Cataract patients now have an option to see at both near and far distances after cataract surgery! Individuals suffering from cataracts previously had only a mono-focal lens implant option after surgery. NEW multi-focal, accommodating and astigmatic correction IOL technology can now decrease dependence on glasses after surgery. These include the AcrySof® ReSTOR® IOL, Crystalens® and the AcrySof® Toric IOL. If you are seeking one of these options, please feel free to consult our staff.
We are proud to provide excellence in pediatric eye care services with recognized leaders in Pediatric Ophthalmology. Dr. Gold, Dr. Blumenfeld and Dr. Ikeda also treat adult eye muscle disorders. If you are seeking child vision care in Florida, please make sure to contact us. Our practice has placed a unique emphasis on this type of eye care. Our pediatric eye care services in Florida include crossed eye correction, blocked tear ducts, lazy eye or amblyopia, retinopathy and children's eye exams.
Glossary
Accommodation: The eye's ability to adjust and change its focus to see at different distances.
Accommodative Intraocular Lens: A permanent lens replacement that is surgically inserted in the eye, allowing it to focus at all distances. This often eliminates the need for glasses after the surgery.
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye): Poor vision in an eye that did not develop normal sight during early childhood. Typically, one eye develops good vision while the other becomes “lazy,” leading to unequal vision.
Aniridia: A condition in which the iris is absent or partially absent. It is typically congenital or traumatically induced.
Anterior Chamber: The space in the eye in front of the iris and behind the cornea.
Aqueous Humor: The clear, watery fluid between the lens and the cornea.
Astigmatism: A condition where an uneven curvature of the eye causes light to be refracted (bent) unevenly, resulting in distorted and blurry vision.
Blepharitis: Inflammation of the eyelids.
Blind Spot: The small, circular part of the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye. Can also mean a gap in the visual field related to a part of the retina where there are no visual cells.
Bowman's Membrane: The thin outer layer of the cornea that lies right underneath the epithelium.
Cataract: A clouding of the eye’s normally clear lens. Usually develop as part of the aging process but can also come from eye injuries, systemic diseases, certain medications and genetic inheritance.
Central Retinal Artery: The blood vessel that supplies nourishment to the retina.
Chalazion: Often called a stye, it is a small lump in the eyelid caused by inflammation or obstruction of an oil-producing gland within the skin. It can cause redness, soreness and swelling.
Choroid: A vascular membrane that lies between the retina and the sclera and is filled with blood vessels that nourish the retina.
Ciliary Muscles: The muscles that relax the zonules, allowing the lens to change shape for focusing.
Coloboma: Abnormality in how the eye forms causing a defect in the structure of the eye. This may involve different parts of the eye, including the iris, retina and optic nerve.
Cones and Cone Cells: Specialized, light-sensitive cells (photoreceptors) in the retina that provide sharp central vision and color vision.
Conjunctivitis: An inflammation of the eye's outer membrane, which causes redness, swelling, itching and watering in one or both eyes.
Cornea: The clear, outer, part of the eyeball that covers the iris, pupil and anterior chamber. It admits light to the interior and serves as part of the eye's focusing system.
Corneal Ulcer: An open sore on the cornea.
Diabetic Retinopathy: A common complication of diabetes where high blood sugar levels cause weakening in the blood vessels in the retina, often causing loss of vision.
Dilation: A process by which the pupil is temporarily enlarged with special eye drops to allow examination of the interior of the eye.
Diopter: A unit of measurement used to describe the degree of refractive error with respect to nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism.
Drusen: Tiny yellow or white deposits in the retina or optic nerve head.
Dry Eye Syndrome: A condition caused by the reduction in quality and quantity of tears.
DSAEK -- Descemet’s Stripping Automated Endothelial Keratoplasty (DSAEK) is small-incision corneal transplant surgery. In DSAEK, only the diseased endothelial layer of the cornea is removed and replaced. Compared to traditional corneal transplantation, there is a smaller wound with faster healing, faster visual recovery, decreased incidence of rejection and fewer visits to the doctor after surgery.
Ectropian: A condition in which the lower eyelid turns outward.
Endothelium: A thin layer of cells lining the under surface of the cornea. They pump fluid from the cornea, keeping it clear.
Entropian: A condition in which the lower eyelid turns inward, causing irritation.
Epithelium: A thin layer of cells that is on the front surface of the cornea.
Flashes and Floaters: A condition that occurs when the vitreous – the clear, jelly-like substance that fills the back cavity of the eye – becomes more liquid-like as part of the aging process, causing small protein particles called floaters. Flashes result from the tugging on the retina as the vitreous gel liquefies.
Fluorescein Angiography: A test that examines blood vessels in the retina, choroid and iris. A special dye is injected into a vein in the hand or arm, and images are captured as the dye passes through blood vessels in the eye. It is used to differentiate between dry and wet Age-Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD).
Fovea: The central part of the macula that is responsible for sharp central the vision.
Fuchs’ Dystrophy – A slowly progressing eye disease that occurs when the inner-most cells of the cornea gradually deteriorate, causing the cornea to build up fluid which results in swelling, vision distortion and sometimes tiny blisters on the corneal surface.
Glaucoma: A disease which destroys the optic nerve, resulting in vision loss. It is typically due to increased pressure inside the eye caused by poor drainage of the aqueous fluid inside the eye.
Hemangioma: A benign tumor caused by abnormal growth of blood vessels in infancy, often in close proximity to the eye.
Herpes Zoster (shingles): An infection that causes inflammation of the eye and results from the same virus that causes chicken pox.
Hordeolum: Also known as a stye, this is an inflammation on the edge of the eyelid characterized by a red, painful, swollen, cyst-like bump.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness): A condition in which close-up vision is blurry because the cornea is too flat and/or the eye is too short. This causes light to be focused behind the retina.
IOL: Intraocular lens implant. This is an artificial lens that is surgically implanted inside the eye to replace the eye’s natural lens.
Intraocular Pressure: The pressure of the fluid inside the eye.
Iris: The tissue that lies behind the cornea and gives the eye its color. It also controls the amount of light that enters the eye by adjusting the size of the pupil.
Iritis: Inflammation of the iris or colored part of the eye which causes extreme eye pain and light sensitivity.
Keratitis: Inflammation or infection of the cornea caused by an abrasion, inflammation or the presence of bacteria or fungi in the cornea. It can cause burning, blurring of vision and sensitivity to light.
Keratoconus: A hereditary, degenerative condition where the central cornea thins and protrudes outward in a cone shape, causing severe astigmatism and blurred vision.
Keratometer: A medical instrument that measures the cornea’s curvature. It is often used to diagnose astigmatism.
Lacrimal Gland: The small, almond-shaped part of the eye that produces tears. It is located in the upper, outside corner of the eye.
Laser: An acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation which is used in a variety of ways to treat a number of vision problems.
Legal Blindness: Best corrected visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye or a visual field of 20 degrees or less.
Lens: The transparent, double convex part of the eye that helps to focus light on the retina.
Low Vision: Vision that can’t be corrected and impairs a person’s function and daily living.
Macula: The small, central part of the retina responsible for detailed visual tasks like reading.
Macular Degeneration: The leading cause of vision loss in older American adults caused by deterioration of the macula, resulting in loss of sharp, central vision.
Monovision: A method of correction through contact lenses, refractive surgery or intraocular lenses where one eye is used for distance and the other for near vision.
Myopia (Nearsightedness): A condition in which distance vision is blurry because the cornea is too steep and/or the eye is too long. This causes light to be focused in front of the retina.Ophthalmologist: A physician who specializes in the medical and surgical care of the eyes.
Optic Disc/Optic Nerve Head: The circular area at the end of the optic nerve where it connects with the retina.
Optic Nerve: The bundle of nerve fibers that carries impulses for sight from the retina to the brain.
Optometrist: A doctor of optometry (OD) who diagnoses and treats vision problems and eye diseases. Can prescribe eyeglasses, contact lenses and medications but can’t perform surgery.
Peripheral Vision: Side vision -- outside of the direct line of vision.Pinguecula: A benign, yellowish, slightly raised thickening of the conjunctiva (white part of the eye) on either side of the cornea. Usually caused by sun and wind exposure.
Posterior Chamber: The area between the back of the iris and the front of the lens that is filled with aqueous fluid.
Presbyopia: A condition usually detected between ages 40-45 in which the eye’s lens naturally loses elasticity as a result of aging, causing difficulty focusing at close distances.
Pterygium: A wedge-shaped growth that can affect the cornea, causing possible vision loss.
Ptosis: A condition characterized by drooping of the upper eyelid.
Pupil: The black adjustable opening at the center of the iris that regulates the amount of light that enters the eye.Refraction: A test to determine the best corrective lenses to correct a refractive error (myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism).
Retina: The light-sensitive nerve tissue that lines the back of the eye and sends visual messages through the optic nerve to the brain.
Retinal Detachment: A separation of the retina from the supporting tissue in the back of the eye, usually the result of a tear. Can significantly threaten vision.
Retinal Pigment Epithelium (RPE): The pigment cell layer that nourishes the retina cells and is located just outside the retina and attached to the choroid.
Retinopathy of Prematurity: Disease that may occur in premature children due to abnormal development of blood vessels in the retina.
Rods and Rod Cells: Light-sensitive receptor cells in the retina that provide side vision and the ability to see objects in low light (night vision).
Schlemm's Canal: The channel that carries the aqueous fluid from the eye to the bloodstream.
Sclera: The protective white outer layer of the eye.
Strabismus (Crossed Eyes): Misaligned eyes. Can cause eyes to appear crossed or one eye may gaze out, up or down when in relaxed position.
Subconjunctival hemorrhage: A usually harmless condition that occurs when a blood vessel breaks and bleeds just under the clear surface of the eye (conjunctiva), causing a red eye.
Tonometry: A test that measures intraocular pressure (the pressure inside the) eye. It is used to check for glaucoma.
Trabecular Meshwork: The area of spongy tissue near the front of the eye, around the cornea’s base, which drains the aqueous fluid through Schlemm's canal and out of the eye into the bloodstream.
Uvea, Uveal Tract: The middle, pigmented layers of the eye, including the iris, ciliary body and choroid.
Visual Acuity: The eye’s ability to distinguish details and shapes of objects.Visual Field: The entire area that can be seen by an eye that is staring straight ahead.
Vitreous: The transparent, colorless mass of gel that fills the rear portion of the eye between the lens and the retina.
Yag Capsulotomy: A laser treatment used to treat cloudiness in the posterior capsule which holds the eye’s lens in place.
