Ocular Disease Management

VQ Optometry is fully equipped with diagnostic imaging technology. This equipment has progressed immensely over the past 20 years, and optometrists now have the ability to accurately detect the most minute changes in your eye health.
Optometrists today are trained in the diagnosis and management of a wide range of ocular disease. Additionally, optometrists work in concert with ophthalmologists in the case that surgical or urgent treatment is warranted.

Glaucoma is a blinding eye disease that is caused by an increase of pressure in the inside of your eyes. This increased pressure may be a result of various factors, but this increased pressure is often readily treatable with medicated eye drops.
Glaucoma is generally a slowly progressing disease, but it is absolutely vital to diagnose and manage the disease early. A comprehensive eye exam, along with a routine dilation can help doctors to detect glaucoma
VQ Optometry and its Optometrists are fully equipped and licensed to diagnose and manage Glaucoma
Glaucoma management and testing includes:
- Peripheral (side) vision testing
- Optical scans to measure the health and thickness of eye tissue
- Tonometry (Eye pressure measurement)
- Pachymetry (assessment of corneal thickness)
- Gonioscopy (assessment of the eye’s “drainage structures”) when indicated.

Diabetes is a chronic disease where the body is no longer able to make or use insulin. This causes the levels of sugar to increase in your blood and may lead to many issues if uncontrolled.
Diabetes can manifest in the eyes as:
- Visual changes of near or farsightedness
- Flashes and floaters
- Decreased sensitivity of the cornea
- Damages in small blood vessels that may lead to bleeding in the back of the eye, new blood vessel growth, and other complications that fall under diabetic retinopathy.
- Peripheral (side) vision loss
The diabetic eye health exam are covered annually by Alberta Health Care and includes:
- Measuring visual acuity (How well you currently see)
- Tonometry (Eye pressure measurement)
- Dilated Retinal examination
- Slit lamp evaluation – part of a complete eye health examination

Dry eyes are one of the most common complaints that eye care practitioners encounter. This is especially true here in Calgary, where the climate is particularly hard on our eyes.
Relief may be achieved almost immediately with the use of artificial tear eye drops and/or punctal plugs. Punctal plugs require professional insertion and help to slow the drainage of tears from our eyes, keeping them more hydrated. Artificial tears may be adequate for some dry eye patients, but in order to be effective, artificial tears require constant and consistent application.
Therapeutic treatment for dry eyes also involves the application of a specialized heating eye mask. This mask helps to allow hydrating oils to prevent our tears from evaporating too quickly. An dry eye assessment is necessary to determine if this type of treatment would be beneficial.
Other treatment options include anti-inflammatory and/or immunosuppressive therapy medicated eye drops as well as daily disposable or custom scleral contact lenses.