Acanthamoeba eye infections in contact lens wearers are rare but serious, and they often start because of improper lens handling and poor hygiene. Amblyopia also known as lazy eye, affects just two to three percent of the population. But, if left uncorrected, this vision problem can have a very big impact on those affected. Central vision fails to develop properly, usually in one eye, which is called amblyopic. A related condition, strabismus, sometimes causes amblyopia. Bell’s palsy is a temporary weakness or paralysis of the facial nerve known as the seventh cranial nerve.
This nerve controls facial expressions, eyelid movement and the muscles of the forehead and neck. Blepharitis is a common eyelid inflammation that is sometimes associated with a bacterial eye infection, symptoms of dry eyes or certain types of skin conditions such as acne rosacea. Blepharitis has two basic forms: Anterior blepharitis, affecting the outside front of the eyelid where eyelashes are attached. Posterior blepharitis, linked to dysfunction of meibomian glands found in the inner eyelid where oily secretions are released to help lubricate the eye.
A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which lies behind the iris and the pupil. The lens works much like a camera lens, focusing light onto the retina at the back of the eye. The lens also adjusts the eye’s focus, letting us see things clearly both up close and far away. The lens is mostly made of water and protein. The protein is arranged in a precise way that keeps the lens clear and lets light pass through it. Eye Diseases Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is a sight-threatening disease frequently associated with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS).
In the past, about a quarter of active AIDS patients developed CMV retinitis. A pink eye is the most obvious symptom of conjunctivitis, so the term “pink eye” often is used for this common eye problem that can have many different causes. Caused by the type 1 herpes simplex virus, eye herpes (ocular herpes) is a common, recurrent viral infection affecting the eyes. This type of herpes virus can cause inflammation and scarring of the cornea that sometimes is referred to as a cold sore on the eye. Herpes of the eye can be transmitted through close contact with an infected person whose virus is active.
Glaucoma refers to a category of eye disorders often associated with a dangerous buildup of internal eye pressure (intraocular pressure or IOP), which can damage the eye’s optic nerve that transmits visual information to the brain. With untreated or uncontrolled glaucoma, you might eventually notice decreased ability to see at the edges of your vision (peripheral vision). Progressive eye damage could then lead to blindness. Keratoconus is a progressive eye disease in which the normally round cornea thins and begins to bulge into a cone-like shape.
This cone shape deflects light as it enters the eye on its way to the light-sensitive retina, causing distorted vision. Keratoconus can occur in one or both eyes and often begins during a person’s teens or early 20s. Age-related macular degeneration, often called AMD or ARMD, is the leading cause of vision loss and blindness among Americans who are age 65 and older. Because people in this group represent an increasingly larger percentage of the general population, vision loss from macular degeneration is a growing problem.
Ocular hypertension means the pressure in your eye, or your intraocular pressure (IOP), is higher than normal. Elevated IOP also is associated with glaucoma, which is a more serious condition that causes vision loss and optic nerve damage. By itself, however, ocular hypertension doesn’t damage your vision or eyes. From 4. 5 percent to 9. 4 percent of people who are 40 or older have ocular hypertension, which can significantly increase your chances of eventually developing glaucoma with the possibility of accompanying eye damage.
* Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a rare, inherited disease in which the light-sensitive retina of the eye slowly and progressively degenerates. Eventually, blindness results. While macular degeneration generally is associated with aging eyes, an inherited form known as Stargardt’s disease (STGD) can affect children and young adults. Stargardt’s disease, often mistakenly called Stargate’s disease, also sometimes is known as fundus flavimaculatus. However, some researchers believe a distinction should be made between the two terms, because each describes a different variant of the eye disease.
Corneal Infections. Sometimes the cornea is damaged after a foreign object has penetrated the tissue, such as from a poke in the eye. At other times, bacteria or fungi from a contaminated contact lens can pass into the cornea. Situations like these can cause painful inflammation and corneal infections called keratitis. These infections can reduce visual clarity, produce corneal discharges, and perhaps erode the cornea. Corneal infections can also lead to corneal scarring, which can impair vision and may require a corneal transplant. Eye Diseases
{text:bookmark-start} Glaucoma {text:bookmark-end} Cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis is a sight-threatening disease frequently associated with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). In the past, about a quarter of active AIDS patients developed CMV retinitis. Dry Eye. The continuous production and drainage of tears is important to the eye’s health. Tears keep the eye moist, help wounds heal, and protect against eye infection. In people with dry eye, the eye produces fewer or less quality tears and is unable to keep its surface lubricated and comfortable. Fuchs’ Dystrophy.
Fuchs’ dystrophy is a slowly progressing disease that usually affects both eyes and is slightly more common in women than in men. Although doctors can often see early signs of Fuchs’ dystrophy in people in their 30s and 40s, the disease rarely affects vision until people reach their 50s and 60s. Herpes Zoster (Shingles). This infection is produced by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After an initial outbreak of chickenpox (often during childhood), the virus remains inactive within the nerve cells of the central nervous system.
But in some people, the varicella-zoster virus will reactivate at another time in their lives. When this occurs, the virus travels down long nerve fibers and infects some part of the body, producing a blistering rash (shingles), fever, painful inflammations of the affected nerve fibers, and a general feeling of sluggishness. Pterygium. A pterygium is a pinkish, triangular-shaped tissue growth on the cornea. Some pterygia grow slowly throughout a person’s life, while others stop growing after a certain point. A pterygium rarely grows so large that it begins to cover the pupil of the eye.