Providing Ophthamology To Central Texas

 

Austin County Eye Associates is a full service vision practice providing a full range of services in eye care including ophthamology. The vision center not only provides basic eye care needs through its optical and optometric care services, but it also has a staff of well-experienced ophthamologists and Eye M.D.s specially trained to provide the full spectrum of eye care, from prescribing glasses and contact lenses to complex and delicate eye surgery. Dr. Cohen, Dr. Ginsburg and Dr. Hawkins are an essential part of the Austin County Eye care team providing exceptional vision care to West Houston, Katy, Bellville, Columbus, Sealy and all of Austin County.

 

The formal definition of ophthamology refers to the branch of medicine which deals with eye diseases and surgery of the visual pathways, including the eye, brain, and areas surrounding the eye, such as the lacrimal system and the eyelids. The lacrimal system is the physiologic system containing the orbital structures for tear production and drainage Conventially, the term ophthalmologist is more restricted and is specifically refers to medically trained surgical specialist. Since ophthalmologists perform operations on eyes, they are generally categorized as surgeons. In the US, 4 to 5 years of residency training after medical school is normally required to become an ophthamologist, with the first year being an internship in surgery, internal medicine, pediatrics, or a general transition year. Most currently practicing ophthalmologists train in medical residency programs accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and are board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. Dr. Cohen, Dr. Ginsburg and Dr. Hawkins at Austin County Eye Associates are all board certified and well respected in their field having provided exceptional eye care for many years.

 

The below are the most common subspecialities conducted by ophthamologists.

 

Cornea and External Disease : This subspecialty involves the diagnosis and management of eye diseases of the cornea, sclera, conjunctiva and eyelids, including corneal dystrophies, microbial infections, conjunctival and corneal tumors, inflammatory processes and anterior ocular manifestations of systemic diseases. Surgery offered by the ophthamologists in this area frequently includes corneal transplant surgeries and corneal surgeries to correct refractive errors to improve vision.

 

Glaucoma : This condition includes the treatment of glaucoma and other disorders that may cause optic nerve damage by increasing intraocular pressure. This area involves the medical and surgical treatment of both children and adult patients.

 

Neuro-Ophthalmology : Involving the relationship between neurologic and ophthalmic diseases, neuro-ophthalmology deals with local pathology affecting the optic nerve and visual pathways. Over 50 percent of all intracranial lesions involve the visual or oculomotor pathways. Neuro-ophthalmology is generally practiced as a nonsurgical subspecialty but can be combined with surgery.

 

Ophthalmic Pathology : The ophthalmic pathologist has training in both ophthalmology and pathology, typically in that order. Because of the unique combination of skills involved in this subspecialty, it is usually the ophthalmic pathologist, rather than the general pathologist, who examines tissue specimens from the eye and adnexa.

 

Ophthalmic Plastic Surgery : The specialty of ophthalmology includes oculofacial plastic surgery. This combines orbital and periocular surgery with facial plastic surgery and includes the clinical practice of aesthetic plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face, orbit, eyelid, and lacrimal system. With this unique combination of skills ophthalmologists perform facial plastic surgery, eyelid surgery, orbital surgery and lacrimal surgery.

 

Pediatric Ophthalmology : The majority of pediatric ophthalmic practice involves the medical and surgical management of strabismus, amblyopia, genetic and developmental abnormalities and a wide range of inflammatory, traumatic and neoplastic conditions occurring in the first twenty years of life. This type of ophthamology also deals with ocular manifestations of certain systemic disorders.

 

Vitreoretinal Diseases : This specialty involves both the medical and surgical treatment of retinal and vitreoretinal disease. The types of diseases treated include manifestations of local, systemic and genetic diseases as they affect the retina and vitreous. Diagnosis involves the use and interpretation of ultrasound, fluorescein angiography and electrophysiology. Treatment methods include laser therapy, cryotherapy, retinal detachment surgery and vitrectomy (removal of the vitreous).

 

LASIK Surgery : LASIK is a type of refractive laser eye surgery performed by ophthalmologists for correcting myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. The procedure is generally preferred to photorefractive keratectomy, PRK, because it requires much less time for recovery, and the patient feels less pain overall. This procedure is popular, safe and an effective alternative to wearing corrective eyeglasses or contact lenses. The operation itself involves creating a thin flap on the eye, folding it to enable remodeling of the tissue beneath with a laser. The flap is repositioned and the eye is left to heal in the postoperative period.

 

For additional information or to schedule an appointment with one of our ophthamologists, please contact us at 1.866. 611-7556.