+ Dry Eye

Dry Eye" is a common eye syndrome which manifests with one or more of the following symptoms: Irritation , poking sensation, dry feeling, burning, grating sensation etc,. Some times dull heavy sensations can also be a result of dry eye. Dry eye is a syndrome complex of many causes. The commonest among the causes are pollution and climate related evaporation of tears from the exposed eye surface.

Dry Eye is caused by a functional problem in the tear-making glands of the eye. This results in a declining quantity and quality of tears. High risk factors for this condition include those individuals with health issues such as hormonal changes associated with aging and menopause, autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, lupus and Sjögren's syndrome. Medical conditions such as diabetes or blocked tear ducts also can contribute to it.

 

+ Chronic Dry Eye

Chronic Dry Eye is known by the scientific name, keratoconjunctivitis sicca. It is a condition that, overtime, decreases the eye’s ability to produce tears. Tears help protect the surface of the eye and keep it moist and lubricated. Reduced tear production can lead to damage to the eye’s surface. If left untreated, severe forms of chronic dry eye can lead to more serious problems, including increased risk of infection & possibly vision impairment.

+  Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve. The optic nerve is connected to the retina - a layer of light-sensitive tissue lining the back of the eye — and is made up of many nerve fibers, like an electric cable is made up of many wires. It is the optic nerve that sends signals from your retina to your brain, where these signals are interpreted as the images you see.

There are several types of glaucoma:

• Open-angle glaucoma
• • Normal-tension glaucoma
• • Closed-angle glaucoma (or Narrow-angle glaucoma or Angle-closure glaucoma)
• • Congenital glaucoma
• • Secondary glaucoma

+ Open-Angle Glaucoma

The most common form of glaucoma is called primary open-angle glaucoma. It occurs when the trabecular meshwork of the eye gradually becomes less efficient at draining fluid. As this happens, your eye pressure, called intraocular pressure (IOP), rises. Raised eye pressure leads to damage of the optic nerve. Damage to the optic nerve can occur at different eye pressures among different patients. Your ophthalmologist (Eye M.D.) establishes a target eye pressure for you that he or she predicts will protect your optic nerve from further damage. Different patients have different target pressures.

Typically, open-angle glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages and your vision remains normal. As the optic nerve becomes more damaged, blank spots begin to appear in your field of vision. You usually won’t notice these blank spots in your day-to-day activities until the optic nerve is significantly damaged and these spots become large. If all the optic nerve fibers die, blindness results.

Half of patients with glaucoma do not have high eye pressure when first examined. Some such individuals will only occasionally have high eye pressures on repeat testing; thus, a single eye pressure test misses many with glaucoma. In addition to routine eye pressure testing, it is essential that the optic nerve be examined by an ophthalmologist for proper diagnosis.

 

+ Normal-Tension Glaucoma

Eye pressure is expressed in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), the same unit of measurement used in weather barometers.

Although normal eye pressure is considered a measurement less than 21 mm Hg, this can be misleading. Some people have a type of glaucoma called normal-tension, or low-tension glaucoma. Their eye pressure is consistently below 21 mm Hg, but optic nerve damage and visual field loss still occur. People with normal-tension glaucoma typically receive the same methods of treatment used for open-angle glaucoma.

Conversely, ocular hypertension is a condition where someone has higher eye pressure than normal, but does not have other signs of glaucoma, such as optic nerve damage or blank spots that show up in their peripheral (side) vision when tested. Individuals with ocular hypertension are at higher risk for developing glaucoma later relative to those with lower, or average, eye pressure. Just like people with glaucoma, people with ocular hypertension need to be closely monitored by an ophthalmologist to ensure they receive appropriate treatment.

CLOSED-ANGLE GLAUCOMA, NARROW-ANGLE GLAUCOMA OR ANGLE-CLOSURE GLAUCOMA

A less common form of glaucoma is closed angle (or narrow-angle glaucoma or angle-closure glaucoma). Closed-angle glaucoma occurs when the drainage angle of the eye becomes blocked. Unlike open-angle glaucoma, eye pressure usually goes up very fast. The pressure rises because the iris — the colored part of the eye — partially or completely blocks off the drainage angle. People of Asian descent and those with hyperopia (farsightedness) tend to be more at risk for developing this form of glaucoma.

If the drainage angle becomes completely blocked, eye pressure rises quickly resulting in a closed-angle glaucoma attack. Symptoms of an attack include:

 

• Severe Eye or Brow Pain
• Redness of the eye
• Decreased or blurred vision
• Seeing colored rainbows or halos
• Headache
• Nausea
• Vomiting

A closed-angle glaucoma attack is a medical emergency and must be treated immediately. Unfortunately, people at risk for developing closed-angle glaucoma often have few or no symptoms before the attack.

People at risk for closed-angle glaucoma should avoid over-the-counter decongestants and other medications where the packaging states not to use these products if you have glaucoma.

+ Congenital Glaucoma

Congenital glaucoma is a rare type of glaucoma that develops in infants and young children and can be inherited. While uncommon relative to the other types of glaucoma, this condition can be devastating, often resulting in blindness when not diagnosed and treated early.

+ Secondary Glaucoma

Secondary glaucoma is glaucoma that results from another eye condition or disease. For example, someone who has had an eye injury, someone who is on long-term steroid therapy or someone who has a tumor may develop secondary glaucoma.

+ Other Eye Conditions

Because we rely so heavily on our eyesight, any irritation or infection of the eye can have an impact on our ability to function. From allergy-induced itchy eyes to movement disorders such as blepharospasm (uncontrollable blinking) or strabismus (crossed eyes) to severe ocular pain, Allergan's products treat a multitude of eye conditions that can detract from everyday life.

+ Blepharospasm

Blepharospasm (uncontrollable blinking) is a type of focal dystonia, a localized movement disorder that causes abnormal muscle spasms. Typically, symptoms begin after age 50, and women are affected more often than men.¹ Patients suffering from the condition experience an involuntary clenching of the muscles that control the eyelid causing uncontrollable blinking generally affecting both eyes. Blepharospasm can diminish a patient's capacity to perform everyday activities by interfering with their ability to see due to the lid blocking their eyes. Increased blinking can progress from an inability to open the eyelids to functional blindness.

+ Strabismus

Strabismus is a visual defect that results when the eyes do not properly align with each other. One eye may look straight ahead, but the other may turn in (crossed eyes), out (wall eyes), upward, or downward. Strabismus usually develops during childhood but can occur at any age. The misalignment of the eye may be constant, or may come and go, but does not often resolve without medical intervention.

+ Ocular Allergies

An estimated 50 million Americans suffer from all types of allergies, and an estimated 4 percent of all allergy sufferers have eye allergies as their primary allergy.⁴ Ocular allergies, also referred to as allergic conjunctivitis, are caused by external irritants called allergens. Symptoms may include red, itchy, watery, and/or swollen eyelids often accompanied by sneezing and a runny nose. Allergies can occur year-round (perennial allergies) or seasonally. Some common household allergens that cause perennial eye allergies include dust mites, mold, pet hair, and pet dander. Pollen from trees, grass and ragweed often cause seasonal allergies. If you suffer from eye allergies, talk to your eye care professional about treatment options.

+ Inflammation

Inflammation occurs after tissue damage produced by injuries and diseases such as infections and certain autoimmune processes. It is part of the body's defense against injuries and results in additional blood to the affected area, movement of fluids, proteins, and cells from the blood into the tissues, and release of substances to fight infection.

+ Conjunctivities

A common (and sometimes epidemic) inflammation of the front membrane of the eye, it can be made out by the redness "pink eye " of the eye and lid swelling.

There are two main types of conjunctivitis -

• Infective (caused by bacteria or viral) - INFECTIVE CONJUNCTIVITIS tends to spread rapidly, creating epidemics. The virus or bacteria spread by "fomite" and "droplet" route. Physical contact, proximity are the channels of infection transfer. The eye turns red, feels irritable, gritty, watery and discharges yellow or white material. Antibiotic eye drops along with soothing anti-inflammatory eye drops help curtail the infection and shorten its course.

• Allergic - ALLERGIC CONJUNCTIVITIS otherwise called "spring catanh", is seasonal in its occurrence March-April being the peak. it is caused by some pollens and other similar proteins, which irritate the eyes. The children are most commonly affected. This disease is not contagious; the child finds itching and redness as the commonest symptom. Non steroid anti inflammatory eye drops " membrane stabilizer" eye drops and "safer" steroids are used to treat allergic conjunctivitis. Most children "grow out" of the eye allergy as they enter their teens.