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What You Need To
Know About …
Amblyopia
This is also known as "Lazy eye" as the
eye is not able to see properly and remains "lazy".
The common causes are the presence of a squint or
mal-alignment of the eye or the need for glasses.
The latter may include farsighted, nearsighted problem
and astigmatism. Often the only way to detect amblyopia
is having the child's eyes tested by an Ophthalmologist.
The importance of detecting amblyopia early is that
treatment is possible and produces good results
up to an age of 8 or 9. Treatment usually is done
by fitting the correct glasses and forcing the lazy
eye to work or by simple patching of the child's
good eye. Hence it is recommended that parents ensure
all their children have their eyes tested as early
as possible but definitely before age 5 to detect
this condition.
Astigmatism
In this refractive error, a set of rays is focused
on the retina and one behind or in front of the
retina, which in turn produces a blurred vision.
This is due to abnormal curvature of cornea or
lens that can be corrected by:
- Glasses
- Contact lenses
- Lasik Laser
Blepharitis
This is a common condition that causes inflammation
of the eyelid margins. In most cases it tends to
have a recurrent course making it often difficult
to manage.
Anterior blepharitis affects the outer portion of
the eyelid margin, where the eyelashes are attached.
The two most common causes of anterior blepharitis
are bacteria and scalp dandruff.
Posterior blepharitis affects the inner portion
of the eyelid margin (the moist part that makes
contact with the eye) and is caused by problems
with the oil (meibomian) glands in this part of
the eyelid. Two skin disorders can cause this form
of blepharitis: acne rosacea, which leads to red
and inflamed skin, and scalp dandruff (seborrheic
dermatitis).Symptoms of either form of blepharitis
include a foreign body or burning sensation, excessive
tearing, itching, sensitivity to light (photophobia),
red and swollen eyelids, redness of the eye, blurred
vision, frothy tears, dry eye, or crusting of the
eyelashes on awakening.
Complications from blepharitis include:
Stye: A red tender bump on the eyelid that is caused
by an acute infection of the oil glands of the eyelid.
Cataract
The lens is the part of the eye that helps
focus light on the retina. The retina is the eye's
light-sensitive layer that sends visual signals
to the brain. In a normal eye, light passes through
the lens and gets focused on the retina. To help
produce a sharp image, the lens must remain clear.
Cataract is defined as opacification or clouding
of the natural clear lens that results in visual
problems. The lens is made mostly of water and protein.
The protein is arranged to let light pass through
and focus on the retina. Sometimes some of the protein
clumps together. This can start clouding small areas
of the lens, blocking some light from reaching the
retina and interfering with the vision. In the early
stages, cataract may not cause a problem. The cloudiness
may affect only a small part of the lens. However,
after some time, the cataract grows larger and cloud
more of the lens, making it harder to see. Because
less light reaches the retina, the vision may become
dull and blurry. Though the cataract does not spread
from one eye to the other, many people develop cataract
in both the eyes. The most common type is related
to aging. Other causes include diabetes, inflammation
and trauma. Some children are born with cataract
or develop them in childhood, often in both eyes.
These cataracts may not affect vision. and If they
do, the cataract may be removed.
What are the symptoms of cataract?
The most common symptoms of a cataract are:
- Cloudy or blurry vision.
- Glare from lamps, headlights or very bright
sunlight; or a halo around lights.
- Colors seem faded.
- Poor night vision.
- Double or multiple vision
- Frequent changes in the power of your eyeglasses.
However these symptoms can also be a sign of other
eye problems. If you have any of these symptoms,
it is essential to have a check up with an Ophthalmologist.
What is the treatment for a cataract?
In early stages of cataract, the vision may be improve
by using different eyeglasses, magnifying lenses,
or stronger lighting. However, when these measures
are no longer helpful, a simple surgery becomes
the only effective treatment. Surgery involves removing
the cloudy lens and replacing it with an artificial
lens. A cataract needs to be removed only when vision
loss interferes with daily activities, such as driving,
reading, or watching TV. The decision for surgery
has to be made by you and your eye care specialist.
If you have cataract in both eyes, the doctor will
not remove the cataract in both the eyes at the
same time. You will need to undergo surgery for
cataract for each eye separately. Sometimes, a cataract
need to be removed even if it doesn't cause problems
with vision. For example, a cataract should be removed
if it prevents examination or treatment of another
eye problem, such as age-related macular degeneration
or diabetic retinopathy, or if it is associated
with diseases of the back of the eye that may need
independent surgical treatment.
How is a cataract removed?
There are two primary surgical ways to remove a
cataract.
- Phacoemulsification, or phaco: A small incision
is made on the side of the cornea, through which
a tiny probe is inserted into the eye. This
device emits ultrasound waves that soften and
break up the cloudy center of the lens so it
can be removed by suction.
- Extracapsular surgery: A slightly longer
incision is made on the side of the cornea and
the hard center of the lens is removed in one
piece. At the end of surgery the incision is
closed with a few stitches. In most cataract
surgeries, the removed lens is replaced by an
intraocular lens (IOL). An IOL is a clear, artificial
lens that requires no care and becomes a permanent
part of the eye. For people who cannot have
an IOL due to. problems during surgery or due
to another eye disease, a soft contact lens
may be suggested. For others, glasses that provide
powerful magnification may be prescribed.
Corneal Dystrophy
Alternations in the clarity and shape of
the cornea can result in decreased comfort and vision
for the patient. A group of diseases termed corneal
dystrophies can cause such problems. These diseases
are inherited due to diseased genes of the parents.
Often similar problems will be found among other
family members too.
In these conditions, abnormal deposits are formed
in the corneal layers. These usually start in the
second decade of life and can be of varying severity,
but often affect both eyes in a symmetrical manner.
These are usually progressive and can impair visual
function. These deposits cause an irregular corneal
surface, which can produce frequent episodes of
pain, redness, tearing and light sensitivity in
patients. In other conditions such as keratoconous,
although the cornea is clear, it becomes quite thin
and may begin to protrude forwards resulting in
a conical shape of the cornea.
Although there is no medical treatment for such
conditions, in the early stages of the disease,
artificial tears may provide symptomatic relief
to the patient. As the disease progresses, with
increasing visual deficit, contact lenses may sometimes
help in improving visual acuity, especially in keratoconous.
In the other central dystrophies, replacing the
diseased cornea tissue with donor corneal tissue
can restore vision, a procedure termed as corneal
transplantation.
Squint
This is a condition when there is a misalignment
of the eye. This could be prevalent at birth or
may occur later in life, even as adults. Some of
these children may also develop poor vision in one
eye because of the squint. Adults with recent onset
of squint often have double vision. Some types of
squint may also be secondary to diseases of the
brain and nerves. Most types of squint are correctable
by surgery. Some are treated with glasses and exercise.
Hence any child with a squint or adult with a sudden
onset of squint or double vision needs to have their
eyes checked by an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.
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