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General Ophthalmic Care
Staffed by experienced ophthalmologists, Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic Tokyo offers not only LASIK and other refractive surgeries, but also the examination and treatment of dry eyes, allergic conjunctivitis, corneal diseases, cataract, refractive abnormalities (nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism), presbyopia, eyestrain and other ophthalmic disorders. Please feel free to talk to us regarding any problem you may have with your eyes.
※ General ophthalmic care is provided only at Minamiaoyama Eye Clinic Tokyo. We see patients on an appointment-only basis. Please call in advance to make your appointment before coming in.
※ For those enrolled in Japan's public medical insurance (National Health Insurance or Social Insurance plans), please make sure to bring your insurance card with you on your visits.
※ For general ophthalmic care appointments, please call the telephone number below.
Major Ophthalmic Disorders Seen in General Ophthalmic Care
Dry Eyes
Dry eyes, caused by the increased evaporation or reduced secretion of tears or changes in the property of tears, is one of the disorders involving an inability to maintain a healthy ocular surface.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of allergic conjunctivitis is itchy eyes. In addition, patients may also have red eyes, mucus discharge, gritty sensation, light-sensitivity and other discomforts.
Treatment
Treatment options include physiological saline eye drops adjusted to the same osmolality as in tears, hyaluronate-containing eye drops, punctual plug insertion and serum eye drops prepared from a patient's own blood.
Eyestrain
Eyestrain is a chronic fatigue of the eyes due to the many stresses in the modern society or changes in life style.
Symptoms
Patients' eyes may feel heavy, painful, bleary, blurry or congested, and their eyelids may twitch. There may also be non-ophthalmic symptoms such as headache, stiff shoulders or other systemic symptoms.
Treatment
Because treatment differs depending on the cause, patients should first seek a detailed examination. The symptoms improve with dry-eyes treatment if the underlying cause is dry eyes. Those using a computer for long periods of time may try to cut down the time in front of the computer or to change the angle of the display or the computer-using environment to alleviate eyestrains. Wearing eye glasses or contact lenses compatible to your eye condition or the purpose of use is also effective. Warming your eyes or doing eye exercises may also resolve eyestrains.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia, an aging phenomenon, is caused by a decline in the ability to adjust focus. The age when presbyopia becomes noticeable varies from person to person, but most people begin having difficulty seeing near objects from the early to mid-40s.
Symptoms
Among symptoms of early presbyopia are the eyes feeling tired in the evening and sluggishness in focusing on near objects. People with presbyopia have difficulty seeing objects held close to their eyes. They see better when objects are held further away. As presbyopia progresses, reading or bifocal eyeglasses would be needed.
Treatment
There are no treatments that prevent or cure presbyopia completely. Most people have an aversion to wearing reading glasses because they don't want to look old. But continuing to try to focus despite a poor focusing ability can contribute to eyestrains. At present, LASIK, CK, multifocal intraocular lenses (cataract surgery) and other procedures are available to restore to a certain extent both farsighted and nearsighted vision without having to wear corrective lenses.
Allergies
Allergic conjunctivitis is one of the typical ocular disorders involving allergy.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of allergic conjunctivitis is itchy eyes. In addition, patients may also have red eyes, mucus discharge, gritty sensation, light-sensitivity and other discomforts.
Treatment
The best remedy would be to get rid of the sources of allergy. Keep your house and bedding clean. Inhibitors of chemical transmitter release (allergy prevention drugs that inhibit the release of such chemical transmitters as histamine), antihistamines (inhibit the activity of histamine that induces allergy) or steroid drugs (showing a potent activity in inhibiting general inflammation and a potential for adverse reactions, these drugs are to be used only when symptoms intensify) may be prescribed to eliminate itch and other symptoms of discomfort.
Keratoconus
Keratoconus is a disease in which the cornea thins and bulges out.
Symptoms
Patients with a mild keratoconus show symptoms identical to common nearsightedness and astigmatism. Hard contact lenses can correct mild or moderate keratoconus but do not work well on severe keratoconus because they cannot provide adequate correction and may cause pain where the part of the cornea that bulges out the most rubs against the contact lens. Patients with severe keratoconus cannot wear contact lenses and require a corneal transplant. The pace of progression differs from one person to the other, with the progression taking several months in some patients but several years in others.
Treatment
The vision of those suffering from a mild to moderate keratoconus may be corrected by hard contact lenses designed for keratoconus. Patients for whom the hard contact lenses are ineffective in correcting vision or are incompatible, may consider undergoing a procedure such as intracorneal ring segments, riboflavin/UV treatment, Tsubota keratoconus treatment or corneal transplant.
