Myopia | Anne Arundel Eye Center

Corneal Disease: Explanation, Symptoms, and Treatment

October 10, 2017 by Anne Arundel Eye Center 1 Comment

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.

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

An Overview of the Different Types of Glaucoma

October 11, 2016 by Anne Arundel Eye Center 1 Comment

The term Glaucoma actually refers to a group of eye conditions that lead to intraocular pressure (IOP) and damage the optic nerve, the nerve that carries visual information from the eye to the brain. This pressure comes from a buildup of normal fluid called the aqueous humor, which is naturally and continuously produced in the front of your eye.

The different types of glaucoma include:

Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma: Affecting around one percent of all Americans (mainly those individuals age 50 or older), it is the most common form of glaucoma. And because this form of glaucoma develops slowly, it rarely ever presents any symptoms and often goes undetected without regular screenings.
Normal Tension Glaucoma: Also known as Low-Tension Glaucoma, this form is characterized by progressive optic nerve damage and visual field loss with a statistically normal IOP. The lack of blood flow and the decrease in oxygen to the optic nerve is directly related to this form of glaucoma.
Angle-Closure Glaucoma: This form of glaucoma is related to narrow angles. And with several subcategories – including Intermittent and chronic Acute Angle-Closure or Narrow Angle-Closure – this form affects nearly 500,000 Americans, but is most common in people of Asian descent or those individuals with farsightedness (hyperopia). Unlike POAG where the IOP increases gradually, Angle-Closure Glaucoma is characterized by a sudden increase in IOP, often in only a matter of hours. This dramatic increase in IOP can cause severe eye pain, nausea, vomiting, blurry vision and headache. An acute attack is an emergency condition. Long-term effects of Angle-Closure Glaucoma include: scarring of the trabecular meshwork, resulting in chronic glaucoma; cataracts; damage to the optic nerve; permanent vision loss.
Pigmentary Glaucoma: This form is a type of inherited open-angle glaucoma, which develops more frequently in men than in women and is most prevalent in individuals in their twenties and thirties. Pigmentary Glaucoma is associated with near-sightedness (myopia).
Trauma-Related Glaucoma: A blow to the eye, chemical burn, or penetrating injury may lead to the development of either acute or chronic glaucoma.
Childhood Glaucoma: Also referred to as Pediatric Glaucoma, the approach to treatment is slightly different than with glaucoma in adults and almost always requires immediate surgery to relieve IOP. Approximately 80-90 percent of babies who receive prompt surgical treatment, long-term care, and monitoring of their visual development will do well, and may have normal or nearly normal vision for their lifetime. However, if the disease is not caught early more permanent vision loss will result.

The most common symptoms of glaucoma include:

Vision loss (most commonly tunnel vision – the gradual loss of peripheral or side vision)
Severe eye pain
Nausea and vomiting
Sudden onset of visual disturbance
Blurred or blurry vision
Halos around lights
Reddening of the eye

If you feel you may be experiencing any of these symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor immediately. These symptoms are serious and require prompt medical attention from your optometrist or ophthalmologist.

However, many people do not experience any symptoms until they begin to lose their vision. At this point, the damage is irreversible. This is why regular eye exams are so important. While there is no cure for glaucoma, early detection and treatment are your best options to slow or even prevent further vision loss brought on by the disease. Without treatment, glaucoma can lead to permanent vision loss.

Glaucoma is the second-leading cause of vision loss in the United States behind only cataracts.

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 or click here to visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today!

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

Sources:
Types of Glaucoma GlaucomaFoundation.org

Myopia (Nearsightedness), Vision Health and the Great Outdoors

January 7, 2014 by Anne Arundel Eye Center Leave a Comment

As a parent, you want the best for your child. That is why you make sure they finish their homework before they head outside to play with their friends. But could this focus on education be bad for your child’s health? According to a recent study published in The Lancet, hours of indoor study could negatively affect a child’s vision.

Myopia (Nearsightedness), Vision Health and the Great Outdoors

“Increasing children’s outdoor time could be a simple and cost-effective measure with important benefits for their vision and general health,” said Anthony Khawaja, MBBS, an ophthalmologist at the University of Cambridge, U.K.

Children who spend the majority of their time indoors have an increased need for glasses. In fact, according to another study, this one presented at the 115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology in Orlando, Florida, spending more time outdoors could decrease the likelihood of nearsightedness (myopia) in children.

Myopia currently affects 33% of Americans. However, researchers claim that each additional hour spent outdoors during a week helps decrease the risk of developing nearsightedness.

“This translates to about a 13% reduced chance of developing nearsightedness per extra hour per day of physical activity outdoors,” said Khawaja.

According to the study, children with myopia typically stayed indoors around four hours more per week than children with normal vision.

“Even though a substantial proportion of myopia cases can be explained by inheritance, this does not exclude strong environmental influences being the driving force behind the rapid increases in the prevalence of myopia over time,” said researcher Justin Sherwin, of the University of Cambridge.

If you have any questions about Myopia (Nearsightedness), Vision Health and the Great Outdoors, or wish to schedule an appointment with Anne Arundel Eye Center, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists here at AAEC by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

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

Sources:

Great Study Habits Might Lead to Poor Eyesight WebMD

Nearsightedness (Myopia) is on the Rise in the U.S., according to Report

July 16, 2013 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

According to a report in the Archives of Ophthalmology, incidents of Nearsightedness (Myopia) are on the United States. According to researcher Susan Vitale, PhD, MHS, and colleagues at the National Eye Institute, who compared statistics gathered in government surveys from 1971-1972 and 1999-2004, nearsightedness was much more common from 1999 to 2004 than it was 30 years ago. In fact, nearsightedness increased by nearly 42% from 1999 to 2004. Today, more than 47 million Americans aged 20 and older suffer from nearsightedness.

“This is a big issue and we are devoting millions of dollars to study the problem,” said Vitale. “We are studying the risk factors, but thankfully, this is a condition we really have good treatments for.”

Signs and Symptoms of Nearsightedness

Nearsightedness is a very common condition, currently affecting nearly 30% of the U.S. population. It typically develops early in school-age children and progresses until about the age of 20. However, nearsightedness can also develop later in life as a result of outside risk factors, especially near work: reading, more time behind computers and TV sets, and playing video games.

Signs and symptoms of nearsightedness include:

Objects in the distance appear blurred or blurry.
Eyestrain
Headaches
A person with nearsightedness can easily read the Jaeger eye chart (the chart for near reading), but has trouble reading the Snellen eye chart (the chart for distance).

If you feel you may be experiencing any of the above symptoms, schedule an appointment with your eye doctor – optometrist or ophthalmologist – at your earliest convenience. Any change in your vision is a serious medical condition that requires prompt medical attention.

Myopia is also associated with certain conditions, such as glaucoma and retinal detachment. All the more reason to get an eye exam regularly.

If you have any questions about our blog, “Nearsightedness (Myopia) is on the Rise in the U.S., according to Report,” or wish to schedule an appointment, please contact board certified ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, consultative optometrists Dr. Nathan Frank and Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists at the Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or visiting AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

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

Source:

Nearsightedness on the rise in U.S. WebMD

The Link between the Outdoors & Your Eyesight Explained by Your Annapolis Eye Doctor

May 2, 2013 by Anne Arundel Eye Center

Myopia, better known as nearsightedness, is much more common nowadays than it was just 40 years ago, according to American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO). But why? Could it be the increasing popularity of computers, video games, television, and other indoor activities? Well, according to research, the answer could be yes!

According to a study presented at the 115th Annual Meeting of the AAO in Orlando, Florida, spending more time outdoors could decrease the likelihood of nearsightedness in children. Myopia currently affects 33% of Americans, causing the blurring of objects at a distance. However, researchers claim that each additional hour spent outdoors during a week helps decrease the risk of developing nearsightedness.

“This translates to about a 13% reduced chance of developing nearsightedness per extra hour per day of physical activity outdoors,” said researcher Anthony Khawaja, MBBS, an ophthalmologist at the University of Cambridge, U.K.

According to the study, children with myopia typically stayed indoors around four hours more per week than children with normal vision.

“Increasing children’s outdoor time could be a simple and cost-effective measure with important benefits for their vision and general health,” said Khawaja.

Do you suffer from nearsightedness? Do you even know? When was the last time you had your eyes examined by an ophthalmologist or optometrist? Schedule an appointment with the Anne Arundel Eye Center, Your Annapolis Eye Doctor.

Led by Board Certified Ophthalmologist Dr. Samuel Boles, the Anne Arundel Eye Center offers complete ophthalmic exams to help diagnose common eye problems, such as nearsightedness and farsightedness. So if you are experiencing blurred vision, squinting, and fatigue, schedule an appointment at either of our state-of-the-art treatment centers. And if you are diagnosed with either nearsightedness, we will be happy to provide you with a referral to an optometrist or ophthalmologist who can fit you for glasses or contacts or provide Lasik services.

To learn more about The Link between the Outdoors & Your Eyesight, please contact Dr. Boles, consultative optometrists Dr. Nathan Frank and Dr. Corinne Casey, and the eye care specialists at Anne Arundel Eye Center by calling 410-224-2010 or visit AnneArundelEyeCenter.com today. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and YouTube as well!

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

Source:

Does Playing Outdoors Benefit Kids’ Vision? WebMD
115th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, Orlando, Fla., Oct. 23-25, 2011.
Anthony Khawaja, MBBS, ophthalmologist, University of Cambridge, U.K.
Anne Sumers, MD, ophthalmologist, Ridgewood, N.J.