What is this condition?

Corneal abrasion is a scratch on the surface lining of the cornea ­the transparent, convex, front portion of the eye. The most common eye injury, corneal abrasion has a good prognosis if properly treated
What causes it?

Corneal abrasion usually occurs when a foreign body, such as a bit of dust or dirt, lodges under the eyelid. Even if the particle is washed out by tears, it may still injure the cornea. For instance, a tiny piece of metal that gets in the eye of a worker who neglects to wear protective eyewear quickly forms a rust ring on the cornea and abrades it. Corneal abrasions are also common in people who fall asleep wearing hard contact lenses.

A corneal scratch from a fingernail, a piece of paper, or another organic substance may cause a persistent wound. The lining doesn’t always heal properly, and recurrent corneal erosion may develop, with delayed effects that are more severe than the original injury.
What are the symptoms?

Typically, corneal abrasion causes redness, pain, increased tearing, and a sensation of something in the eye, even after the offending particle falls out. A corneal abrasion may also affect vision. Because the cornea is richly endowed with nerve endings, symptoms are more severe than the size of the injury would suggest.
How is it diagnosed?

Diagnosis is based on typical symptoms and a history of eye injury or prolonged wearing of contact lenses. The doctor will examine the eye with a penlight to reveal a foreign body on the cornea; to check for a foreign body embedded under the lid, he or she will gently turn the eyelid inside out. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor may stain the cornea with fluorescein, a dye that makes the injured area look green when examined with a penlight.
How is it treated?

To remove a deeply embedded foreign body, the doctor uses a spadelike device after applying a topical anesthetic. To remove a rust ring on the cornea, the doctor uses an ophthalmic burr, an abrasive device. When only partial removal is possible, healing of the epithelium lifts the ring to the surface and allows complete removal the next day.

After the foreign body is removed, antibiotic eyedrops must be instilled in the affected eye every 3 to 4 hours. Applying a pressure patch prevents further corneal irritation when the person blinks, except where abrasion is caused by contact lenses.

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What is this condition?

A cataract is a clouding of the lens of the eye, which is normally transparent. This clouding makes vision fuzzy. A common cause of vision loss, cataracts usually affect both eyes - except for traumatic cataracts, which usually occur in just one eye.

A disorder of aging, cataracts are most common in people over age 70. The prognosis is generally good; surgery improves vision in 95% of people with the disorder.

What causes cataracts?

Cataracts have various causes:

• Senile cataracts develop in the elderly, probably from chemical changes in the lens of the eye .

• Congenital cataracts occur in newborns as genetic defects or may result from German measles contracted by the mother during the first trimester of pregnancy .

• Traumatic cataracts develop after a foreign body injures the lens with enough force to allow eye fluids to enter the lens capsule.

• Complicated cataracts result from other eye disorders (such as inflammation of the uveal tract in the eye, glaucoma, or a detached retina) or from a systemic disease such as diabetes, underactive parathyroid glands, or a skin inflammation called atopic dermatitis.

These cataracts can also result from exposure to ionizing radiation or infrared rays.

• Toxic cataracts result from toxicity from certain drugs (such as Or­asone, ergot alkaloids, and phenothiazines) or certain chemicals (such as dinitrophenol and naphthalene).

What are its symptoms?

Typically, a cataract causes painless, gradual blurring of vision and vision loss. As it progresses, the normally black pupil turns milky white. Other symptoms include blinding glare from headlights when driving at night, poor reading vision, and an unpleasant glare and poor vision in bright sunlight. If the central part of the lens is cloudy, vision is better in dim light than in bright light.

How is it diagnosed?

Shining a penlight into the eye reveals the white area of an advanced cataract behind the pupil. To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor performs ophthalmoscopic and slit-lamp exams.

cataract surgery

• To restore sight, the cataract must be removedby means of surgery. Usually, this is done in one of the following same-day surgical procedures:
• Extracapsular cataract extraction removes the front lens capsule, leaving the rear lens capsule intact. Then an intraocular lens is implanted where the person’s own lens used to be. This procedure can be done in people of all ages.
• Phacoemulsification fragments the cloudy lens with ultrasonic vibrations; lens debris is removed by suction.
• Discission and aspiration can still be used for children with soft cataracts but the procedure is obsolete.
• A person with an intraocular lens implant has clear distance vision once the eye patch is removed but needs corrective reading glasses or contact lenses for reading. Glasses or lenses are fitted 4 to 8 weeks after surgery.

After surgery, the person must care for the eye properly.

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Today, eye conditions causing visual impairment that twenty years ago could be corrected only by very thick glasses, have a much simpler remedy. Thanks to huge advancements in the field of optometry, conditions like nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism and presbyopia are all possible to correct with something as simple as ultra-thin contact lenses. The contact lens industry uses the very latest material technology and advanced design to create a product that can’t be comparable to the contact lens of the 60’s or 70’s. And despite this vast development, the consumer prices have come down considerably.

The contact lens of today is extremely soft, lets the eye breath and is very easy to use. It also “breathes” to let more oxygen through to the cornea, to prevent irritation and tired eyes. On top of this, many lenses are provided with a UV filter, which blocks out the dangerous rays from the sun. Modern lenses can also be worn for extended periods of time with no cleaning or maintenance, and they are so comfortable that they are unnoticeable.

To buy contacts, just make a quick visit to your local eye care professional, who can help you to try out which lenses suit you best.

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What is this Condition?

A common eye inflammation, especially in children, blepharitis produces a red-rimmed appearance on the margins of the eyelids. It often involves both eyes and can affect both upper and lower eyelids.

The two forms of the disorder are seborrheic (nonulcerative) blepharitis, characterized by greasy scales, and staphylococcal (ulcerative) blepharitis, in which dry scales with tiny ulcerated areas appear along the lid margins. Both types may coexist.

Blepharitis tends to recur and become chronic. It can be controlled if treatment begins before other eye structures are involved.

What Causes it?

Seborrheic blepharitis generally results from seborrhea of the scalp, eyebrows, and ears; staphylococcal blepharitis, from Staphylococcus aureus infection. Blepharitis may also result from infestations of body lice (pediculosis) on the brows and lashes, which irritates the lid margins.

What are its Symptoms?

Typically, the person complains of itching, burning, a foreign-body sensation, and sticky, crusted eyelids on waking. This constant irritation leads 10 unconscious rubbing of the eyes (causing reddened rims) or continual blinking. Other signs include greasy scales in seborrheic blepharitis; flaky scales on lashes, loss of lashes, and ulcerated areas on lid margins in staphylococcal blepharitis; and nits (louse eggs) on lashes if the person has pediculosis.

How is it Diagnosed?

Diagnosis depends on the person’s history and symptoms. In staphy-lococcal blepharitis, culture of the ulcerated lid margin shows S. aureus. In pediculosis, lash examination reveals nits.

How is it Treated?

Early treatment is essential to prevent recurrence or complications. Treatment depends on the type of blepharitis:

• seborrheic blepharitis: daily shampooing (using a mild shampoo on a damp applicator stick or a washcloth) to remove scales from the lid margins and frequent shampooing of the scalp and eyebrows

• staphylococcal blepharitis: sulfonamide eye ointment or an appropriate antibiotic

• blepharitis resulting from pediculosis: removal of nits (with forceps) or application of ophthalmic Eserine Sulfate or another ointment as an insecticide (this may cause pupil constriction and, possibly, headache, conjunctival irritation, and blurred vision from the film of ointment on the cornea).

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Glaucoma : Causes | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention Tips

Glaucoma is one of the most common and severe eye disorders in people over 60. Early treatment is vital, or the condition can ultimately lead to blindness.

The ciliary body in the eye constantly produces a fluid called aqueous humor, which circulates from behind the iris, through the pupil, and into the chamber between the iris and the cornea. In a healthy eye the fluid drains out of the eye through a network of tissue between the iris and the cornea, which is called the drainage angle. From there it flows into a channel that leads to a network of small veins on the outside of the eye. In some eyes the drainage angle does not work properly. As a result, the aqueous humor either flows away more slowly than it is produced or fails to flow away at all, and pressure builds up in the eye. Part of the extra pressure is exerted, via the lens, onto the vitreous humor, the jelly-like fluid that fills the eyeball behind the lens.

The pressure of the vitreous humor on the retina causes the collapse of tiny blood ves­sels that nourish the light -sensitive cells of the retina and the fibers of the optic nerve, both of which playa vital part in vision. Since they are deprived of the blood that provides them with essential nutrients and oxygen, the cells and nerve fibers begin to die, and vision begins to fade.

The cause, extent and type of glaucoma can vary considerably. Certain drugs can hasten the onset of the condition. The two most common types of the disease, both of which are described here, are acute glaucoma (also known as angle closure glaucoma) and chronic glaucoma (also known as open angle glaucoma).

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