Dry Eye

Allergic Conjunctivitis

Macular Degeneration

Floaters and Flashes - Know when your vision is threatened.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Foreign Bodies

A balance is necessary between the two types of tears to ensure that your eyes are comfortable and protected. When constant tear flow is reduced, there is irritation that can cause excessive reflex tearing ("watery eyes"). These excess tears lack the oil needed to keep from evaporating and do not lubricate the eye.

A lack of tears, improper lubrication, or tears draining too quickly from the eye result in a condition known as Dry Eye. Dry Eye is a common problem that is easily diagnosed.

Artificial tears and medications have provided a quick, short-term solution to dry eye. Today tear duct closure which allows you to retain your own natural tears may be the best solution.

Temporary closure of the tear duct (punctal canal) is accomplished by inserting a tiny plug (like a sink stopper) to prevent tear drainage. This allows your own tears to bathe your eye for a longer period of time. In about one week this plug will dissolve and wash away with your tears. You and your doctor can then evaluate the benefits of tear duct closure for you.

Long-term closure of the tear drainage ducts involves the use of a non-dissolvable, yet removable, plug to seal the tear duct. This is a painless procedure that takes only a few minutes in your doctor's office.

Dry Sensation

Scratchy, Gritty Feeling

Burning

Stinging

Itching

Excess Tearing (watery eyes)

Mucous Discharge

Irritation from Wind or Smoke

Redness

Tired Eyes

Light Sensitivity

Contact Lens Discomfort

Contact Lens Solution Sensitivity

Soreness

Lid Infections / Sties

Sensitivity to Artificial Tears

Eyelids Stuck Together at Awakening

As the phrase implies, seasonal allergies occur only at certain times of the year and are usually triggered by the appearance of pollen from grasses, trees, and flowering plants. You can track the likelihood of your eye allergies acting up by following the pollen count (amount of pollen in the air) in your area. In some areas, the pollen counts peak during the spring and autumn. In other areas, there is always something in bloom.

Perennial allergies are always there, with no increase at a special time of year. Dust mites, mold, pet hair, and pet dander are examples of allergens that can cause perennial eye allergies.

Controlling the source of the allergen is the most effective way to minimize or even eliminate eye allergies. You will want to reduce or eliminate contact with the items that irritate your eyes. For example:

Hint: when you eyes are itchy or your eyelids are swollen and puffy, avoid touching or rubbing them. This may worsen your symptoms instead of bringing relief.

Macular degeneration is a leading cause of vision loss among people over age 50. It results from changes to the macula, a portion of the retina, which is located on the inside back layer of the eye. The macula is responsible for clear, sharp vision and is many times more sensitive than the rest of the retina. Without a healthy macula, seeing detail or vivid color is not possible.

There are two types of age-related macular degeneration. In the dry type, the tissue of the macula becomes thin and stops functioning properly. This type is thought to occur as part of the aging process of the eye in some people. There is currently no treatment available for this slowly progressive condition.

In the wet form, which is less common, fluids from newly formed blood vessels leak under the macula and cause significant vision loss. This condition can sometimes be treated with laser therapy, but early detection and prompt treatment is vital in limiting damage.

Some symptoms of macular degeneration are:

These symptoms may also indicate other eye health problems so if you are experiencing any of these, you should contact your doctor of optometry as soon as possible.

In a comprehensive eye examination, your doctor will perform a variety of tests to determine if you have macular degeneration or other eye conditions.

Unfortunately, there is no way to restore central vision lost to macular degeneration. However, since macular degeneration does not affect side vision, low vision aids such as special telescopic and microscopic lenses, magnifying glasses and electronic magnifiers for close work, can be prescribed to help make the most of remaining vision. With adaptation, a person can often cope well and continue to do most things he or she is accustomed to.

Wet AMD is a very serious form of AMD - more serious than dry AMD - and it can progress very quickly. Although only 10% of people with dry AMD will get wet AMD, it is a major cause of central vision loss in adults.

Wet AMD occurs with the abnormal growth of blood vessels in the back of the eye. As the blood vessels grow, they can leak blood and fluid, which damage the macula. Wet AMD is a major cause of central vision loss in Americans aged 55 and older, affecting more than a million men and women.

AMD can occur in 1 eye, or both. If you have AMD in 1 eye, it's important to carefully monitor the other. That's because there's a good chance you will develop AMD in both eyes. Early detection can give you the best chance for success in treating AMD.

The Progression of wet AMD

Once light passes through the pupil and the lens, which fine-tunes the focus of your vision, the light sensitive cells at the back of your eye pick it up. These cells are part of the retina. The focused image is projected onto the macula, the centrally located specialized part of the retina at the back of the eye. The retina's cells transform light into electrical impulses that are transmitted to your brain allowing you to see.

The area between the eye's lens and the retina is the vitreous cavity. It's filled with clear, jelly-like vitreous fluid. Within the vitreous fluid are millions of fine intertwined fibers that attach to the retina's surface.

The vitreous fluid may become more liquid as you age. As this happens, tiny bits of proteins (collagen) normally in the vitreous fluid clump together as floaters. You may see dots, lines, circles, or web-like shapes moving in your field of vision. They are easiest to see when you look at a plain, bright background, such as a blue sky. Floaters tend to be gray or whitish in appearance, and they are somewhat transparent.

What you're actually seeing are shadows cast by the floaters on the retina. Once formed, these harmless floaters remain in your eye's vitreous. Your eye adapts so that you ordinarily can ignore them. Rarely, they present a serious annoyance that even more rarely must be treated with surgery. Floaters are more common in people who are very nearsighted, who have diabetes, or who've had cataract surgery. They also can be associated with many different types of retinal disorders.

As the vitreous becomes more liquid with eye disease or aging, it may collapse so that it pulls away from the back of the eye. This is called posterior vitreous detachment (PVD). It causes many new floaters to appear suddenly. These can look like cobwebs or many small dots. As the vitreous pulls away from the retina, it may tug on the retina and produce flashes of light.

If you experience a sudden increase in floaters or flashes, seek immediate medical care. PVD by itself is usually not a threat to sight, and it requires no treatment. But the eye needs to be carefully examined to be sure there's no accompanying retinal tear.

About 15% of eyes that develop PVD with symptoms of floaters and flashes will have a retinal tear that requires urgent treatment to prevent retinal detachment, which may cause partial or possible total vision loss in that eye.

Sometimes, as the vitreous collapses, those tiny intertwined fibers in the vitreous pull on the retina and cause a tear or rip in the retina, especially if the pull is strong. The pull may even peel the retina away from the back of the eye.

It causes no pain, but it's usually accompanied by a sudden appearance of flashes of light followed by a sudden increase in floaters. If the retinal tear occurs over a blood vessel, you may have some bleeding into the middle of the eye. Red blood cells that end up in the vitreous may appear as tiny black dots that may look like smoke.

Treatment of a retinal tear may be laser photo coagulation or a technique called cryotherapy. Usually, this will prevent retinal detachment, which frequently develops if a tear isn't treated. Retinal detachment requires more complex surgery.

Diabetes is a condition that can interfere with the body's ability to use and store sugar. Diabetes can also, over time, weaken and cause changes in the small blood vessels that nourish the eye's light sensitive retina. When this occurs, it is called diabetic retinopathy. These changes may include leaking of blood, development or brush-like branches of the vessels and enlargement of certain parts of the vessels.

Diabetic retinopathy can seriously affect vision and, if left untreated, cause blindness.

Since this disease can cause blindness, early diagnosis and treatment is essential. That's one reason why it is important to have your eyes examined periodically by a doctor or optometry, especially if you are a diabetic or if you have a family history of diabetes.

During a thorough, comprehensive eye examination, your optometrist gets to know you, your family history, your lifestyle and your vision needs.

To detect diabetic retinopathy, your doctor can look inside your eyes with an instrument called an ophthalmoscope, which lights and magnifies the blood vessels in your eyes. The interior of your eyes may also be photographed to provide more information.

The beginning stages of diabetic retinopathy may cause blurriness in your central or peripheral (side) vision, or it may produce no visual symptoms at all. It mainly depends on where the blood vessel changes are taking place in your eye's retina (the light sensitive tissue at the back of the eye where images are focused). As diabetic retinopathy progresses, you may notice a cloudiness in your vision, blind spots or floaters. This is usually caused by blood leaking from abnormal new vessels which blocks light from reaching the retina.

In the advanced stages, connective scar tissue forms in association with new blood vessel growth, causing additional distortion and blurriness. Over time, this tissue can shrink and detach the retina by pulling it toward the center of the eye.

Once diabetic retinopathy has been diagnosed by your optometrist, laser and other surgical treatments can be used to reduce the progression of this eye disease and decrease the risk of vision loss. Ask your optometrist to explain the types of treatment available and those best suited to you.

If you experience vision loss due to diabetic retinopathy, your optometrist may prescribe special low vision aids to help maximize your remaining vision. Some of the optical aids available include telescopic lens for distance vision, microscopic lenses, magnifying glasses and electronic magnifiers for close work.

Not every diabetic patient develops retinopathy, but the chances of getting it increase after having diabetes for several years. Evidence also suggests that such factors as pregnancy, high blood pressure and smoking may cause diabetic eye disease to develop or worsen.

As a diabetic, or a person at risk, it is important that you take steps to help prevent the development of diabetic retinopathy, including:

You should be able to care for minor debris in your eye at home. If you have trouble removing something in your eye or if a larger or sharper object is involved, you should seek medical attention. If you are wearing a contact lens, it should be removed prior to trying to remove the foreign body. Do not put the contact lens back into your eye until your eye is completely healed.

• For larger foreign bodies or metal pieces, you should seek medical care, even if you are able to safely remove them at home.

  • If the foreign body is easily accessible and has not penetrated your eyeball, you may be able to remove it carefully with a cotton swab or a tissue.
    
    
  • If you have any question about penetration of the eye, do not remove the object without medical assistance.
    
    
  • If you cannot remove the object or if you continue to have the sensation that something is in your eye even after the debris is removed, you should seek medical care.
    
    
• After the foreign body is removed, your eye may be red and tearing.
  
  
• You may protect your eye by cutting the top part off of a Styrofoam or paper cup and placing the cup over your eye. If you place a cup over your eye, do not put any pressure on the injured eye, because it could cause additional injury to your eye. 
  
  

  • This cup can be taped in place and will form a cover over your eye.
    
    
  • It is very important not to rub your eye or to apply any pressure to your eye. If you have punched a hole in your eye (called a ruptured globe or eyeball), you can do significant damage by pressing or rubbing your eye. This is especially true with small children who will rub their eyes to try to remove the debris.