A refractive error is a common eye disorder that leads to blurred vision which can result in visual impairment.
Refractive errors, unfortunately, cannot be prevented. However, they can be diagnosed with an eye exam.
Refractive errors are treated with corrective glasses, contact lenses or refractive surgery.
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye problem that can be caused by Diabetes Mellitus. Retinopathy occurs when diabetes damages the tiny blood vessels in the retina. The weakened blood vessels may leak fluid and blood.
Those with poorly controlled blood sugar levels are at a high risk of developing diabetic retinopathy. In addition, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, anemia, kidney disease and pregnancy can all place a patient at greater risk of suffering from diabetic eye disease.
If you have diabetes, you should get a yearly examination by your ophthalmologist. Once you develop diabetic retinopathy, the frequency of these follow up visits is decided based on the severity of the disease.
There may be no symptoms in the early stages, especially when the central portion of the retina is not involved. As the retinopathy progresses, you may have:
The aim of this treatment is to protect central vision. It will not restore lost vision, but it can prevent further deterioration, which is why early Diabetic Retinopathy diagnosis through periodic eye examination is important. Laser Photocoagulation involves tiny burns to seal the capillaries. This may lead to small spots in your field of vision, however these spots generally fade and disappear with time.
Anti VEGF agents (Lucentis, Avastin, Macugen) are emerging as the new modality of treatment for various stages of Diabetic Retinopathy. These agents are injected into the eye (intravitreal injection) and are commonly used in Diabetic Maculopathy and Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy. They may also be used as an adjunct before surgery for Diabetic Vitreous Hemorrhage and Retinal Detachments.
Glaucoma is characterized by progressive damage to the optic nerve of the eye, the most common cause being increased pressure in the eye. It is the leading cause of irreversible blindness worldwide. At first, patients lose side (peripheral) vision. But if the disease is not treated, vision loss may worsen, leading to total blindness over time.
People above the age of 40 years need to undergo routine eye examinations to rule out glaucoma. Those with a family history of glaucoma, diabetes, systemic hypertension, thyroid disorders and myopia are at a higher risk of developing glaucoma.
Most of the glaucomas require treatment and follow-up life long, and the damage that occurs is irreversible. Most commonly your doctor will prescribe eyedrops to decrease the intraocular pressure in your eye. These drops usually need to be used lifelong much like the drugs that you may use for your diabetes or hypertension You may also need laser treatment or surgery. In adults, treatment can't bring back vision that has been lost, but it can keep your vision from getting worse. Treatment aims to stop more damage to the optic nerve by lowering the pressure in the eyes.
Cataract is the clouding (Opacification) of the natural lens, at an early stage, a change in glass power could be a quick solution. However as the disorder grows, vision gets progressively worse.
Ageing is the most common cause of cataract. Every person gets it sooner or later, especially people over 50yrs of age. Other causes include diabetes, injury, usage of certain medications, and secondary to other eye diseases such as uveitis and glaucoma.
This is a decision that depends largely on the patient himself. When the cataract begins to affect vision to a degree that it hampers daily activities such as reading and driving, surgery should be considered.
Phacoemulsification at present is the universally accepted standard of care for cataract surgery. In this process, ultrasound energy is utilized to break up the cataract (emulsify) into microscopic fragments which are taken out of the eye.
Majority of IOLs implanted are mono-focal, meaning they can focus light rays from one particular distance only. In these cases, distance objects are clear and one requires glasses only for reading. IOLs can be rigid or foldable. Foldable lenses require smaller wounds to insert.
Multifocal IOLs have many different segments inbuilt onto the same lens, which allows for clear distance as well as near vision without spectacles for most activities.
Mono-focal IOLs essentially only correct the spherical refractive error. Patients suffering from pre-existing astigmatism will need spectacle correction for distance vision as well as near vision. Toric IOLs eliminate the need for glasses for distance vision. With recent developments, multi-focal IOLs have been introduced, enabling correction for distance, near and cylindrical error.
Accommodative IOLs are lenses that mimic the natural eye at a young age. At present, the only accommodative IOLs available provide good intermediate vision (such as for reading text on a computer screen), but most patients will require glasses for reading from near.
You can take all the medications prescribed by your general physician on the day of surgery. However, diabetics need to skip their diabetic medications and Insulin on the morning of the surgery unless specifically instructed by your doctor. Do not forget to take your morning dose of anti-hypertensive medications. Normally, blood thinning medications such as Aspirin and Clopidogrel are generally stopped 3-5 days prior to surgery. Please ask your physician regarding this.
Retinal Detachment is the separation the retina from its supporting layers.
If not promptly treated, retinal detachment can cause permanent vision loss.
A retinal detachment can occur at any age, but it is more common in people over 40 years. It affects men more than women.
Whenever you experience symptoms such as floaters of flashes, consult your doctor without delay. The vision that you can hope to regain after surgery for detachment decreases the longer the retina is detached.
Commonly known as “lazy eye”, it is the loss of one’s ability to see details. It is one of the leading causes of vision problem in children.
Some of the symptoms include
If treated early, children usually recover almost normal vision, although they may continue to experience problems with depth perception.
Are used to correct various disorders such as myopia (nearsightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism. They are used instead of spectacles.
Contact lenses are prescribed by your doctor. You will have to undergo a simple eye exam which determines the type of lens, size and material best suited for you.
Made of soft, flexible plastics, soft contact lenses are more comfortable on the eyes as they allow oxygen to pass through to the cornea.
RGP contact lenses are more durable and provide crisper vision. They are also less expensive as they last longer than soft contact lenses.
These contact lenses are designed for single use. A brand new pair of lenses is used each day and discarded.
Your doctor must be informed immediately as any redness or irritation in the eye should be taken seriously. The wearer must take the lens out, rinse and disinfect them and switch back to glasses right away.
Staring at a computer monitor for hours on end has become a part of the modern workday. And inevitably, all of that staring can put a real strain on your eyes.
In addition, working adults aren't the only ones vulnerable to computer vision syndrome. Kids who stare at portable video games or who use computers throughout the day at school also can experience eye problems related to computer use, especially if the lighting and computer position are less than ideal.
There's no evidence that computer vision syndrome causes any long-term damage to the eyes -- for example, cataracts. However, regular computer use can be the source of significant eyestrain and discomfort.If you have computer vision syndrome, you may experience some or all of these symptoms:
Squint (or strabismus) is misalignment of the eyes, due to which both eyes do not look in the same direction. This misalignment may be constant, or it may appear only sometimes. It is a common condition among children. It may also occur in adults.
The exact cause of squint is not really known. Loss of coordination between the muscles leads to misalignment. This misalignment may be the same in all directions of gaze, or in some conditions the misalignment may be more in one direction of gaze.
Sometimes a refractive error hypermetropia (long sight) or poor vision in the eye because of some other eye disease (such as cataract) may also cause the eye to deviate. Therefore, it is important in all the cases of squint, especially in children, to have a thorough eye check up to rule out any other cause of loss of vision.
In a child, the parents may notice the deviation of eyes. It is important to remember that the eyes of a new born are rarely aligned at birth. Most establish alignment at 3-4 weeks of age. Therefore, squint in any child who is more than one month old must be taken seriously and should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist.
The squint is diagnosed by the ophthalmologist. A few special tests confirm the disorder.