Eye Exam Services

Taking care of your eyes is crucial.  Eye exams help to sustain the quality of your vision, but also it can help determine systemic diseases.  Routine eye exams are important for early detection for many eye diseases and ailments.  The eye is a sensitive organ and Dr. Silva takes great care in making you feel comfortable during your exam while giving you a thorough evaluation.

Types of exams

• Adult and Pediatric Examinations

• Diabetic Screenings

• Glaucoma Screenings

• Routine and Specialty Contact Lenses

• Dry Eye Screening

• Treatment of Eye infections and Diseases

During your exam, Dr. Silva takes great care to examine your eyes.  You are not obligated to decide which type of exam you need.  Most exams begin in a similar fashion with some variations depending on the circumstance.  This page is to illustrate the importance of testing your vision and the health of your eyes.

Adult and Pediatric Eye Exams

There are two main parts to the examination. The first is determining the patients’ visual correction – what prescription is right for you. Too much or too little correction can cause strain or blur. Most visual needs can be met using spectacles and/or soft or rigid contact lenses. The second half of the exam consists of evaluating the health of the eye and surrounding tissues. The exam consists of observing all the structures of the eyelids and eyes to rule out dry eye disease, glaucoma, cataract, retinopathy, macular degeneration and other diseases. The eye is a window to the health of the rest of the body therefore we routinely dilate the pupil to have a better view of the whole retina. The eye is the only place where you can directly view vessels without cutting into the body.

Diabetic Screenings

Diabetes can affect your vision in more than one way.  The vision is dependent upon sugar levels in the blood.  If the sugar level is too high your vision may be corrected with a certain prescription but that may change coinciding with the change in blood sugar levels. 

The other way that diabetes affects the vision is by affecting the health of the retina.  High blood sugar levels affect the wall of the vessels throughout the body.  In your eye this means leaking of the vessels may cause hemorrhages which may cause damage to the retina and permanent vision loss.  Control of sugar levels is key to long term stable vision and health of your retina.

Glaucoma Screenings

Glaucoma is a disease that causes progressive damage to the optic nerve.  This damage is irreversible so Dr. Silva takes great care to screen every patient for glaucoma.  There are a few types of glaucoma and they are generally asymptomatic in its early stages so it is difficult for a patient to know if they have it.  Vision loss usually begins in the periphery making it difficult to notice.   Systemic diseases such as Hypertension and Diabetes increase your risk of having glaucoma.

Types of Glaucoma

• Narrow Angle Glaucoma

• Open Angle Glaucoma

• Angle Closure Glaucoma

Depending on the type of Glaucoma diagnosed, the patient may be put on a regimen of drops, treated with laser, and/or surgery. 

Dry Eye Screenings

One of the most common eye problems that people may experience is Dry Eye.  Dry Eye is usually uncomfortable and, in some situations, a serious problem.  Your tears are made up of three layers.

• The Mucus Layer
• The Water Layer
• The Oil Layer

If any of these layers are not in the correct balance, then you may suffer from Dry Eye Symptoms.  These symptoms can include:

• Foreign Body Sensation

• Sharp Occasional Pain

• Excess Tearing

• Crust build-up after sleep

• Lack of Tears

Most people go about their day just dealing with these symptoms without finding the root cause.  If you are contact lens wearer, this can be extremely uncomfortable and possibly harmful to your eyes.  Dr. Silva can check your eyes to see if you suffer from dry eye and suggest the appropriate treatment.  This may include or a combination of:

• Artificial Tears – There are many varieties of Artificial Tears with many levels of quality and some are made to target specific Dry Eye Problems.  Dr. Silva can make the best recommendation for your needs.
• Medications – ex. Xiidra or Restasis  (Prescription Required)
• Punctal Plugs
• Eyelid massages for expression of Meibomian gland oils

Treatment of Eye Diseases

Dr. Silva is here to help when you feel eye pain or discomfort.  He will thoroughly examine your eyes to determine the next steps to help get back to a healthy eye.  Although there is a plethora of knowledge on the internet, do not try to diagnose and treat yourself especially when it comes to your eyes.  Also, we recommend that you do not use someone else’s medications to treat yourself. 

Please call us at 305-279-1737 so that we can make an appointment or email us at ricardosilvaod@bellsouth.net if you prefer.