CONTACT LENSES

Contact Lenses are prescribed in four main types of cases:-

(1) Pathological eyes, e.g. corneal scars
Keratoconus

(2) High refractive errors - high myopes, aphakes: better visual field than
glasses, more natural vision.

(3) Cosmetic - in place of spectacles.

(4) Sport - especially for those involving physical contact or risks.

There are two main types of contact lenses:-
(i) Hard lenses - smaller than the cornea, made of rigid plastic. They
correct moderated amounts of astigmatism as well
as the spherical refractive error.

(ii) Soft lenses - almost the same size as the cornea or larger, made
up of soft plastic sponges containing 40% or more of
water. They correct the spherical errors but can correct
only little astigmatism, unless an astigmatic correction
is incorporated. Soft lenses are subject to infection so
must be sterilized.

Complications:
Corneal abrasions may develop due to ill fitting lenses, or to trauma during
insertion of the lenses. Conjunctivitis and/or Keratitis may occur if the
lens is contaminated. Giant papillary conjunctivitis from soft lenses. The
patient should be instructed to seek attention if undue lacrimation or undue
irritaion persists, or if conjunctival discharge is present. Therapeutic contact
lenses may be used to assist treatment of corneal disease.

Advantages of Contact Lenses:
1. Provide a wider field of view.
2. Move with the eyes so wearer is constantly looking through optical centre
of lens. Most important in higher powered lenses.
3. Eliminate nuisance of spectacle frames which either slip or rub.
4. Well suited to wet weather and steamy conditions where spectacles
become wet or foggy.
5. Can overcome astigmatism as in corneal scarring and conical corneas.
6. Aphakic patients may obtain better vision.
7. Medical conditions eg. scarred eyelids, chemical burns, can be aided
with lenses.

Disadvantages of Contact Lenses:
1. Hazards injury from badly fitting, badly fitted, bad hygiene.
2. TIME FACTOR - finding, fitting, cleansing, sterilizing, adjusting to wearing.

PTOSIS

Ptosis - drooping of the eyelid, may be congenital or acquired.

1. Congenital - genetic

Absent or poorly developed superior levator muscle; may be associated
weakness of the superior rectus. Also congenital iii nerve palsy.

2. Acquired

(a) Traumatic - direct muscle involvement.
(b) Inflammation - infections - of the eyelids, the forehead, the eye (intraocular)
or the orbit.
(c) Muscular - myasthenia gravis (tensilon test), myopathies, myotonia.
(d) Senile - myopathy, skin laxity, blepharochalasis.
(e) Neural - lesions of CIII - at the nucleus, in the cranium or in the orbit. Jaw
winking - upper eyelid lifts with chewing ( wrongly directed fibres
of CIII.
Sympathetic Paralysis Muiler's muscles - Horner's Syndrome.
(f) Tumours - neurofibromatosis, pressure on CIII.
(g) Vascular - aneurysms of the intracranial arteries - pressure on CIII.
(h) Functional - associated with photophobia or diplopia, hysterical.

Treatment - medical or surgical depending on the underlying cause. Surgery
by levator shortening or slings to the frontalis muscle.

Unilateral congenital ptosis needs urgent treatment if the pupil is converted,
otherwise severe amblyopia will occur.

Eyelid retration and lid lag
Thyroid eye disease
Overactivity of Muiler's muscle after ptosis operations.

ASTIGMATISM

Astigmatism is a refractive error in which light rays entering the eye are not
refracted uniformly in all directions. A point focus on the retina is not attained
and blurred vision results. Corneal astigmatism occurs when the radius of
curvature of the cornea is not equal in all directions.

1. Regular Astigmatism - occurs when the corneal curvature is uniformly
different in meridians at right angles to each other.

2. Irregular Astigmatism - occurs when the rays of light in different meridians
ar focused differently and without a pattern, especially if there is an asso-
ciated pathological condition of the cornea.
For example:
- developmental abnormality
- keratoconus
- corneal scars
- trauma
- inflammation

Treatment:
(a) Regular Astigmatism - a cylindrical lens bends the rays of light in one
meridian only, by combining it with a spherical lens, rays of light from
all the meridian can be focused on the retina. A cylindrical convex
lens is used for hypertropic contact lens may form a smooth evenly
curved artificial surface of the cornea and so can correct corneal
astigmatism.

(b) Irregular Astigmatism - cannot be completely corrected with spectacles.
It may be improved by hard contact lenses which ride over the irregular
parts of the cornea.

In more severe cases, penetrating keratoplasty (corneal graft) will be
required to replace the abnormal cornea.

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus is due to a virus infection of the ophthalmic division of the
trigeminal nerve (CV). The virus is related to herpes virus varicella (Chicken pox).

Signs & Symptoms:
Appearance of vesicles strictly limited to one half of the forehead and spreading
the the tip of the nose if the naso-ciliary branch is involved.

Neuralgic pain may precede the rash by 24 to 48 hours.

Ocular Complications may include:
- red swollen eyelids
- ciliary injection
- oedema of cornea
- lowering of corneal sensation
- keratitis, localised lesion or complete bullous.
- uveitis
- secondary glaucoma
- episcleritis or scleritis
- optic neuritis
- ocular muscle paralysis

Treatment - This is directed towards protecting the cornea and preventing
secondary infections, and the use of drying antiseptics for the forehead.
If no signs of corneal involvement, local antibiotic drops to combat secondary
infection are sufficient.

If keratitis or uveitis follows then the use of Acyclovir eye ointment in
combination with topical steroids and mydriatics may be used under
ophthalmological supervision.

Analgesics are often requiered in large doses to relieve the neuralgia. There
may also be a place for the use of intravenous Acyclovir and high dose steroids
in the early stages to prevent the onset of neuralgia if the patient is seen early.

HERPES SIMPLEX KERATITIS

Herpes Simplex Keratitis is the most common corneal virus infection. It is caused by herpes
simplex virus and is manifest as a dendritic, (branching) staining figure in the corneal epithelium.
This is high-lighted by staining with Bengal Rose 1% which shows dead epithelial cells, or
Fluorescein 1% which stains breaks in the corneal epithelium.

Symptoms are:
- photophobia
- irritation
- lacrimation
- and blurred vision if the cornea is affected.
There is a tendency for dendritic ulcer to lead to a deep stromal type of keratitis known
as Disciform Keratitis. The grey central infiltration of the cornea is caused by antibody-antigen
reaction within the stromal layer of the cornea. Recurrences are common and iritis is frequent.
If the lesion becomes necrotic, hypopyon and perforation of the cornea may occur.

(i) Dendritic Ulcers
Treatment:
(a) Debridement - topical anaesthetic drops are instilled, and loose epithelium containing much
virus is wiped off.

(b) Antiviral Medication - several agents are currently available in this country -
(i) Idoxuridine (Stoxil, herplex)
(ii) Vidarabine (VIRA - A)
(iii) Acyclovir (Zovirax)

These drugs interfere with the growth of the herpes simplex virus, but often are toxic in their
effect to the cornea and should only be used for a short duration.

(c) Antibacterial Cover - a broad spectrum antibiotic eye drop may also be used.

(d) Mydriatic - drops to dilate the pupil may be used to prevent posterior synechiae which
may result because of the associated uveitis.

(e) Cycloplegic drops may also be used to immobilize the ciliary muscle and to rest the
eye and relieve pain.

(f) Sunglasses or eye pad may be required to diminish photophobia.

(ii) Disciform Herpetic Keratitis is usually an excessive immune reaction.
Steroids are administered to diminish this reaction, but they must be used under strict
medical supervision or they may lead to extensive ulceration or perforation of the cornea.
Treatment may be prolonged.

Possible Complications of Cataract Surgery

Any surgical procedure is associated with risks to the patient. While the ophthalmologist makes every attempt
to minimise risks, complications can occur that may be permanent effects.

When you are making the decision to have surgery, you may keep in mind that your ophthalmologist cannot
guarantee that the surgery will always be successful or that the surgery bears no risk. The operation and its
outcome might not meet your expectations.

It is not usual for a surgeon to outline every possible side effect or rare complication of a surgical procedure.
However, it is important that you have enough information about possible complications to fully weigh up the
benefits and risks of surgery. If one eye is blind (or has extremely poor vision), you must carefully weigh the
benefits against the risks of cataract surgery on your only "working" eye.

Serious complications following cataract extraction are not common because of the significant surgical advan-
ces in recent years. However, if complications do occur, vision may be impaired or even lost.

Some people with pre-existing syndromes are at greater risk, so be certain to give you ophthalmologist your
complete medical history. Smoking obesity and other significant medical problems can cause great risks of
complications.

The following possible complications are listed to inform you and not to alarm you. There may be other com-
plications that are not listed.

• Infection inside the eye.
• Bleeding and blood collection within the eye.
• Excessive inflammation.
• High pressure within the eye.
• Retained piece of cataract in the eye.
• Damage to, or dislocation of, the artificial lens.
• Detachment of the retina.
• Drooping eyelid.
• Swelling and clouding of the cornea.
• Rarely, blindness and loss of the operated eye. Rarely, the unoperated eye may become inflamed, with

partial or total loss of vision ("sympathetic ophthalmia").

• Further surgery (for example, removal of the lens implant).

Although most complications resolve following additional treatment and over time, they can affect vision, sometimes permanently.

Signs and Symptoms after Surgery

Be sure to tell your opthalmologist if you have any of the following signs or symptoms:

• fever more than 38'C
• chills
• increasing redness of the eye
• increasingly blurred or disturbed vision
• nausea or vomiting
• excessive coughing
• pain that is not relieved by non-prescription medications such as paracetamol
• any other concerns regarding your surgery.

Cloudy Vision after Surgery

Once the natural lens has been removed, a cataract cannot come back. However, in a few patients, vision after surgery may again become cloudy and hazy.

This is due to clouding of the lens capsule behind the intraocular lens. A cloudy capsule can take months or years to develop.

An ophthalmologist can quickly correct the problem. A laser beam is used to create an opening in the cloudy capsule which allows light to pass easily.

This procedure is called a capsulotomy. It is painless and safe, and results can be seen at once.

Complications can occur, but they are rare. If you need a capsulotomy, ask your ophthalmologist to discuss its benefits, risks and limitations.

Surgical Techniques for the Removal of Cataracts

Ophthalmologists use three different methods to remove a cataract.

1. Phacoemulsification: The most common surgical technique is phacoemulsification (pronounced "fay-ko-emul-sa-fah-kay-shun"). You may hear your ophthalmologist use this term.

Viewing the eye through a high-powered microscope placed above the patient, the ophthalmologist makes a three-millimetre incision at the junction where the cornea meets the sclera. A small probe, which vibrates at high frequencies, is inserted to divide the cloudy lens into small pieces. The pieces are gently suctioned away from the
lens capsule through the incision. Small instruments are used to remove lens fragments if they are difficult to remove.

The artificial lens is usually inserted into the lens capsule. However, in some cases, the artificial lens may have to be placed in front of the iris.

The incision is normally so small that it often requires no stitches, or perhaps only one or two. After surgery, the eye is covered with a shield for protection.

The operation usually takes from 20 to 60 minutes.

2. Extracapsular Cataract Extraction: This technique is used less commonly. It is effective for those patients whose lens nucleus is too hard to remove using phacoemulsification and suction.

The ophthalmologist makes a 10 to 12 millimetre incision at the border of the cornea and the sclera. The front of the capsule is opened, and the lens is removed. An intraocular lens is inserted and fixed in positioned. The incision is then closed with several sutures.

Inflammation caused by the procedure usually takes several days or weeks to settle down completely. Vision may remain hazy or cloudy during that time. Over the next three months, vision should slowly improve.

3. Intracapsular Extraction: The ophthalmologist removed the entire lens and lens capsule. This technique is rarely used and only in special cases.

Cataract Surgery on the Second Eye: If both lenses are affected by cataracts, your ophthalmologist will usually wait until the first eye has healed before operating on your second eye.

Pre-existing conditions: In some cases, pre-existing medical problems may interfere with the successful visual outcome that the patient was hoping for. For example, this may occur in people with glaucoma, macular degeneration or other serious eye conditions.

Even if the cataract surgery is successful in such patients, there is a possibility that vision will be improved only slightly or not at all.

About Artificial Lenses

The artificial lens is also called an "intraocular lens implant". It is a
transparent plastic disc with a shape similar to the natural lens. Two
plastic extensions press against the capsule and lock the lens in
place in the back portion of the lens capsule.

Usually, the focus of the lens implant is prepared according to your
surgeon's prescription and made for distance vision. In some cases,
the refractive result after surgery may be outside the intended range.
This is particularly true if the patient had pre-existing astigmatism.

Most people fitted with modern intraocular lenses will not need spec-
tacles for distance vision. However, others may require glasses for
both distance vision and close vision, such as reading.

The quality and safety of artificial lenses has almost eliminated the
need for thick cataract glasses and contact lenses. Of every 100
people who have cataract surgery, about 95 will be able to have an
artificial lens fitted. Lens implants are the preferred treatment, but
glasses or removable contact lenses may be options for some patients.

Most lenses are made of silicone, acrylic or "PMMA", but other mate-
rials are under development. While these materials are safe and effec-
tive if you think you may have a sensitivity to any of these materials,
tell your ophthalmologist.

Modern artificial lenses are designed to be placed permanently within
the lens capsule.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Cataracts

Removal of a cataract may be necessary when vision has worsened to the point where daily activities, reading, driving and hobbies are affected, or if personal safety is at risk.

If vision is unaffected or only slightly affected by a cataract, no treatment is necessary. Cataracts cannot be cured by any type of medication, eye exercise, alternative therapy, diet or glasses. Surgery is the only way to remove a cataract.

Before making any decision about treatment, your opthalmologist will need to assess your eyes and general health. He or she will:

• carefully examine the external and internal structures of both eyes.
• assess your vision with modern tests that determine how much vision has been affected.
• determine whether the cataract can be removed safely and successfully.
• determine whether any other eye conditions or diseases are present and need treatment.

After this thorough examination, your opthalmologist will discuss the diagnosis with you and recommend the best treatment. Your decision to have a cataract removed should be made only after talking with your opthalmologist.

Your Full Medical History

Your opthalmologist needs to know your complete medical history to plan the best possible treatment. Fully disclose all health problems, symptoms and medical risks you have or may have had. This information is always confidential.

Some health problems may interfere with surgery, anaesthesia and care after surgery. Tell your ophthalmologist if you:

• have ever had an allergy or bad reaction to antibiotics, sedatives, anaesthetic drugs or any other medicine, including aspirin.
• bleed heavily when you are injured or have surgery.
• have any blood disorder, such as haemophilia.

Medicines: Provide a list of all medicines you are taking now or have been taking. These include over-the-counter medicines such as aspirin, cough medicines, and so on. Seek your ophthalmologist's advice about stopping aspirin therapy.

Causes and Symptoms of Cataracts

Causes and Symptoms of Cataracts

Cataracts develop as a normal part of the ageing process.
By the age of 60, about half of all adults will have some
cataract formation, although it may be minor and unnoticeable.
By the age of 70, nearly everyone has some degree of cataract
formation.

Diabetes, various chronic eye diseases, eye injury or excessive
ultra-violet light may also cause cataracts.

Cataracts usually develop slowly and at a different rate within each
eye. Some years may pass before the cataract interferes with
vision enough for a person to seek expert advice from an ophthal-
mologist.

The earliest symptoms can begin with glare and sensitivity to bright
light. Later, as the cataract continues to worsen, haloes may appear
around lights. Haloes are especially noticeable when driving at night;
at the same time, night vision typically decreases. Vision typically
becomes more blurred, hazy and foggy, though near vision without
glasses can improve. Colours often become duller and darker.

Cataract Surgery

The lens of the eye is normally transparent.

If a cloudy area develops in the lens, it is called Cataract. When the
amount of light that passes through the lens is reduced and scattered
by the cataract, images are not focused properly on the retina at the
back of the eye. The result is that vision becomes increasingly poor.

The lens is contained within a clear membrane called the lens capsule.
The lens capsule separates the lens from the iris and the transparent,
thick fluid called the vitreous body.

Cataract formation affects only the lens of the eye and not any of the
other important structures, such as the cornea, iris, retina, or optic
nerve.

A cataract will often worsen to the point where surgery is needed to
remove the cloudy lens and replace it with a permanent artificial lens.

Removal of a cataract is the most common eye operation and one of
the most common surgical procedures performed in Australia and New
Zealand. It has a high rate of success due to the modern methods used
by ophthalmologists.

If the eye is healthy, the likelihood is that cataract surgery will restore
good vision. Of every 100 operations to remove a cataract, 95 will result
in significantly improved vision. Despite the proven benefits of modern
cataract surgery, there are risks.

With older surgical methods, both the lens and the capsule were removed.
With modern methods, however, the capsule is preserved. This is a sig-
nificant advance in surgical technique because:

• the capsule is used to position the artificial lens
• risks of surgery are fewer
• vision following surgery is usually better.

Lasik Surgery

Look here for interesting information on eye surgery.

Writing is a passion for us, and writing about eye surgery is even more interesting. The content of this article gives light on eye surgery.

Hazy Days – How Lasik Clears Up Those Days
Thinking of life without eye surgery seem to be impossible to imagine. This is because eye surgery can be applied in all situations of life.

Many people depend on wearing glasses or contacts everyday. Glasses and contacts can be a hassle though, especially for active people on the go. With Lasik vision correction surgery, losing contact lenses or forgetting where you put your eyeglasses can be a thing of the past. For most people who have Lasik surgery, vision is greatly improved reducing or completely eliminating the need for corrective lenses.
We cannot be blamed if you find any other article resembling the matter we have written here about eye surgery. What we have done here is our copyright material!

There is always new technology with Lasik procedures. There are several types of Lasik procedures that can successfully be used on a patient. The type of procedure that you will have will depend on what your Lasik doctor prefers and what works best for your eyes. WAVEFRONT Lasik is the most commonly used Lasik procedure. There are also procedures called diagnostic workstation and Orbscan technology.
In general, Lasik is performed to restore vision and the results are immediate. A surgical instrument called a microkreatome is used during the procedure to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. This flap can also be created using a laser, which is usually more precise and has a higher success rate.
After the flap on the cornea has been cut, the doctor folds the flap out of the way and removes some of the corneal tissue. This is done using what is called an eximer laser. This laser uses cool ultraviolet light beams to remove very small pieces of the tissue. After the tissue is removed, the cornea is reshaped causing it to work better focusing light into the eye and onto the retina. This results in the patient immediately having better, clearer vision that before the procedure. The flap is put back in place to cover the area where the tissue was removed.
Writing something about eye surgery seemed to be something illogical in the beginning. However, with the progress of matter, it seemed logical. Matter just started pouring in, to give you this finished product.
The Lasik surgery is both a quick and relatively painless procedure for most patients. During the surgery, patients remain awake and are able to walk out after the procedure. The procedure is also painless because the surgeon will give the patient eye drops that anesthetize the eye before the surgery begins. Some patients who are uncomfortable about the procedure can be given a mild sedative before the procedure begins. Before the procedure begins, the patient will lie down and the doctor will place a special device to keep the eyelids open during the surgery. Also, this device has a suction ring on it to keep the eye pressurized. Once the surgery begins, it only takes about one minute for the whole procedure to take place.

If your doctor uses a laser during your procedure, the computer is adjusted so that the laser can remove the right amount of corneal tissue. While the procedure is painless and quick, you might hear the clicking sound of the laser and be able to smell a slightly acidic order. This is caused by the tissue removal. The surgeon has complete control of the laser and it can be stopped at any time during the procedure. If you choose to have both eyes done, the doctor might choose to wait for a little while before operating on the next eye. Some patients prefer to have the second eye done a week or more after the initial procedure.
Our dreams of writing a lengthy article on eye surgery has finally materialized Through this article on eye surgery. however, only if you acknowledge its use, will we feel gratitude for writing it!
eye surgery are basically interesting parts of our day-to-day life. It is only that sometimes, we are not aware of this fact!

WAVEFRONT is generally considered the most trusted procedure and is though to produce the best results. This procedure is popular because as a general rule, WAVEFRONT can be customized to treat your eyes. This gives much better results to the patient. Also, with this technique, some patients have better vision, sometimes 20/15 after having WAVEFRONT Lasik. In a study comparing WAVEFRONT to the conventional Lasik procedure, 90 to 94 percent of all patients had 20/20 vision or better after the procedure. This is compared to 80 percent of patients that achieve 20/20 vision with the conventional method. Also, many doctors prefer the WAVEFRONT procedure. This is because this procedure decreases the risk of complications such as haloes or night glare

The diagnostic workstation technology has advantages because it can cover a much larger area since the pupil can dilate up to twice the normal size. The Orbscan technology also has its advantages. It can determine without a doubt if you are a good candidate for this procedure. The Orbscan has the ability to be more accurate diagnosis and treatment of vision problems.
It was only with the continued help of our associates did we succeed in writing all this about eye surgery. This article would be nowhere without them.

Most Commonly Searched Eye Disease Conditons

Hello there,

These are the most commonyl searched eye disease conditons to date:
Uveitis
Charles Bonnet syndrome
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Posterior vitreous detachment (PVD)
Glaucoma
Retinal detachment
Coloboma
Cataracts
Giant Cell or Temporal Arteritis

As we go along, I will blog on each eye diseaase, discussing a short description of what it is, presenting signs and symptoms, posible complications including daignosis and management...

For starters, we'll start on Uveitis...

DISCLAIMER; INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS BLOG SHOULD NOT TO BE TAKEN AS YOUR FINAL BASIS AS TO WHETHER YOU OR PEOPLE YOU KNOW SUFFERING FROM ANY OF THE ABOVE EYE DISEASE CONDITIONS, ARE TO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION OR TREATMENT. I STRONGLY ADVISED YOU CONSULT YOUR OWN
PRIVATE PHYSICIAN/SPECIALIST BEFORE ANYTHING ELSE.

What is Uveitis?

If we think of the eye as a hollow, fluid-filled, 3-layered ball, then the outer layer is the sclera, a tough coat, the innermost is the retina, the thin light-gathering layer, and the middle layer is the Uvea. The Uvea is made up of the iris, the ciliary body and the choroid (see diagram). When any part of the uvea becomes inflamed then it is called Uveitis.

A big problem, when trying to understand Uveitis, for patients and doctors alike, is that there are many different types of Uveitis.

This is because:
The Uvea is made up of different parts. So if the iris is affected, the condition and its treatment could be totally different to when the choroid is affected.

The inflammation in the Uvea very often affects other parts of the eye such as the retina and so a variety of other problems can be present to complicate the picture.

Next there are a large number of medical conditions where Uveitis is a feature amongst the other symptoms of the disease. e.g. Behcet’s Disease, Sarcoidosis and Toxoplasmosis, to name just three of them.

There are many different types of causes of Uveitis

The term intraocular inflammation is often used to cover the spectrum of uveitis conditions. As there is this wide variety of different conditions and complications, it follows that there are numerous ways that it presents itself. The degree and type of sight loss and the type of treatment may vary considerably from patient to patient. Although the potential for confusion sounds high, as long as it is remembered that Uveitis is actually a number of different conditions, then it is possible to find out about your own particular case. It is, of course, very important, for both patients and doctors, to establish the exact type of Uveitis that exists, as far as it is possible, early on.

What causes Uveitis?

As just suggested, there are a number of quite different types of causes of Uveitis.
It may result from an infection such as a virus (e.g. herpes) or a fungus (e.g. histoplasmosis). It may be due to a parasite such as toxoplasmosis.

It may be related to Autoimmune Disease (with or without involvement of other parts of the body). This, essentially, is when our immune system recognises a part of our own body as foreign (albeit a small part, like one type of protein).

Trauma to the eye, or even the other eye in the past, can lead to Uveitis. In many cases the cause is said to be unknown. This may well mean that the Uveitis is of the autoimmune type. The word “idiopathic” may often be used to describe this group.

Another important way of classifying the different types of Uveitis is by describing the part of the eye that is affected.

Very simply, there may be:
Anterior Uveitis

This affects the front of the eye, normally the iris (iritis) or the ciliary body (iridocyclitis). Iritis, strictly speaking is an older term for Anterior Uveitis but is still used frequently. Iritis is by far the most common type of Uveitis and also the most readily treated. Having said that, iritis is something that needs quite close monitoring because complications such as raised eye pressure and cataracts can occur.

Intermediate Uveitis
This affects the area just behind the ciliary body (pars plana) and also the most forward edge of the retina (see the diagram above). This is the next most common type of uveitis.

Posterior Uveitis
This is when the inflammation affects the part of the uvea at the back of the eye, the choroid. Often the retina is affected much more in this group. The choroid is basically a layer rich in small blood vessels which supplies the retina.

Tests and examinations

Because of the quite diverse types of causes of Uveitis and also due to the many other medical conditions associated with it, then you can expect to receive a number of tests and thorough questioning. All these are straightforward and painless enough but may seem far removed from your eye problem, e.g. back X-rays, but as said before, it is important to establish the correct type of Uveitis so that the best treatment can be planned.

How is Uveitis treated?

The treatment of Uveitis aims to achieve the following:
Relief of pain and discomfort (where present)
To prevent sight loss due to the disease or its complications
To treat the cause of the disease where possible.
Like the varied nature of uveitis, the treatment of it may differ from case to case quite considerably. Corticosteroids are often the mainstay of treatment but now are, importantly, being joined by some other newer drugs, usually used along with the steroids. Various eye-drops are used, particularly to treat anterior uveitis.

What will happen to my eyes (prognosis)?

This, once again, varies considerably, but there is a growing confidence, especially with the newer drug treatments, that the eyesight can be stabilised over the long term. Uveitis as a disease should be regarded as incurable in the sense that it will never completely go away, but that is not to say that it can not be controlled.

Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a term used to describe an uncorrectable loss of vision in an eye that appears to be normal. It’s commonly referred to as “lazy eye” and can occur for a variety of reasons.
A child’s visual system is fully developed between approximately the ages of 9-11. Until then, children readily adapt to visual problems by suppressing or blocking out the image. If caught early, the problem can often be corrected and the vision preserved. However, after about age 11, it is difficult if not impossible to train the brain to use the eye normally.
Some causes of amblyopia include: strabismus (crossed or turned eye), congenital cataracts, cloudy cornea, droopy eyelid, unequal vision and uncorrected nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Amblyopia may occur in various degrees depending on the severity of the underlying problem. Some patients just experience