Patient Ed Flashcards
Myopia
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Myopia. This is often due to your eye being slightly longer then normal which causes the light that enters your eye which produces an image to focus closer then where we would like it to focus. This is why you may notice that you are able to see well at near but have a difficult time seeing in the distance.
You can prevent the progression of myopia are soft contact lenses, ortho K lenses or atropine eye drops. You can treat this with glasses or contact lenses.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1-2 wks for CL fit (<20yo) or 1 yr for CVE (>20yo).
The prognosis is usually good and usually stops progressing around the age of 20.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Hyperopia
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Hyperopia. This is often due to your eye being slightly shorter then normal which causes the light that enters your eye that produces an image to focus farther then where we would like it to focus. This is why you may notice that you are able to see well at far but have a difficult time seeing at near.
You can treat this condition with glasses or contact lenses, however in mild cases your eyes may be able to compensate adequately.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1 year for CVE.
The prognosis is usually good.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Astigmatism
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called astigmatism. The front of your eye is usually spherical similar to a basketball. Astigmatism is when that basketball shape is more now a footballs shape. This causes light to create two images instead of one resulting in blurred vision both at distance and near.
You can treat this condition with glasses or contact lens.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1 year for CVE.
The prognosis is usually good and is usually a stable condition although if astigmatism continues to change dramatically it could be a condition called keratoconus, which is more of a concern.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Presbyopia
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Presbyopia. Your lens in your eye is the reason you can see at near and far; it’s normally shaped like a disc when you’re looking far away, but it is squished into a ball-shape so you see up close at near. This is called “accommodation”. As you get older, it’s harder for your eye to “squish” the lens into a ball and this makes it difficult for you to focus at near.
You can treat this condition with reading glasses, bifocals, trifocals or contact lens.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1 year for CVE.
The prognosis is usually good as its correctable however it may change every year as you lose accommodation until you have no accommodation left.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Uveitis
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Uveitis. This is inflammation of the colored part of your eye. This causes your eye to be red, painful and sensitive to light. There can be several underlying causes for the inflammation such as an underlying autoimmune disease or an infection and many of them we never find out the reason.
You can treat this condition with a couple eye drops daily. One is a steroid eye drop multiple times a day to reduce the inflammation and the other will help to reduce the discomfort you are experiencing.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 3 days make sure that you are improving.
The prognosis is usually good and because this is your first time having uveitis, we typically don’t do any additional testing. However, if you have another we will likely run some tests to see if there is an underlying cause.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Bacterial Conjunctivitis
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called bacterial conjunctivitis. This is a bacterial infection in your eye resulting in your eyes being red, blurry, and exuding discharge. It’s very contagious and can be spread by contact.
You can prevent the spread to others by making sure to wash your hands frequently and making sure you don’t share anything that touches your eye with others.
We will treat this condition by recommending that you to stay home for the next 1-2 days and use an antibiotic drop that you will do 3x a day for one week. If you miss a drop, just take your next regularly scheduled drop. Do not stop earlier than one week because some bacteria can remain and the infection can come back.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 3 days for a follow up or prn if it gets worse.
The prognosis is usually good and should see improvement within a week.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Subconjunctival hemorrhage
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. I’m glad you came in today and I know this looks scary, but it’s nothing to raise alarm about. This is similar to a bruise that happens after something that causes increased pressure such as coughing, rubbing or trauma.
You can treat this condition by using a cool compress for 2 days then warm compress for 2 days. You may also use AT for comfort. Do not use NSAIDs such as aspirin because it can increase bleeding. If you need something for the pain use Tylenol.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in at your next CVE unless its not getting better or its getting worse.
The prognosis is usually good and should heal on its own in 1-2 weeks. If it happens again in the same eye it’s a little more worrisome and at that time we will need to run other tests to see if there is any underlying cause such as anemia or high BP.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Dry AMD
Examiner, which condition would you like me to educate the patient on?
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Dry Age related macular degeneration. As we age waste may build up in the back of your eye due to your body not being able to process unwanted material as well as it use to. This can interfere with the center part of the back of your eye responsible for detailed vision and is why you notice blurry vision.
You can treat and slow progression of this condition by stop smoking, eating leafy green vegetables and taking AREDs vitamin supplementation twice a day. I would also like you to use an Amsler grid at home to monitor any changes.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 6 months to follow up on any changes.
The prognosis is usually variable. There is no cure and as dry AMD progresses, the back of the eye continues to wear down, making it more likely that you’ll will convert to wet AMD when vision loss becomes much worse. This is why it is important to try and stop its progression now.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
PVD
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called posterior vitreal detachment. The inside of your eye is filled with a jelly-like substance and as you get older, it starts to liquefy and tug on the back of your eye. If it pulls away from the back of the eye, it’s called a posterior vitreal detachment.
There is no treatment for this condition. We just want you to be aware of new flashes, floaters, or a curtain coming down on your vision which could be a sign of a retinal detachment. This would then be a concern to us and we would like you to come in immediately.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in a month to make sure the retina stays intact.
The prognosis is usually good however more worrisome with those signs I told you about.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Cataract
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Cataracts. The lens inside your eye that focuses light to create a clear image with age gets cloudy, similar to a dirty windshield. This makes it hard to see at all distances and may cause poor night vision and glare.
You can slow the progression by wearing sun protection to block out the UV rays.
We will treat this condition by monitoring its progression. When it gets to a point where it interrupts your everyday activities or your vision is 20/40 or worse then I will refer you for cataract surgery. This is one of the most common surgeries done in the US and is very safe and effective.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1 year for CVE.
The prognosis is usually good.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
CI
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called convergence insufficiency. Your eyes have a difficult time turning inwards when looking up close. This can cause double vision, blurry vision, or can falsely look like a learning disability.
You can treat this condition with vision therapy is very effective in office and/ or at home. This will take 3 or more months to completely resolve.
I would recommend that we refer you to get a Vision Therapy evaluation where they will do more specialized testing to confirm this diagnosis.
The prognosis is usually good however Sx can return when you get sick, if you’re really tired, or doing lots of up-close work.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
GPC
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Giant papillary conjunctivitis. This is when you have bumps that have formed on the inside of your eyelids due to the rubbing of you CL on your lid. These are called papillae and are the reason why it’s getting more difficult for you to wear your CL for a longer period of time.
You can treat this condition by having you stop wearing your CL for a month to allow your lids to heal. We will also have you use a mild steroid drop twice a day to decrease inflammation. Please remember to shake bottles before applying and if you miss a drop, just take your next regularly scheduled drop.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1-2 weeks.
The prognosis is usually good and once its healed we will talk about where we are going to go with CL at that time either changing you to a different brand or type of lens.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Amblyopia
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Amblyopia. A lazy eye is a healthy eye but for some reason it does not see well. When one eye doesn’t see well as the other our brain tends to only use the good eye.
You can treat this condition with vision therapy, patching, atropine or with simply using a prescription glasses or contact lens. We will start by giving you your prescription today to get new glasses.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1-2 mon after you receive your glasses to check up on your vision.
The prognosis is usually variable and does not go away on its own. Therefore treatment is important to obtain the best outcome.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
RD
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Retinal detachement. This is when fluid gets between layers in the back of your eye and they begin to separate from one another like bad wallpaper. This can be due to retinal holes can happen due to age or trauma. If it stays detached, it will die, which can lead to vision loss. This is why you’ve noticed “floaters” and flashing lights in your vision, so it’s good that you’ve come in so quickly.
You can treat this condition with surgery is complicated and specific to each pt—the type of treatment depends on type of detachment, eye conditions, etc.
I would recommend that we refer you to an ophthalmologist to get this surgery done.
The prognosis is variable. Surgery is usually successful however the longer you wait to treat this, the worst the outcome and you can go blind. The amount of vision spared depends on the size of the RD before surgery and how quickly it was treated.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
Glaucoma
Before I begin, do you have any questions?
You have a condition called Glaucoma. Your optic nerve is structure of the eye that communicates with the brain. Glaucoma is a slowly progressive condition, which damages your optic nerve because of an increase in eye pressures.
We can detect glaucoma by doing several tests such as checking eye pressures, the thickness of the front of your eye, checking your peripheral vision as well as dilating your eyes to assess the thickness of the tissue in your optic nerve.
You can treat this condition by starting you on an eye drop, which would lower your eye pressures. Also can be treated with a surgery to relieve the pressure of your eye, but is often a last resort.
I would recommend that we follow up with you in 1-2 weeks for a glaucoma work-up.
The prognosis is usually good however there is no cure. If the drop isn’t strong enough, we may add another one. If medications don’t work, we may have to refer for surgery.
Do you have any further questions or concerns?
