Eye Disease Diagnosis & Management in Fort Worth

Glaucoma is a group of diseases that targets your eye’s optic nerve. As the optic nerve is responsible for transferring information from the retina to the brain, damage to the optic nerve can cause vision loss. Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of blindness in patients over 60.

It’s common for some kinds of glaucoma to show little to no symptoms as they develop. Regular eye exams are the best way to identify glaucoma early. If diagnosed early, glaucoma can be managed, limiting optic nerve damage and vision loss.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of blindness in people over 60. The disease occurs when the eye’s macula (the central part of the retina) starts to wear down. There are 2 different types of AMD: wet and dry.

Dry AMD is caused by drusen deposits building up in the macula. As the deposits collect, they can make it hard for the eye to focus on objects clearly and can cause blind spots. Over time, patients with dry AMD can eventually lose their central vision.

Wet AMD most frequently occurs after dry AMD. This happens when blood vessels break under your macula and leak fluid into your retina. This fluid causes blurred vision and blindness.

Diabetic retinopathy is caused by the effects of diabetes on the eye’s blood vessels. As diabetes causes irregular blood sugar levels, the eye’s blood vessels may become blocked and break. If broken, they can leak fluid into the retina (diabetic retinopathy) and then into the macula (diabetic macular edema).