Williamson Eye Institute Eye Surgery > Health Connections

Macular Degeneration

What is Macular Degeneration?
Age-related macular degeneration is the leading cause of legal blindness in patients over age 65 in the United States.

Atrophic (Dry) Macular Degeneration
Dry macular degeneration is generally characterized by a slow but progressive visual loss over the years.

Exudative (Wet) Macular Degeneration
Although this accounts for only 10% of macular degeneration, it is responsible for the majority of legal blindness from the disease.

Meet Our Doctors

Robert T. Williamson, M.D.

Dr. Williamson strongly believes that education is a lifelong, continuing experience. Dr. Williamson has performed over 30,000 cataract surgeries, over 15,000 laser surgeries and thousands of other Ophthalmic procedures.

Gena R. Kidd, M.D.

Dr. Gena Kidd resides in West Lafayette, Indiana with her husband Steve, their son Benjamin, and daughter Nicole. "My goal is to provide each patient with exceptional surgical and medical eye care."

Steven R. Virata, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Dr. Steve Virata resides in West Lafayette, Indiana with his wife Gena, their son Benjamin, and daughter Nicole. "My goal is to combine state-of-the-art medical and surgical care. I strive to educate my patients."

Christine D. Bolton, O.D.

Dr. Bolton has participated in five mission trips through the Fellowship of Christian Optometrists. The mission trips were to Honduras to establish an eye center in the capital city of Tegucigalpa.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma and GDx Testing
A new laser technology, which may revolutionize the early diagnosis of glaucoma, is available for the first time in Lafayette at Williamson Eye Institute in Jefferson Square, the only site in Lafayette where the advanced sight-saving exam is currently available.

What is Glaucoma?
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve.

More on Glaucoma
The early visual changes are very slight and do not affect the central vision the center portion of what is seen when looking straight ahead or when reading.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetes and Visual Loss
Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in Americans age 20-64. Diabetes causes visual loss through its damaging effects on the retina.

Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
As the damage to the capillaries becomes worse, the retina does not get adequate blood flow. Because it is not getting enough blood flow, the eye stimulates the growth of new blood vessels in an attempt to increase the blood flow to the retina.

More Testimonials