Eye Health
Allergies - Itching, red, swollen, and tearing caused by irritants.
Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) - a condition that occurs normally in children when one
eye has poorer vision than the other. The brain will begin to block out
the blurry image from the bad eye and can cause permanent visual impairment if
not treated early.
Astigmatism - distorted vision caused by an irregular curvature of the
cornea. It is easily corrected with glasses, contacts or
refractive surgery.
Blepharitis - an inflammation of the eyelids which can cause chronic eye
irritation. This is a common eye problem in seniors and is more common in
people with skin problems. Blepharitis sufferers get styes more commonly.
Cataracts - caused by a buildup of protein in the lens which causes cloudy
vision. Usually caused due to age, but babies can be born with cataracts,
because of an infection before birth. Cataracts can also develop due to
other diseases such as diabetes. Antioxidants may prevent cataracts.
Try using lutein, vitamin E and zeaxanthin.
Chalazion - is painless bump further away from the edge of the eyelid.
It is caused by the gland ducts, which oil your tears, becoming blocked and the
immune system trying to clean the system.
Color Blindness - an absence of color-sensitive cells in the retina which
converts light into nerve signals.
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye) - can be caused by allergies, bacteria, irritants
or a virus. If caused by bacteria or virus, it is highly contagious, but
it is not a serious health risk. It can cause the eye to be red and tear,
have a yellow, green or white discharge, itch
Cornea Transplant - diseases and eye injuries can make a cornea transplant
necessary. Donated eye tissue is used to repair damage to the eye's
surface.
Cytomegalovirus Retinitis - 80% of adults have been exposed to the CMV,
but usually only affects people with weakened immune systems.
Diabetic Retinopathy - diabetes can cause retinal degradation that can
compromise your sight. The retina is a nerve layer that lines the back of
the eye. It send what you see to the brain. When the blood vessels
in the eye get weak, blood and other liquids leak into the retina.
Swelling of the macula, or macular edema, may also occur. The macula is
the middle of the retina and process the details of what you see. If the
macula swells, the vision becomes much worse.
Double Vision (Diplopia) - stroke or cataracts are the usual cause of double
vision.
Dry Eye Syndrome - nutritional supplements or drops can help restore moisture
to the eye.
Eye Color - eye color is inherited.
Eye Herpes - ocular herpes is a viral infection that recurs and can lead to
serious vision loss.
Eye Twitching - tics, spasms and twitches of the eyelid are usually caused by
stress, eyestrain, allergies, dry eyes, tiredness or caffeine. But,
neurological conditions can cause it too.
Floaters and Spots - normally harmless, but floaters can also be a sign of a
detached retina.
Glaucoma - a group of diseases that cause damage to the optic nerve.
The optic nerve carries information to the brain and is located in the back of
the eye. If the nerve is damaged, you will have a reduced field of vision,
first with the peripheral vision and it can progress to blindness.
Higher-Order Aberrations - vision errors that can cause symptoms of night
blindness or double vision.
Hyperopia (Farsightedness) - person can see better further away than close
up, but your vision may be blurred at any distance. Often, close objects
can be some blurry that you can't see to read or view clearly. Treatment
is not usually necessary. But, you can develop headaches and eye strain.
If needed, glasses or contacts can improve the farsightedness and relieve the
symptoms, but may not change your vision. H-LASIK, H-PRK, or CK can be
used to correct the problem. Intraocular implants can also be used.
Keratoconus - thinning, bulging corneas. Special contact lenses can
help.
LASIK - laser procedure to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and
astigmatism by reshaping the cornea so light can be properly focused on the
retina. Corrects vision in within 1 day in 80% of patients with very
little pain. Eliminates the need for eyeglasses.
Macular Degeneration - the leading cause of severe vision loss in people over
60 and it affects 13
million people in the U.S. The central part of the retina, the macula,
deteriorates, causing blind spots or complete loss of the central vision.
Macular Holes - sudden blurry or distorted vision which normally occurs in
diabetics or seniors.
Myopia (Nearsightedness) - person can see well up close, but objects far off
are blurry and cannot be focused. This affects approximately 33% of the population.
It is caused naturally by the eye becoming oval instead of round.
Sometimes, it can be caused by changes in the cornea or lens. Glasses,
contacts or surgery can change the cornea's shape or to implant an artificial
lens.
Nystagmus - an involuntary eye movement that can be caused by neurological
reasons.
Ocular Hypertension - eye pressure that has no symptoms. Eye exams can
show it. It must be treated, or it can develop into glaucoma.
Ocular Migraine - thought to be a harmless, painless migraine that gives you
the effect of looking through shattered glass.
Photophobia (Light Sensitivity) - many eye conditions can cause light
sensitivity that is mostly just bothersome.
Pinguecula and Pterygium - these are often confused with each other, because
both are eye growths.
Presbyopia - the normal progressive difficulty seeing close up from the age of 40 up
as the lenses thicken and lose flexibility. Focusing on objects at
different distances becomes more difficult. It can be corrected with
glasses or contacts. Reading glasses may be all that is necessary if you
didn't wear glasses before. LASIK or photrefractive keratecttomy (PRK) can
be used to reshape the cornea. But, it cannot make you able to see close
and far with the same eye. One will be adjusted for reading and one for
distance. The progression usually stops in the early 60s.
Ptosis (Drooping Eyelid) - eyelids often droop away, and sometimes
toward, the eye as people age due to a loss of muscle tone. If the upper
lids droop too low, it can impair your vision. This is easily corrected with surgery.
Retinal Detachment - lights flashing and floating spots signal a detached
retina. This needs to be seen about as soon as possible! The retina
can't work if it is pulled away from the supporting tissue. Permanent
vision loss can occur if it is not repaired with 1-3 days.
Retinitis Pigmentosa - symptoms usually start in childhood and are a
progressively narrowing field of vision and poor night vision.
Stargardt's Disease - this is an inherited form of macular degeneration that
develops in children and young adults. It can lead to permanent loss of
the central vision.
Strabismus - eyes that are misaligned by either being crossed or that point
outward, up or down. There are treatments for the condition.
Sty - a pimple or abscess on the eyelid. It is caused by an
infection from staphylococcal bacteria that normally lives on the eyelid.
It can be red and painful with swelling that lasts several days. A sty can
also occur on the inside of the eyelid.
Uveitis - an inflammation of the uvea. It may be painful or cause
sensitivity to light, floaters or blurred vision.
|
