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:
01. Glasses
02. Contact lenses
03. 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: |