. While vision focuses in front of the retina in myopia, it focuses on the back of the retina and a blurred vision occurs in astigmatism due to focusing on two different points.

Laser therapy is one of the latest treatment methods applied in the refractive errors of the eye and eliminating the dependency to contact lens. While LASIK is the most common method, all other refractive surgical methods (iLASIK, WAVEFRONT LASIK-LASEK, PRK, LASEK, Epi-LASIK, INTACS, Phakic IOL) with proven reliabilities are also being applied in our hospital.

Who can be applied to?

You will primarily be applied for a detailed ophthalmologic examination and other tests. If you are currently using contact lens, soft lenses should be removed 1 week and rigid and gas permeable lenses should be removed 3 weeks before the examination. Your refractive defects and eye-glasses numbers will be determined firstly without and then with eye drops.

Your intraocular pressure will be measured and particularly cornea and retina will be analyzed through a biomicroscope in detail. The corneal mapping, corneal pachymetry, Schirmer test, day and night pupil size measurement and wavefront measurements showing the sight quality will be performed with our state of the art technology product device called PENTACAM.

The purpose of laser eye surgery is to protect the eye health of people and relieve them of glasses and lenses. The success rate of the operation varies from person to person according to the structure of the eye due to it is not suited to each eye. Therefore, patient selection must be made correctly and patients must be informed in detail for a successful operation.

Besides, if you have a systemic disease and regularly used drugs during the examination, then you must certainly inform your doctor.

→ People at least 18 years of age,

→ whose visual impairments did not change more than 0.50 D in the recent year,

those with myopia up to -8 dioptrics,

hypermetropia  up to +5 dioptrics,

and astigmia up to 5 dioptrics,

→ and people with sufficient thickness of the cornea can undergo laser operation.

Who cannot be applied laser?

The laser must not be applied to

→ Patients with rheumatism,

→ Diabetic patients,

→ Pregnant women,

→ Breastfeeding mothers,

→ Those who previously underwent eye surgery,

→ Keratoconus patients,

→ Patients with eye diseases such as high eye pressure and cataract.

iLASIK

iLASIK is the state of the art laser technology used in our day and it is a new type of treatment administered with the combined application of forming corneal flap through the computer-controlled personal IntraLase laser technology and the Advanced CustomVue (Wavefront) therapy, which is also a personal treatment. Everything in iLASIK is planned according to your ophthalmological findings and eye structure and treatment are administered especially for you.

Besides being an FDA approved therapy, the Lasik treatment is approved to be administered to NASA astronauts and fighter pilots in the U.S. Army. This shows that it is a type of treatment that ensures visual acuity for people who work in jobs requiring perfect sights like astronauts and fighter pilots. This treatment can easily be administered even in people working under heavy conditions which require very good sight.

What is LASIK

A thin flap is removed through a special and automatic device called microkeratome from the transparent surface called cornea which is like a watch glass. The purpose of removing this flap is to reach the middle layer of the cornea. The cornea is reshaped as planned by the surgeon through an excimer laser under the guidance of a computer program following the flap is formed and lifted up. Then the flap is placed without the need for any adhesive. The total operation time is 10 minutes.

Although sight is good on the 1st day, getting a clear result may take 1 month. A success over 90%-95% may be achieved according to the degree of visual impairment. In case your eye is determined to be still impaired during the control operation performed at least 6 months after the first operation, all examinations and tests are repeated and the former flap is removed without the new one is cut and the 2nd laser operation can be made if, with PENTACAM, the cornea thickness allows for the operation.

What is Custom Lasik?

Lasik can be applied personally according to the cornea structure through a special program called Wavefront. This is a laser application suited for the cornea structure and all-optical system of eye measuring the light scatterings and aberrations. The WaveScan analyzer is being used in our center. This method decreases the cases of seeing less at night and light scatterings and enhances the seeing quality.

What are PRK and LASEK?

No flap before the laser is formed in the cornea in both methods. This is preferred in patients with thin and plane corneas or lower degrees of visual impairment at whom LASIK surgery cannot be applied. LASEK is a relatively new application which is a modified form of PRK.

PRK is the application of laser to sublayer skinning the thinnest tissue called the epithelium on the top of the cornea. The differences between LASEK and PRK are epithelium which is removed using alcohol to be put back into its place, lesser pain, and the rate of recovery.

In both applications, patients wear contact lenses for a 3 or 4 days period to accelerate the epithelium’s process to renew itself and protect the eye.

Patients feel pain, watering, and increased luminous sensitivity for 2 or 3 days. Vision is blurred during this period. They reach the clear vision level in 3 or 4 weeks.

What is epi-LASIK?

EpiLASIK is an alternative method used for eyes with thin cornea which cannot be implemented Lasik, where the epithelium is faultlessly removed through a device called epikeratome rather than the use of alcohol. The cornea must be removed 50 microns rather than 160 microns as is the case with LASIK because of being thin. Following the application of the excimer laser, the flap is closed as is the case with LASIK, and the operation finishes. Pain continues for 1-2 days and faster recovery is seen compared to PRK and LASEK.

What is Phakic IOL?

It is an operation performed for those whose eye structures are not convenient for laser therapy (for example thin cornea) or highly myopic or hypermetropic eyes to have a clear vision without using glasses or lens.

During the operation, a second lens is placed into the eye in front or in the back of the iris, the structure that gives color to the eye, without touching the patient’s own eye lens. In addition to the laser operation preparations, anterior chamber depth, and determination of the number of corneal cells are important for this operation.

Intracorneal Ring Placement (Intacs, Ferrara, Ring, Keraring)

It is a treatment method that is applied in the keratoconus (cornea to become pointed frontward) disease, where the structure of the cornea is not suitable for the LASIK treatment, both to reduce the degree of visual impairment and to slow down the process of or prevent the cornea transplantation, which is the only treatment method in the advanced stage of keratoconus.

Turning the transparent layer into its normal structure is the primary purpose in this treatment. It is applied to reduce visual impairment, rather than removing it completely. It can be easily removed at any time.

About Excimer Treatment

Things to Pay Attention before the Excimer Laser Treatment

• There is no inconveniency in eating on the day of treatment.

• Do not discontinue if there is a medication you used regularly but inform your physician.

• Do not put on perfume or eye make-up on the day of operation.

Treatment Process

• Your eyes will be benumbed before entering the laser room and an ataractic agent will be given to you 45 minutes before the treatment. These activities are performed on the purpose of relieving the operating stress and enhancing adaptation.

• Due to it is a sterile environment, you will put on a shirt, a bonnet, and a slipper used in the section before the operation.

• When you enter the laser room, you will be requested to lie flat on the special laser bed and keep your head smooth.

• Following lying down the laser bed, your eyelids are wiped with an antiseptic solution and you are covered with a sterile cover. A special eyelid carter is used to open your eyelids. Thus, you cannot close your eyes even if you want to.

• When the treatment starts, a special device will be fitted to open a flap in the cornea if it is a LASIK operation. You will not be able to see anything when the vacuum starts with this device; so please do not panic.

• The laser will follow the eye even if the patient wriggles his/her eye, due to it is locked to the eye during the treatment.

• • Being relax and comfortable will considerably shorten the time of operation.

  • The operation time will be approximately 4-5 minutes for each eye.

  • Following the completion of the operation, you will get out of the laser room and be taken to the waiting room for one last check of your physician before being discharged from the hospital.

  • In the meanwhile, antibiotic eye lotion is dropped into your eye.

  • You may return to your home after waiting for approximately 30 minutes and being checked.

  Post Treatment Steps of Excimer Laser Treatment

  • Blurred vision is completely normal. You may feel burning, stinging, and watering in your eyes for 2 hours.

  • Pain is rare and but it will end with a simple painkiller.

  • Do not touch, scratch, or scrub your eyes.

  • Do not take bath or wash your face.

  • Do not watch TV or read.

  • Use your eye lotion as instructed by your physician.

  • Our patients will need to be checked shortly in our hospital the day after the treatment and this check is all-important. Patients whose treatments are completed can return their daily lives following this control.

  • You will be checked on the 1st week and 1st month.

  • Make-up is inconvenient for 10 days’ time.

  • Entering the pool or sea is inconvenient for 20 days’ time.

  • You may take a bath following the check performed the day after the treatment but avoid soup or shampoo enter into your eye on the first days.

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