Eye Care Services
Drs. Williams and Hussey recommend a yearly eye examination for vision and visual health assessment. During your comprehensive eye examination the health and function of your eyes will be assessed and various tests of your vision will be performed.
Eye Examination Steps
- Where does it hurt?
The eye examination starts by identifying your vision or eye complaints. - Your eye history.
A careful eye health history is taken and reviewed as well as systemic medical history. Any medications you are taking are noted as many can affect the eyes and vision. - How sharp is your vision?
Visual acuity (the sharpness of your vision) is measured and tests are performed to determine your eyeglass prescription. - Measure Up.
Corneal curvature is measured to allow us to properly fit contact lenses, as well as to detect any abnormal shape of the front surface of your eyes. - Coordination & focus tests.
Eye muscle coordination and focusing ability are tested. - Assessing the small stuff.
A bio microscope, or slit lamp is used to assess the health of the lids, cornea, iris, lens, and other structures of the eye. - Inspecting Inside.
To inspect the inner structures of your eyes, including the retina and optic nerve, two methods can be used:Option 1, Dilate: Dilating eye drops, which cause the pupils to enlarge, gives the doctor a good view of the internal structures of the eye. The effects of the dilating drops usually begin to subside after a few hours; however, it is wise to bring good sunglasses to help you see in bright sunlight following a dilated eye exam. While your eyes are dilated, close work or reading may be difficult, and bright sunlight may be annoying.
Option 2, New and Improved: A new diagnostic tool, called Optomap allows the doctor to view the retinas without the use of pupil dilation. There are many benefits to using Optomap. Dilating drops are not necessary to view the retinas, so the side-effects of having dilated pupils are not experienced. You can view your retinal imaging with Dr. Williams or Dr. Hussey. The imaging is fast, easy, and comfortable. The image will become a permanent record in your medical file which can be reviewed for comparisons and to track any eye disease. The doctors are concerned about retinal problems including macular degeneration, glaucoma, retinal holes, retinal detachments, and systemic diseases such as diabetes, stroke, and high blood pressure. These conditions can lead to serious health problems, including partial loss of vision or blindness, and often develop without warning and progress with no symptoms.
- What's right for you?
After performing all necessary tests, an explanation or the results will be discussed with you. Options such as eye glasses, contact lenses, eye medications, or eye surgery will be presented to you.
Drs. William and Hussey want to optimize your vision to give you an edge for any sport you are playing. Visual acuity is sharpened and depth perception is maximized to achieve this goal. Special contact lenses are available to enhance contrast and eliminate glare.
Nike Maxsight Contact Lenses
Nike Maxsight contact lenses provide distortion-free optics, whether you require a contact lens prescription or not. Theses lenses allow details to be clearer and "pop" off the background. Whether you are trying to read the contour of a green for a putt in golf or wanting to track a ball moving at a high speed in baseball, softball, or tennis, these lenses will allow you to improve your game.
Sports Glasses and Sunglasses
Sports glasses and sunglasses are available as well. Sports glasses will provide safety, as in racquet sports. Sunglasses with proper tint and polarization can enhance your vision outdoors during bright conditions. Lenses that provide a "wrap" around your eyes will allow little sunlight to cause glare and distraction while you stay focused on the game. Nike, Oakley, and Maui Jim make great products for outdoor sports.
Emergency eye care is provided during office hours, and, if necessary, after hours and on weekends. We diagnose and treat eye infections and inflammations, corneal abrasions, foreign body removal, sudden loss of vision, and acute eye allergies. In addition, we provide necessary consultations and triage with emergency trauma and retinal specialists in Columbia, Missouri if necessary.
There are many contact lenses available. Your eye examination will allow Drs. Williams and Hussey to select the right contact lens for you. We carry many lenses in stock that will be available to you immediately. If your particular prescription is not available, trial lenses will be ordered and then the fit of the contact lenses will be assessed on your eyes to ensure optimal visual acuity and comfort before your supply is ordered. We carry Acuvue Advance, Acuvue Oasys, Purevision, Night and Day, Proclear, Biofinity, Focus, Soflens, Freshlook, just to name a few. New lenses are being introduced all the time. We use contacts that will give you the best possible vision and wear schedule to fit your lifestyle.
Soft contact lenses are now available that correct for astigmatism (irregularly shaped eye), presbyopia (condition where near vision is difficult) and lenses that correct for both of these conditions at the same time. Toric contact lenses correct for astigmatism and are available in many different brands. Multifocal contact lenses correct for presbyopia and are also available in many different brands. Extended wear contact lenses (lenses you sleep in) are available and are a great option for many patients. Rigid gas permeable contact lenses are also available and are a great option for patients who need special correction, or for patients who have certain eye conditions, like keratoconus.
Colored contact lenses are available and will allow you to have fun and change the apparent color of your eyes. A comprehensive eye examination is required to properly fit the lenses on your eyes. Once a prescription is determined, you can try on different colors to see which one looks best for you.
Corneal Refractive Therapy is a sophisticated, non-surgical process, which gently reshapes the cornea while you sleep. This is done by wearing specially designed contact lenses at night, then removing the lenses when you awake. You will then be able to go throughout the day without any other correction.
The procedure is great for active teens playing sports or for anyone who doesn't want to wear their glasses. An eye examination is required to determine if you are a candidate for this exciting new procedure.
A comprehensive eye examination will assess the following:
- Visual acuity - measures how clearly a child sees objects
- Refractive status - measures for nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia), and astigmatism.
- Ocular health - Your child is evaluated for any eye health problems, including active pathology or congenital defects.
- Eye tracking - the ability of the eyes to fixate, smoothly follow and look between objects or printed words.
- Eye focusing - the ability to efficiently change and sustain focus while reading.
- Eye teaming - is the ability to coordinate both eyes accurately and without fatigue or excessive effort. Accurate eye teaming is also important for accurate two-eyed depth perception or stereopsis. Early detection and management is recommended to prevent vision loss or eye disease and to provide appropriate vision development.
As much as 80% percent of what children learn is through their vision. If your child has never had an eye examination, then schedule one today. As many as 25% of school-aged children have an undetected vision problem that could keep them behind in their ability to learn. For more information call our office or visit: http://www.aoa.org
Lasik
Lasik is a procedure that uses a laser to surgically correct your eyes. Drs. Williams and Hussey have experience in comanaging lasik with corneal specialists in Columbia, Missouri. All of your pre- and post-operative care will be given by our doctors and a referring surgeon will perform the procedure. Schedule an appointment today so we can determine if you are a candidate for Lasik.
Cataract Surgery
Cataract surgery is necessary when the lens inside your eyes becomes cloudy or hazy and vision becomes blurry. Cataracts are mostly associated with age. A comprehensive eye examination is necessary to determine if you have cataracts and if they are ready to be removed. Pre- and post-operative care is given at our office and the procedure is done by a referring surgeon.