Learn About Eye Diseases with 20/20 Vision Care, Medicine Hat

A joint statement from the Canadian Association of Optometrists and the Canadian Ophthalmological Society:

Vision loss caused by glaucoma is progressive, painless and permanent. Those are three very scary words when it comes to vision loss. However, if caught in its early stages, vision loss can be prevented.

What are those tiny black spots that I see floating inside my eye? Is it normal? Does it get worse with time? Seeing ‘floaters’ is a very normal thing that does indeed become more common with age. Here’s why they happen:

If you've ever experienced dry eyes, you'll know that it can be more than just a nuisance. Having dry eyes can cause things like: a burning sensation, overall redness to the white part of the eyes, fluctuations in the quality of vision and all these symptoms are usually worse at the end of the day. Not only this but if you happen to be a contact lens wearer, dry eyes can make your contact lens wearing experience an uncomfortable and sometimes painful experience.

Diabetes is a disease that not only affects lifestyle but also affects vision. It is estimated that right now, over 3 million Canadians have diabetes. It is also important to note that diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in the working population in North America.

40 years ago, the word cataract instilled a lot more fear than it does now. This all changed because of advancements in surgical procedures; in 40 years, we have gone from traumatic eye surgeries with uncertain results to simple 20-minute inpatient surgeries with few complications. Today, cataract surgery is the most common inpatient surgery worldwide.

Blepharoconjunctivitis is an inflammation of three eye tissues: the edge or margins of the eyelid, the transparent membrane that covers the outer white part of the eye, the conjunctiva, and the inner underside tissue of the eyelids. This inflammation of these tissues may be caused by bacteria, viruses or allergies.

Above picture from health.clevelandclinic.org

This condition is named after the Scottish surgeon Charles Bell who first described the disease in the early 1800s. It is a paralysis of the facial nerve on one side of the face, resulting in a facial droop similar to that found in stroke patients. The paralysis often affects the upper eyelid and the side of the mouth on the affected side. This means the person may not close the eye, control salivation, taste the food, cry, smile, frown, or close their lips on the affected side.

Bacterial blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid due to bacteria. Small oil and sweat glands along the edge of the eyelids and eyelashes are vulnerable to bacteria and often become infected.

Symptoms include red eyelid margins, burning, or dry irritation to the eye or eyelids. You may see crusty deposits at the base of the eyelashes. Sometimes even a loss of some eyelashes.

Dispelling Fears about Astigmatism

Astigmatism (ah-stig-mah-tiz-uhm) is probably one of the most misunderstood eye conditions. Even the name itself is challenging and is often incorrectly called “stigmatism”.

Some people think astigmatism is more serious than it actually is. Astigmatism is not a disease. Just like farsightedness and nearsightedness, astigmatism is a problem with how the light bends into the eye.

Some patients have in the back fluid of the eye the presence of asteroid bodies.  Two-thirds of the volume of the inside of the eye is filled with a clear jelly-like mass called the vitreous body.  Think of the vitreous as you would the air in a balloon.  In the eye, the vitreous pushes up against the retina to keep it in place.  Asteroid bodies are tiny, usually numerous, floaters /spots commonly found in the vitreous fluid.  They generally occur in one eye and patients over the age of 60.  Although it has never been confirmed that this ocular condition has a general health relationship, it should be noted that approximately 33% of patients with this finding also have diabetes and 60% have hypertension.

ANISOCORIA (An - eye - so - cor - ee - ah)

 Anisocoria, literally Greek for unequal pupils, describes a condition where the pupils of each eye are different in sizes. Approximately 25% of the population may have a noticeable degree of pupil inequality known as physiologic anisocoria. This pupil-size disparity may fluctuate in degree, be found to alternate between sides, and may disappear at times.

AMBLYOPIA (am - blee - O - pee - ah)

Amblyopia is the loss or lack of development of vision in one eye that is unrelated to any eye health problem.  It is not correctable with lenses alone. The brain, for some reason, does not acknowledge the images seen by the amblyopic eye.

Learn more about what macular degeneration is and how it can affect your vision.

Age-related macular degeneration is an ageing change and deterioration of the central vision area called the macula.  The macula is the most sensitive part of the eye or retina's inner lining and is responsible for our fine and detailed vision.

This is a very common inflammation of the eyelids.  It is characterized by a greasy, oily appearance of the eyelids.  There is also a recurrent dandruff-like inflammation on the edge of the eyelid.  More symptoms may include dry irritated eyes, a burning sensation, itching of the eyelid margins and occasionally loss of eyelashes.

We call temporary vision loss AMAUROSIS FUGAX.

Amaurosis fugax is a Latin term for "fleeting blindness”. Patients with amaurosis fugax characteristically have a loss of vision in one eye that may last from seconds to minutes.  Occasionally, it may last several hours and often returns to normal.