Eye care

Protect your vision with expert care from local ophthalmologists (eye doctors) who are part of the medical staff at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula. These knowledgeable physicians have advanced training and help thousands of patients each year.

When to visit an ophthalmologist

Make an appointment with an eye doctor to:

• Get a screening for eye diseases starting at age 40, with follow-up exams as often as your doctor recommends
• Ask about any changes in your vision as soon as you experience them

Eye symptoms

Seek medical attention if you have signs of an eye problem:

• Blurred, hazy, foggy, or double vision
• Dryness, redness, irritation, or inflammation (swelling)
• Eye pain, discharge, crusting, or itchiness
• Faded colors
• Floating spots or streaks in what you see
• Light sensitivity
• Loss of peripheral (side) vision
• Trouble seeing at night

Eye exams

To learn about your eye health, your ophthalmologist will do simple tests to check your vision. You may also receive eye drops to dilate (widen) your pupils and make them easier for the doctor to examine.

Conditions we treat

Find effective relief from common eye problems:

• Astigmatism
• Cataracts
• Diabetic retinopathy
• Drooping eyelids (ptosis)
• Eye infections, including pink eye (conjunctivitis)
• Eye injuries, such as cuts (lacerations)
• Farsightedness (hyperopia)
• Foreign objects in the eye
• Glaucoma
• Inflammation, such as uveitis
• Macular degeneration
• Nearsightedness (myopia)
• Scar tissue (pterygium)
• Retinal detachment
• Strabismus (crossed eyes)

Eye treatments

Depending on your symptoms, you may benefit from:

• Eyewash to flush out (clean) the eyes
• New glasses or contact lenses
• Managing other health conditions, such as diabetes
• Prescription or over-the-counter eye drops or medications
• Practicing self-care, such as applying a warm compress to relieve discomfort or wearing sunglasses

Procedures we offer

If your doctor recommends an eye procedure, you’ll benefit from advanced technology at Community Hospital. Lasers (light beams) and microscopes help your ophthalmologist perform your treatment in the most accurate, precise way, so you get the best results. Your procedure may even take place in our Outpatient Surgery Center, which means your care won’t require a hospital stay.

Cataract surgery

To give you clearer vision, an ophthalmologist may remove cataracts using lasers that use tiny, microscopic incisions and don’t leave scar tissue. Laser therapy can also remove scar tissue that happened after traditional cataract surgery or too much exposure to the sun and wind.

Astigmatism correction

If you have astigmatism, ask your doctor about the option to treat this condition during cataract surgery. You’ll receive special intraocular lenses that reduce your need to wear glasses or contacts.

Glaucoma surgery

To reduce pressure in the eyes, our ophthalmologists perform procedures such as:

• Iridotomy – Uses lasers to create a tiny hole in the iris to drain fluid
• Trabeculoplasty – Uses lasers to let fluid flow out of channels in the eye
• Trabeculectomy – Creates an opening for fluid in the white of the eye
• Stent implantation – Places a tiny tube in the eye to drain fluid

Other eye procedures

At Community Hospital, you also have access to:

• Blepharoplasty – Treats drooping eyelids
• Diabetic retinopathy surgery – Stops or slows the development of different types of diabetic retinopathy
• Eye tumor surgery – Removes all or part of a tumor (abnormal growth)
• Macular degeneration surgery – Eliminates blood vessels that cause vision loss
• Medication injections – Places medicine directly into the eye to treat macular degeneration or retinal problems
• Refractive surgery – Includes LASIK and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) to fix the shape of your eye and improve your vision
• Retinal detachment repair – Uses surgery or injections to restore vision or blood flow
• Vitrectomy – Removes the clear gel from your eye to make it easier to treat the retina