Eye Specialist Referral

Common Eye Conditions

There are many common eye conditions that might require a second opinion. While our optometrists can prescribe many eye drops and medications, there may be times when referral is needed. An eye specialist may need to use prescribe tablets or restricted medications. More importantly, an eye surgeon may need to perform surgery or laser.
If you need further treatment, let us make the right eye specialist referral for you.

Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD/ARMD)

If the eye was a camera, the macula would be the film. Macular degeneration is the common name AMD goes by. As the name suggests it is often age-related. Our optometrists can assess your risk factors and look for early signs of change. We will provide you advice on managing this risk. AMD can be dry or wet. Our high-tech equipment can detect if you suffer from the more serious ‘wet’ category. As a result, AMD may require referral to an eye specialist for injections.

Astigmatism

If you imagine a normal eye to be shaped like a soccer ball, astigmatism is when the eye is shaped like the front of a football. For this reason, vision may be distorted. We have technology to help you visualise your astigmatism if needed. If you are interested in laser eye surgery, we can advise if your eyes may be suitable. Consequently, we aim to find you the best laser eye specialist.

Cataracts

With age, the lens in the eye may go cloudy. As a result, vision will also be cloudy. This clouding is referred to as a cataract. Our optometrists will check and let you know when you need surgery. There are many surgery techniques available. Ultimately, we will find the right eye specialist for you.

Diabetic Retinopathy

When diabetes control is poor, the blood sugar levels rise. Sugar does damage to small blood vessels, causing bleeding and leakage. Therefore, regular optometry checks will detect the earliest signs of damage. Our advanced equipment will ensure your eyes are well looked after.
Most importantly, advanced damage may require an eye specialist to perform injections, laser or surgery.

Droopy Eye Lids

If you have concerns with droopy eye lids let us assess the problem. It may be a muscle, nerve or skin issue. We will discuss if you need further testing or surgery. Not all eye specialists operate on eye lids. Certainly, let us make the right referral for you.

Floaters

Do you ever see black spots or spider webs in your vision? Our biggest concern is whether you have a serious eye condition. This may be a retinal detachment or tear, or even bleeding in the eye. Come find out if urgent eye specialist treatment is needed.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is and eye disease that causes damage to your optic nerve. The optic nerve carries information from the eye to the brain. Damage to these nerves cause irreversible vision loss. With our advanced equipment, we can monitor optic nerve health. Glaucoma is often treated with eye drops. In some cases, you may require laser or surgery to treat glaucoma. For those reasons, we will arrange the appropriate eye specialist referral for you.

Hyperopia (long sightedness)

Long sightedness is when an image focuses too far inside the eye. Extra effort needs to be put in by the eye to focus the image. As a result, this causes eye strain. Glasses for long sightedness works by relieving this eye strain. Consequently, glasses and contact lenses are the most common treatment for this. If you are interested in laser eye surgery, we can advise if your eyes may be suitable. We aim to find you the best laser eye specialist.

Myopia (short sightedness)

Short sightedness is when an image focuses too short inside the eye. As a result, the eye cannot focus on images that are too far away. In contrast, it will still be possible to focus on near objects. Glasses and contact lenses are the most common treatment for this. If you are interested in laser eye surgery, we can advise if your eyes may be suitable. Above all, we aim to find you the best laser eye specialist.

Keratoconus

Keratoconus is a progressive thinning of the front clear part of your eye. When the cornea thins, it becomes weaker. The weakness allows the eye shape to bulge, hence making it cone shaped – like the tip of a rugby ball. Most noteworthy, vision is best corrected with custom design contact lenses. Furthermore, we have expert knowledge in this area. In certain cases, keratoconus may need surgery or corneal crosslinking. We have worked closely with many excellent eye specialists in this area.

Presbyopia

When an eye ages, the focusing lens inside the eye changes. Firstly, the lens becomes less flexible and weaker, making it more difficult to see up close. This is when reading glasses or multifocals become necessary. At the moment the surgical options for this are not great.

Pterygium

A pterygium is an abnormal tissue growth over the front of the eye. These are caused by increased exposure to UV light. Consequently, this is common in people who spend a lot of time outdoors without good sun protection. When these cause irritations or affect vision, surgical removal will be required.

Retinal Detachment / Retinal Tear

If the eye was a camera, the retina would be its film. Above all, a retinal detachment or tear needs to be detected urgently. Prompt surgical repair by an eye specialist will limit vision loss.

Turned Eyes / Crossed Eyes / Strabismus

When an eye is ‘not straight’ a few different treatments may be needed. This can include glasses, prisms, vision training, patching or surgery. Often a combination of a few things may be necessary.

Uveitis

Uveitis is an eye inflammation condition. The optometrists at InFocus Optical can prescribe the eye medications necessary to manage uveitis. In some cases of uveitis, referral to an eye specialist is necessary for further testing.