What Can Optometrists Diagnose?
Before leaving your home to see an optometrist, it is essential to know what to expect regarding what an optometrist can diagnose and the treatment you can get. As a professional who is trained to provide primary health care for the eyes and carry out eye examinations, an optometrist can diagnose a wide range of diseases or conditions that affect vision. Here is some of what an optometrist can diagnose.
- Cataract
This is a common eye disease among persons who are over 55 years old, although it can affect younger people as well. A cataract is the clouding of a part of the entire lens of the eye. No particular causes other than aging have been expressed identified to result in cataract. However, an optometrist can diagnose a cataract when a patient goes for an eye examination.
Persons suffering from cataract have impaired vision and seeing through their lenses seems as if looking through a fogged-up window. An optometrist can diagnose cataract without any hassles and provide the right treatment.
- Macular Degeneration
Another condition that an optometrist can diagnose is macular degeneration, usually referred to as “age-related macular degeneration.” This condition can cause blurred or no vision because it affects the central area of the retina at the back of the eye.
This condition can affect the ability to read, drive, recognize faces, and other tasks requiring seeing in details. Visiting an optometrist in the early stages of macular degeneration can help to halt this condition that among the most common causes of blindness in the world.
- Glaucoma
An optometrist can also diagnose glaucoma. This condition is caused by a significant increase in the internal pressure of the eye. The increased pressure will cause the fibers in the optic nerve to rupture and eventually causes blindness. When an optometrist diagnosis this condition at an early stage, although it cannot be prevented, it can be appropriately controlled.
- Diabetes Retinopathy
This condition is a spill-over effect of diabetes. It results from swelling, leaking, or branching of small blood vessels in the retina. This condition can cause blurry vision, floaters, and ultimately, blindness if not treated early. An optometrist can diagnose this condition and provide treatment to slow the process.
- Retinitis Pigmentosa
An optometrist can diagnose this hereditary condition whereby the cells of the retina degenerate over time. The ability to see in low light situations is affected. If your family has a history of retinitis pigmentosa, a visit to an optometrist will help to discover this condition.