EYE EXAMS PORTLAND OREGON

Comprehensive eye exams at Eye Department are performed by Dr. Annie Bacon and generally last 30-45 minutes. Eye Department eye exams include screenings for diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataract and other systemic conditions that can be seen in your eyes earlier than anywhere else in your body. Dr. Annie is accepting new patients and most insurances. While dilation may not always be the most convenient for going back to work, dilation is important to the eye examination process and provides Dr. Annie with the best opportunity to provide the best eye care and that you deserve. It’s important to trust the process. If you are concerned about driving or working while dilated, please be prepared to have a friend, colleague, partner or family member drive you to your appointment.

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which is typically clear. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is like looking through a frosty or fogged-up window. Clouded vision caused by cataracts can make it more difficult to read, drive a car at night or see the expression on a friend’s face. Most cataracts develop slowly and don’t disturb eyesight early on. But with time, cataracts will eventually affect vision. At first, stronger lighting and eyeglasses can help deal with cataracts. But if impaired vision affects usual activities, cataract surgery might be needed. Fortunately, cataract surgery is generally a safe, effective procedure.

To replace the clouded human lens, a precisely engineered artificial lens called the intraocular lens, or “IOL”, is implanted into the eye at the time of cataract surgery. Unlike a contact lens, it is permanently fixated inside the eye. In this way, it cannot fall out, does not require cleaning, and does not change the appearance of the eye. It produces no sensation, and cannot be felt by the patient. The IOL is permanent because it is made of a perfectly transparent material that will never cloud. Once in place, it will not move, and unlike an artificial joint or heart valve, there are no moving parts in the lens that could wear out over time. Because it is lightweight and flexible, it will not be affected by physical activities or by rubbing of the eye. Patients can ultimately resume all of their normal activities without any restrictions.

Intraocular lenses replace three main functions of the natural human lens. First, like a window, both the cornea and the lens must be perfectly transparent in order for external light and images to be focused onto the retina at the back of the eyeball’s interior. Second, the lens acts as a structural partition between the vitreous gel behind it, and the clear fluid-filled chamber in front of it. Finally, it provides necessary focusing power.

The Light Adjustable Lens (LAL) is an intraocular lens (IOL) whose power can be adjusted several weeks after cataract surgery.  The technology is designed to improve how well you see without eyeglasses compared to a basic single focus lens implant.

Every other IOL comes in a fixed range of powers, and preoperative calculations are performed to assist the surgeon in estimating the lens power to use for your eye.  Preoperative eye measurements are plugged into several IOL formulas, which estimate the IOL that is most likely to hit the target that you select with your cataract surgeon.  As you might expect, these prediction formulas are not perfectly accurate for every patient because of individual differences in eye anatomy and healing.

Certain factors may make IOL power selection much less accurate, such as a history of prior refractive surgery like LASIK, PRK, or RK (radial keratotomy).  Others are born with an unusually flat or steep cornea.  An adjustable IOL may be especially beneficial for these situations.  Those who want some degree of monovision—using one eye for distance and the other for near—will enjoy the precision of the LAL because of its ability to fine tune each eye for its optimal target.

How does the light adjustable lens work?

The LAL contains molecules that are light-sensitive.  Their distribution and position can be adjusted by an external UV light beam, which alters the shape of the IOL without requiring additional surgery.  As the shape of the IOL changes, its power changes, which can adjust for astigmatism, nearsightedness, or farsightedness. We provide special UV blocking sunglasses for you to wear temporarily to protect the IOL from receiving too much UV light until the adjustment process is complete.

The postoperative adjustments are painless and take less than 2 minutes.  They are performed in our office, where we use a light delivery device to send the beam that reshapes the IOL.  The first customized treatment is typically performed several weeks after the cataract surgery when the vision has stabilized. Additional adjustments are performed at approximately weekly intervals as determined by the doctor.  It is possible to make up to 3 adjustments, although some eyes require only one. When the result has been optimized, 2 final “lock-in” treatments are performed, after which the IOL can no longer change or be adjusted. After lock-in, no extra protection is needed for sunlight or UV light; there is no need for any other special precautions or follow-up . Because the LAL is adjustable postoperatively, many patients elect to have both eyes operated on at the same time (or a few days apart) with this option.

Dr. Annie and Eye Department believe in early childhood detection and prevention and recommends that children see her at Eye Department starting between 6 months and two years old. Dr. Annie has developed a program called EYE BABY where she offers complimentary diagnostic vision screenings to babies to two year olds in the community. It is vital to ensure babies are developing proper visual acuity. It is during these formative years where Dr. Annie can provide early detection analysis and screenings. These events are held on several dates throughout the year, however, space is limited. Please contact Eye Department at 503-227-0573 for details and event booking.

Astigmatisma is a vision condition that causes blurred vision due either to the irregular shape of the cornea, the clear front cover of the eye, or sometimes the curvature of the lens inside the eye. An irregular shaped cornea or lens prevents light from focusing properly on the retina, the light sensitive surface at the back of the eye. As a result, vision becomes blurred at any distance.

Presbyopia is the gradual loss of your eyes’ ability to focus on nearby objects. It’s a natural, often annoying part of aging. Presbyopia usually becomes noticeable in your early to mid-40s and continues to worsen until around age 65.

You may become aware of presbyopia when you start holding books and newspapers at arm’s length to be able to read them. A comprehensive eye exam at Eye Department can confirm presbyopia. You can correct the condition with eyeglasses or contact lenses.

Presbyopia develops gradually. You may first notice these signs and symptoms after age 40:

• A tendency to hold reading material farther away to make the letters clearer
• Blurred vision at normal reading distance
• Eyestrain or headaches after reading or doing close-up work

You may notice these symptoms are worse if you are tired or are in an area with dim lighting. If you notice any of these symptoms, call 503-227-0573 or schedule online: Schedule Eye Exam @ Eye Department

Eye health is one of the biggest concerns for people with diabetes. Over time, a continuously high blood sugar level damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina. Diabetic eye disease describes a group of eye conditions that can develop in people with diabetes. The most common health issues affecting the vision of diabetics include: diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, cataracts & glaucoma.

Many eye and vision problems have no obvious signs or symptoms, so you might not know a problem exists. Early diagnosis and treatment of eye and vision problems can help prevent vision loss. Each patient’s signs and symptoms, along with your doctor of optometry’s professional judgment, will determine what tests are conducted.  School age children and young adults are spending longer and longer time periods in close-up near work. The stress on our eyes, often from near work on laptops and tablets, is greater today than in any other time in history. Annual comprehensive eye exams at Eye Department are critical to ensuring a lifetime of great vision. The extent to which a child is at risk for the development of eye and vision problems determines the appropriate re-evaluation schedule. Children with ocular signs and symptoms require a prompt, comprehensive examination.  As we age, our eyes go through a tremendous amount of force and stress. This stress can cause problems. Rest assured, Dr. Annie Bacon and the team at Eye Department are ready to see you.

The presence of certain risk factors may necessitate more frequent examinations based on professional judgment.

Adult patients at risk include those:

• A personal or family history of ocular disease.
• History of eye injury.
• Years of close-up near reading on laptops, phones and tablets.
• Systemic health conditions with potential ocular manifestations.
• Occupations that are highly demanding visually or have a high potential of being hazardous to the eyes.
• Taking prescription or nonprescription drugs with ocular side effects.
• Functional vision in only one eye.
• Wearing contact lenses.
• Eye surgery or previous eye injury.
• High or progressive refractive error.
• Other eye-related health concerns or conditions.
  Patients who have undergone refractive surgery (LASIK, PRK, SMILE) should still have an eye exam every 1-2 years for monitoring of overall ocular health.

Progressive Myopia sometimes called Pathalogical Myopia is a significant and prevelent eye disease that is approaching epidemic proportions among children and young adults. Myopia is often referred to as being “near-sighted,” or “short-sighted,” which means light in the myopic eye focuses in front of, intead of on, the retina. Progressive Myopia may be understood as the disconnection between ocular power and the elongation (growth) of the eye over time. Eye Department recommends annual eye exams for all children and young adults so that we may track, treat and slow Progressive Myopia.