If you are experiencing an eye emergency (sudden vision loss, pain or double vision), call 911 or seek emergency care immediately.

Taking care of your eyes is an important part of your overall health. Med Center Health Eye Care offers advanced eye care for patients who have a wide range of eye conditions. Ophthalmologist Christopher Areephanthu, MD, specializes in treating cataracts, glaucoma and retinal disorders such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration. Optometrist Russell Heltsley, OD, brings decades of experience to expert eye exams, glasses and contacts, as well as the treatment and management of eye disease. When it’s time to get new glasses, Optician John Soules is ready to help with a full range of frames to choose from.

Regular eye exams are recommended for most people—how often you get an eye exam depends on your age and overall health.

• People with diabetes should have a dilated eye exam every year.
• Anyone at high risk for glaucoma should have a dilated eye exam every two years. This includes African Americans 40 years and older, all adults older than 60, and people with a family history of glaucoma.

An eye exam can reveal the symptoms of other disorders because of how they affect your eyes. Among these are:

• Aneurysm, a bubble-shaped, weak wall in a blood vessel that can leak or rupture
• Brain tumor
• Cancers of blood, tissue or skin
• Diabetes
• Giant cell arteries, an inflammation of medium-sized arteries that affects the arms, upper body and neck
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Lupus, an inflammatory disease
• Lyme disease, an infection spread by ticks
• Medication toxicities
• Multiple sclerosis, a degenerative disease of the nervous system
• Myathenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Sarcoidosis, an inflammatory disease
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Sickle cell disease
• Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease
• Stroke
• Thyroid disease
• Vascular disease
• Vitamin A deficiency