Patient Education
Video Education
Frame Gallery
- Details
- Written by Harbor View Eye Care Team
Knowing the difference between the various specialties in the eye care industry can be confusing, especially given the fact that they all start with the same letter and in many ways sound alike.
So, here’s a breakdown of the different monikers to make life a little less confusing for those wanting to get an eye exam.
Ophthalmologists
Ophthalmologists (pronounced “OFF-thal-mologists”)...
- Details
- Written by Harbor View Eye Care Team
A refraction is a test done by your eye doctor to determine if glasses will make you see better.
The charges for a refraction are covered by some insurances but not all.
For example, Medicare does not cover refractions because they consider it part of a “routine” exam and Medicare doesn’t cover most “routine” procedures - only health-related procedures.
So if you have a medical eye...
- Details
- Written by Harbor View Eye Care Team
Red, Itchy, swollen eyelids are often due to a condition called blepharitis. Blepharitis tends to be a chronic condition due to thick eyelid mucous gland production that sticks to the bases of the eyelashes. This adherent mucous can allow bacteria to overgrow and also attract and retain allergens. The standard treatment for blepharitis is doing warm compresses and cleaning off the eyelids with...
- Details
- Written by Harbor View Eye Care Team
As an eye doctor, diagnosing a red eye can be challenging. Are we dealing with an infection, allergy, inflammation or dryness?
One of the most common questions I get is, “Doc, my eyes are red, burning, itchy, and tearing. Is this dry eye or from allergies?” The short answer is it could be one, both or neither. I’ll outline various ways these conditions present clinically and the treatments...
- Details
- Written by Harbor View Eye Care Team
The word “astigmatism” is used so much in the ophthalmic world that most people have talked about it when discussing their eye health with their doctor.
“Astigmatism” comes from the Greek “a” - meaning “without” - and “stigma” - meaning “a point.” In technical ocular terms, astigmatism means that instead of there being one point of focus in the eye, there are two. In other words, light...
