Our eye-clinic/optical care services cover people from the following locations and near you: alagbole, akute, ajuwon, lambe, matogun, matogbun, giwa, okearo, koye, oke, arifanla, baale, Road, fagba, abule, egba, agege, ogba, ikeja, G. R. A, oshodi, Berger, ojodu, omole, magodo, yaba, mowe, ibafo, shagamu, Ishagah, shomolu, heritage, estate, ajao, College Road, iju, Road, water, works, omole, magado, ketu, ojota, ikoyi, akiode bus stop, grammar school, first gate, Ala Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Benin, Edo, Association, Club, Ikorodu, Ketu, ijoko, jankara, Ladipo, Ojota, Shomolu, Cele, Ogun, Lagos, Lagos Island, Lagos mainland, Ifako, Ijaye, eti osa, Oyo, Lisa, Obawole,Iju, Ishagah, Ishaga, Isaga, Isagah, Ishasi,Obawale,Owode, sang ota, abule egba, redeem camp, Ijebu ode, toll gate, bus stop, Street, along, Nigeria.
You are greatly remembered at this special season. May your life be continually filled by the love and joy of christmas. And may God continue to keep and bless you abundantly
Eyeupdate Eye-clinic & Optical Supplies, 01, Ajuwon bus stop, Akute/Ajuwon Road, Ajuwon (beside BPNL/MRS Filling station).
Tel: 08107531046, 08034971582
LYON, France — A 72-year-old woman with dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD) was the first patient to receive an artificial retina implant as part of the multicenter PRIMAvera clinical trial, which is looking at the safety and efficacy of the PRIMA system.
“Her vision was severely impaired by this condition. We used the ETDRS chart to assess her visual acuity, as this is the current method in ophthalmology. She was able to read only nine letters,” said Laurent Kodjikian, MD, PhD, from Hôpital de la Croix-Rousse in Lyon, who is a former president of the French Society of Ophthalmology. To put that in perspective, a person with normal vision can make out 85 letters, he explained.
“The goal is to get her reading another ten letters,” he told Medscape Medical News.
The hospital where Kodjikian works is one of six centers in France selected to take part in the ongoing AMD clinical trial; other study sites are in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Spain. The 38 study participants will be followed for 12 months after implantation to assess visual acuity and adverse events, and outcomes will be monitored for 3 years. Investigators hope that the findings will lead to the device receiving authorization to enter the market.
The PRIMA artificial retina system has three elements: a tiny wireless retinal implant; a pair of glasses with a camera and digital projector; and a portable processor connected to the projector. The camera captures visual scenes from the surrounding environment. The processor uses algorithms to process and simplify the images, which are then sent back to the glasses. The digital projector uses pulses of infrared light to project the processed images onto the retinal implant’s photovoltaic receptors. These receptors then convert the optical information into electrical stimulation, which excites the nerve cells of the inner retina, allowing them take in the information and transmit it, via the optic nerve, to the brain. This then induces visual perception.
To implant the chip, Kodjikian made a rather large incision — 3.5 mm — and then peeled off the retina, all while looking through a surgical microscope.
“It’s easy to peel off the retina in a healthy eye. However, the procedure becomes more difficult in an eye affected by dry AMD, where the retina tissue is not only very thin and firmly attached to the back wall of the eye, but is also very fragile. A lot can go wrong during this step, so we have to really take our time,” he said. “You can’t go too deep, and if you go too close to the surface, you risk perforating the retina. Like walking on a very thin tightrope, there’s danger all around, and very little room for error.”
After the chip was inserted under the retina, Kodjikian put the retina tissue back into place. “This was the first time I’d ever done this kind of procedure, and it was quite a challenge,” he told Medscape.
The operation took 2.5 hours, which is much less time than the 4 to 5 hours estimated by the manufacturer.
The patient will undergo rehabilitation for 12 months to help her adapt to the system. “Our hope is that this patient will be able to see better with the implant. She probably won’t get to the point of being able to drive a car. And while reading novels in small print may not be possible, it’s quite likely that she’ll be able to read large-print editions,” Kodjikian explained.
Upon activation of the retinal prosthetic, the patient experienced visual impressions that she couldn’t see before the surgery. And 1 month after the procedure, things seem to be on track, according to a press release. “The postoperative result is excellent. There are no complications, the chip is perfectly in place and the vision has not been degraded by the operation. She should now start to improve thanks to rehabilitation,” said Kodjikian.
“Of the various artificial retina systems out there, this one is the most sophisticated because it has the most pixels. The technology will certainly continue to advance. But for the time being, the clinical study should allow us to show that it does work,” he concluded.
In December 2021, he implanted an artificial retina in a second patient, and it took him 50 minutes less than the first one.
This article originally appeared in the French edition of Medscape.
The authors have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.
Eyeupdate Eye-clinic & Optical Supplies, p1, Ajuwon bus stop, Akute/Ajuwon Road, Ajuwon (beside BPNL/MRS Filling station).
Tel: 08107531046, 08034971582.
Our eye-clinic/optical care services cover people from the following locations and near you:
alagbole, akute, ajuwon, lambe, matogun, matogbun, giwa, okearo, koye, oke, arifanla, baale, Road, fagba, abule, egba, agege, ogba, ikeja, G. R. A, oshodi, Berger, ojodu, omole, magodo, yaba, mowe, ibafo, shagamu, Ishagah, shomolu, heritage, estate, ajao, College Road, iju, Road, water, works, omole, magado, ketu, ojota, ikoyi, akiode bus stop, grammar school, first gate, Ala Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Benin, Edo, Association, Club, Ikorodu, Ketu, ijoko, jankara, Ladipo, Ojota, Shomolu, Cele, Ogun, Lagos, Lagos Island, Lagos mainland, Ifako, Ijaye, eti osa, Oyo, Lisa, Obawole,Iju, Ishagah, Ishaga, Isaga, Isagah, Ishasi,Obawale,Owode, sang ota, abule egba, redeem camp, Ijebu ode, toll gate, bus stop, Street, along, Nigeria.
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii). This single-celled organism is commonly found throughout the world and tends to infect birds and mammals. The parasite forms egg-like structures called oocysts. These must be ingested by mouth, which means the infection cannot be transferred from person to person.
Humans become infected with the toxoplasmosis parasite through contact with infected animal faeces (poo). Cats are the main hosts. They acquire T. gondii from eating infected rodents or birds and then may pass the infection to their human handlers.
Another way of catching this infection is touching or eating raw or undercooked lamb, pork or kangaroo meat. The parasites can be stored in small pockets (cysts) in the muscle tissue of these meats. Drinking contaminated unpasteurised milk can also cause infection with toxoplasmosis parasites.
In most cases of animal and human infection, toxoplasmosis does not cause any symptoms. The only evidence of infection is detection of antibodies in the blood against the toxoplasmosis parasite.
Symptoms, if they do occur, include:
The toxoplasmosis parasite can cause a long-term infection. Following infection, a small number of parasites can remain locked inside cysts within certain parts of the body, such as the brain, lungs and muscle tissue.
Under normal circumstances, the immune system will easily destroy any parasites that escape these cysts, but a person with lowered immunity may not be able to fend off an attack. The parasites can greatly increase in number and cause a variety of serious illnesses, including infection of the brain.
If newborn babies are infected, at worst, they will only suffer from mild illness. However, toxoplasmosis in pregnancy can expose babies in the womb to the parasite and this is potentially more serious. If a woman contracts toxoplasmosis for the first time while pregnant, the parasites may affect the baby through the placenta.
Most unborn babies aren’t affected at all, but a minority may be harmed by infection. Effects of toxoplasmosis on unborn babies can include:
Pregnant women and people who have compromised immune systems should take precautions against toxoplasmosis. If a woman is infected before she becomes pregnant, then her immune system will attack the parasite and make it harmless. Problems only occur if a woman becomes infected for the first time while pregnant.
A pregnant woman and people with compromised immune systems can take simple precautions to reduce the risk of infection with the parasite. These include:
The infectious oocysts are robust and hardy. They can survive in water, soil or sand for around 12 months. Young children who play in sandpits and gardens may be at risk if they come into contact with infected cat faeces. Precautions include:
Cats are only infectious for a few weeks after ingesting the parasites and kittens are more likely to pass on the infection than older cats. Suggestions on reducing the risk of infection in your cat include:
Treatment of toxoplasmosis is often unnecessary. The infection is diagnosed with a simple blood test that checks for the presence of specific antibodies. A healthy person who is not pregnant and becomes infected does not require treatment. Symptoms, if any, are usually mild and disappear after a few weeks.
For pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems, such as those in the later stages of human immunodeficiency virus infection/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome(HIV/AIDS), medications including antibiotics may be prescribed.
It’s best to approach pterygium surgery with the goal of reducing the chances of recurrence at all costs. While most pterygia are asymptomatic and regarded as garden variety lesions, they become serious problems if they recur after removal. These cases most certainly warrant a subspecialist evaluation. In this article, I’ll discuss some surgical approaches to pterygium, with particular emphasis on recurrent pterygium.
At the Outset
When a patient presents with a pterygium, the first thing to decide is whether it’s necessary to do anything at all. Many patients have only mild complaints related to dryness or irritation, and are often best observed or managed medically. Lubrication or topical NSAIDs may help relieve ocular inflammation and reduce the pterygium’s appearance. Protecting the face and eyes from excessive UV exposure may also help, as pterygium is more prevalent in regions that receive strong ultraviolet radiation.
Only a small percentage of pterygium cases warrants surgical excision. Indications for surgery include obstruction of the visual axis, pterygium-induced irregular astigmatism, chronic eye irritation and cosmetic dissatisfaction.
If you do decide to surgically remove the pterygium, your next decision will be to determine how extensive a procedure is required. One day postoperatively, no matter which method you used to remove the pterygium, it’s going to be gone. The question is: Is it going to come back? You want to do everything you can to make sure the answer is “no.”
Surgical Strategy
There are many different ways to do a basic pterygium removal, and potentially hundreds of modifications of the surgical technique. The most common method of simple excision takes about five minutes but is associated with a much higher relative risk of the pterygium recurring. For this technique, you simply pry the scar tissue off the cornea and snip it off. It’s effective for about 90 percent of cases, but that means you can expect approximately 10 percent of cases to recur (often with a vengeance).
As a medical adjuvant to the simple snip excision, one might also consider the adjunctive use of antimetabolites such as mitomycin-C on the surgical site. This isn’t something that I usually do however, because mitomycin carries the risk of scleral melting. If you’re concerned enough to pour chemotherapy on the surface of the eye to prevent the pterygium from coming back, then, rather than using the mitomycin technique, the optimal thing to do would be to try the PERFECT technique (explained in detail below).
Pterygium Excision
We often use a nerve blocker for pterygium excision. Retrobulbar anesthesia is typically most comfortable for the patient because it provides good levels of pain control during the procedure. Take care not to damage the underlying corneal tissue or remove stroma when prying the pterygium off the surface of the eye.
First, make an incision at the limbus where the pterygium begins to encroach over the cornea. Cut it free and peel it from the corneal surface using blunt dissection. Once the pterygium’s been removed, we often polish the cornea with a diamond burr. When the cornea has been repaired, we turn our attention to the sclera and conjunctiva.
Dissect the conjunctiva free from Tenon’s capsule. Remove all of Tenon’s capsule where the pterygium was.
Once you remove the scar tissue from the nasal aspect of the cornea and globe, you must then decide what to put in the gap where the scar tissue used to be. You have a few options:
Option 1: Do nothing. You can just leave it bare and it’ll re-epithelialize on its own. This has the highest risk of recurrence and induces the most patient discomfort, but it can be done.
Option 2: Cover the area with a biological material. Amniotic membrane, which can be placed and glued or sutured over the area of the defect, is a very effective method. We prefer to use glue, since it’s fast and simple. Amniotic membrane makes patients more comfortable and contributes to the healing of the tissue. However, it’s not quite as effective in discouraging recurrence as the third option.
Option 3: Rotational conjunctival autograft. This method might not be necessary in every case, but it’s the least likely to lead to recurrence. It’s also the technique I perform most often.
 |
To perform a rotational conjunctival autograft, first measure the conjunctival epithelial defect and how much bare sclera you need to cover. Then, harvest the conjunctiva approximately 90 degrees or 3 to 4 clock hours away from the resected site, usually in the superior globe, with Wescott scissors. Dissect the conjunctiva free from the underlying Tenon’s capsule to an extent that matches the surface area of the pterygium. Create a pedicle flap and rotate it down to cover the area. Glue or suture the flap to the bed with 8-0 vicryl. If using glue, aim for as little glue as possible. Postoperatively, prescribe topical antibiotic drops such as fluoroquinolone q.i.d. for a week, and a steroid drop such as prednisolone acetate q.i.d., tapered over one to three months.
In terms of graft stability, gluing and suturing will give you the most peace of mind. A third technique, autologous in situ blood coagulum, will also work if you don’t have access to glue and you do have an extra 10 minutes to hold pressure on the site. The patient’s natural bleeding in the area will coagulate and anchor the amniotic membrane; however, you can’t be as sure as with glue or suture that the tissue will still be adherent after a day or a week. Besides, glue and suture are expensive, but the most expensive thing of all is time in the operating room—holding tissue down with your fingers for 10 minutes is quite expensive.
Recurrence (discussed below) is the most serious postop complication of pterygium excision. Additionally, you have to be concerned about scarring. When you’re cutting on the eye you’re generating scar tissue, so you need to be careful that you don’t end up with a tangled, fibrous mess. This is entirely possible, especially with multiple surgeries.
Other complications you may encounter include scleral melt due to the use of mitomycin-C; fibrosis, especially around the extraocular muscle in that location; infection, which is rare; and ocular surface discomfort, which can last for weeks or even months. Typically, the steroids help ease discomfort, but we also encourage the use of lubricant drops. Keep these complications in mind when forming your surgical strategy.
Recurrence
Young people are generally at increased risk for recurrence, as are African Americans and Hispanics of all ages, who tend to have more inflammatory phenotypes. Additionally, patients with double pterygia (on both the nasal and temporal aspects of the cornea) and bilateral double pterygia are at extremely high risk for recurrence. In these patients, you need to take every possible precaution and be very careful if you do any surgery on them.
 |
It’s critical that these patients be watched carefully for recurrence. If you notice the area you’ve resected is starting to grow back, usually at a millimeter-by-millimeter pace, begin aggressive topical steroids immediately, since you want to do everything in your power to avoid a second surgery. If the eye is red and inflamed, that’s the time for drops, not surgery.
However, if you lose the battle—whether you’re inattentive, or the patient comes back years later, or was referred elsewhere and upon their return to you, the pterygium is growing over the visual axis—then it’s time to consider reoperating.
In the event that the pterygium recurs, I recommend trying the PERFECT technique. This technique, which stands for Pterygium Extended Removal Followed by Extended Conjunctival Transplant, was pioneered by Australian ophthalmologist Lawrence Hirst, MBBS, MD, MPH, who runs The Australian Pterygium Centre. It has by far the lowest risk of recurrence, at just 0.1 percent (Figure 1). This method involves extensive removal of Tenon’s capsule from the area of the pterygium and surrounding areas and is meant to be used on patients who have recurrent pterygium after previous surgical removal. This procedure has very good cosmetic outcomes, with most patients reporting being unable to tell which eye had surgery.
The PERFECT technique for pterygium consists of three components that each take about 15 to 20 minutes to perform. Following are the steps of the technique as described by Prof. Hirst in a video of the procedure.
 |
First, mark and transect the pterygium. Strip it from the corneal surface. Try to avoid having any residual pterygium tissue. Next, separate Tenon’s layer from the overlying conjunctiva and sclera, almost to the superior and inferior rectus muscles, and over the medial rectus muscle back to the caruncle (Figure 2). Adequate removal will result in visible bare sclera above and below the medial rectus muscle.
For the extended conjunctival transplant, mark the donor graft starting at the superior bulbar conjunctiva (Figure 3). The mark should extend almost to the superior fornix, and about 1 to 2 mm short of the limbus, and nasally, almost to the pterygium excision site. Leave a 5- to 7-mm bridge of conjunctiva and Tenon’s layer. At the donor site, the conjunctiva to be grafted should be separated from Tenon’s. A successful autograft should be virtually transparent, without any Tenon’s layer carried over with the graft. This helps to ensure that the donor site will heal with minimal-to-no scarring. The conjunctival graft is then transferred to the site of the former pterygium and sutured into place (Figure 4). To view a video of this technique, visit youtu.be/ODpQ_RbgHn4.
While it has the best success rate for preventing recurrence, by a wide margin, PERFECT is a long procedure—taking an hour to two hours of operating time, depending on your experience and skill level. However, I believe that anyone who’s had a pterygium recurrence needs to undergo this technique, as opposed to the standard “rip and clip.”
Ultimately, a pterygium isn’t something you want to keep hacking off over and over again. If it recurs early on, and you don’t feel comfortable doing the very refined PERFECT surgery yourself, it’s a good idea to refer the patient to a specialist. REVIEW
A chalazion is a small, slow-growing lump or cyst that develops within the eyelid. They are not usually painful and rarely last longer than a few weeks.
A chalazion can develop when a meibomian gland at the edge of an eyelid becomes blocked or inflamed. These glands produce oil that lubricates the surface of the eye.
In this article, we look at the symptoms of a chalazion and the differences between a chalazion and a stye. We also describe causes, home treatment, when to see a doctor, surgery, and prevention.
In the early stages, a chalazion appears as a small, red or otherwise inflamed area of the eyelid.
Within a few days, this inflammation can develop into a painless and slow-growing lump.
A chalazion can appear on the upper or lower eyelid, but they are more common on the upper lid.
Although chalazia are generally painless, they can cause the eye to become watery and mildly irritated. A particularly large chalazion may press on the eyeball, which can lead to blurry vision.
People sometimes confuse a chalazion with a stye due to the similarities in appearance. A stye is also a small lump that can develop in the eye area.
Although people often use the two terms interchangeably, they refer to different types of lesion.
A chalazion results from a blocked oil gland, whereas a stye indicates an infected oil gland or hair follicle. However, a chalazion can sometimes develop into a stye.
There are two types of stye:
The most noticeable difference between a chalazion and a stye is that a chalazion tends to be painless. A stye is usually very painful and may cause the eye to feel sore and scratchy.
Other symptoms of a stye can include:
Most styes increase in size for around 3 days before the pus begins to drain. They usually take around 1 week to heal.
A chalazion typically occurs in a person with an underlying inflammatory condition that affects the eyes or skin. Some of these conditions include:
Less commonly, chalazia develop due to viral conjunctivitis, which is a type of eye infection.
Individuals who have had a stye or chalazion have an increased risk of developing chalazia in the future.
Other risk factors for a chalazion include:
A chalazion usually requires very little medical treatment and tends to clear up on its own within a few weeks.
In the meantime, it is important to avoid squeezing or popping the chalazion, as this can increase the risk of an eye infection.
However, there are several safe ways to promote drainage and speed up the healing process. These include:
Applying a warm compress to the affected eye can help soften any hardened oil blocking the gland ducts. This helps the ducts open and drain more effectively, which can relieve irritation.
To make and use a warm compress:
Gently massaging the eyelids for several minutes each day can help the oil ducts drain more effectively.
Before doing so, ensure that the hands are clean to reduce the risk of infection.
Once the chalazion begins to drain, keep the area clean and avoid touching it with bare hands.
A number of over-the-counter products can help treat a chalazion or stye. These may reduce irritation, prevent infection, and speed up the healing process.
Some of these products include ointments, solutions, and medicated eye pads. A pharmacist can provide advice.
To prevent further discomfort or irritation, it is best to avoid wearing eye makeup or contact lenses until the chalazion heals.
Consider seeing an eye doctor, an ophthalmologist or optometrist, if a chalazion does not drain and heal within 1 month.
The healthcare professional will ask about symptoms and examine the area to rule out other conditions. They may also prescribe anti-inflammatory eye drops or ointments to reduce discomfort and speed healing.
For some people, a doctor may give a steroid injection to reduce swelling. This will depend on the location, size, and number of chalazia present.
If there are signs of a bacterial infection, the doctor may recommend a course of oral antibiotics.
For a person with a severe or persistent chalazion, a doctor may recommend surgery to drain it. This typically takes place in the doctor’s office using local anesthesia.
Chalazia can sometimes recur. If this happens often, the doctor may need to take a biopsy of the lump.
A biopsy involves removing a small sample of tissue, which the doctor will examine for signs of a more serious condition.
Cleansing the eye area every day can help prevent a chalazion from developing or recurring.
Using eyelid scrubs or premoistened cleansing wipes to keep the oil glands from becoming blocked.
Other chalazion prevention tips include:
A chalazion is a painless lump that can develop on the eyelid.
Although chalazia can cause irritation and discomfort, they are usually harmless and clear up on their own within a few weeks. Occasionally, a chalazion may become infected and develop into a stye.
See an eye doctor, an optometrist or ophthalmologist, if the eye area becomes particularly swollen or painful, or if the chalazion does not respond to home treatment.
A daily eye-cleansing routine may help keep a chalazion from recurring.
VIEW GALLERY7
Your eyes are an important part of your health. Most people rely on their eyes to see and make sense of the world around them. But some eye diseases can lead to vision loss, so it is important to identify and treat eye diseases as early as possible. You should get your eyes checked as often as your health care provider recommends it, or if you have any new vision problems. And just as it is important to keep your body healthy, you also need to keep your eyes healthy.
There are things you can do to help keep your eyes healthy and make sure you are seeing your best:
Everyone needs to have their eyesight tested to check for vision and eye problems. Children usually have vision screening in school or at their health care provider’s office during a checkup. Adults may also get vision screenings during their checkups. But many adults need more than a vision screening. They need a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Getting comprehensive dilated eye exams is especially important because some eye diseases may not have warning signs. The exams are the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages, when they are easier to treat.
The exam includes several tests:
If you have a refractive error and are going to need glasses or contacts, then you will also have a refraction test. When you have this test, you look through a device that has lenses of different strengths to help your eye care professional figure out which lenses will give you the clearest vision.
At what age you should start getting these exams and how often you need them depends on many factors. They include your age, race, and overall health. For example, if you are African American, you are at higher risk of glaucoma and you need to start getting the exams earlier. If you have diabetes, you should get an exam every year. Check with your health care provider about if and when you need these exams
Computer vision problems or Digital eye strain is a group of eye and vision problems. The problems can include eyes that itch and tear, and are dry and red. Your eyes may feel tired or uncomfortable. You may not be able to focus normally. These problems are caused by lots of computer or digital device use. Using e-readers and smartphones may also cause these problems.
These problems have been increasing in frequency over the past few decades. Many people have some symptoms if they use a computer or digital device for long periods. Most computer or digital device users have symptoms at least some of the time. Digital eye strain is very common in both children and adults.
For many reasons, reading text on a computer screen or digital device is often harder for the eyes than reading printed text. This is why working on a computer for a few hours may cause symptoms of digital eye strain, but reading a book may not.
Several factors help to cause digital eye strain, such as:
People often blink less when using a computer than when reading printed text. This can cause dry eye, This may contribute to digital eye strain.
You may be at greater risk for digital eye strain if you:
You may have an underlying problem with dry eye. This may make digital eye strain worse, or more likely to occur. Dry eye is more common in women than in men. It also becomes more common with age. Some medicines and health problems make dry eye more likely. For example, if you use antihistamines, you may be at greater risk of having dry eye. If you have thyroid disease or certain autoimmune diseases, you are also at greater risk of having dry eye.
Digital eye strain can cause many symptoms, including:
Most of these symptoms are short-term (temporary). They often lessen or go away when you stop using your computer or device. But symptoms may continue for a longer time.
The severity of symptoms may vary depending on:
Symptoms may get worse if you don’t resolve the problem.
Using a computer or digital device for a long time can also lead to other symptoms. This includes neck and shoulder pain. This is often due to poor alignment and posture when using the computer or digital device. Some healthcare providers call these symptoms part of digital eye strain as well.
Your eye care provider will make a diagnosis with a health history and complete eye exam. They will assess if any health problems, medicines, or environmental factors might be adding to your symptoms.
Your eye care provider may test the sharpness of your vision and how well your eyes focus and work together. For a more detailed exam your provider may want to dilate (enlarge) your pupils. Then they will use a device (ophthalmoscope) to look at the back of your eye. In some cases, you may need to get follow-up blood tests for healthcare problems that might be helping to cause your digital eye strain.
Treatment includes creating a better work environment.
Making these changes may help eliminate digital eye strain in many people.
Your eye care provider will also need to treat any hidden health problems that may be adding to your digital eye strain. For instance, you might need a new pair of glasses. If you have an underlying dry eye problem, your eye care provider might advise the following:
Create a better work environment to help prevent digital eye strain. If you use glasses or corrective lenses, see your eye care provider at least once a year or as advised for a checkup. Also see your healthcare provider regularly. This can help prevent and treat health problems that can help cause digital eye strain.
Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider:
Uveitis is a form of eye inflammation. It affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye wall (uvea).
Uveitis (u-vee-I-tis) warning signs often come on suddenly and get worse quickly. They include eye redness, pain and blurred vision. The condition can affect one or both eyes, and it can affect people of all ages, even children.
Possible causes of uveitis are infection, injury, or an autoimmune or inflammatory disease. Many times a cause can’t be identified.
Uveitis can be serious, leading to permanent vision loss. Early diagnosis and treatment are important to prevent complications and preserve your vision.
Eye with uveaOpen pop-up dialog box
The signs, symptoms and characteristics of uveitis may include:
Symptoms may occur suddenly and get worse quickly, though in some cases, they develop gradually. They may affect one or both eyes. Occasionally, there are no symptoms, and signs of uveitis are observed on a routine eye exam.
The uvea is the middle layer of tissue in the wall of the eye. It consists of the iris, the ciliary body and the choroid. When you look at your eye in the mirror, you will see the white part of the eye (sclera) and the colored part of the eye (iris).
The iris is located inside the front of the eye. The ciliary body is a structure behind the iris. The choroid is a layer of blood vessels between the retina and the sclera. The retina lines the inside of the back of the eye, like wallpaper. The inside of the back of the eye is filled with a gel-like liquid called vitreous.
The type of uveitis you have depends on which part or parts of the eye are inflamed:
Contact your doctor if you think you have the warning signs of uveitis. He or she may refer you to an eye specialist (ophthalmologist). If you’re having significant eye pain and unexpected vision problems, seek immediate medical attention.
In about half of all cases, the specific cause of uveitis isn’t clear, and the disorder may be considered an autoimmune disease that only affects the eye or eyes. If a cause can be determined, it may be one of the following:
People with changes in certain genes may be more likely to develop uveitis. Cigarette smoking has been associated with more difficult to control uveitis.
Left untreated, uveitis can cause complications, including:
Prosthetic contact lenses are prescribed to mask flaws and improve the appearance of an eye disfigured from a birth defect, trauma, or eye disease.
If certain structures of the injured or disfigured eye also fail to function properly, special prosthetic lenses can be designed to block excess light from reaching the back of the eye to reduce glare and increase comfort.
Your eye care practitioner can match prosthetic contact lenses to the appearance of a healthy eye by using a pre-made trial set or by ordering custom-painted contact lenses.
Like regular contact lenses, prosthetic contacts can be made of gas permeable or soft lens materials. And most prosthetic lenses can be cleaned and disinfected using the same multipurpose contact lens solutions recommended for conventional soft or gas permeable lenses.
Custom prosthetic lenses can be made in a wide variety of lens powers to correct nearsightedness, farsightedness and/or astigmatism, or they can be produced without corrective power to simply provide a more natural appearance to a blind or disfigured eye.
Many injuries, conditions and infections can lead to disfigurement of an eye and make an individual feel self-conscious about his or her appearance. Prosthetic lenses can be specially designed to match the appearance of the unaffected eye as closely as possible and make the disfigured eye less conspicuous.
Disfiguring conditions frequently treated with prosthetic contact lenses include incomplete formation of the pupil (aniridia), lack of pigment or color in the eye (albinism) and damage to the cornea from trauma.
People with albinism or other eye conditions creating light sensitivity (photophobia) can benefit from prosthetic lenses that reduce the amount of light entering the eye. Prosthetic lenses also are sometimes used to eliminate double vision (diplopia) caused by certain eye conditions.
Special prosthetic colored contact lenses sometimes are used to improve vision in cases of childhood amblyopia. Two identical-appearing colored contacts are worn, but one lens has an opaque pupil painted on it to block (occlude) light from entering the eye. This lens is worn on the eye with normal sight, forcing greater use of the amblyopic eye to improve vision development in the affected eye.
Occlusion therapy with prosthetic contact lenses can be more effective for treating amblyopia than the use of an eye patch, which children often resist or remove due to embarrassment. But amblyopia treatment with contacts is more expensive due to the cost of the prosthetic lenses.
The first step in being fit with prosthetic contact lenses is to have a comprehensive eye exam. During this exam, your optometrist or ophthalmologist will thoroughly examine your eyes to rule out conditions that might interfere with successful prosthetic contact lens wear.
The second step is to undergo a contact lens fitting. In addition to performing the steps in a normal contact lens exam and fitting, your eye doctor may also take close-up photographs of your eyes. These color photos are sent to the prosthetic contact lens manufacturer to help the company create a prosthetic lens that matches your natural eye color and appearance as closely as possible.
Some eye doctors who specialize in contacts for hard-to-fit eyes also may have fitting sets of sample prosthetic lenses on hand so you can get an immediate idea of how effectively the lenses can restore a natural appearance to your affected eye(s).
Though many of us wear glasses, very few of us realize the maintenance they actually need to keep our vision clear. Maintaining your eyewear isn’t difficult, but it does require special care. Read some of our tips for taking care of your eyeglasses
Your glasses can be very fragile depending on how they were made. Some lenses have films on them to provide UV protection, scratch or shatter resistance, or even to enhance your prescription. These films are the most fragile part of your glasses, and they can easily be destroyed by contact with certain abrasive chemicals.
While it’s obvious that you shouldn’t scrub your glasses with, say, bathroom cleaner, it’s much less obvious that everyday things we put on our skin, like lotions and sunscreen, can be nearly as bad for our sensitive glasses as the bathroom cleaner we all know we should never use.
These products can contain mild abrasives that do not harm (and sometimes can even help!) our skin but may harm the film on our glasses, especially with exposure over time.
The only way to be certain that you are avoiding any chemical contact with your glasses is to wash your hands before handling them. Lotions and sunscreens are just two of the many things we can have on our hands; often our hands have all sorts of random things on them that we don’t notice or can’t see.
A simple hand washing before you handle your glasses can help to keep the abrasives from getting onto your lenses and can help keep everything clean.
While you’re at the sink, run your glasses under a gentle stream of warm water. This will help to carefully remove any loose dirt or other debris that could scratch the lenses when you wipe your lenses.
If you were to omit this step, you might end up scratching your lenses with invisible debris. While the damage might not be visible immediately, it will degrade your lenses more quickly.
Once your hands are clean and you’ve run your glasses under warm water, you can wipe the lenses off to remove any leftover oils and grime. Back away from that T-shirt and put down the paper towels! You should only use a cloth specially designed for lenses. Your local Eyeglass World will sell these as either lens cloths or microfiber cloths. Using a material that was not intended to clean glasses can and will do more damage than the little bits of dirt you’re trying to remove.
Usually, a simple rinse and wipe is enough to get your frames back to top condition. However, there are always cases where we end up with grime that just won’t come off easily.
In these cases, you should only use a cleaning solution that you get from your optometrist. These cleaners are specially formulated to be very gentle on your glasses, whereas cleaners that might work on other forms of glass could be harsh and cause damage.
Remember, when you’ve cleaned your eyeglasses, you need to be sure to store them properly to avoid having them collect more dirt, causing you to have to repeat the process more often than necessary.
Use the case your eyewear came in to store them. Hard cases generally provide more protection than soft cases. Even though they tend to be bulkier – they’re the safer choice.
If you have any questions, stop by any of our branches