Eye diseases
Here is a short list of the most frequent causes for which a
patient a patient will seek advice from an ophthalmologist; however
this list is not exhaustive, as it is impossible to describe all
the affections of the eye in a few words. Some systemic diseases
may affect the eye, and the GP will then ask you to see an "eye
doctor".
This short list is supposed to help you to understand some commonly
encountered eye problems.
1. The most frequent one: blurred vision, because there
is myopia, hyperopia,
or astigmatism, the images can
be blurred: the vision has to be corrected by glasses, contact
lenses, or refractive surgery.
2. Another cause is presbyopia:
after 45 years, many individuals need reading glasses.
3. Elderly people can have a blurred vision because of
a cataract : the lens is opaque; this phenomenon starts slowly
and affect both eyes, not always at the same time; they need a
cataract surgery (the lens will be removed and an artificial lens
will be implanted) to improve their visual performances.
4. Another disease of the eye is called glaucoma: the pressure
inside the eye is too high; it has nothing to do with blood pressure,
can vary from one eye to another, and happen after 40 years to
some patients. The mechanism is the following one: the liquid
inside the eye is produced and must be eliminated; if the production
raises, and or the elimination or filtration diminishes, the pressure
will raise, because the eye is a solid organ, non expandable.
This can severely damage the eyesight and must be treated by special
eyedrops, laser surgery, or conventional surgery.
5. Diabete: diabetic patients need to
be followed carefully, as this illness can affect the retina and
impair vision: some diabetics patients do have hemorrhagiae of
the retina, and this must be treated by the laser to avoid or
reduce visual loss. The eye can be checked once a year or more
by a special exam, called "fluoangiography" to detect
sub-clinical or clinical lesions of the retina, to be treated
by the laser.
6. Another cause of visual loss is macular degeneration.
The macula is the centre of the vision on the retina, the point
with the highest sensibility, usefull to read, take a picture,
aim at something, etc. With age, a decrease in macular performance
can appear, because of vascular problems, hypertension, cholesterol
level above normal, UV exposure, etc.
7. Red eyes can have different origins: conjunctivitis
(infection), allergy, trauma, UV exposure, foreign body if unilateral,
dry eyes, etc. Once again, proper medications should help.
8. Trauma to the eye: foreign body, car accident, domestic
accident, should be documented and treated without delay.
9. Retinal detachment: the sensitive retinal layer can
be detached from the other layers of the retina; the vision drops
suddenly; the patient must be operated on with the laser or with
conventional methods to recover the best possible vision.
10. Lazy eye and strabismus: very often associated in the
childhood; because the child does not see properly for any reason,
the eye does not fixate anymore, and becomes lazy and can deviate:
it is called strabismus and must be treated as soon as possible
to provide the right development of vision, before the age of
6 or 7 years.
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