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Cataract and Glaucoma Specialist

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Home > Archives for Disorder

Uveitis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment

September 16, 2018 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

Uveitis is a inflammatory condition of the middle layer of the eye, the uvea, which provides most of the blood supply to the retina. Similar to arthritis of the joints, Uveitis is not an infection, but rather an inflammation.

While, in most cases, the cause is idiopathic, Uveitis can be associated with autoimmune disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or ankylosing spondylitis, infection, exposure to toxins, bowel and abdominal inflammation, and even trauma. The whole body is connected and sometimes an injury to a completely unrelated area of your body, like your back, can trigger Uveitis.

Signs and Symptoms

Uveitis symptoms may develop rapidly, affecting one or both eyes, and can include:

•          Blurred vision

•          Dark, floating spots in the vision

•          Eye pain

•          Redness of the eye

•          Sensitivity to light

Forms of Uveitis

Uveitis is the third-leading cause of blindness in developed countries, behind Cataracts (#1) Glaucoma (#2).

The most common form of Uveitis is Anterior Uveitis, also called Iritis, which involves inflammation in the front part of the eye. The disorder may affect one eye or both eyes and is most common in young and middle-aged people.

Posterior Uveitis, also referred to as Choroiditis, affects the back part of the uvea and primarily involves the chorid, which is a layer of blood vessels under the retina. If the retina is involved, it is called Chorioretinitis.

The final form of Uveitis is Pars Planitis, which is an inflammation affecting the area just behind the iris. This particular type of Uveitis occurs primarily in young men.

Treatment

Treatment for Uveitis involves the use of steroid eye drops, though additional treatments may be helpful, including: wearing dark glasses, using eye drops that dilate and relax the pupil to relieve pain, using oral steroids, and the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as Tylenol, Advil, or Motrin.

With proper treatment, most cases of Uveitis are resolved in a few days or, more commonly, a few weeks. However, relapses are common.

Call your eye doctor immediately if you are suffering from blurry vision or any of the other previously mentioned symptoms. Your doctor may refer you to an eye specialist.

Eye pain and reduced vision are serious symptoms that require prompt medical attention from you optometrist or ophthalmologist.

If you have any questions about what you have just read, please contact Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010.

Sources:

PubMed Health

Uveitis Mayo Clinic

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Corneal Disease: Explanation, Symptoms, and Treatment

October 10, 2017 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

Your cornea – the clear, protective outer layer of the eye – not only protects your eye from dirt and germs, but also plays a key role in your vision. As light enters the eye, it is focused or refracted by the shape of the cornea. If your cornea sustains damage through disease, infection or injury, the resulting scar tissue can interfere with your vision by blocking or distorting light as it enters your eye.

There are several different conditions including infections, degenerations and other disorders that affect the cornea. These include:

Astigmatism: Caused by an irregularly shaped cornea, astigmatism is a refractive error in which the eye has trouble focusing light. Astigmatism is the most common form of corneal problem. Treatment typically involves the use of glasses or contacts.

 Corneal Abrasion: Caused by trauma to the eye, a corneal abrasion refers to a scratch on the outer layer of the eye. It is the second most common form of corneal distress. Treatment traditionally involves patching of the eye, though newer bandage contact lenses are beginning to see more use. These allow people to stay functional during the healing process.

Keratits: This form of corneal disease is an inflammation of the cornea that occurs with viral, bacteria or fungal infection. Symptoms of keratitis include severe eye pain, reduced visual clarity, and discharge.

Ocular Herpes (Herpes of the Eye): Similar to cold sores on the lip, this reoccurring viral infection produces sores on the surface of the cornea that, in time, can spread deeper into the cornea and eye. There is no cure for ocular herpes, but it can often be controlled with the use of antiviral drugs. You can also try using Valtrex. Valtrex (Valacyclovir) is an antiviral medication used to treat infections caused by certain viruses. It helps the body fight infection by slowing the growth and spread of the herpes virus. It is used to treat shingles (caused by herpes zoster), genital herpes, and cold sores around the mouth. Valtrex is also a treatment for cold sores in children over the age of 12 years old and as a chickenpox medication in children who are over the age of 2 years. Read the full article here: anti-viral-meds.com

Herpes Zoster (Shingles): This is actually a recurrence of the chickenpox virus, since most of us have already had the disease. Symptoms of Herpes Zoster include blisters or lesions on the cornea, fever, and pain from inflamed nerve fibers.

Corneal Dystrophies

There are over 20 of these diseases that cause structural problems with the cornea. The most common forms include:

Keratoconus: This is a progressive disease in which the cornea thins and even changes shape, creating either mild or severe distortion (astigmatism) and nearsightedness (myopia).

Map-Dot-Fingerprint Dystrophy: As the basement membrane of the epithelium of the cornea grows irregularly, abnormalities resembling maps, dots and fingerprints form in the cornea. While this form of corneal disease is mostly painless and causes no vision loss, epithelial erosion may occur, exposing the nerves lining the cornea and causing severe eye pain.

Fuchs’ Dystrophy: Seemingly happening for no apparent reason – although you may have a genetic predisposition to the disease – Fuch’s Dystrophy involves the gradual deterioration of endothelial cells. As these cells thin, they can no longer remove water from the corneal stroma. This causes the stroma to swell and distort vision.

Lattice Dystrophy: This disease is characterized by the presence of abnormal protein fibers throughout the stroma. This can result in the clouding of the cornea and reduced vision and in rare cases, epithelial erosion.

Symptoms of Corneal Disease

 The cornea has the ability to quickly repair itself after most injuries or diseases. However, more serious situations may result in a much more prolonged healing process. If this is the case, the following symptoms should serve as an immediate indicator of a deeper medical issue:

  • Eye pain
  • Blurred/blurry vision
  • Tearing
  • Redness
  • Extreme sensitivity to light
  • Corneal scarring

If you feel you may be experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately. Any sudden change in your vision is a serious medical condition that requires prompt medical attention from your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

Although corneal disease resulting from hereditary factors cannot be prevented, infectious corneal disease caused from bacteria and viruses can be avoided. You should never share eye makeup, contact solution, lens cases, and eye drops with anyone as this may increase the risk of infection.

However, if you do contract some form of corneal disease, vision can be preserved through early detection and treatment. This is just another reason why regular eye exams are so important.

If you have any questions about what you have just read, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Samuel Boles and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010.

Led by Dr. Boles, the Anne Arundel Eye Center offers complete ophthalmic exams as well as diagnostic pre and post-surgical eye care. Specializing in glaucoma and cataracts, Dr. Boles has helped restore and preserve thousands of patients’ vision.

For more eye care advice and information, please take a look at our previous blog posts.

Sources:

Your Cornea: Conditions, Symptoms and Treatments

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Glaucoma: Finding Out If You Are At Risk

July 22, 2011 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

You may have heard of glaucoma which is a common eye disorder and one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States. But what else do you really know about it and are you at risk?
Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the optic nerve suffers damage and can permanently impair vision in the eye(s). There are different types of glaucoma and the disease can present itself without warning or symptoms. The most common form is the result of elevated pressure of the fluid in the eye and sometimes other factors that cause the fibers running through the optic nerve to slowly deteriorate. Without treatment, glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss.

Who is at risk?

Everyone is at risk. However, certain factors can increase that risk, including: if you are over 60 years of age, if you are African American, if you have high myopia (nearsightedness), diabetes, hypertension, or if you are a steroid user.

Over 3 million Americans have glaucoma, yet half are unaware that they even have the disease. This is why regular eye exams are so important. While there is no cure for glaucoma, these eye exams, early detection, and treatment (medication and possibly surgery) can help slow or even prevent further vision loss brought on by this disease.

So, when was the last time you had a thorough eye exam?

If you would like to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center to meet with cataracts and glaucoma specialist Dr. Samuel Boles, or if you simply have a questions about what you have just read, contact Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or click here today!

You can check us out on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube as well!

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