Eye Care Services - Florida

Total Eye Care Center of Lake County, Florida is your resource for all your family's eye care needs. State-of-the-art services include:

Cataract Surgery | Glaucoma Surgery | Diabetic Retinopathy | Eyelid Plastic Surgery
Routine Eye Exams | Low Vision Rehabilitation

Cataract Surgery - Florida Cataracts

No Stitch, No Shot, No Patch Cataract Surgery. Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the country, and one of the most successful. They are one of those unfortunate things that befall most of us as we age. If you are between the ages of 52 and 64, you have a 50 percent chance of having a cataract, but you probably won't experience any problems with your vision until about age 65. By age 75, just about everyone has a cataract; and 60 percent of all adults over age 60 experience poor vision due to cataracts.

What are Cataracts?
Cataracts are a clouding of the eye's natural lens, usually occurring as a result of the natural aging process. Typical symptoms of a cataract include reduced night vision, impaired depth perception, dull color perception, blurred vision, and frequent eyeglass prescription changes. Once these symptoms begin to interfere with your lifestyle and the things you enjoy doing, you may consider cataract surgery to remove the cloudy lens and restore vision.

Cataract Surgery
What to expect? Not long ago, cataract surgery took several hours and patients spent days in the hospital. With refined procedures and technological advances, today's cataract surgery is much quicker, with less discomfort and faster recovery. Most patients are able to return home after only a couple of hours and are usually able to resume their normal activities in a matter of just a few days.

At Total Eye Care Surgery Center, you can expect to arrive at our surgical facility about an hour or so before your scheduled surgery time. You'll be greeted and checked in by our surgical coordinator. Our nurses will make you comfortable, allowing you to remain in your own comfortable clothing throughout your visit, and get you prepared for your procedure. You'll be taken to one of our two surgical suites where you'll be continuously monitored by our trained and licensed nurses, anesthetists, and technicians. Medication will be administered intravenously which will help you relax during the procedure. You can routinely expect:

No Injection—meaning your eye will be anesthetized with an eye
drop instead of a needle!

No Stitch—meaning a self-sealing, micro incision which requires no sutures.

No Patch—meaning no uncomfortable patch over your eye following
surgery to obstruct your vision!

The procedure itself will probably take less than 15 minutes. Using phacoemulsification—a technique of cataract removal where the hard nucleus is broken up by ultrasonic fragmentation (sound waves) and gently vacuumed out of the eye with a small probe inserted through the micro incision.

Patients will also receive an intraocular lens implant which has been specifically selected by their surgeon based on measurements and testing performed prior to surgery. This lens is then inserted (also through the same micro incision) and positioned to replace the eye's natural lens.

Following your surgery, you will be returned to our recovery area where you'll spend time enough with our nursing staff to assure that you are feeling well and are ready for your trip back home. We at Total Eye Care Center strive to make your experience as convenient and pleasant as possible. Please contact us in Florida to discuss any questions you may have regarding cataract surgery or any of our services.

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Glaucoma - Florida

Diagnosing and treating glaucoma
Glaucoma is a common condition affecting nearly three percent of the general population. There are many different types of glaucoma, but they all have two common features: (1) damage to the optic nerve in the back of the eye, and (2) loss of the visual field (often described as the "peripheral vision"). Glaucoma is NOT just a high pressure in the eyes. Central vision is usually spared until glaucoma is quite advanced. It has generally been accepted that once the optic nerve is damaged, this damage is irreversible. Treatment has always been aimed at trying to prevent further damage.

Elevation of the intraocular pressure (pressure inside the eye) is the most common risk factor for glaucoma. While treatments, both medical and surgical, have been traditionally geared towards lowering the intraocular pressure (see below for further details), current research is more centered on how to protect the optic nerve from further damage or even how we may be able reverse this damage in the future.

What are the symptoms?
Most patients are unaware that the pressure in their eyes may be elevated until the most advanced stages of glaucoma. "Acute angle closure glaucoma," a much less common variety, usually presents with a red, painful eye with blurred vision, nausea, and headache. Angle closure glaucoma is an ocular emergency that requires prompt treatment.

How is glaucoma diagnosed?
Glaucoma is diagnosed during a routine eye examination. The optic nerve is observed for damage. The intraocular pressure is measured easily in the office. Patients usually undergo a visual field test if the doctor is suspicious of possible glaucoma. This 20- to 30-minute test involves having the patient push a button every time he or she sees a small light flash on different parts of a viewing screen. This produces a sensitive map of areas where vision may be fading without the patient¹s knowledge. A screening pressure check is not sufficient to diagnose glaucoma. Patients with "low tension" glaucoma may have optic nerve damage with normal eye pressure.

What are the possible treatments for glaucoma?
Glaucoma treatment often begins with eye drops designed to lower the intraocular pressure. It has long been felt that reducing the pressure in the eye helps to slow optic nerve damage. Ongoing research may reveal that some of these drops may have a "neuroprotective" effect on the optic nerve.

Argon laser trabeculoplasty, a brief in-office laser procedure, has been used for many years to help reduce intraocular pressure. Laser spots are placed in the trabecular meshwork, the "drain" of the eye. This procedure appears to work better in older patients (over 50) and in those with certain types of glaucoma (pigmentary glaucoma).

In the United States, surgical intervention is usually reserved for patients who have failed laser treatment (or are not a candidate) and have worsening glaucoma despite several medications. There are different types of glaucoma surgeries:

Filtering surgery, or trabeculectomy, is the most common type of glaucoma surgery. A small flap is made in the sclera, or white of the eye, allowing fluid to drain out of the front of the eye and exit around the side. Anti-scarring medicine is often used during the surgery to help prevent the flap from healing back down. The surgery has a greater than 85 percent success rate.

Valve implantation involves placing a silicone tube in the front chamber of the eye, which drains fluid to a small reservoir on the side of the eye. This is not felt by the patient. The success rate is greater than 80 percent. This procedure is often reserved for patients in whom a trabeculectomy has failed.

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Diabetic Retinopathy - Lake County, Florida - Clermont, Eustis and Leesburg

How does diabetes affect the eye?
The retina, a paper-thin tissue, lines the back of the eye like wallpaper. It functions like film in a camera... light strikes it and provides us with vision. Diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina, and eventually causes poor blood flow to the back of the eye. In advanced cases, fluid from these leaking and damaged blood vessels will fill the center of the retina (the macula). When this occurs, vision loss may be mild, moderate, or quite significant.

As blood flow decreases, the retina literally starves for oxygen. In advanced cases, fragile new blood vessels grow to replace the dead ones. Unfortunately, these new weak vessels often break, bleed, and fill the entire eye with blood. This can cause a rapid and significant loss of vision.

What are the symptoms of diabetic retinopathy?
Unfortunately, diabetic retinopathy (retinal damage from diabetes) need NOT cause any symptoms. While many patients develop blurred vision from swelling in the retina, it is possible to have absolutely no symptoms but to have relatively advanced damage. That is why diabetics MUST SEE THEIR EYE DOCTOR AT LEAST ONCE A YEAR for a dilated fundoscopic exam.

Prevention & Treatment of Diabetic Retinopathy
Early treatment of diabetic retinopathy and regular visits to an ophthalmologist often improves the potential for saving sight. It is important that people with diabetes see their eye doctor at least once a year, even before any symptoms appear.

If diabetic retinopathy already exists in the eye, retinal laser treatments can be performed, both to help reduce swelling in the retina as well as to help reverse new vessel formation in the retina. Our doctors perform retinal laser treatments for diabetics using our in-office laser. These painless treatments usually take less than 30 minutes.

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Lake County, Florida - Eyelid Plastic Surgery - Clermont, Eustis and Leesburg

• My eyes feel heavy.
• I look so tired around my eyes.
• I can hardly keep my eyes open at 10 in the morning!
• My eyes are so puffy I can't apply make-up evenly.

The doctors at Total Eye Care Center offer plastic surgery of the eyelids (blepharoplasty). Blepharoplasty reduces or eliminates the effects of heavy, drooping eyelids that result from fatty deposits that collect around the eyelids. There may be so much excess skin that patients describe difficulty in looking up or to the side. While excess skin and fat around the eyelids may be associated with aging, many young people suffer with the condition (as the result of heredity) and complain of a tired, sleepy look. Upper lid blepharoplasty will make your eyes look brighter, larger, and more rested. It may help restore vision formerly lost because of drooping eyelids. Lower lid blepharoplasty may smooth away bulging pockets of fat and remove or reduce bags from under your eyes. Your skin can appear tighter and firmer, and you should have a more well-rested and youthful appearance.

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Routine Eye Examinations - Florida

The doctors at Total Eye Care Center believe that maintaining healthy eyes and good vision begins with routine eye examinations. Perhaps you have a family history of glaucoma? Maybe your child complains that he or she cannot see the blackboard? Or maybe you find yourself avoiding social situations, particularly at night, because of poor vision? The doctors at Total Eye Care Center in Florida offer a routine eye exam to help detect any problem or potential problem.

During a routine eye examination, a number of painless tests will be performed by specially trained ophthalmic technicians. Your doctor will then personally review the information and examine your eyes for any sign of eye disease. If needed, you will be given a prescription for corrective lenses; or, if eye disease is found, your condition will be thoroughly discussed with you and treatment options presented.

Sometimes, we take our vision for granted until a problem develops. Prevention is always better than a cure, so it pays to know how to prevent eye problems and how to detect them as early as possible.

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Low-Vision Rehabilitation - Lake County, Florida

Persons with low vision have a visual impairment which is severe enough to limit their ability to complete many necessary daily living activities, but which still allows some usable vision. However, they often have difficulty using their remaining vision efficiently and effectively enough to complete needed activities. Rehabilitation of the visually-impaired individual is directed at optimizing functional capabilities and quality of life.

Rehabilitation is a multi-faceted process involving the assessment of visual capabilities and the evaluation of functional performance within the context of lifestyle, attitudes, and psychological well-being. Rehabilitation goals are defined in terms of what matters most in a person's life, and attempts are made to solve functional problems through adaptive options and coping strategies.

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