Medical Eye Care for Eye Diseases

It makes sense to have a primary care physician who regularly takes care of your family. Having a clear history of your family's health and lifestyle makes them well-placed to make knowledgeable and trustworthy healthcare decisions. In the same vein, having a good eye doctor to attend to your family’s eye health needs will ensure the same level of trust and care.

Under normal circumstances, an eye doctor provides standard eye care. However, you may find yourself requiring specialized eye care in certain situations. You will need specialized eye care or medical eye care services for severe eye conditions. This type of eye care differs from standard eye care in several ways.

What Is Medical Eye Care?

Medical eye care focuses on treating specific eye conditions. It involves an eye doctor focusing on the crucial aspects of an eye condition. It is unlike standard eye care, which looks for various eye conditions to help keep your eyes healthy. Routine eye care is much more general in its approach, while medical eye care is much more specific.

Who Provides Medical Eye Care?

Another common difference between the two forms of eye care is the professionals who can provide them. An optometrist commonly provides standard eye care. Optometrists have the knowledge and training to provide vision testing, correction, diagnosis, treatment, and change management.

Medical eye care, on the other hand, falls under the purview of ophthalmologists. These eye doctors have the title of medical doctors and are the only professionals capable of providing some form of eye care. Optometrists and ophthalmologists frequently collaborate in the same clinic as a team.

What Common Eye Diseases Require Medical Eye Care?

Age-related Macular Degeneration

AMD is a form of macular degeneration associated with aging. The condition affects central vision but leaves your peripheral vision intact. The result is that you cannot recognize faces or perform tasks that require close-up vision.

The disease comes in two primary forms, dry or atrophic AMD and exudative or wet AMD. The atrophic form occurs from accumulated cellular debris, lipids, and protein deposits called drusen. Meanwhile, exudative AMD occurs due to abnormal blood vessels leaking blood and fluids under the retina.

You need an eye doctor who specializes in providing medical care for your retina. Otherwise, you may not manage to stop the condition's progress.

Cataracts

Cataracts are another ocular condition common in older people. It is a result of the clouding of the eyes lens due to protein deposits that collect over your lifetime. The only treatment for this condition is surgery that only an ophthalmologist can perform.

Diabetic Retinopathy

People with diabetes usually develop issues with their eyes. The most prevalent eye condition that can develop from diabetes is diabetic retinopathy. A relatively common eye condition, it is the primary cause of blindness among American adults.

It leads to progressive damage to the retina. Like AMD, you need an eye doctor with the knowledge to provide medical care for this sensitive area of your eyes.

For more on medical eye care for eye diseases, visit Optique Vision at our office in Albany, New York. Call (518) 302-2106 to book an appointment today.