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Cataracts are more common as you age, in diabetics, and in patients with glaucoma. Cataract surgery is the only way cataracts can be removed — they cannot be treated with glasses, contacts, or LASIK.

Cataract surgery is the most frequently performed surgery in the U.S., with nearly 4 million procedures each year. During surgery, your ophthalmologist removes the cloudy lens and replaces it with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL), restoring vision to between 20/20 and 20/40 for most patients.

Glaucoma results from damage to the optic nerve fibers, often due to elevated eye pressure. Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is the most common type and is painless — vision loss typically occurs gradually over many years.

Acute closed-angle glaucoma is a medical emergency causing sudden severe eye pain, headache, nausea, and blurred vision. Vision loss from glaucoma is irreversible, making early diagnosis and treatment critical.

Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetic eye disease and a leading cause of blindness in adults in the United States. It is caused by damage to the small blood vessels that nourish the retina.

In some patients, blood vessels swell and leak fluid into the macula causing blurry vision. In others, abnormal new blood vessels grow on the retina's surface. Regular diabetic eye exams are essential for early detection.

The macula is responsible for sharp central vision. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) causes the macula to thin and break down, interfering with everyday activities like reading, driving, and recognizing faces.

Dry AMD accounts for 90% of all cases with gradual central vision loss. Wet AMD — only 10% of cases — causes faster loss and accounts for 90% of legal blindness. Early detection through a comprehensive eye exam is the best defense.

Dry eye occurs when your eyes do not make enough tears or your tears are of poor quality. The condition is chronic but can be managed successfully with the right treatment plan.

Although dry eye is most prevalent in those aged 65 and older, our doctors are seeing increasing numbers of younger patients with dry eye symptoms — typically from prolonged use of screens, computers, and tablets.

Keratoconus occurs when the cornea — the clear dome-shaped window at the front of your eye — thins and bulges outward like a cone, bringing light rays out of focus and causing blurry, distorted vision.

The condition often starts in the late teens to early 20s and worsens over 10–20 years. In some cases it is genetic; about 1 in 10 people with keratoconus has a parent with the condition as well.