1. What can an eye doctor see inside my eyes?

Your General Health by looking at you through your eyes:

To Dr. Tony Tao, your eyes are windows to your overall health. Your eyes will reveal more about your health than you know. Many illnesses show early signs in the eyes, and many diseases can affect your vision. While you are being examined, Dr. Tony Tao will look for signs of the following:

Hypertension: the appearance of irregular blood vessels on the retina could indicate high blood pressure. Hypertensive retinopathy occurs when uncontrolled blood vessels on the retina broke and lead to sudden loss of vision.

Diabetes: small, circular areas of bleeding on the retina may be an early sign of diabetes. Increases and decreases in blood sugar level could cause blurred vision and retinal detachment. Diabetic Retinopathy occurs when blood vessels on the retina leak and insufficient oxygen supply of retina leads to growth of new blood vessels. This new growth of blood vessels can cause retinal detachment and permanent vision loss.

Stroke and brain tumor: the vessels in the eye and visual field test can help Dr. Tao detect a risk of stroke and brain tumor.

High Blood Cholesterol: hypertension often goes hand-in-hand with high blood cholesterol levels. The condition of the veins and arteries in the eyes could warn of high blood cholesterol, which may be a risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Headaches: it may arise from or be worsened by vision problems such as near-sightedness, far-sightedness, presbyopia and eyestrain. It may also be associated with visual pathway defects or brain tumors.

Double vision, visual field loss, and uncoordinated or involuntary eye movements might be early signs of MS.

2. What is red eye?

Red eye is also called conjunctivitis. It is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, transparent layer that lines the inner eyelid and covers the white part of the eye. The three main types of conjunctivitis are infectious, allergic and chemical. A contagious virus or bacteria cause the infectious type, commonly called “pink eye”. Your body's allergies to pollen, cosmetics, animals or fabrics often bring on allergic conjunctivitis. And, irritants like air pollution, noxious fumes and chlorine in swimming pools may produce the chemical form.

3. I was told that I had irregular cornea or Keratoconus. What is it?

Keratoconus is a vision disorder that occurs when the normally round cornea (the front part of the eye) becomes thin and irregular (cone) shaped. This abnormal shape prevents the light entering the eye from being focused correctly on the retina and causes distortion of vision. In its earliest stages, keratoconus causes slight blurring and distortion of vision and increased sensitivity to glare and light. These symptoms usually appear in the late teens or late twenties. Keratoconus may progress for 10-20 years and then slow in its progression. Each eye may be affected differently. As keratoconus progresses, the cornea bulges more and vision may become more distorted. In a small number of cases, the cornea will swell and cause a sudden and significant decrease in vision. The swelling occurs when the strain of the cornea's protruding cone-like shape causes a tiny crack to develop. The swelling may last for weeks or months as the crack heals and is gradually replaced by scar tissue. If this sudden swelling does occur, your doctor can prescribe eye drops for temporary relief, and Dr. Tao can provide specialty contact lenses and medicines to prevent the disorder from progressing.

4. What is HIPPA?

To understand HIPPA, click here.