Many eye diseases develop subtly, without obvious symptoms. Increased information load, stress, physical inactivity, and eye fatigue due to prolonged work at a computer or mobile device cause vision deterioration. When it comes to vision, you can’t delay! Timely consultation with an ophthalmologist is the key to a favorable outcome in treating diseases. At St. Luke’s Clinic, highly qualified specialists help patients of all ages preserve and restore eye health.

When to see an ophthalmologist

Regular check-ups are the best prevention for visual system diseases. Timely detection of pathology makes it possible to prevent vision loss. People should usually visit an ophthalmologist once a year, but you should make an appointment immediately if you experience the following problems:

• redness of the eyes or eyelids;
• obvious vision deterioration;
• rapid fatigue and eye pain;
• foreign object in the eye;
• “floaters,” “circles” before the eyes;
• painful sensitivity of the eye to light (photophobia);
• tearing;
• image distortion.

Many of these symptoms appear due to too frequent use of gadgets. During the consultation, the ophthalmologist will tell you about computer vision syndrome and methods of organizing computer work to preserve vision.

In addition to the above problems, there are a number of factors and diseases that also require a visit to an ophthalmologist:

1. Chronic diseases: diabetes mellitus, encephalitis, hypothyroidism, thyrotoxicosis, etc.
2. Pregnancy. All pregnant women are recommended to be examined in the first and third trimesters, as their body undergoes significant changes during pregnancy.
3. Injuries. Traumatic impact on the cervical spine, head, and eyes can lead to disorders in the functioning of the organ of vision.
4. Age. After reaching 45 years of age, it is recommended to visit an ophthalmologist more often than once a year, as age-related vision changes begin at this age.

What diseases do ophthalmologists at St. Luke’s Clinic treat?

Clinic specialists have a wide range of knowledge and experience in treating many vision disorders. Among them:

• cataract;
• strabismus;
• corneal diseases;
• glaucoma;
• hyperopia;
• myopia;
• various types of conjunctivitis;
• detachment and destruction of the vitreous body, etc.

How an ophthalmologist visit proceeds

Preparing for an eye doctor’s visit includes a few simple recommendations:

• come to the appointment without makeup;
• do not wear contact lenses on the day of the appointment (it is better to use glasses for correction).

The general scheme of an ophthalmologist’s appointment includes five stages:

1. Conversation. Treatment begins with an introduction to the doctor, who will listen to all complaints and ask additional questions to clarify details. When collecting anamnesis data, the specialist will be interested in how long the disease symptoms appeared, the presence of relatives with eye diseases, the specifics of professional activity, etc. Every detail, even the smallest, is important in treatment.
2. Examination. This stage begins with an assessment of visual acuity. The check is carried out using Sivtsev tables (tables containing combinations of seven different letters of different sizes, but equal in width and height). Then palpation (feeling) of the eyes and examination using a biomicroscope takes place. Depending on the complaints, additional tests may be prescribed.
3. Diagnosis. During this stage, typically performed are:
4. assessment of intraocular pressure;
5. fundus examination;
6. examination of visual field boundaries;
7. study of the light-refracting structures of the eye, etc.

If more accurate diagnostics are required, eye biomicroscopy, assessment of corneal sensitivity, and binocular vision examination are used.

Modern equipment at St. Luke’s Clinic allows obtaining the most accurate data on the features of the patient’s visual apparatus.

• Treatment. Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor establishes a diagnosis and develops an individual treatment program. The choice of treatment method depends on gender, age, profession, features of the eye disease, concomitant pathologies, etc.

Instrumental diagnostic methods at St. Luke’s Clinic

• Direct ophthalmoscopy (fundus examination using a directed beam of light).
• Refractometry (examination of eye refraction and diagnosis of age-related changes in the accommodative ability of the organ of vision). Allows determining how clearly a person’s eye can visualize distant objects.
• Optical coherence tomography (retina and optic nerve examination). The principle of operation is similar to ultrasound.
• Computer perimetry (diagnosis of eye functions for detailed study of visual fields in pathologies of the retina or optic nerve). Allows creating a map with designations of visual field boundaries and marks of “blind spots” if present.
• Biomicroscopy (examination of structural elements of the eye using a special microscope).
• Visometry (diagnosis of visual acuity using special tables).
• Tonometry (measurement of intraocular pressure and tracking the degree of eyeball deformation when external pressure is applied to the cornea).

All examinations are performed non-invasively and completely painlessly.

Advantages of treatment at St. Luke’s Clinic

1. The patient always comes first. Individual approach to each person and quick problem solving.
2. Many years of experience and high qualifications of specialists.
3. The offices are equipped with the latest equipment for prompt diagnosis and treatment. This ensures effective therapy and allows detecting diseases at early stages of development.
4. Comprehensive problem solving (involving specialists from other fields if necessary).
5. Respectful and attentive staff. You pay for quality services.