Author Archives: Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD

Ivey L. Thornton, MD > Articles by: Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD

Author: Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD

Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD is a Board-Certified Ophthalmologist serving Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota. Fellowship-trained in neuro-ophthalmology (Harvard) and anterior segment surgery (Cincinnati Eye Institute). She practices at Truhlsen Eye Institute in Omaha and four additional locations.

Comprehensive ophthalmologist visit — Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD
Categories Uncategorized Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Components‎, Devices‎

Why Regular Ophthalmologist Visits Matter

Many adults go years between eye exams. Some go decades. The most common reason isn't carelessness — it's that vision feels fine, so why bother? But the eye conditions that cause the most preventable vision loss in adults — glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic eye disease — are largely silent until they aren't. By the time vision changes are noticeable, real damage has often already occurred. This is the case for regular ophthalmologist visits. Not when something feels wrong. Before…

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Eye disease signs and risk factors — Dr. Ivey Thornton ophthalmology
Categories Glaucoma Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Fiber Optics‎, Geometrical

Signs and Risk Factors for Eye Disease

Eye disease rarely announces itself. The conditions responsible for most adult vision loss — glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy — develop silently over months or years. By the time patients notice symptoms, real and often irreversible damage has frequently occurred. Knowing the signs and risk factors that warrant attention is the most useful screening tool a patient has. Routine eye exams catch what symptoms miss. But knowing what to watch for between exams matters. Symptoms that warrant prompt evaluation…

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Dry eye treatment — Dr. Ivey Thornton, Omaha NE ophthalmologist
Categories Lasik Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Holography‎, Optics‎

How to Reduce Dry Eye Symptoms

Most patients have tried artificial tears. Many find that they help — for an hour or two. The fact that drops alone often don't solve dry eye is not a failure of the patient; it's a clue that something more specific is happening on the ocular surface that needs more specific intervention. Dry eye is a diagnostic category, not a single condition. The most successful treatment plans match the type of dry eye to the right intervention. The ladder of…

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UV exposure and adult eye health — Dr. Ivey Thornton, MD
Categories Lasik Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Components‎, Devices‎

UV Exposure and Adult Eye Health

The eye is a photosensitive organ. It responds to light continuously, and over decades of cumulative UV exposure, that response includes damage. Three of the most common adult eye conditions — cataracts, macular degeneration, and pterygium — are accelerated by ultraviolet radiation. The good news: protection is straightforward and meaningful. What UV does to the eye Two bands of ultraviolet light reach the surface of the earth — UVA and UVB. Both are absorbed by structures of the eye. UVB…

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Visual field testing for low vision — Ivey Thornton, MD ophthalmology
Categories Ocular Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Fiber Optics‎, Geometrical

Visual Field Testing for Low Vision

Visual field testing — the formal mapping of what each eye can see across its full range — is one of the most useful diagnostic tools in ophthalmology, and especially in low vision evaluation. For patients with macular degeneration, glaucoma, stroke, or other conditions affecting parts of the visual field, perimetry quantifies what's gone, what remains, and how to make the most of remaining vision. What a visual field test actually measures The eye has a wide field of view…

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Dementia and vision care — Dr. Ivey Thornton, MD, Omaha
Categories Glaucoma Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Components‎, Devices‎

Dementia and Vision: A Growing Eye Care Need

Dementia and the eye are connected in ways most patients and many physicians do not recognize. The eye itself frequently looks normal in dementia. The problem is downstream — in the visual processing centers of the brain, in the white matter tracts that coordinate vision, in the systems that direct attention and gaze. Standard eye exams may report normal acuity even when a patient is functionally unable to read or recognize faces. This is the territory of neuro-ophthalmology — and…

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Eye cosmetics and vision safety — Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD
Categories Eye treatment Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Holography‎, Optics‎

Eye Cosmetics That Can Damage Your Vision

Eye cosmetics — mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, lash extensions, lash glue, false lashes, eyelid creams, brow tints — are used by tens of millions of adults daily. Most cause no problems. Some can cause meaningful damage to the cornea, the meibomian glands, or the conjunctiva, sometimes acutely and sometimes through chronic accumulation. The common offenders are worth knowing. The most common cosmetic-related eye problems Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) Eyeliner applied along the inner lid margin (the "waterline") repeatedly clogs the openings…

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Implantable contact lenses (ICL) — Dr. Ivey Thornton refractive surgeon
Categories Glaucoma Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Components‎, Devices‎

Implantable Contact Lenses (ICL) Explained

For the right patient, an Implantable Contact Lens — or ICL — is one of the most elegant refractive surgery options available. It corrects very high prescriptions that LASIK cannot safely treat. It preserves the natural structure of the cornea. And the result is rapid, stable, and removable. ICLs are not for everyone. But for patients who are not LASIK candidates, they are often the answer. What an ICL is An ICL is a soft, flexible lens implanted inside the…

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Categories Uncategorized Posted on Author Dr. Ivey L. Thornton, MD Tags Holography‎, Optics‎

Electronic Vision Aids for Low Vision Patients

For patients with low vision — meaning visual impairment that cannot be fully corrected with standard glasses, contacts, or surgery — electronic vision enhancement devices have become genuinely transformative tools. The technology has advanced rapidly. Devices that fifteen years ago required dedicated hardware and significant cost are now available as smartphone applications. Some of the most useful aids cost nothing or very little. This article surveys the major categories of electronic vision aids, what they do well, and how to…

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