Dr. Kevin Barber, MD is an ophthalmologist dedicated to providing compassionate, comprehensive ophthalmologic care for older adults at his clinic in Deland, FL. He is registered with The Florida Board of Medicine and practices under the Florida Statutes, Title XXXII, Chapter 458 (Medical Practice). As a trusted partner in senior health, Dr. Barber understands the unique needs of individuals 65 years and older. General ophthalmologists provide comprehensive eye care for seniors, expertly managing complex conditions like cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy, working collaboratively with your primary care physician and other specialists to ensure your best possible vision and overall health. He is currently welcoming new patients, so please call (386) 734-2931 to schedule an appointment.
Dr. Kevin Barber, MD is an ophthalmologist in Deland, FL, with over 20 years of experience in the medical field. He earned his medical degree from the University of Florida College of Medicine in 2001 and is Board Certified in Ophthalmology by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He is affiliated with AdventHealth Fish Memorial. His wealth of clinical knowledge and compassionate care, cultivated over two decades of dedicated practice, makes him an invaluable resource for patients and their families. Dr. Barber is committed to a collaborative, evidence-based approach to medicine, creating a supportive environment where patients and their families feel heard and empowered in their healthcare decisions. He provides consultations primarily in English.
A cornerstone of effective senior care is a strong patient-provider partnership. Dr. Kevin Barber is a vital partner in this journey, focusing on holistic strategies to protect health and enhance quality of life.
Dr. Kevin Barber is a compassionate ophthalmologist dedicated to providing comprehensive and personalized eye care for seniors. He expertly manages a wide range of conditions, from cataracts and glaucoma to macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy, always prioritizing patient comfort and well-being. Dr. Barber collaborates closely with other specialists and your primary care physician to ensure a holistic approach to your vision health and overall well-being, creating a supportive and personalized experience for each senior patient.
By working together, you, your family, and Dr. Kevin Barber can create a clear, actionable plan that respects your individual needs and healthcare goals.
Specific Plans Accepted
Aetna
Also Accepts These Carriers
- Anthem
- Blue Card PPO
- Blue Cross Blue Shield
- CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield
- Choice Plus POS II
- Cigna
- Cigna PPO
- Curative
- Curative EPO
- Curative PPO
- Curative PPO Plus
- First Health
- First Health (Coventry Health Care) PPO
- HealthyBlue 2.0
- HealthyBlue Advantage
- Humana
- MultiPlan
- MultiPlan PPO
- National (BlueCard) PPO
- Open Access Plus
- Preferred PPO
Effective management of health is key to well-being in later life. Dr. Kevin Barber provides expert, compassionate care for a range of conditions common in older adults, with a focus on managing symptoms and maintaining function. Common areas of focus include:
- Diabetic Cataracts: Diabetes can accelerate the formation of cataracts, causing vision problems that impact your daily life. Thankfully, a simple surgical procedure can usually remove the cataract and restore clear vision.
- Convergence Insufficiency: If you're finding it hard to focus on things up close, like reading a book or knitting, you might have convergence insufficiency. It's a condition that affects how your eyes work together, but exercises and eye therapy can often resolve the problem.
- Tonic Pupil: A tonic pupil is a condition where one pupil is larger than the other and reacts slowly or not at all to light, but vision is usually unaffected.
- Astigmatism: If you're experiencing blurry or distorted vision, your eye care professional may diagnose astigmatism and recommend glasses, contact lenses, or even refractive surgery to sharpen your vision.
- Ophthalmoplegic Migraine: Sometimes, a severe migraine can affect the nerves controlling eye movement, leading to ophthalmoplegic migraine, causing temporary eye muscle weakness and blurry vision, which generally improves with time and treatment.
- Vertical Heterophoria: Sometimes, one eye sits slightly higher or lower than the other, a condition called vertical heterophoria; it often causes few problems, but vision therapy or prisms in eyeglasses can ease any discomfort.
- Dacryoadenitis: Experiencing pain, swelling, or redness near your eyelid? This could be dacryoadenitis, an inflammation of your tear-producing gland, and treatment can help alleviate these symptoms and maintain your independence.
- Keratoconus: For seniors, maintaining independence is crucial, and keratoconus, affecting corneal shape and vision, can be managed with modern treatments like special contact lenses or surgery, helping to preserve your ability to see and live life fully.
- Entropion: Entropion, an inward turning of the eyelid, can cause significant eye irritation and even vision problems; simple procedures can often restore the eyelid to its normal position, significantly improving comfort.
- Conjunctiva Cyst: Similar to a small blister on the eye's surface, a conjunctival cyst is typically benign but may be removed surgically if it's irritating or visually obstructive, improving your comfort and vision.
- Chorioretinal Scars: Chorioretinal scars are areas of damage in the back of the eye that can sometimes affect vision, but often require no specific treatment beyond regular eye exams.
- Optic Neuritis: Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve that can cause sudden vision loss, often affecting one eye more than the other, and prompt treatment can help preserve sight.
This list highlights some common health concerns and is for informational purposes. An accurate diagnosis and a personalized care plan can only be developed through a direct consultation with a qualified medical professional based on your specific health history.
To provide comprehensive and person-centered care, Dr. Kevin Barber offers a range of services designed to diagnose, manage, and support the health of older adults:
- Dilation of Outflow Canal: To better diagnose and treat glaucoma, your doctor might use procedures to expand the fluid outflow pathways in your eyes.
- Contact Lens Fitting Services: As part of comprehensive eye care, contact lens fitting assesses eye health and ensures the correct lenses are used to prevent complications and maximize visual acuity.
- Goniotomy: Goniotomy is a minimally invasive surgical procedure that helps open the drainage channels in your eye to improve fluid flow and lower eye pressure, a crucial step in managing glaucoma and protecting your vision.
- Removal of Foreign Body from External Eye: Removing a foreign object from the eye helps ensure comfort and prevents potential infection or vision problems, supporting your overall eye health.
- Anterior Vitrectomy: For seniors experiencing vision loss due to vitreous opacities or bleeding, anterior vitrectomy can restore clearer vision by surgically removing the affected vitreous gel.
- Iridectomy: To help maintain your eye health, your ophthalmologist may perform an iridectomy to improve the drainage of fluid in your eye, lowering pressure and protecting your vision.
- Scleral Reinforcement Surgery: Scleral reinforcement surgery strengthens the weakened sclera (the white part of your eye), helping to manage conditions like severe myopia or previous eye injuries and improve vision.
- Excision of Chalazion: For seniors experiencing a bothersome eyelid lump (chalazion), surgical excision offers a solution to eliminate discomfort and prevent potential complications.
- Ocular Surface Reconstruction: This procedure helps diagnose and manage a range of conditions affecting the surface of the eye, such as dry eye disease, improving symptoms and overall eye health in older adults.
- Foreign Body Removal from Eye: This procedure quickly addresses eye irritation and discomfort caused by foreign objects, improving a senior's overall quality of life and preventing infections.
- Ocular Prosthetics: As part of a comprehensive care plan, ocular prosthetics can address cosmetic concerns and improve the overall well-being of seniors after eye removal.
- Repair of Entropion or Ectropion: Addressing eyelid malposition through entropion or ectropion repair is a key step in maintaining good eye health and vision for older adults.
Service availability can change. To understand which services are appropriate for your specific health needs, please schedule a consultation to develop a personalized care plan.
All medical services are provided in accordance with the standard scope of practice for Ophthalmologies in Florida.
Dr. Kevin Barber is dedicated to partnering with older adults and their families to achieve their unique health objectives. The following examples illustrate how compassionate care can make a tangible difference in a patient's life:
- With clearer vision restored after cataract surgery, a senior was thrilled to rediscover the joy of reading again, a cherished pastime.
- With expert guidance, a retired librarian regained the ability to comfortably read, a cherished pastime, after struggling with convergence insufficiency. The family felt immense relief knowing their loved one could once again easily enjoy their favorite activities.
These scenarios are illustrative examples of positive health outcomes. Individual results vary and depend on many factors specific to each person. He will work with you to define and achieve your personal health goals.
- Primary Location:
Practice
3801 E Highway 98 Ste 100100, Port St. Joe, FL, 32456
Phone: (850) 229-5752
View on Map
- HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital Port St. Lucie (Residency Hospital)
- American Board of Ophthalmology (Ophthalmology)
Here are answers to some common questions about Ophthalmologic care with Dr. Kevin Barber:
- What is an Ophthalmologist, and how are they different from an Optometrist?
- Dr. Barber's practice is dedicated to all aspects of eye care for older adults. An ophthalmologist is a medical doctor (MD or DO) who specializes in all parts of eye care, including surgery. An optometrist (OD) provides primary vision care, like exams and glasses, but is not a medical doctor and doesn't perform surgery. They often work together to provide comprehensive eye care.
- What are cataracts, and when should I have surgery?
- Cataracts are a clouding of the eye's natural lens, a very common part of aging. They can cause blurry vision, glare, and difficulty seeing at night. Dr. Barber typically recommends surgery when cataracts begin to interfere with daily activities like driving, reading, or watching TV.
- What are 'floaters,' and are they dangerous?
- Floaters are small specks or clouds that move in your field of vision. The gradual onset of a few floaters is common as we age. However, a sudden increase in floaters, especially with flashes of light, could signal a serious issue and requires immediate contact with Dr. Barber's office.
- My eyelids are drooping and making it hard to see. What can be done?
- Eyelid drooping, or ptosis, is common in older adults. If the drooping eyelid affects your vision, it's a medical issue. Dr. Barber, an oculoplastic specialist, can perform a functional blepharoplasty to lift the eyelid, restoring vision and improving appearance. This procedure is often covered by insurance.
- Is cataract surgery safe?
- Cataract surgery with Dr. Barber is one of the safest and most successful procedures today. It involves removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a clear artificial one, often as a quick, outpatient procedure that dramatically improves vision.
- What is Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)?
- Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye condition in older adults that affects the macula, the part of the retina responsible for central vision. There are two types: dry AMD, which is more common and progresses slowly, and wet AMD, which is less common but can cause rapid vision loss. While there's no cure for dry AMD, vitamins can help slow its progression; for wet AMD, eye injections are a highly effective treatment to preserve vision.
- What is dry eye, and how is it treated in seniors?
- Dry eye is a very common and often uncomfortable condition in older adults, frequently caused by decreased tear production. Treatment usually begins with over-the-counter artificial tears, but Dr. Barber can also prescribe eye drops, punctal plugs, or other therapies for more persistent cases.
- What is glaucoma, and how is it treated?
- Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve, often due to high pressure inside the eye. It can cause gradual peripheral vision loss without early symptoms, making regular eye exams critical. Treatment, managed by Dr. Barber, usually starts with daily eye drops to lower pressure, and laser procedures and surgery are also effective options to prevent further vision loss.
1592 S State Road 15A
Deland FL 32720
Phone: (386) 734-2931
Dr. Kevin Barber, MD is regulated by the Florida Statutes, Title XXXII, Chapter 458 (Medical Practice) in Florida and is licensed by The Florida Board of Medicine.
National Provider Identifier (NPI): 1184612269
Registration can typically be verified through The Florida Board of Medicine website or by direct inquiry.
The information on this profile, provided by infoaging.org, is for general informational purposes and to help you connect with healthcare partners for yourself or a loved one. It does not constitute direct medical advice from the provider named. Ophthalmologies like Dr. Kevin Barber are skilled in helping seniors and their families navigate their health journey. For urgent or life-threatening emergencies, please call 911 or visit the nearest emergency department. Always consult with a qualified medical professional for any health concerns or before making any decisions related to your care plan.