We’re Here to Help Preserve Your Eye Health

One of the most important reasons to have regular eye exams is monitoring and managing your eye health. Your eyes go through many changes throughout your life, and dealing with eye disease could affect your eye health and possibly lead to permanent vision loss.

It’s our mission at Total Vision Pasadena to detect these problems as early as possible and provide you with comprehensive, personalized processes for managing your eye health. Whether it’s your first eye exam with us or if you’ve been visiting us for years, you can always expect the same dedication, compassion, and care you deserve.

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How We Examine Your Eyes

Eye exams are essential for detecting eye diseases and conditions. With Total Vision powering us, we have access to various tools and technology that give us a deeper understanding of your eyes and their structures—inside and out.

Some of the most common places we look for eye disease signs include your retina, macula, and optic nerve. These areas are located at the back of your eye and are essential for providing the vision you use every single day.

However, several different eye diseases and conditions could affect these structures throughout your life, increasing your risk of vision loss. Our team can detect these issues early in their development during routine eye exams, allowing us to provide you with treatments and management strategies suited to your needs.

Common Eye Diseases & Conditions

Everybody is different, so we make it a point to provide you with personalized care based on your unique health history. Several factors can contribute to the risk of developing an eye disease, including age, genetics, and lifestyle choices.

We consider each part of your life and health history to determine your risk of developing these issues. Even if you don’t have an eye disease now, the information we collect during an eye exam could help us respond to potential problems with care, compassion, and urgency.

Get help preserving your vision when you book an eye exam today.

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Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that all affect the optic nerve—the part of your eye responsible for delivering all the information your retina receives to your brain, ultimately providing you with sight.

One of the most common glaucoma causes is high intraocular pressure (IOP), which can slowly damage the optic nerve and cause vision loss. However, other types of glaucoma can develop without affecting your IOP levels, but examining your optic nerve during an eye exam can help detect these diseases.

Open-angle glaucoma occurs when your eye’s drainage angle remains open, but small blockages in the drainage canal prevent fluids from flowing from your eye. Your IOP levels rise as a result, placing pressure on your optic nerve and possibly leading to vision loss. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common version of this disease, and you may not notice symptoms during its early stages.
Angle-closure glaucoma occurs when your drainage angle closes, causing your IOP levels to rise rapidly. You may experience sudden symptoms like eye pain, nausea, or even red eyes. If you risk developing glaucoma and experience these symptoms, please contact us for emergency help.
Normal-tension glaucoma is a unique version of the disease that does not affect your IOP levels. Even though doctors haven’t determined how normal-tension glaucoma develops, we can detect it by observing your optic nerve during an eye exam.

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness for adults over the age of 55.

AMD affects a region of your eye called the macula, which is responsible for providing the sharp, central vision you use to read, write, drive, and recognize faces. Over time, AMD can possibly lead to vision loss.

The risk of developing AMD grows as you get older, but genetics and lifestyle choices can also increase your risk.

There are 2 types of AMD:

Dry AMD is the most common, and it’s responsible for thinning your macula as you age. Although doctors haven’t determined the exact cause, some research suggests that a lipid known as drusen can develop underneath your macula and cause gradual deterioration.
Wet AMD is not as common, but it’s responsible for 90% of all AMD-related blindness. Wet AMD occurs when abnormal blood vessels grow underneath your macula, which can eventually break and leak fluid. These fluids deteriorate your macula, leading to vision loss. If you risk developing AMD and experience sudden problems with your central vision, please contact us immediately for an emergency eye exam.

Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetes is a common health concern that can increase the risk of developing various eye diseases and conditions.

Diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema are directly linked to diabetes and could lead to permanent vision loss if we don’t address them promptly.

Please visit our Diabetic Eye Exams page for more information on these diseases and how diabetes affects your vision.

Cataracts

Cataracts are common eye conditions that can develop as you age. You may develop a cataract when proteins in your eye’s lens break down and clump together over time, which causes your lens to become more rigid. Eventually, your lens may develop a hazy, milky, cloudy appearance that can also affect your vision.

Refractive errors caused by early cataract symptoms can be corrected using glasses or contact lenses, but the only way to remove the cataract permanently is to have cataract surgery.

Please visit our Laser Eye Surgery Consultations & Co-management page for more information on cataract surgery.