Browsing: Eye Health
The page provides quick access to a list of common eye diseases, syndromes, health conditions, and other topics of health importance. The list is organized alphabetically. Links are provided to respective diseases sections that serve as a comprehensive and ultimate guide about the disease or health condition.
Eyes are the most complex and essential sensory organ of our body. Several parts of the eye work together to produce a clear vision. Most people suffer from various types of eye disorders such as age-related macular degeneration, cataract, diabetic eye disease, glaucoma, low vision and dry eye.
Visual impairment is a national and global health concern which creates a negative impact on the physical and mental health of an individual. These visually impaired people are at a high risk for chronic health conditions, accidents, social withdrawal, depression, and mortality.
Most people may experience an eye problem at some point in their life. Some of them may be minor conditions, which can be cured easily whereas others may require a specialist’s care. Eye disorders mostly occur in elderly people due to weakness of eye muscles or due to another medical condition such as diabetes, infections and brain or neuronal disorders.
It is ideal to undergo regular eye checkups, as many eye diseases do not show obvious symptoms. Early detection and treatment of eye problems could easily prevent vision loss.
Certain eye diseases which are quite prevalent worldwide include cataract, glaucoma, nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, diabetic retinopathy, dry eye syndrome, color blindness and conjunctivitis.
Most cataract surgeries give successful results but in some cases, after a cataract surgery, the patient may start to face difficulties with his/her vision again. He or she may experience blurred vision, glares and other vision problems which are though uncommon after the surgery.
Photo-pigments in cones help in viewing all possible colors. Any defect in cones lead to color vision deficiency or color blindness. Quantitative tests such as Ishihara test, etc are mainly used to analyze color vision deficiency and color blindness.
Hypermetropia correction is needed to remediate symptoms and to reduce the future risk of these visual problems. Hypermetropia can be corrected using optical correction, vision therapy, medical therapy, and refractive surgery. Read more about the measures to correct hypermetropia (farsightedness).
Cataracts are dense and cloudy areas that form in the eyes and lead to opacification of the eye lens. There are different types of cataracts based on their location and origin. Cataracts in the eyes are mostly formed in three basic areas of the natural eye lens: the center of the eye lens, the outer portion of the lens, and the back surface of the lens.
The cornea is a clear transparent portion in the eye. Its function is to help in the refraction process and therefore, for healthy vision a rounded cornea is needed. Corneal topography is a computerized mapping tool to determine the curvature of the cornea’s surface whether or not it is misshapen.
Keratoconus is a condition in which the cornea of your eyes lose its original round shape and become cone-shaped bulging upwards and downwards. Corneal cross-linking surgery is performed in patients suffering from keratoconus. This procedure helps in regaining the shape of the cornea and makes the corneal tissues strong. It is a non-invasive procedure generally performed in patients for avoiding corneal transplant surgeries.
LASIK (Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) is the most common type of laser eye surgery used to treat different eye problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism. The cornea of the eye is reshaped in order to attain vision correction during a LASIK procedure. There are some LASIK risks and side effects which should not be ignored.
Diabetic patients are at a greater risk of retinopathy or eye disorders. Doctors advise these patients a comprehensive eye exam at least once a year to cut the chances of diabetic retinopathy. Laser treatment has the potential to prevent extensive eye damage and therefore it is recommended to patients.
There are no fixed tests for the diagnosis of PCOS. Your doctor may ask questions about medical history and family history of this disease. The doctor may ask questions related to patient’s menstruation cycle and weight changes. A physical examination is done to observe the growth of hair and acne.
There are many other eye diseases or infections that are indicated with redness in eye (which is the most common symptoms of conjunctivitis). This makes diagnosis of the condition a bit difficult. You should therefore meet a eye specialist of you note related symptoms. The doctor will review your symptoms and ask questions to collect medical history.