Procedures and Services

Optical Procedures and Services in Southwest Virginia

Eye Physicians of Southwest Virginia, PC provides a wide range of optical procedures and services in Southwest Virginia. From basic eye care services to intensive surgeries, you are in good hands with our team.

Comprehensive Eye Care Services

We are dedicated to providing diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the eye and other vision problems. Only a thorough examination of your eyes, along with appropriate diagnostic procedures, can lead to accurate diagnoses and treatment plans.

Unfortunately, many conditions can cause or lead to vision problems. We strive to provide quality preventive care, curative procedures, and disease management. Here are some of the services we provide:

Adult and Pediatric Eye Exams

It’s important for everyone – children, teenagers, and adults – to have regular eye exams. Having your eyes examined by an Optometrist or Ophthalmologist is the best way to keep your eyes healthy and ensure you see the world as clearly as possible. Your age, health, contact lens use, family medical history, and other factors determine how frequently you should have eye exams. We will be happy to tell you how often you should see us for routine exams.

Glasses and Corrective Lenses

Wearing eyeglasses is an easy way to correct refractive errors. Improving your vision with eyeglasses offers the opportunity to select from different types of lens options, frame designs, and lens coatings for a look that works for you.

Generally speaking, there are two different eyeglass lens designs: single vision, an all-purpose lens designed to correct poor distance vision or poor near vision, and multifocal, designed to correct both distance vision and near vision. The upper portion focuses on distance vision, while the bottom is used for up-close activities such as reading. Eyeglasses can correct other vision problems, too.

Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are thin, clear disks of plastic that float on the surface of the eye. Just like eyeglasses, they correct vision and are safe when used with care. Contact lenses are used to correct the same conditions that eyeglasses do: myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (blurred vision due to the shape of the cornea), and presbyopia (inability to see close up).

Millions of people around the world wear contact lenses. Depending on your lifestyle, motivation, and your eyes’ health, contact lenses may provide a safe and effective alternative to eyeglasses when used with proper care and maintenance.

Cataract Surgery

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s lens. When we look at something, light rays travel into our eye through the pupil and focus through the lens onto the retina, a layer of light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye. The lens must be clear to focus light properly onto the retina. If the lens has become cloudy, this is called a cataract. When a cataract causes bothersome vision problems that interfere with your daily activities, we may recommend surgery to remove the cataract.

Diabetic Eye Care

Diabetic retinopathy, the most common diabetic eye disease, occurs when blood vessels in the retina change. Sometimes these vessels swell and leak fluid or even close off completely. In other cases, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the surface of the retina.

The best treatment for diabetic retinopathy is to prevent it. The strict control of your blood sugar will significantly reduce the long-term risk of vision loss.

Glaucoma Care

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve. The optic nerve is connected to the retina – a layer of light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye – and is made up of many nerve fibers like an electric cable is made up of many wires. The optic nerve sends signals from your retina to your brain, where these signals are interpreted as the images you see.

Glaucoma can cause blindness if it is left untreated. Only about half of the estimated three million Americans with glaucoma are even aware that they have the condition. When glaucoma develops, you don’t usually have any early symptoms, and the disease progresses slowly. In this way, glaucoma can steal your sight very gradually. Fortunately, early detection and treatment – with glaucoma eye drops, glaucoma surgery, or both – can help preserve your vision.

Detached or Torn Retina

The retina is the light-sensitive tissue lining the back of our eye. Light rays are focused onto the retina through our cornea, pupil, and lens. The retina converts the light rays into impulses that travel through the optic nerve to our brain, interpreted as the images we see. A healthy, intact retina is necessary for clear vision.

Symptoms

The retina does not work when it is detached, and vision becomes blurry. A retinal detachment is a serious problem that almost always causes blindness unless treated with detached retina surgery. If you experience any of these symptoms, get in touch with us immediately. Symptoms of a retinal tear and detachment can include the following:

Sudden Increase in Size and Number of Floaters May Indicate That a Retinal Tear Is Occurring
Sudden Appearance of Flashes Could Be the First Stage of a Retinal Tear or Detachment
Having a Shadow Appear in the Periphery (Side) of Your Field of Vision
Seeing a Gray Curtain Moving Across Your Field of Vision
Sudden Decrease in Your Vision

Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a deterioration or breakdown of the eye’s macula. The macula is a small area in the retina. The macula is the part of the retina responsible for your central vision, allowing you to see fine details clearly. When macular degeneration leads to vision loss, it usually begins with just one eye, though it may affect the other eye later. Many people are unaware that they have macular degeneration until they have a noticeable vision problem or are detected during an eye examination. Macular degeneration is an important reason to see us for regular eye exams.

Dry Eye

When you blink, a film of tears spreads over the eye, making the surface of the eye smooth and clear. Without this tear film, good vision would not be possible. Sometimes people don’t produce enough tears or the right tears to keep their eyes healthy and comfortable. This condition is known as dry eye and can be caused by many factors. We are usually able to diagnose dry eye by a simple examination and prescribe a course of treatment.

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)

Conjunctivitis is the term used to describe swelling (inflammation) of the conjunctiva – the thin, filmy membrane that covers the inside of your eyelids and the white part of your eye (known as the sclera). Often this condition is called “pink eye.”

The conjunctiva, which contains tiny blood vessels, produces mucus to keep the surface of your eye moist and protected. When the conjunctiva becomes irritated or swollen, the blood vessels become larger and more prominent, making your eye appear red. Signs of pink eye may occur in one or both eyes.

LASIK™ Consultation

Although we don’t perform this procedure, we co-manage patients who desire the procedure and will recommend an approved Laser Center.

Cosmetic Eye Surgery

Ask our doctors about your individual needs. We offer several different procedures – blepharoplasty, BOTOX™ cosmetic treatment, and Latisse™ eyelash treatment.

Blepharoplasty

This surgery includes repairing droopy eyelids by removing excess skin, muscle, and fat. Besides making you look older, severely sagging skin around your eyes can impair your peripheral or side vision. Blepharoplasty reduces or eliminates such impaired vision.

Botox Cosmetic Treatment

FDA-Approved BOTOX™ Cosmetic injections have become a popular non-surgical method of reversing visible signs of aging, particularly around the eyes, providing a more youthful appearance. We use such treatments to eliminate or reduce facial wrinkles such as crow’s feet and frown or squinting lines.

Latisse™ Eyelash Treatment

Latisse™ is the first scientifically tested, FDA-approved treatment clinically tested to improve the length, darkness, and fullness of eyelashes. It is available only by prescription.

The information on this page is provided by Eye Physicians of Southwest Virginia, PC. It is meant solely for information purposes. It is not intended to substitute for a complete professional eye examination or medical treatments indicated by such exams. The American Academy of Ophthalmology is a primary source for much of this information.

From eye examinations to treatments, we will look out for your optical health. Click here for a listing of our four locations across Southwest Virginia to schedule an appointment.