Ophthalmologist Auerbach in Mannheim Oststadt

In our private ophthalmology practice in Mannheim, we provide treatment for the following conditions:

• Assessment of refractive errors (nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia)
• Second opinion regarding all eye diseases
• Second opinion regarding the necessity of surgical intervention
• Individual monitoring, control, therapy, and evaluation of all eye-related disorders, including its appendages, using innovative medical devices
• Monitoring and interdisciplinary care for eye changes caused by systemic diseases (e.g., diabetes, high blood pressure, rheumatism)
• Diagnosis, care, and therapy for dry eye
• Evaluation, diagnosis, and care for clouded eye lens or cataract (cataracts, “Grauer Star”)
• Diagnosis and care for retinal changes
• Diagnosis and care for glaucoma (“Grüner Star”)
• Diagnosis and care before or after refractive procedures (e.g., Femto-LASIK, SMILE, intraocular contact lens, clear lens exchange, etc.)
• Care for patients before and after corneal transplantation

Symptoms:

• Redness of the conjunctiva
• Blurred vision
• Watery eyes
• Eye burning
• Sensation of a foreign body
• Decreased visual quality
• Blurred vision

The causes are often diverse:

• Dehydration, vitamin deficiency, or lack of sleep
• Regular and prolonged screen work
• Air-conditioned environments
• Advanced age
• Certain medication use
• Post-eye surgeries
• Associated with or a consequence of infections
• Allergies or significant pollutant exposure
• Hormonal imbalance, especially during menopause or thyroid issues.

Often, dysfunction of the Meibomian glands is at the root, as they secrete a protective lipid layer onto the tear film, which shields the watery component of tears from evaporation, thus essential for even and long-term eye surface moistening. Inflammation of the eyelid margins (blepharitis) can also contribute to the symptoms. Dry eye is an extremely complex condition.

Treatment: Thorough and professional examination and medical history, including an explanation of findings (e.g., using previously taken photos), followed by a dedicated treatment plan for targeted, individual therapy addressing the underlying pathology.

Conducted examinations: Medical history questionnaire, visual acuity test, blink frequency measurement, degree of redness, tear film height, tear film breakup time (with and without fluorescein), visualization of Meibomian glands (using infrared imaging), tear production measurement (Schirmer test), slit lamp examination (including photos and possibly videos), additional specific tests based on further symptomatic complaints.

For this purpose, we primarily use the Keratograph 5M with the Jenvis Dry Eye Report from Oculus, which fortunately is now available in our practice ¬– Please feel free to contact us!

Symptoms:

• Progressive deterioration of vision
• Often pronounced sensitivity to glare (especially in specific situations like nighttime driving)
• Decreased contrast sensitivity
• Changes in color perception
• Hazy or blurry vision
• Double vision

Cause: Clouding of the body’s natural eye lens, which usually occurs after the sixth decade of life, but can also occur sporadically in younger years, for example due to trauma, corticosteroid use, and even in infants or newborns.

Treatment: Surgical intervention (Cataract Surgery), in which the clouded natural lens is replaced with an artificial lens. In a comprehensive discussion, all questions about the right timing of the operation, the recommended intraocular lens, and the type of procedure can be addressed.

Conducted examinations: Medical history questionnaire, visual acuity test, dry eye diagnostics, slit lamp examination, additional specific tests based on further symptomatic complaints, such as visual field testing, corneal topography or OCT and fundus imaging to exclude retinal and optic nerve diseases before the procedure with our Zeiss Retina and Glaucoma Forum module.

Symptoms:

• Image distortions (metamorphopsia)
• Poor or absent recognition of faces
• Reduced visual acuity
• Jumping or missing letters while reading texts or perceiving dark (or bright) spots

Acute symptoms of retinal detachment also include the perception of light flashes, “floaters,” black spots, and sudden vision loss.

Cause: The retina, also known as the retina, lines almost the entire inner surface of the eye and is (technically speaking) comparable to the film plane of an analog camera where the perceived visual impression is sharply depicted.

In the area of sharpest vision, the macula, which is directly in the visual axis, the bundled light rays entering the eye converge and form a sharp visual impression there. The density of photoreceptors is highest there. Structural changes such as swelling (macular edema), scars, and pigment changes can lead to the symptoms mentioned above.

On the other hand, the peripheral retina mainly perceives movement and contours in the outer visual field (measurable with a perimeter) and thereby allows us to orient ourselves in our environment.

Thus, retinal detachment can lead to partial loss of this function and, through the detachment of neurosensory cells, result in an increasingly growing perception of a shadow.

Immediate ophthalmological examination is required when these symptoms occur!

Retinal diseases also include:

• Diabetic retinal changes
• Macular degeneration (dry and wet forms)
• Occlusive diseases (venous and arterial)
• Central serous retinopathy
• Macular membranes (e.g. “Pucker”)
• Macular holes
• etc.

Treatment: Various retinal diseases of different origins can lead to the symptoms mentioned above. Depending on the individual cause of the disease, a specific therapy is recommended.

Conducted examinations: Medical history questionnaire, visual acuity test, Amsler grid, OCT imaging, fundus photography, and slit lamp examination with dilated pupils, as well as additional specific tests depending on individual symptomatology (e.g., color vision testing).

HD-OCT image of the macula in age-related macular degeneration (dry form with confluent
drusen)

Angio-OCT image of the superficial retinal vessels with color coding for better visualization of pathologies in the central vision (e.g., in diabetes, age-related macular degeneration, etc.)

Angio-OCT image of the superficial retinal vessels (possible without venous contrast injection)

Fundus photograph of the macular region including the major vascular arches of the right eye with dry age-related macular degeneration (drusen macula)

Autofluorescence image of the central retina for early detection of retinal changes (screening)

Please note that with widely dilated pupils, you must refrain from actively participating in road traffic!

Symptoms: In the early stages, often no symptoms are present, which delays the initial diagnosis in many cases. As the condition progresses, there can be increasing (often arc-shaped) visual field defects, leading to blindness.

During an acute glaucoma attack, there are often severe and radiating pains, a red eye, a hazy vision, and a rock-hard eye. An acute glaucoma attack is an ophthalmic emergency and requires immediate medical attention!

Causes: Irreversible damage to the optic nerve fibers and the optic nerve, often due to increased intraocular pressure, but it can also occur with low intraocular pressure! Glaucoma is a multifactorial disease and is divided into several forms:

• Open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma
• Normal-tension glaucoma
• Neovascular glaucoma
• Pseudoexfoliation or pigment dispersion glaucoma
• etc.

Treatment: Early detection of glaucoma is crucial to prevent irreversible damage to the optic nerve. Therefore, regular ophthalmic screenings are recommended from the age of 40, including measurement of intraocular pressure and assessment of the optic nerve through additional examination of the fundus.

For existing glaucoma, regular ophthalmic follow-up examinations are essential to stabilize the condition. Rapid confirmation of diagnosis is important to initiate the correct necessary treatment, such as medical therapy with eye drops or laser application, up to surgical procedures.

Examinations: Medical history questionnaire, visual acuity test, visual field examination, corneal thickness measurement, anterior segment OCT of the chamber angle, as well as an OCT image of the optic nerve head, intraocular pressure measurement using applanation tonometry, fundus photograph, and slit lamp examination with dilated pupils, as well as additional specific tests based on individual symptomatology.