Diseases & Conditions Blog

What do doctors call this condition?

Conjunctivitis

What is this condition?

Pinkeye is an inflammation of the conjunctiva – the delicate membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the exposed surface of the eye­ball. This disorder is usually harmless, but it can become chronic. In the Western hemisphere, it’s probably the most common eye disorder.

What causes it?

Pinkeye usually results from infection, allergy, or chemical reactions.

Allergic and chemical causes include pollen, grass, topical medications, air pollutants, smoke, and occupational irritants (acids and alkalies). Seasonal or warm-weather pinkeye is caused by an allergy to an unidentified substance. This form of pinkeye, which affects both eyes, usually begins before puberty and lasts about 10 years. Some­times, it’s associated with other allergy symptoms commonly related to grass or pollen sensitivity.

What are its symptoms?

Pinkeye commonly causes redness of the conjunctiva, making the eyes look pink. Some people also have eye discharge, tearing, and pain; children may have a sore throat or fever. If the cornea is also inflamed, the eyes may be sensitive to light.

Pinkeye rarely affects vision. It usually starts in one eye and rapidly spreads to the other by contamination of towels, washcloths, or the person’s hands.

Acute bacterial pinkeye usually lasts only 2 weeks. Typical symptoms are itching, burning, and a foreign body sensation in the eye. The eyelids show a crust of sticky discharge that contains mucus and pus.

Pinkeye caused by a virus leads to profuse tearing, a little discharge, and an enlarged lymph gland in front of the ear. Some viruses take a chronic course and cause severe disabling disease, while others last just 2 to 3 weeks.

How is it diagnosed?

A physical exam usually reveals redness and swelling of blood vessels in the conjunctiva. The doctor may take a specimen of conjunctival scrapings to determine if pinkeye is bacterial, viral, or allergic.

How is it Treated?

Treatment of pinkeye varies with the cause. In bacterial pink eye, the doctor prescribes a topical antibiotic or sulfonamide. Although viral pinkeye resists treatment, eyedrops may prevent a secondary infection. Herpes simplex infection generally responds to Herplex or Vira­A Ophthalmic ointment, but it may persist for 2 to 3 weeks. Allergic pinkeye is treated with eye drops that constrict the blood vessels, cold compresses to relieve itching and, occasionally, oral antihistamines.

What is this condition?

Retinal detachment occurs when the layers of the retina become separated, creating a subretinal space that then fills with subretinal fluid Retinal detachment usually involves only one eye, but it may involve the other eye later.

Surgical reattachment treatment is often successful. However, the prognosis for good vision depends on the area of the retina that’s affected.

What causes it?

Any breach of the retina allows the liquid vitreous humor of the eye­ball to seep between the retinal layers, separating the retina from it’s blood supply. In adults, retinal detachment usually results from age­related degenerative changes, which cause a spontaneous retinal­opening.

Predisposing factors include nearsightedness, cataract surgery, tumors, systemic diseases, and traumatic injury. The influence of traumatic injury may explain why retinal detachment is twice as com­mon in males. Retinal detachment is rare in children.

What are its symptoms?

Initially, the person may complain of floating spots and recurrent flashes of light. But as detachment progresses, gradual, painless vision loss occurs. This vision loss may be described as a veil, curtain, or cobweb effect that eliminates a portion of the visual field.

How is it diagnosed?

Ophthalmoscopy reveals the usually transparent retina as gray and opaque; in severe detachment, it reveals folds in the retina and ballooning out of the area.

How is it treated?

Treatment depends on the location and severity of the detachment. It may include restricting eye movements and positioning the person’s head so that the tear or hole lies below the rest of the eye. Retinal detachment usually requires scleral buckling to reattach the retina and, possibly, replacement of the vitreous humor with silicone, oil, air, or gas. A hole in the peripheral retina can be treated with cryothermy; in the posterior portion, with laser therapy.

What can a person with retinal detachment do?

• Learn the proper method for instilling eyedrops.
• Be sure to comply with prescribed therapy and follow-up care.
• Wear dark glasses to compensate for light sensitivity.

What is this Condition?

Macular degeneration – atrophy or degeneration of the macular disk, located near the center of the retina – accounts for about 12% of all cases of blindness in North America and for about 17% of new cases. Among the elderly, macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness.

Two types of age-related macular degeneration occur. The dry form is characterized by atrophic pigment epithelial changes and is most often associated with slow, progressive, and mild vision loss. The wet form causes rapidly progressive and severe vision loss.

What Causes it?

Age-related macular degeneration results from hardening and obstruction of the retina’s arteries, probably reflecting normal degenerative changes. No predisposing conditions have been identified. However, it may be hereditary.

What are its Symptoms?

The person notices a change in central vision, such as a blank spot in the center of the page when reading.

How is it Diagnosed?

An eye examination may reveal dramatic macular changes. In an angiogram of the eye, sequential photographs may show leaking vessels as a special dye flows into the tissues from the network of blood vessels behind the retina. An Amsler’s grid test reveals visual field loss.

How is it Treated?

Laser photocoagulation can reduce the incidence of severe vision loss in some people.

What can a Person with Age-Related Macular Degeneration do?

Be aware that special devices, such as low-vision optical aids, are available to improve your quality of life if you still have adequate peripheral vision.

In some people between the ages of 20 and 40, the optic nerve in one eye becomes inflamed. The inflammation causes a gradual or sudden blurring of vision in the eye. In severe cases, the blurring progresses within a few days to temporary blindness. Often the eye is painful when you move it. If, in addition to the symptoms described, your fingers tingle or you have difficulty in urinating, this may mean that the condition is a symptom of multiple sclerosis .If your physician suspects you have multiple sclerosis, he or she may send you to a hospital for special tests or to another physician for a consultation, or second opinion. The treatment for optic neuritis is steroid medication, which hastens the spontaneous recovery that usually takes place. The problem may recur, however, in either eye. If it does recur, the disease usually does not respond to treatment, and it may cause progressive loss of vision.