I have seen plenty of examples of a “routine” eye exam shift in a heartbeat to a moment of discovery. I had one such moment when a patient was in his exam chair thinking he just needed new reading glasses
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I took a look into a patient’s eyes and saw the telltale signs of early-stage glaucoma. This chronic eye disorder is sneaky – it often displays no symptoms until it robs eyesight from the patient. So sneaky is it that eye doctors have dubbed it “the silent thief of sight.” But, if you catch it early, there’s help.
That eye exam was extremely important, because the early detection allowed us to begin treatment right away. Fortunately, the latest medical research has led to some promising new treatments for glaucoma – including four medications designed to reduce elevated eye pressure on the optic nerve, which is what usually causes the damage to vision.
That visit was a few years ago. And, after some further tests, we armed our patient with a new eye drop pr Zack Steele is a 2003 graduate of UAB’s School of Optometry. His practice, Trussville Vision Care, is located on Chalkville Road in downtown Trussville.