Medical Eye Exams

Good vision does not always indicate good eye health

Avon Vision Associates 860-677-6444

New Hartford Eye Associates 860-379-7183

The doctors at Avon Vision Associates and New Hartford Eye Associates have the expertise to diagnose and manage a variety of eye diseases, including cataracts, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, and macular degeneration.  Dr. Brittany Jones completed her residency in ocular disease, and Dr. Raymond Guimond worked alongside many ocular disease specialists during his training. Both doctors have a special interest in treating and managing ocular diseases.

One benefit of getting regular eye exams with qualified optometrists is to prevent damage from eye diseases, often before any symptoms are noticeable to you. If an eye disease is diagnosed, our doctors can monitor it and when necessary, refer you to qualified specialists.  

Eye disease diagnosis and management

A medical eye exam includes evaluating anything that is outside of the realm of a “routine eye exam.” During your comprehensive eye exam, we can identify early signs of eye diseases, some of which have no obvious symptoms. When eye diseases are identified early on, we may be able to advise on steps to slow the progression of the disease or control the disease through lifestyle changes.   

Your comprehensive eye exam will include a series of tests that will enable us to diagnose eye diseases. We will also ask you about your family’s eye health history, as some eye diseases have a genetic component.  Here is a list of common eye diseases and other conditions which we can diagnose and manage or co-manage, depending on the situation.   

High-risk medication monitoring (Plaquenil, Tamoxifen, etc.)
Diabetic eye exams
Age-related macular degeneration
Diagnosis and treatment for glaucoma
Diagnosis of neurological conditions such as Horner’s syndrome, idiopathic intracranial hypertension, pituitary adenomas, optic neuropathies, and cranial nerve palsies
Diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease/ocular surface disease
Evaluation and treatment for ocular infections and injuries
Diagnosis and monitoring of cataracts
Ocular and periocular neoplasms
Systemic vascular conditions such as hypertension and high cholesterol

Learn more about eye diseases we can diagnose and manage or co-manage, including cataracts, glaucoma, and age-related macular degeneration.

Cataract  

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye, resulting in blurry or hazy vision. Cataracts can make it more difficult to read, drive a car (especially at night), or see other people’s faces.  

The most common reason people develop cataracts is aging. Proteins and fibers in the lens break down and cause vision to become blurry and hazy. Cataracts may also be caused by previous eye surgeries, genetic disorders, diabetes, and long-term use of steroids.

Glaucoma   

Glaucoma is a group of eye disorders that can cause progressive damage to the optic nerve and is characterized by loss of nerve tissue resulting in loss of vision. The most common form of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma, is associated with an increase in the fluid pressure inside the eye. This increase in pressure may cause progressive damage to the optic nerve and loss of nerve fibers, and vision loss may result. Advanced glaucoma may even cause blindness.  

Not everyone with high eye pressure will develop glaucoma, and many people with normal eye pressure will develop glaucoma. When the pressure inside an eye is too high for the optic nerve, whatever that pressure measurement may be, glaucoma will develop.   

Macular Degeneration   

Macular degeneration is a chronic, progressive disease that affects the central field of vision and can lead to blindness. It is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in adults over 60 and affects more than 10 million Americans.

There are two types of age-related macular degeneration: dry and wet. The disease can progress slowly in some people and develop rapidly in others depending on the type of macular degeneration.  Dry AMD is the most common type of macular degeneration and happens as the macula gets thinner with age. During the early stage of dry AMD, there usually aren’t any obvious symptoms. As the disease progresses to the intermediate stage, mild symptoms may be experienced, such as mild blurriness in the central vision or trouble seeing in low light. When the disease progresses to the late stage, people notice that lines appear wavy and see a dark spot in their central field of vision.   Any stage of dry AMD can turn into wet AMD—but wet AMD is always late stage. It happens when abnormal blood vessels grow in the back of the eye and damage the macula. Vision loss occurs rapidly in wet AMD. 