Everyone knows that ophthalmologists are specialists in the treatment of eye diseases, but do we really know the full range of diseases with which they can help us? Find out in this article.
Ophthalmology is the medical specialty that is responsible for the study and treatment of diseases of the eyes, but also of the muscles that move them, the eyelids and tear ducts. For this, ophthalmology witness experts can use medications, prescription lenses, traditional surgical interventions, laser surgery and all other instruments available to current medicine. Then you can discover all the visual problems that our ophthalmologists can treat.
Refractive problems: myopia, farsightedness, and astigmatism
Refractive problems are the most common and probably the first we all think of when we talk about going to an ophthalmologist. Untreated refractive defects are the major cause of visual impairment in the world, however, today, these visual problems are the easiest solution to have.
When it comes to refractive problems, perhaps the most important task of ophthalmologists is to diagnose and measure them, in addition to the work of surgeons, since they are the specialists who practice refractive surgery.
Presbyopia
The presbyopia, a visual defect associated with age, is another of the most common problems that attend and treat ophthalmologists. Presbyopia or tired eyesight is manifested in the progressive loss of the eye’s ability to accommodate (also known as the ability to focus), which begins after 40 or 45 years. Luckily, surgery also allows us to end this problem simply and safely.
Waterfalls
The waterfalls are another visual problems associated with age. They occur because the crystalline lens, the natural lens of the eye, loses transparency over the years. The only possible treatment to end cataracts is surgery, which replaces the lens with an intraocular lens.
Retinal pathologies
A team of ophthalmologists specialized in the diagnosis and treatment of retinal diseases, from the most common to the most complex. Some of the diseases that can be treated in our Retina Unit are Age-Associated Macular Degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, pigmentary retinosis, retinal detachment or myopia or pathological myopia.
Glaucoma
The glaucoma is an eye disease characterized by loss of vision due to damage to the optic nerve secondary, caused, in most cases, by increased intraocular pressure. In the case of glaucoma, prevention is very important, since the damage it causes to vision cannot be reversed. The treatments focus on preventing, or at least slowing down, the progression of the disease through medication, or surgery, whether traditional or laser.
Other treatments
In addition to the previous specialties, the medical team has ophthalmologists who diagnose and treat most ophthalmic pathologies, such as:
Lazy eye: affects 3% of the population and is the most common cause of vision loss among children and youth.
Strabismus: is a loss of the parallelism of the eyes that not only has aesthetic consequences but can become an important cause of amblyopia or lazy eye.
Problems of the periocular structures (eyelids, orbit, and tear duct): for the correction of these defects, ocular plastic-surgery or oculoplasty is used.
Corneal diseases: such as infections, keratoconus, allergies or ulcers
Obstructions of the tear ducts: excess tearing can interfere with the patient’s quality of life, but this problem has a surgical solution.
Neurophthalic alterations: our medical team has neurologists who work together with ophthalmologists to give comprehensive care to patients suffering from diseases such as tics or blepharospasms, optic neuropathies, pupil alterations …