can meet the needs of your entire family. We specialize in iLASIK, LASIK and cataract surgery with premium lens implants in our new surgery center in Valdosta as well as comprehensive eye exams. Our physicians are board-certified and all of our staff are certified technicians. Contact Us Today!
The American Optometric Association defines glaucoma as a group of eye disorders leading to progressive damage to the optic nerve. It is characterized by the loss of nerve tissue that results in declining vision and in advanced stages may cause blindness.
Glaucoma most often occurs in people over age 40, although a congenital or infantile form of glaucoma does exist. People with a family history of glaucoma have a higher risk of developing the disease; other risk factors include thinner corneas, chronic eye inflammation, ocular trauma and using medications that increase pressure in the eyes.
How is glaucoma diagnosed?
“Glaucoma is diagnosed through a comprehensive eye examination,” said Dr. Eric Kolisz, an optometrist with South Georgia North Florida Eye Partners. “One test method that can reveal glaucoma in the early stage is Optomap, a vision screening tool we use at all five of our SGEP locations in Valdosta, Tifton, Douglas, Moultrie and in Madison, FL. Simply put, Optomap’s ultra-wide field retinal imaging is a unique technology that captures more than 80% of your retina in one panoramic photo which can help with early detection of everything from vision impairment such as glaucoma to life-threatening diseases such as certain cancers and other health issues.”
The unique Optomap view helps your eye care practitioner detect early signs of eye diseases without having to dilate your eyes; and of course, early detection means successful treatments can be administered reducing the risk to your sight and health.
If glaucoma is detected, treatment often includes either medications to reduce elevated intraocular pressure or in some cases, surgery. While there is no cure for glaucoma, treatment keeping eye pressure under control is highly successful and can slow damage to the optic nerve meaning the continued loss of your visual field may slow or stop.
“Regular eye exams, particularly for people over the age of 40, can help detect eye issues, including glaucoma, early,” said Dr. Kolisz. “Of course, if you have a change in your vision between scheduled visits, it is important to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor. So many vision issues can be corrected or the damage is lessened when treated early.”
South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners diagnoses and treats all types of glaucoma through medications and surgeries, if necessary. Call Eye Partners today to set up an appointmentif you feel you are showing signs of glaucoma and would like to start taking control of your eye health.
This month our doctor spotlight is on Dr. Melanie Hill. Dr. Hill works in our Madison, Florida, office and has been a great addition to the South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners team. Dr. Hill graduated from the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tennessee, where she met her husband, Cory. They graduated together, and moved together to Cory’s native Florida in 2000. They have now been married for 18 years.
Dr. Hill got her undergraduate degree at the University of Missouri and is a huge sports fan…she loves her Mizzou Tigers! She also is an avid St. Louis Cardinals fan – as she says, “I take my baseball very seriously.” She and her husband have two children, Reagan (13) and Cooper (8). Dr. Hill says most of her free time is spent chasing her kids and being a “typical taxi mom” – taking their kids to ballet and baseball and back again. The Hills also love to snow ski (they try to take a trip once a year) as well as playing their pool and grilling out.
Dr. Hill and her family are very active at Faith Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee. She is an Elder at their church and the co-Moderator of the Children and Families Committee as well as a Sunday school teacher.
When reflecting on her adopted hometown of Madison and her team at South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners, Dr. Hill says, “I grew up in a small town, and in many ways, Madison reminds me of home. I love that in a small town I am able to take care of generations of families. Joining SGEP has been a huge blessing. We have so many more resources available to us now. Having Dr. Petermann come into the Madison office monthly saves people rom having to travel so far.” Dr. Hill also added that “there is just a higher level of care that I am so glad can be given to the people in Madison county.”
We are proud to have you on our team, Dr. Hill. You have added so much to our practice.
Regardless of your age or physical health, it’s important to have regular eye exams. South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners provides vision care for the entire family – toddlers to seniors.
During a complete eye exam, your eye doctor will not only determine your prescription for eyeglasses or contact lenses, but will also check your eyes for common eye diseases, assess how your eyes work together as a team and evaluate your eyes as an indicator of your overall health.
A comprehensive eye exam includes a number of tests and procedures to examine and evaluate the health of your eyes and the quality of your vision. These tests range from simple ones, like having you read an eye chart, to complex tests, such as using a high-powered lens to examine the health of the tissues inside of your eyes.
Eye care experts recommend you have a complete eye exam every year to assess your risk for potentially damaging eye conditions, as well as to keep on top of any changes in vision you may be experiencing.
Children. Some experts estimate that approximately 5% to 10% of pre-schoolers and 25% of school-aged children have vision problems. According to the American Optometric Association (AOA), all children should have their eyes examined at 6 months of age, at age 3 and again at the start of school. Children without vision problems or risk factors for eye or vision problems should then continue to have their eyes examined at every year throughout school.
Children with existing vision problems or risk factors should have their eyes examined more frequently. Common risk factors for vision problems include:
premature birth
developmental delays
turned or crossed eyes
family history of eye disease
history of eye injury
other physical illness or disease
The AOA recommends that children who wear eyeglasses or contact lenses should have their eyes examined at least every 12 months or according to their eye doctor’s instructions.
Adults. The AOA also recommends an annual eye exam for any adult who wears eyeglasses or contacts. If you don’t normally need vision correction, you still need an eye exam every year. Doctors often recommend more frequent examinations for adults with diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders, because many diseases can have an impact on vision and eye health.
If you are over 40, it’s a good idea to have your eyes examined every one to two years to check for common age-related eye problems such as presbyopia, cataracts and macular degeneration. Read more about Vision after 40.
Because the risk of eye disease continues to increase with advancing age, everyone over the age of 60 should be examined annually. Read more about Vision after 60.
Call South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners today to schedule an appointment for all the members of your family. Preventative vision care is the key to seeing well for years to come.
As one of our newer optometrists, Dr. Lauren Rowe has settled right in to the South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners family. Dr. Rowe – formerly of Rowe EyeCare – became part of the Eye Partners group in September 2017, along with her father, optometrist Dr. Ricky Rowe in Moultrie, Georgia.
The addition of Dr. Lauren Rowe is a great asset to Eye Partners. An honors graduate of The New England College of Optometry in Boston, MA, Dr. Rowe specializes in the treatment and management of ocular diseases including age-related macular degeneration, glaucoma and cataracts.
“Joining the team at SGNF was an amazing opportunity for me,” says Dr. Rowe. “I come to work everyday knowing I have the best staff, equipment, and patients any doctor can ask for. Our OMDs and ODs are the best in the business and I am lucky to be part of the family.”
Dr. Rowe practices most days in the Moultrie office of South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners, which is located at 115 5thStreet, SE in Moultrie and can be reached at (229) 890-8016 for appointments. She also is in the SGNF Valdosta office two days per week.
South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners specializes in iLASIK and cataract surgery with premium lens implants, glaucoma diagnosis and treatment, comprehensive eye exams for adults and children and a Dry Eye Clinic. Our brand new surgery center in Valdosta is a state-of-the-art facility where our board-certified ophthalmologists can perform any number of optical procedures. Eye Partners also has an Optical Shop fully stocked with designer frames and sunglasses to fit your style and personality. To make an appointment with one of Eye Partners’ physicians or to find our locations and hours, visit our website at southgeorgiaeye.com.
Seeing clearly is something that a lot of people take for granted. It’s also something that can be achieved through iLASIK surgery – and without downtime or or discomfort. Just ask Traci Sellers -a 5thgrade teacher who depends on her eyes for her students, everyday in the classroom. South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners offers the latest iLASIK technology, and our physicians are top notch. Traci is a great example of how iLASIK surgery improve your life by taking away the worry over your vision. Watch Traci’s video and hear her story in her own words.
If you have refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, iLASIK surgery could be the solution. The latest in laservision correction technology, iLASIK (laster-assisted in situ keratomileusis), uses a laser to cut the corneal flap instead of a traditional blade.
Dr. Scott Petermann and Dr. Wes Ross with Eye Partners perform iLASIK surgery in our Valdosta location (at our brand new surgery center). Consultations and post-operative care is available in all of our locations: Tifton, Valdosta, Douglas, Moultrie and Madison, FL. We are happy to answer any questions you might have in order to find out if you are a good candidate for the procedure. Call us to make an appointment– this could be your moment!
Delivering the latest eye care technology to our patients is important to the physicians at South Georgia / North Florida Eye Partners. We specialize in advanced eye surgeries – such as iLASIK surgery and laser assisted cataract surgery – and stay on the cutting edge of technology that results in better care for our patients.
For example, our new ORA System with VerifEye+ Technology, is a new technology addition that assists physicians during cataract surgery by allowing them to obtain real-time, precise measurements of the eye during the actual procedure. While measurements have always been, and still are, taken before cataract surgery, the exactness and verification this tool delivers in the surgery suite, immediately prior to the procedure, gives valuable data to the surgeon.
“Being able to perform the types of surgeries that we do for our patients in a state-of-the art facility and a in location that is convenient for them means everything,” says ophthalmologist Dr. Wes Ross. “The patient is the most important part of our practice, and I love knowing we provide top notch service and care.”
In addition to the aforementioned procedures, Eye Partners also offers some eyelid and brow treatment options for patients. “We have a lot of experience with both medical and cosmetic eyelid and brow lifts,” says Dr. Ross, “As well as Botox as a cosmetic treatment and medical therapy.”
Eye Partners provide the expertise, experience, and technology to our patients in South Georgia and North Florida who would otherwise have to travel a much greater distance.Eye Partners’ team of ophthalmologists, Dr. Scott Petermann, Dr. Wes Ross, and Dr. Garrett Webster (joining our practice in August of this year),perform iLASIK surgery and cataract surgery with LenSx® as outpatient procedures at our state-of-the-art surgery center in Valdosta. Pre-op and post-op visits for our patients can be scheduled at any of our locations: Tifton, Valdosta, Douglas, Moultrie, and Madison, FL.
Most people don’t know that contact lenses can be bifocal, trifocal, or even progressive. South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners offers all of these options, and we will help you decide what works best for you and your lifestyle.
New multifocal contacts are being designed each year for people with presbyopia, a natural condition brought on by age, where the eye’s natural lens stiffens and loses the ability to focus on close objects.
If you’re presbyopic, you’re not alone. Eventually, almost everyone is, usually after age 40.
Where people do differ is how they deal with it. Some use reading glasses or bifocals. Others choose progressive eyeglass lenses, which correct near, intermediate, and far vision but without the unsightly lines of traditional bifocals. Still others opt for bifocal contact lenses.
There are several contact lens designs that help you see both close up and far away, as well as correct astigmatism.
One type has a distance viewing area in most of the lens and a near viewing segment in the middle lower portion. Another has a series of concentric rings, where the visual system constantly adjusts focus for distance and near.
To get started with multifocal lenses, your eye care practitioner will determine your near vision acuity and then choose a design that works best with your cornea size and shape, tear film, blink pattern and lifestyle. As with any new multifocal eyewear, you’ll also receive brief training on the best way to use the lenses, as well as a follow-up appointment to be sure you’ve adapted to them. Call us for an appointment today.
South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners – with locations in Valdosta, Tifton, Douglas, Moultrie and Madison, FL – specializes in iLASIK and cataract surgery with premium lens implants, glaucoma diagnosis and treatment, comprehensive eye exams for adults and children and a Dry Eye Clinic. Eye Partners also has an Optical Shop fully stocked with designer frames and sunglasses to fit your style and personality. To make an appointment with one of our physicians or to find our locations and hours, click here
Additional information provided by contactlenses.org
With all the pollen we’ve seen in South Georgia and North Florida recently, allergy season is already in full swing. We definitely have a few more months to endure, and along with that, often comes eye allergies.
Allergic conjunctivitis is the swelling of the conjunctiva (membrane covering the white part of the eye) due to allergies. Allergies differ among patients, obviously, but the most common cause is hay fever. Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis often include: ocular itching, eyelid swelling, tearing, watery eyes, and a foreign body sensation – feeling that something is in your eye. Usually when the weather is warm and dry, symptoms are often worse – which is why spring and summer can bring on an onslaught of this condition.
One of South Georgia / North Florida’s optometrists, Dr. Valerie Ferrell, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. With years of experience in treating patients with this condition, she can minimize your discomfort and individualize treatment to your particular situation.
“I would advise people that there are several eye conditions that can mimic allergies such as dry eye and ‘pink eye’,” says Dr. Ferrell. “They need to see an eye care professional before self medicating with over the counter allergy eye drops to ensure a speedy recovery.”
Treatment for allergic conjunctivitis can include anything from simple antihistamines and allergy drops to nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) to possible surgical intervention in severe cases. Eye Partners’ physicians diagnose and treat a number of eye diseases and disorders such as dry eye syndrome, glaucoma, cataracts and others. They can help make allergy season a lot more tolerable for you if you suffer from this particular condition as well.
Call us today for an appointment – with offices in Valdosta, Tifton, Moultrie, Douglas and Madison, FL, we’re sure to have a location convenient to you. Visit our website, southgeorgiaeye.com, for more information.
One of the most common clinical challenges faced in eye care is dry eye syndrome. Characterized by irritated, scratchy, itchy eyes, dry eye occurs when eyes are not properly lubricated because of insufficient tear production, or unbalanced tear composition. Thanks to new technology, dry eye can now be treated in ways never before available. The latest diagnostic tool – The TearLab Osmolarity System – measures tear osmolarity by taking a small sample of the patient’s tears to see how “dry” they really are. Treatment is then prescribed based on the measurements from the TearLab and range from Omega 3 supplements, tear replacement drops, punctual plugs, anti- inflammatory drops, oral antibiotics and prescription strength artificial tears.
If you are ready to address your dry eye problems, South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners has three convenient locations in Valdosta, Tifton, Douglas, Moultrie and Madison, FL Read more about our Dry Eye Clinic here. Contact us today to make an appointment.
South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners – with locations in Valdosta, Tifton, Douglas, Moultrie & Madison, FL – specializes in LASIK and cataract surgery with premium lens implants, glaucoma diagnosis and treatment, comprehensive eye exams for adults and children and a Dry Eye Clinic. SGNF also has an Optical Shop fully stocked with designer frames and sunglasses to fit your style and personality. To make an appointment with one of SGNF’s physicians or to find our locations and hours, click here.
Would getting rid of contacts or glasses for good change your life? For McClain Talley, iLASIK surgery did just that – no more contacts, and a much better quality of life. South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners offers the latest in iLASIK technology, and our physicians are second to none.
McClain is a recent graduate of UGA and just starting her real estate career. Before iLASIK, “I never felt comfortable in my contacts,” she says. “My eyes were constantly irritated and it caused me to feel tired.”
After iLASIK surgery performed by Dr. Scott Petermann, McClain (whose recovery time was less than one day) – could see clearly without the use of her contact lenses. “I could not be happier. It’s incredible. Now I can put my best foot forward without my eyes holding me back.” Watch her video below to see McClain’s story.
For people who have refractive errors, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism, iLASIK surgery could be the solution. The latest in laservision correction technology, iLASIK (laster-assisted in situ keratomileusis), uses a laser to cut the corneal flap instead of a traditional blade.
Dr. Scott Petermann and Dr. Wes Ross with South Georgia Eye Partners perform iLASIK surgery in our Valdosta location (at our new state-of-the-art surgery center). Consultations and post-operative care is available in all of our locations: Tifton, Valdosta, Douglas, Moultrie and Madison, FL.
We are happy to answer any questions you might have in order to find out if you are a good candidate for the procedure. For patients who aren’t candidates for iLASIK, we offer PRK. Call us to make an appointment – you could be on your way to better eyesight in no time – just like McClain!
South Georgia/North Florida Eye Partners – with locations in Valdosta, Tifton, Douglas, Moultrie, and Madison, FL – specializes in LASIK and cataract surgery with premium lens implants, glaucoma diagnosis and treatment, comprehensive eye exams for adults and children and a Dry Eye Clinic. Eye Partners also has Optical Shops fully stocked with designer frames and sunglasses to fit your style and personality. To make an appointment with one of Eye Partners’s physicians or to find our locations and hours, click here.
The American Optometric Association defines glaucoma as a group of eye disorders leading to progressive damage to the optic nerve. It is characterized by the loss of nerve tissue that results in declining vision and in advanced stages may cause blindness.
