Uveitis, one of the leading causes of blindness

Uveitis is a major eye disease which affects the uvea, middle layer of the eye beneath the white part. The uvea includes the iris, ciliary body and choroid. It is one of the most important parts of the eye which transports blood to the other parts of the eye. It affects the middle coat of the eye, which extends from iris at the front of the eye to the retina and choroid at the back of the eye.

Uveitis is the inflammation of the uvea, the internal inflammation of the eye. In many cases the cause of the uveitis is unkown but some of the potential causes are infection such as bacterial, virus, syphilis, tuberculosis and Lyme disease. Autoimmune diseases such as arthritis, reiter’s syndrome, sarcoidosis and ankylosing spondylitis also contribute to the cause of uveitis.  Other than this, past eye problems like injury can also cause uveitis.

Many cases of uveitis are chronic, and they can produce numerous possible complications, including clouding of the cornea, cataracts, elevated eye pressure (IOP), glaucoma, swelling of the retina or retinal detachment. These complications can result in permanent vision loss, if not treated on time.

Its classification usually depends on the area where it occurs. By this one can get to know which type of Uveitis a person is suffering. Anterior Uvietis occurs in the front part of the eye while Intermediate Uvietis occurs at the centre. Posterior Uvietis is another type which occurs at the back while Pan Uveitis usually affects all the three parts of the Uvea.

However, its symptoms are same as that of an eye infection. But it is not just an infection but can lead to a major eye disease or even blindness. Paining eyes are the most common sign of any infection. It also includes redness of the eye, watery eyes, light sensitivity, blurred vision and small or distorted pupil.

Coming to the treatment, some of the common treatments of uveitis include periocular steroid injections, it is the form of therapy which may be uncomfortable, yet very effective in acute uveitis. Other method of treatment is systemic or oral administration of steroids or anti-metabolite drugs. The dose required to penetrate and treat uveitis in the eye is frequently associated with side effects in the rest of the body (including Cushing's syndrome, renal, liver and bone-marrow damage). Cycloplegic medication is another method of treatment in which eye drops are given to dilate the pupil to prevent it sticking to the lens of the eye. These drops reduce the risk of scarring between the pupil and the lens.

Catch early symptoms of Uveitis

Uveitis,of which we are among very few super specialists in the city,is a serious eye disease in which middle part of the eyes get inflammed. Infections,immune disorder ,arthritis are among known causes,roughly in about forty percent cases causes are not known.If not treated in time,it can even lead to blindness.Treatment involves effort to control inflammation and specific medicine.This needs effective monitoring too.

Early symptoms of this disease are irritation and redness in  eyes. Other symptoms include pain in the eyes, blurred vision, increased sensitivity to light, floaters in the eyes, watery eyes etc. Mostly only one eye at a time is affected and the middle-age people are generally affected by this disease.

It is important to get this eye disease treated at early stage. It can only be easily diagnosed through eye examinations and needs routine check up .

Go and see an eye specialist of you notice any change in your eyes.


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Causes and Symptoms of Night Blindness

Night Blindness is a condition of eye in which a person is not able to see things in a dim or poor light. This is a result of disorder in the rod cells in the retina which leads to loosing of the ability to respond to the light. It is experienced by people of all ages whether young or old.

Causes of Night Blindness:-
Myopia Or nearsightedness, Deficiency of Vitamin A, Glaucoma or Kala Motia, dark pigment collecting in your retina, any genetic condition that affects both ears and eyes etc.

Symptoms of Night Blindness:-
The only symptom of night blindness is difficulty you face in seeing in the dark. Transition when you face from getting in the dark from the bright environment.

If any of these symptoms prevail visit an eye specialist.

Photophobia, not a fear but a mojor eye disease

Photophobia is not any fear or phobia but a condition in which discomfort or pain in eyes is experienced due to light. It is a very common symptom during migraine, and a criteria to depict migraine. The bright light like sunlight, fluorescent light and incandescent light all can cause discomfort to the eyes. Its treatment depends upon the severity of pain.

Symptoms of Photophobia:-

It causes symptoms like any infection, swelling, migraine, squint or close the eyes, and headache, nausea, or other symptoms may be associated with photophobia.

There are two possible connections associated with Photophobia:-

Migraine:- Many people who have migraine suffers from photophobia. Infact, it is one of the common symptoms of the migraine.

Blepharospasm :- Photophobia is commonly known to be associated with blepharospam. Every one among the two people suffering from blepharospam have photophobia.

Treatment of Photophobia:-

It can be treated by medications and rest for migraines, eye drops, keeping sim lights inside, etc.

Macular Degeneration results in blindness

Macular degeneration, (AMD or ARMD), is a frailty that affects people of 60 years and above, resulting in loss of vision in the center of their visual field because of damage caused to the retina.

It occurs in both dry and wet forms. It is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment, affecting 30-50 million people worldwide. It makes it difficult or at times impossible to read or identify faces, although minor vision remains to allow other activities of daily life.

The area of the macula covers only about 2.1% of the retina, and the remaining 97.9% remains unaffected by this disease. Ironically, even though the macula provides a small fraction of the visual field, almost half of the visual cortex is devoted to process macular information.

Like many other age-related disorders, macular degeneration was once rare, but has become increasingly common in developed nations in the last 30 years due to the rapid growth in the number of people over 75 of age and posts a significant health care challenge as it is the most common cause of vision loss in adults, with the immensity of new cases occurring after the age of 80.

Currently, it appears that the best way to safeguard your eyes from escalating early macular degeneration is to eat a healthy diet, exercise and wear sunglasses that protect your eyes from the sun's harmful UV rays and high-energy visible (HEV) radiation.

Watch out for floaters

Floaters are darkspecs, strands, spots, dots or cobwebs moving in the field of vision. These are more apparent  while looking at a plain background or the sky. although floaters seem to be in front of the eye they are inf act opacities floating inside the eye.

These are often seen along with flashing lights. These are flashes that are seen going on and off, especially on the one side of the field of vision.  

Some tips to be kept in mind for the prevention of floaters:-

Have healthy diet rich in Vitamin A and C act as a preventive shield against any eye disease, follow disciplined lifestyle and include exercise, especially eye exercises in your daily routine.

Read more about floaters in my article that was carried in today's Business Standard.

Watch out for symptoms of Glaucoma (Kala Motia)

Glaucoma also known as Kala Motia is one of the serious conditions of the eye in which fluid pressure inside the eyes damages the optic nerve. It causes excessive damage to the optic nerve which eventually results in blindness. It can be treated through medicines, laser surgery or operative surgery depending upon the nature and severity of each case.

Noticeable signs of the Glaucoma:-

Doubling of vision, change in the colour of iris, intense pain, redness of the eye, headache, nausea, vomiting, watery eyes etc.

Strong risk factors include:-

Age, past injuries to the eyes, thin cornea, very severe near eye sight, family history of glaucoma, African ancestry, diabetes, use of steroid etc.

If you are facing any one of these symptoms, contact an eye specialist for a complete test.

Take care of your eyes during monsoon

Monsoon comes and there is a sign of excitement on everyone's face as it gives relief from the unbearable heat of the summer. The rain helps to get rid of that heat but we forget about the diseases it brings specially eye diseases. Take proper care of eyes as the viral infections of eyes spread during the rains due to moisture. These virus can cause many diseases like conjunctivitis, stye, dry eyes and corneal ulcers which can also lead to blindness.

Other than these some people also experience piercing pain in their eyes.

Symptoms of eye infection:-

Redness of eye, watery discharge, itching, irritation, swelling etc. Don't take there symptoms lightly as it can lead to other harmful eye diseases.

Precautions you can take this monsoon:-

Don't touch your eyes with dirty hands, if a person around you is suffering from conjunctivitis stay away from him/her, don't share personal things of the person suffering from infection, wear eyeglasses while travelling, avoid using cosmetic products during infection.

Why it is important to use polycarbonate material for making eye lenses for children?

 
Children can break the glasses of the spectacles very easily, and can hurt themselves. It is better to use polycarbonate lenses for them as they will not break or shatter easily and you can use it roughly also. These are impact-resistant and also provide protection from UV rays. It is about 20% lighter than other lenses.

Polycarbonate lenses are majorly used by sports persons or people working in an environment where eye glasses can be easily scratched or broken. It is one of the strongest and the safest materials in the market.

There are a variety of lenses in the market choose your lens according to your requirement. Expensive one need not necessarily be good.

Wear correct spectacles

 If you are wearing spectacles and despite wearing it, you still suffer headache it might be a signal that your eyesight has turned weaker. Another important thing that most of the people wearing spectacles must follow, is that they must undergo periodic eye check-up every three months. Eyesight numbers can change due to several reasons and if you don't change the lenses as required, the person may end up with a very weak eyesight.

Also keep following things in mind while wearing spectacles:-

Make sure your lenses are clean:- While wearing spectacles your lenses must be clean, otherwise it will not allow you to see properly. It can lead to headache also. Clean your lenses with the solution and cotton/soft cloth. 

Spectacles can help you to protect from UV rays:- If you spend long hours standing under sun, make sure that your spectacles are 100% equipped with UV rays protection. Sun rays can harm your eye sight very badly.






 

Avoid smoking: It can cause serous eye disease Uveitis

Smoking can cause harm to our lungs, everyone knows that, but it also harms our eyes. Uveitis is among one of the eye diseases which is caused by smoking. Inflammation of the eyes middle layer known as Uvea. It is a serious eye disease that can result in complete loss of vision.

Symptoms of Uveitis
Symptoms of uveitis include:-Eye redness and irritation, blurred vision, eye pain, increased sensitivity to light, floating spots before the eyes regular pupil, eye pain, headache etc.

Forms of Uveitis 

There are commonly three types of Uveitis.  Anterior, intermediate and posterior. The most common form of uveitis is anterior uveitis. 

 

If you notice these symptoms, get yourself examined from the eye specialist and strictly follow the medicines prescribed.

Cataract and its causes

Your Eyes works a lot like a camera, using a lens to focus on an image.The lens in your eyes can become cloudy as you age, making it harder for you to see. This natural condition is known as cataract.
When your cataract interferes with your vision such that you cannot perform certain tasks with ease, a cataract procedure may be recommended. In this day procedure, usually performed under anaesthetic drops without injections around the eye, the cataract is removed and replaced with a crystal clear artificial intraocular lens (IOL). You usually can go home an hour later without a patch over the eye, and vision improves rapidly.

What causes cataracts?

Cataracts are usually due to ageing, but can be caused by:- damage to the eye from mechanical, chemical or electromagnetic radiation, systemic disease, incorrect development of the lens in utero leading to congenital cataract, inherited disorders.
However by far the most common cause is simply time.

Symptoms of cataracts

As a cataract progresses, the following may occur:- Cloudy or hazy vision, decreased night vision, sensitivity to light, intolerance to glare, deterioration of far and near vision, stronger lens prescriptions for glasses no longer correct vision.

Symptoms of Conjunctivitis and how to prevent it

Conjunctivitis is commonly known as Pink Eye and spread as a viral infection. In this the outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids turns red. It spreads with the change of season. Its symptoms are- redness of the eye, increased amount of tears, itchy eyes, thick yellow discharge, burning eyes, blurred vision etc. It can affect one or both the eyes and is the most likely diagnosis in someone with eye redness and discharge (fluid coming from the eye).

 It generally can be diagnosed from the symptoms itself. It is of 3 types- Viral, allergic and bacterial. To find out which kind of conjunctivitis patient is suffering from we have to conduct tests. Lap microscope is used for viral and for bacterial infection culture test is done. As always to prevent conjunctivitis maintain personal hygiene and wash eyes with fresh water on a regular basis in this season. Further on it can be prevented by

 not touching your eyes again and again with infected or dirty hands.

In case you suffer from this infection then remember not to rub your eyes, it only helps spreading of infection.

Know about Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis is common in rainy season.It is like a common viral disease.If you see pink or red eyes, remember to wash eyes with fresh water or wash with boric acid mixed water.Maintain general hygiene,don’t use others towel, handkerchief and other things of personal nature.

Avoid the habit of touching eyes to prevent Eye Infections

Most of us have this habit of touching our nose and eyes, every now and then. But most of the times our hands are dirty and without knowing we spread germs which cause most eye infections. Avoid touching and wash your hands frequently.

Ways to treat those itchy eyes in monsoon

A common problem that many people experience during rainy season is itchiness followed by teary eyes. The best way to overcome this problem is to splash cold water in the eyes frequently. Usually, it takes 3-4 days for eyes to recover. But if the problem persists, consult an eye specialist without delay.

 

Enjoy the rain, but be careful about bacterial infections in this weather

Rains have arrived as a welcome change. But, with rains bacterial and viral infections become common. So, one should be extra careful in this weather to avoid any kind of seasonal eye ailments like conjunctivitis and bacterial eye infection. Avoid places where water gets stagnant. Also, wear glasses when going out in the rain to avoid dirty water getting inside your eye.
Remain healthy and enjoy the weather to the fullest.

Preventive eye care tips for Rainy Season

Eye Diseases are very common during rainy season. Simple precautions can help prevent these. Some preventive steps you can pick from an article of ours that appeared in recent edition of lifestyle magazine The Man. For more information,you can always call us. Remain healthy and enjoy the rainy season.

Are you having Cataract in both eyes? Then, read this

Concluding our series on what basic information a patient needs to know before undergoing a cataract surgery, just wanted to give you a small piece of advise. If you are having cataract in both the eyes, then follow your doctor's advice on cataract in which eye should be removed first. There needs to be a gap of minimum one to two months before the second surgery, as this provides the first eye, ample amount of time to heal.

If observing the following symptom post cataract surgery, visit your doctor immidiately

Although, Cataract surgery is a completely safe procedure, but post surgery, if you experience any of conditions like loss of vision, pain in the eye despite having over the counter pain medications, floaters or flashes appearing in the vision, increased redness in the eyes or constant feeling of nausea/vomiting; contact your doctor without any delay.

Before undergoing cataract surgery, do follow the instructions given by your doctor

There are certain preparations that needs to be made, before your cataract surgery. This includes a painless ultrasound test to measure the size and shape of your eye. This helps in determining the right type of lens implant (intraocular lens, or IOL). Besides, your operating doctor may also ask you to stop taking some particular medicines for some time, in order to minimise the risk of bleeding during the surgery. To reduce the risk of infection, start taking the eye drops prescribed by your doctor two days before the surgery. You may also be instructed fasting (not to eat and drink anything) 12 hours before the procedure.

Remember scheduled visits to your doctor post Cataract Surgery

Regular eye check up is a must post cataract surgery. Preferably, the patient should visit his/her doctor a day or two  after the surgery, followed by a week after and then after a month, so that the healing process is properly monitored.

 

Share Your Medical Condition With Your Doctor Before Undergoing Cataract Surgery

There is an old saying that never hide anything from your doctor or your lawyer. Well, this saying completely fits for those going for cataract surgery. Before, undergoing a surgery please share your complete medical condition and history with the operating doctor. Also, if you are having any other eye disease, make sure you get it treated before a cataract surgery. Failing to do so, may result in serious complications like inflammation, Infection, Retinal detachment, Secondary Cataract and even loss of vision.

Which lens should you opt for, before undergoing Cataract Surgery?

Before going for cataract operation every patient has this question- which lens should I opt for?

Traditionally, during cataract surgery intraocular lenses were implanted which used to correct distant vision. But now, with the advancement in technology, several premium lenses are available suiting various needs of the patients. In fact, with these new lenses, patient's dependency on wearing spectacles gets eliminated or significantly reduced.

We at Save Sight Centre offers various premium lenses for cataract patients and would be happy to discuss these options during your visit.