Optometry

Comprehensive eye exams & treatment (Opens November 1, 2022)

APPOINTMENTS:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday - 8 am - 4:30 pm

TO SCHEDULE:

Call KVH Family Medicine at 509.773.4017

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Klickitat Valley Health offers a full range of eye care services to clients of all ages, from children to older adults. With a complete array of expert eye care services, our team is dedicated to helping you enjoy healthy eyes and sharp vision. Whether you need a new pair of eyeglasses or treatment for an eye disease, KVH Optometry provides comprehensive vision care.

Eye Exams for the whole family

What Is a Comprehensive Eye Exam?

A comprehensive eye exam involves a series of tests that assess your eye health and vision. This type of eye exam can only be performed by an eye doctor, and shouldn’t be confused with the vision screenings given in schools or other non-professional settings. Having regular comprehensive eye exams is crucial when it comes to protecting your eyes from sight-threatening diseases, and ensuring that your optical prescription is up-to-date.

A comprehensive eye exam can also reveal signs of a general health condition like diabetes, hypertension or high cholesterol.

Why Are Regular Eye Exams So Important?

Regular comprehensive eye exams enable your eye doctor to monitor your eye health and vision over the course of many years. In addition to determining whether you need a new prescription, your optometrist looks for the first signs of sight-threatening eye conditions. In their early stages, diseases like glaucoma and macular degeneration have no noticeable symptoms, even while damaging your eyesight. By the time you notice symptoms, vision loss is usually permanent, so early detection is crucial.

What to Expect During a Comprehensive Eye Exam?

Most comprehensive eye exams include the following tests:

Visual acuity test to measure your near and distance vision. During this test, you’ll be asked to identify letters on a chart.

• Refraction test to identify any refractive errors you may have and the type of optical prescription you may need. Your eye doctor will look for signs of myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism and presbyopia (age-related farsightedness)

• Retinoscopy to obtain an approximation of your optical prescription. Your eye doctor will hold a number of lenses in front of each eye to determine which lens offers you the clearest, most comfortable vision.

• Visual field test to detect the presence of scotomas (blind spots) in your side vision, which can be a red flag for certain eye diseases, like glaucoma.

• Glaucoma test to measure the pressure inside your eyes.

How Long Does a Comprehensive Eye Exam Take?

No two patients are alike, so each eye exam is different. Your eye doctor will decide which tests to perform based on your age, personal health and family health history, whether you wear glasses or contact lenses, and other factors.

Why Do Children Need Comprehensive Eye Exams?

An estimated 10% of preschoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. For this reason, it’s important to have your child’s eyes examined from as early as 6 months of age and in their toddler years to determine if their eyes and vision are developing normally.

After that, annual eye exams are recommended for all children ages 5 to 18, to ensure that a refractive error or other vision problem isn’t impacting their learning or academic success. If your child wears eyeglasses or contact lenses, they should have an eye exam with a refraction test, at least every year, or according to your optometrist’s instructions. Similarly, if your child has a lazy eye or eye turn (strabismus), or is at risk of developing an eye or vision condition, they may need to have their eyes examined more frequently.

Common risk factors for vision problems include:

• Premature birth
  
• Developmental delays
  
• Turned or crossed eyes
  
• Family history of eye conditions/diseases
  
• History of eye injury
  
• Physical illness or disease
  

Eye Exams for Adults

From the time you turn 18, it’s a good idea to have your eyes examined every 1-2 years. By the time you reach 40, it’s especially important to visit your eye doctor on a regular basis, because it’s at this age that the earliest signs of cataracts, presbyopia and macular degeneration can appear.

Above the age of 60 your risk of developing an eye disease further increases, so annual eye exams are vital. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, have diabetes, hypertension or another health condition, your eye doctor may recommend more frequent eye exams to monitor your eye health.

Diabetic Eye Exam Q & A

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that can increase your risk of many health conditions, including those related to the eye. KVH Optometry provides diabetic eye exams to monitor eye health for those with diabetes as well as comprehensive care to minimize damage and vision changes.

How does diabetes affect eye health?

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that causes higher-than-normal blood sugars. The sugar in your blood comes from the food you eat and is meant to serve as a source of energy for the cells in your body.

If the sugar can’t get into the cell, it remains in your blood and damages your blood vessels and organs. Your retina contains tiny blood vessels that are highly susceptible to blood sugar damage, which may cause blood to leak into your eye. The increase in blood and fluids may affect eye pressure and increase your risk for glaucoma.
The diabetic eye exam is a comprehensive eye exam for people with diabetes. The purpose of the exam is to evaluate the health of your eyes and your risk for diabetes-related eye conditions.

What is a diabetic eye exam?

We recommend a diabetic eye exam for those with diabetes at least every one to two years. You may need more frequent exams if you have previously been diagnosed with any eye conditions. You can expect a comprehensive examination KVH Optometry when you come to the office for a diabetic eye exam. During the exam, our Optometrist reviews your medical history and any diabetes-related symptoms you may be experiencing.

What can I expect during a diabetic eye exam?

To evaluate your retina and risk of diabetic retinopathy, we offer a specific diabetic eye exam. This exam allows the examination of the back of your eye, your optic nerve, and the blood vessels in the center of your eye. Other tests to assess eye pressure and risk for glaucoma may also be part of the exam.

If it’s determined that you have diabetic retinopathy, a treatment plan will be developed to prevent further damage. For mild to moderate diabetic retinopathy, you may be able to prevent further eye damage by improving blood sugar control. For severe diabetic retinopathy, you may be referred to an ophthalmologist to discuss surgical options.

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that affects eye health and vision. Regular diabetic eye exams may help prevent diabetes-related vision changes. To schedule your diabetic eye exam, call KVH Optometry to request an appointment.

Glaucoma Q & A

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is a medical term used to describe a group of eye conditions that cause damage to your optic nerve, usually from excess pressure in your eye.

Your optic nerve travels from your retina to your brain and is responsible for transmitting visual information to your brain for interpretation. The health of your optic nerve is vital to vision. Any damage to your optic nerve can lead to vision changes, including blindness, which can’t be reversed.

Your eye is filled with a fluid referred to as aqueous humor. This fluid, which is constantly being replenished, drains through a channel referred to as the trabecular meshwork. Glaucoma develops when there’s an issue with the drainage system that prevents the fluid from leaving your eye, resulting in an increase in eye pressure.

What are the symptoms of glaucoma?

Glaucoma symptoms vary depending on the type of glaucoma you have. Of the 3 million people with glaucoma, approximately 2.7 million have open-angle glaucoma. This is by far the most common form of glaucoma in the US. The most common types of glaucoma and their symptoms include:

Angle-closure glaucoma

If you have angle-closure glaucoma, your drainage system is too narrow or closed, resulting in excess fluid in your eye. This type of glaucoma is considered a medical emergency and may cause noticeable symptoms, such as headaches, eye pain, blurry vision, or redness in your eyes. If you’re experiencing these symptoms, you need immediate medical care to prevent permanent vision loss.

Primary open-angle glaucoma

With primary open-angle glaucoma, the fluid from your eye drains too slowly through the trabecular meshwork. This type of glaucoma develops without causing any noticeable symptoms until you’ve experienced permanent vision changes, such as patchy blindness or tunnel vision. KVH Optometry recommends regular comprehensive eye exams to screen for this type of glaucoma and reduce your risk of irreversible damage to your optic nerve.

How is glaucoma diagnosed?

KVH Optometry uses in-office technology to screen and diagnose glaucoma. Some of the tests include:

• Measurement of the intraocular eye pressure
  
• Dilated eye exam to assess optic nerve damage
  
• Visual acuity test
  
• Measurement of corneal thickness
  
• Assessment of drainage system
  

You may be at risk for glaucoma if it runs in your family. Various medical conditions, including diabetes and heart disease, may also increase your risk. Regular comprehensive eye exams are the only way to know if you have glaucoma.

How is glaucoma managed?

KVH Optometry develops personalized treatment plans for the management of glaucoma. While it’s not possible to reverse the damage to your optic nerve, we can provide treatment to lessen eye pressure and reduce the risk of further damage. Treatment for your glaucoma may include eye drops or oral medication that reduces eye pressure.

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition, but an early diagnosis and treatment plan may prevent permanent vision changes.

Eye Infections Q & A

Germs can infect any part of your body, including your eyes. Anytime you suspect an eye infection, you should have an eye exam to ensure you get the right diagnosis and treatment. Without the right treatment, your eye infection may cause permanent damage to your eye that can affect long-term vision.

What are eye infections?

Eye infections refer to an infection that occurs in or around your eye. The infection may be due to any type of microorganism, including bacteria, virus, or fungus.

Common types of eye infections include:

• Conjunctivitis (pink eye)
  
• Viral keratitis
• Fungal keratitis
• Endophthalmitis
• Acanthamoeba keratitis

(Acanthamoeba keratitis is particularly common among contact lens wearers.)

What are the symptoms of an eye infection?

Most eye infections cause similar symptoms, which can make getting the proper diagnosis difficult. Common symptoms that indicate an eye infection include:

• Watery eyes
• Dry eyes
• Itchy eyes
• Painful eyes
• Eye discharge
• Blurry vision
• Swelling around the eyes
• Sensitivity to light

What can I expect during an eye exam?

You can expect a comprehensive evaluation when you come to KVH Optometry with concerns about an eye infection. During your evaluation, your symptoms and medical history will be reviewed to determine the type of infection you have.

What are the treatments for an eye infection?

An individualized treatment plan for your eye infection will be developed based on microorganism responsible for the infection, as well as the severity of your symptoms.

For a bacterial infection, most often antibiotic eye drops are prescriped. Most viral eye infections clear up on their own in time. However, if you have a severe viral infection, antiviral eye drops may be prescribed, as well as steroid eye drops to reduce inflammation. Oral antibiotics or antivirals may also be given.

After a week or so of treatment, a follow up appointment will be scheduled to re-evaluate your eyes and make sure your treatment plan is working. Eye infections should be evaluated by an eye doctor.

Glasses Q&A

In addition to correcting your vision, eyeglasses have become a fashion accessory. KVH Optometry which includes a selection of frames to fit your style or budget.

What is the process for getting glasses?

While some people are able to fix their vision issues with a pair of “readers” they pick up at the local pharmacy, most people aren’t so lucky. To get a pair of glasses that provide you with the best possible vision requires a comprehensive eye exam.

During the exam, many aspects of your vision, including your acuity and perspective will be evaluated. An evaluation of your eye exam is used to determine the cause of your vision changes, which may include a refractive error (nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism) or an underlying eye condition such as cataracts.

What are the different eyeglass lenses?

While you may be most concerned about your eyeglass frames, the type of lens you choose for your glasses is just as important and the KVH optical team can help you determine the type of lens best suited for you based on your vision needs and lifestyle.

Lens options include:

• Glass lenses
• Poly-carbonate lenses
• Plastic lenses
• High-index plastic lenses

Once you’ve decided on the type of lens, our team can discuss any special treatments you may want for your lenses, such as an anti-scratch or an anti-glare coat.

How do I pick out frames for my glasses?

The optical team at KVH Optometry can help you find the perfect frames to fit your face, style, and needs. Our full-service optometry practice offers a great selection of frames to fit any budget.

How often should I get new glasses?

If you need corrective eyewear, we recommend you come in every one to two years for a comprehensive eye exam. During this exam, your vision will be re-evaluated.. You should get a new pair of glasses whenever your eye prescription needs a significant change.

Don’t let cost stop you from getting the glasses you need to fix your vision. KVH Optometry can provide the glasses you need no matter your budget.

KVH Optometry has referral resources for more advanced conditions including Myopia Control, Cataracts & Age-Related Macular Degeneration.