Common eye problems

There are several common eye problems including:

Amblyopia (lazy eye). In an infant or a child, the brain will not tolerate double images and will shutdown the vision in the weaker eye. This involuntary loss of vision is called "lazy eye" or amblyopia. Here's another way to say it: Amblyopia is a healthy eye that does not see. Only infants and children develop amblyopia; and the vision loss can be reversed with therapy if the contributing eye problem is corrected during childhood.

Amblyopia is a serious problem for your children. So long as the underlying eye problem remains untreated, the vision in the weaker eye does not develop fully. Lazy eye can also result from other eye problems, such as ptosis (drooping of the eyelid) or a significant refractive error in one eye. If detected early amblyopia can be corrected with patching and/or eye drops applied to the better eye - forcing the weaker eye to recover useful function.

Presbyopia. This is the loss of the ability to see close objects or small print clearly. It is a normal process that happens slowly over a lifetime, but you may not notice any change until after age 40. Presbyopia is often corrected with reading glasses. Bifocal glasses permit the wearer to see objects clearly, both near and distant.

Floaters. These are tiny spots or specks that float across the field of vision. Most people notice them in well-lit rooms or outdoors on a bright day. Floaters are often considered normal, but can sometimes indicate a more serious eye problem. These include conditions such as a retinal detachment, especially if floaters are accompanied by light flashes, or any reduction in your field of vision, like a curtain falling over the eye. If you notice a sudden change in the type or number of spots or flashes you see, seek medical advice as soon as possible

Dry eyes. This happens when tear glands cannot make enough tears or produce poor quality tears. Dry eyes can be uncomfortable, causing itching, burning or, rarely, some loss of vision. Your doctor or eye specialist may suggest using a humidifier in your home, special eye drops that simulate real tears, or plugs that are placed in tear ducts to decrease tear drainage. Surgery may be needed in more serious cases of dry eyes.

Tearing. Having too many tears can come from being sensitive to light, wind or temperature changes. Protecting your eyes by shielding them or wearing sunglasses can sometimes solve the problem. Tearing may also mean that you have a more serious problem, such as an eye infection or a blocked tear duct. Your doctor or eye specialist can offer advice about treatment for these conditions.

Cataracts. Cataracts are cloudy areas that develop within the eye lens. Since the lens in a healthy eye is clear like a camera lens, light has no problem passing through the lens to the back of the eye to the retina where images are processed. When a cataract is present, the light cannot get through the lens as easily and, as a result, vision can be impaired. Cataracts often form slowly, causing no pain, redness or tearing in the eye. Some stay small and do not alter eyesight. If they become large or thick and affect vision, cataracts can usually be treated with surgery to replace the lens.

Colour blindness. Colour blindness is most commonly a disorder of the retina's light-sensitive photoreceptor cells, which respond to different coloured light rays. There are two kinds of photoreceptors: cones work best in bright light
and rods work best in dim light. Each photoreceptor produces pigments that respond to specific colours of light. Colour vision is affected if those pigments are absent, defective, or if they respond to the wrong wavelengths.

You have probably seen how paint colours can be mixed. Colour vision works much the same way because visible light is a mixture of different light rays (wavelengths). Colour perception problems occur more often in men, and affects approximately one in 20 men in the UK.  It is much less common in women, affecting only one in 200 women.  It is extremely rare for someone to be totally colour-blind, that is, able to see only shades of grey.

Conjunctivitis. The conjunctiva -- the moist, transparent membrane that covers the eyeball and your inner eyelid -- can become inflamed for various reasons. It can cause redness, itching, burning, tearing, discharge or a feeling of something in the eye. Conjunctivitis occurs in people of all ages and can be caused by infection, exposure to chemicals and irritants, or allergies. Most cases of conjunctivitis run a predictable course, and the inflammation usually clears up in a few days. Although infectious conjunctivitis can be highly contagious, it is rarely serious and will not permanently harm your vision if detected and treated promptly.

Corneal diseases. The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped "window" at the front of the eye. It helps to focus light that enters the eye. Disease, infection, injury and exposure to toxic agents can damage the cornea causing eye redness, watery eyes, pain, reduced vision or a halo effect. Treatments include making adjustments to the eyeglass prescription, using medicated eye drops or having surgery.

Eyelid problems. The eyelids protect the eye, distribute tears and limit the amount of light entering the eye. Pain, itching, tearing and sensitivity to light are common symptoms of eyelid problems. Other problems may include drooping eyelids, blinking spasms or inflamed outer edges of the eyelids near the eyelashes. Eyelid problems often can be treated with proper cleaning, medication or surgery.

Eyestrain. Eyestrain is discomfort due to an uncorrected refractive problem. This common vision problem may occur while performing distant visual activities like driving or watching a film or during-close-up tasks. Familiar symptoms of eyestrain include headache, brow-ache, eye fatigue and/or a pulling sensation. Eyestrain quickly goes away if the refractive problem is resolved. Prolonged focusing can lead to eyestrain, such as working at the computer for hours. Children have a far more flexible focusing capacity. How often do you ever hear a child complain of eyestrain while playing video games? If you wear prescription glasses, recurring eyestrain may be an indication that you need updated glasses or a new prescription. Eye exercises or resting the eyes every 30 minutes helps relieve eyestrain, especially when working with computers.

Glaucoma. This condition develops when there is too much fluid pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma occurs when the normal flow of the watery fluid cannot drain properly. If not treated early, this can lead to permanent vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma is less commonly caused by other factors such as injury to the eye, severe eye infection, blockage of blood vessels or inflammatory disorders of the eye. Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain, it is very important to get your eyes checked regularly. Treatment may include prescription eye drops, oral medications or surgery.

Macular degeneration. Because the symptoms usually do not appear in people under 55 years of age, the disorder is more accurately referred to as age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Approximately 2% of people over 50 years of age have age-related macular degeneration. In people over 65 years of age, the number rises to 8%, with about 20% of those over 85 years of age having the condition.

AMD affects your central vision, meaning if you were looking at a photograph, you would not be able to see the middle of the picture but could still see the edges (preserved peripheral vision). If you are over 65, macular degeneration may already affect your central vision -- the vision you need for reading and close work like sewing. The disorder occurs in two forms, dry and wet. The less common wet form of AMD requires immediate medical attention. Any delay in treatment may result in loss of your central vision.

Night blindness. Night blindness -- difficulty seeing in dim light -- occurs when rod photoreceptor cells begin to deteriorate. Rods work best in low light. There are many different forms of night blindness, but it may be linked to liver disorder, vitamin-A deficiency, inherited disease of the retina, such as retinitis pigmentosa.

Retinal disorders. The retina is a thin lining on the back of the eye made up of cells that collect visual images and pass them on to the brain. Retinal disorders interrupt this transfer of images. They include age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment. Early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions is important to maintain vision. Although a detached retina is not painful, it is a medical emergency. If the retina is not reattached to the eye wall promptly, retinal cells starve and permanent blindness can result. Risk factors for retinal detachment include moderate or extreme short-sightedness, previous eye surgery or injury, previous retinal detachment and/or Inherited thinness of retinal tissue.

Strabismus (squint). The medical term for misaligned eyes is strabismus. If strabismus (squint) develops in an adult, perhaps after a trauma to the head or after a stroke, the person is likely to experience double vision. Double vision occurs because the two eyes are looking at different images. Did you know that there are six different muscles that are attached to each eye to help it turn and rotate? The eyes may not appear straight because one or more muscles are pulling too hard or other muscles are too weak. If the eyes turn inward leading to "crossed eyes" we call it esotropia. If they turn outward, called "wall eyes", then the condition is labelled exotropia. There are different treatments for strabismus depending on the specific cause. Some cases are managed with eye muscle surgery, some simply need glasses.

Temporal arteritis. This condition is an inflammation of the arteries in the temple area of the forehead. It can begin with a severe headache, pain when chewing, and tenderness or swelling in the temple area. It may be followed in a few days or weeks by sudden vision loss -- usually in one eye. Other symptoms can include shaking, weight loss and low-grade temperature. Scientists don't know the cause of temporal arteritis but they think it may be caused by an impaired immune system. Sudden vision loss in the other eye may occur within a few days or weeks of the first eye. Getting to an ophthalmologist -- an eye specialist -- whenever sudden vision loss occurs is critical. Early treatment with medication may help prevent vision loss in one or both eyes.