Seeking Care From An Optometrist To Treat Your Progressive Vision Loss

When you have physical conditions that threaten your ability to see, you may feel helpless as you slowly go blind. However, depending on your overall health, there may be options to slow or minimize the amount of blindness that you eventually have.

To find out if anything can be done to save your sight, you need to seek help from a doctor who treats people's eyesight. You may be able to slow or reverse your vision loss by seeking care from an experienced optometrist.

Reversing Eyesight Loss

When you go to an optometrist for help, you can find out if anything can be done to reverse your vision loss. Some conditions, such as those associated with detached retinas, may respond well to laser surgery. You can undergo this procedure to reattach your retinas and restore your eyesight.

This procedure may also be recommended if you suffer from glaucoma or cataracts. The laser surgery can remove obstacles in your line of vision and stave off progressive vision loss that would otherwise render you blind.

Monitoring Vision Loss

An optometrist can also monitor your vision loss and keep you informed of if or when you may eventually go blind. If you have a condition like macular degeneration, there may only be a limited number of treatment options for this kind of vision loss. At best, you can stay informed about how progressive this condition is and at what point you will need to surrender your driver's license and start using vision loss aids to see better.

Likewise, your optometrist can diagnose and monitor you for vision loss related to rare conditions like pseudoxanthoma elasticum. While vision loss related to this illness is progressive, it still may be slowed with laser surgery or retinal transplants. Your optometrist can recommend either options depending on your overall health.

Medical Interventions

Finally, an optometrist can prescribe medications like steroids and antibiotics that can prevent vision loss due to injuries and infections. When you suffer a scratch on your cornea, you may need to take steroid drops to prevent ulcers from growing on your eyes. You likewise may need to take antibiotic drops to prevent vision loss from clogged and infected tear ducts.

You want to do everything possible to avoid permanent vision loss. You can seek treatment from an optometrist who can diagnose and address vision loss related to injuries and infections, as well as progressive eye diseases.