Other Services

At Barnhorst Eye Associates we are interested in providing leading comprehensive eyecare services to the Jacksonville community. While Dr. Barnhorst has specialty interest and training in corneal diseases and surgery, he also enjoys providing a wide array of other eyecare services such as:

Glaucoma:

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in the United States and is particularly dangerous because it frequently causes no symptoms until late in the disease process when much of the vision has already been lost. Glaucoma is a disease which affects the part of the eye called the optic nerve. The optic nerve is built like a fiber optic cable which carries roughly 1 million individual nerve fibers from the retina of each eye to the visual processing part of the brain which interprets what the retina "sees". In patients with glaucoma, for reasons which are not completely understood, these individual fibers begin to "die off" leading to a loss of peripheral and eventually central vision. Various risk factors such as high intraocular pressure, being nearsighted, and being of African-American descent can make someone more likely to be affected by glaucoma as they age. Having an annual, comprehensive eye examination which includes not only measurement of the intraocular pressure but also dilation of the pupil to allow for close examination of the appearance of the optic nerve is the best way to insure that you do not have glaucoma. At Barnhorst Eye Associates we use the latest proven technologies and methods to screen patients for glaucoma and we make sure our patients understand what their risks are and whether or not they require treatment. For patients who do require treatment for glaucoma, we offer the latest treatment options such as eyedrops, laser treatments, or surgery.

Diabetic Eye Exams:

Patients with diabetes (either Type I or Type II) require periodic dilated eye examination in order to determine whether or not their diabetes is causing damage to the retina. Just like the small blood vessels in the kidneys, fingers, and toes, the small, delicate blood vessels in the retina are some of the smallest in the human body and are most susceptible to damage from diabetes. Such damage to the retinal vessels can lead to retinal hemorrhages or exudates as well as fluid leakage (edema) in the central part of the retina called the macula which can lead to decreased or distorted vision. Like many other disease processes, it is much better to catch diabetic changes in the retina early and treat them before they lead to more significant vision loss. It is much easier to prevent the vision from getting bad than it is to try to regain the vision after it has already deteriorated.

Regular Eye Exams:

At Barnhorst Eye Associates we also perform many regular eye examinations to either fit patients with eyeglasses or contact lenses, screen for other diseases such as hypertension (high blood pressure), dry eyes, macular degeneration, or just make sure that your eyes are healthy. We are happy to educate patients about how the eye works, how eye diseases occur, and how research is progressing with regard to many eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma.