Infections, Injuries, Dry Eye and more!
Did you you know that optometrists are educated, trained and licensed to treat and follow many medical eye issues like infections, ulcers/herpetic ulcers, eye injuries like abrasions, black eyes, hemorrhages, dry eye, and eyelid issues like styes, blepharitis and demodex? They can also remove eyelashes that are causing discomfort and even insert punctal plugs to help you keep more of your own natural tears!
Eye Infections
Many eye infections can mimic each other and are uncomfortable and disruptive to your daily life. Did you know there are multiple types of conjunctivitis that all just gets called 'pink eye'? They usually require different treatments to improve quickly and to help alleviate symptoms. At CKE, we use an in office viral test to help diagnose/confirm or rule out one of the most contagious and painful forms of conjunctivitis as well as other diagnostic methods.
Styes
Styes can seem to appear out of nowhere! They usually start out as very painful bumps in or on your eyelids. Sometimes they appear as a pimple-like bump on your eyelid margin and sometimes they are inside of your eyelid, and your eyelids just seem to be really swollen and maybe sore in one area if you touch it. Did you know that they are the most treatable when they hurt the most?! Sometimes eye drops, oral antibiotics and even surgical intervention are required to completely treat a stye.
Injuries, Foreign bodies, ulcers, herpes, etc.
Did you know that being hit in the eye can cause more than just a black eye? It can cause damage to the delicate tissue in the back of the eye called the retina. The retina gathers all the information that gets sent to the brain so you can "see". Blood can pool in the eye from even just sneezing or rubbing your eye hard! But if it can happen on the outside of the eye, it can happen on the inside of the eye. Abrasions and ulcers can occur from dry eye, wearing contact lenses, foreign bodies, trauma, etc. Foreign bodies need to be removed quickly and by a skilled professional to help reduce the risk of scarring, secondary infections and secondary injury. Shingles on the face is always a concern since it is one of the many ways you can develop a herpetic ulcer.