Eye Care and Stys
Almost everyone has experienced a reddened area along the eye lid that is swollen and could be itchy. The area gets even more swollen in the morning and may even be painful. You’ve experienced a sty.
A sty is an infection, generally in a hair follicle that is caused by a bacterial infection. After a few days there can be a white head that forms and pus appears in the area. The individual may also feel as if there is something gritty in the eye and there may be more tears than usual as the body attempts to soothe the eye by producing more tears from the lacrimal glands located just above the orbit of the eye.
The sty can actually come out on the outside of the eye lid, in which case you will see the common white or yellow head that forms. In the other case it forms on the inside of the lid which prevents the common head from forming.
The bacteria that causes a sty is usually Staphlococcus infection. This is a strain of bacteria that commonly lives on our skin surface. Our bodies are actually covered with billions of friendly bacteria that coexist with us. These bacteria donít often cause trouble unless our immune systems are compromised and we are no longer able to fight infections easily.
Stys are different than Pink eye because Pink Eye infects the conjunctiva of the eye or the membrane that covers the eye lid and the sty is an infection in one or two hair follicles. Initially they may appear quite the same but with a sty you’ll notice that the lid (either lower or upper) becomes swollen and red in one place while with Pink Eye the eye becomes irritated and pink or red in the white of the eye and there isnít a localized swelling of the lid but a more generalized swelling.
The rest of this article on Stys and vision, be sure to visit the Eye Health Care website.
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Senior Eye Care
As the population ages, there has been much more concern over common age related health issues, including senior eye care. Seniors are the ones who requiring the most treatment for eye problems, yet many are not receiving the treatment they require due to lack of money or lack of knowledge of treatment options.
The first problem is not having the right insurance plans or savings to pay for eye related treatment for diseases or eye problems. But, there are options available out there for those who fall into this category. There are many programs put together in certain countries that will help seniors to receive the care they need for their vision problems. Ask your eye doctor what options are available where you live.
The second problem is not having the proper knowledge of eye problems and possible treatments that can be just as easily dealt with. It is important to be educated in potential problems, and to realize that not all vision loss needs to just be attributed to the fact that you are getting older. There are causes of vision loss in seniors that can be treated, if caught early enough.
It is estimated that at least 1 in 3 Americans will have some kind of eye disease that will affect their vision by the age of 65. But, many will not do anything about it as there often arenít any warning signs they can look out for, or they just think it is because they are getting older. Some of the most common eye related conditions facing seniors are cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and eye disease due to diabetes.
The rest of this article on seniors and eye care, be sure to visit the Eyesight Correction website
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Retinal Detachment and Vision
Retinal detachment is often referred to as detached retinal or a retinal tear. The retina is the membrane that lies against the back wall of the eye. This light sensitive tissue is responsible for sending images through electrical impulses to the brain.
Retinal detachment is a medical emergency. Time is critical when retinal detachment occurs. The detached retina must be immediately reattached through surgery or there will be loss of vision in the affected eye.
There is no pain with retinal detachment. But you will have warning signs of a detached retina. If you notice the sudden appearance of many spots or what looks like hairs or strings floating in your field of vision, you should seek evaluation by an eye professional.
There are other symptoms of retinal detachment also. If you experience sudden flashes of light in one or both eyes or if you notice a shadow over part of your field of vision you need to seek immediate evaluation.
The causes of retinal detachment may be trauma, an inflammatory disorder or it can be caused by advanced diabetes. But a lot of times, retinal detachment will occur without any underlying factors present. This can happen because of a change in the jelly-like vitreous that is contained in the vitreous cavity of your eye.
The rest of this article on retinal detachment and the effect on Vision, be sure to visit the Eyesight Information website.
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Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
Pink eye, or conjunctivitis, is an infection of the outside of the eye and is associated with the characteristic symptoms of swelling, itching, burning and crusting of the eye lashes when awakening from sleep. The symptoms are caused by an infection of the conjunctiva of the eye.
The conjunctiva is a thin membrane that covers the white area of the eye or sclera. During a Pink Eye infection this conjunctiva becomes infected and inflamed causing the symptoms and eye drainage. During sleep this eye drainage clumps around the eye lashes making opening the eye in the morning almost impossible without first cleaning the lashes.
Pink eye is caused by many of the same bacteria and viruses that are responsible for the common cold and other common infections such as ear infections, sinus infections and sore throats. Pink eye can also be caused by allergies. This type of reaction happens more frequently with children and adults who have problems with allergies to pet dander, hay fever and grass and ragweed pollen.
There are also times when Pink eye can be caused by a substance in the environment that irritates the eyes such as chlorine, soaps, smoke and fumes. During times when Pink eye is caused by allergies or a chemical substance the irritation is more common in both eyes and the discharge from the eye is usually clear and watery.
This condition is easily spread from person to person by touching an infected person’s hand after they have touched the infected eye, or sharing towels, makeup or through coughing or sneezing if a person with a cold is present.
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Lasik Eye Surgery
Lasik eye surgery is a surgical procedure that can correct a person’s vision. When an individual has Lasik surgery they will no longer have to depend on glasses or contact lenses.
The cornea of the eye is responsible for projecting light onto the retina to produce an image. When the cornea of the eye is not shaped perfectly, then distortion of the image will occur. This is called a refractive error. Lasik eye surgery can correct a refractive error.
There are three primary types of refractive errors. Myopia is a refractive error in which a person has trouble seeing things at a distance but they can see things close up. Hyperopia is when a person will be able to see things clearly at a distance but cannot see things that are close to them. Astigmatism is a distortion of an image that is caused by irregularities in the cornea or lens of the eye.
Lasik eye surgery is also called refractive surgery because it will reshape the shape of the cornea, therefore improving the focusing power. But keep in mind that not everyone is a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery.
To be a good candidate for Lasik eye surgery, you have to be willing to accepts the risks that go along with this type of surgery. Your eyesight should be stable, meaning your eyeglass prescription has not changed much over the past several years. You should not have any health conditions that would put you a risk if you have Lasik eye surgery.
The rest of this article on lasik eye surgery, be sure to visit the Eye Care Treatment website
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Age Related Macular Degeneration
Age related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of blindness in the elderly population. This eye disease will gradually destroy the sharp, central vision of the eye. This is the main part of your vision. Without the central vision, you will no longer be able to read, drive or perform routine daily tasks.
Macular degeneration affects the part of the eye called the macula. The macula is located right in the center of the retina. The retina is the tissue that lines the back of the eye and it is very light sensitive. The job of the retina is to convert light or images into electrical impulses and send these impulses to the brain.
There are two types of macular degeneration. There is wet age related macular degeneration and there is dry age related macular degeneration. The type of macular degeneration you have will determine how fast you can lose your eyesight.
Wet age related macular degeneration happens because blood vessels behind the retina will start to form underneath the macula. These blood vessels have a tendency to leak fluid and sometimes blood.
When the vessels behind the macula begin to leak fluid, this will raise the macula from itís normal spot. This will damage the macula quickly and loss of central vision will occur. This type of age related macular degeneration is sometimes referred to as advanced age related macular degeneration.
The rest of this article on age related macular degeneration, can be found at the Eye Care website.
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Vision Testing For Children
Test for vision and hearing are done on a newborn baby, and routinely at check-ups over the next few months and years of the child’s life. As the children get to pre-school and school ages, they still need to have tests done to ensure that everything is working as it should be. Since they may not be able to read, or understand certain things yet, there are actually different methods for performing vision testing for children.
It is important for children to have routine eye tests done to make sure there aren’t any problems developing. Many of the problems with vision in children can be treated if found early enough. But, if they are left untreated, they can end up suffering with some vision loss or even complete blindness.
Some of the problems that will be tested for in children include:
* Strabismus - Strabismus occurs in approximately 4% of children. It is defined as a misalignment of the eyes. It is categorized by the way the eyes misalign inward, outward, upward or downward. Some children will also only suffer from it when they are tired, or if one eye is covered.
* Amblyopia - This condition is basically a decreased vision in one eye usually due to another condition, including strabismus, congenital cataracts, etc.
* Refractive errors - These are defined as myopia (nearsightedness) and hypermetropia (farsightedness).
The rest of this article on children and vision testing, can be found at the Eye Care Treatment website.
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Vision Correction
to advances in technology, most vision problems can be corrected. There
are three common types of vision problems. One is myopia, otherwise
known as nearsightedness. A person who has myopia can see objects close
up but not far away.
Hyperopia is another type of vision problem. It is also known
as farsightedness. An individual with hyperopia will be able to see
objects far away but not up close. Astigmatism is when objects are
blurry at any distance. The cornea of the eye is so irregular with
astigmatism that it makes it impossible to focus the image on the
retina of the eye.
One of the most popular forms of vision correction these days is Lasik
surgery. This is an outpatient surgical procedure in which the cornea
is actually re-shaped to provide for clearer vision. This type of
surgical procedure is expensive and it does carry some risks.
Contact lenses is another popular form of vision correction.
Advancements are being made every day in the material used to develop
contact lenses. The contact lenses of today are designed for ultimate
comfort and ease of care. Most people who wear soft contact lenses are
unable to tell that the lenses are in their eye.
The rest of this article on vision correction can be found at the Eye and Vision Care website.
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