Some of the more common eye disease terms you may have heard about are included here.
Adie's Pupil - a pupil that does not react normally to bright light due to impaired nerve function; usually does not interfere substantially with vision
Amaurosis Fugax - temporary loss of vision in one eye; may be a sign of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or an impending stroke
Amblyopia - the inability of an eye to see normally due to lack of input from the eye to the brain during childhood; also termed "lazy eye"
Aphakia - the absence of the eye's natural lens, usually after cataract surgery
Arcus Senilis - a hazy ring at the edge of the cornea where the iris meets the white of the eye; does not impair vision
Bell's Palsy - paralysis of the muscles on one side of the face due to nerve damage; usually temporary, but can interfere with blinking and protection of the eye
Blepharitis - inflammation of the eyelid; can cause irritation, discharge and even blurred vision
Chalazion - a bump in the eyelid caused by a clogged oil gland;may require surgical removal
Conjunctivitis - inflammation or infection of the conjunctiva, the mucous membrane covering the white of the eye
Corneal Edema - swelling of the cornea, often causing blurred vision
Corneal Erosion - spontaneous loss of a part of the surface "skin" of the eye-causes pain, light sensitivity and occasionally blurriness, and often occurs on awakening
Corneal Ulcer - a localized inflammation or infection of the cornea extending beneath the surface layer-must be treated immediately to prevent permanent damage
Central Retinal Artery Occlusion - blockage of the main blood supply to the eye often; causes blindness
Central Retinal Vein Occlusion - blockage of the main vein transporting blood away from the retina; causes hemorrhage in the retina and usually results in permanent vision impairment
Central Serous Retinopathy - spontaneous leakage of fluid into the retina, often in young, healthy people - cause is unknown
Dacryocystitis - infection in the tear sac adjacent to the nose-causes pain, swelling, tenderness and tearing
Dermatochalasis - excess or baggy skin on the eyelids, usually from loss of elastic tissue in the skin
Diplopia - double vision; usually caused by misaligned eyes
Drusen - discolored spots in the retina - can be an early sign of macular degeneration
Ectropion - loosening of the eyelid causing it to turn outward, away from the eye
Entropion - "collapsing" of the eyelid, causing the edge of the lid to turn inward, toward the eye-often results in discomfort due to eyelashes rubbing against the eye
Epiretinal Membrane - wrinkling of the surface of the retina; can cause blurriness or distortion in vision - severe cases can be treated with surgical removal
Esotropia - having an eye that turns inward
Exophthalmos - bulging forward of the eyes, sometimes caused by thyroid problems
Exotropia - having an eye that turns outward
Fuchs' Dystrophy - a deterioration of the cells in the cornea that maintain the cornea's clarity;often has no visual effect but may require a corneal transplant if severe
Hemianopia - the loss of one half of the visual field (left or right); usually affects both eyes and is often caused by brain injury, especially stroke
Hyphema - bleeding inside the eye, often due to an injury
Herpes Simplex - a cause of serious corneal infection - the same virus that causes cold sores
Herpes Zoster - "shingles" - the same virus that causes chicken pox, which can return and affect many areas of the body, including the eye
Iritis - inflammation inside the eye, primarily in the front of the eye - causes redness, pain, blurred vision and sensitivity to light in most cases
Keratitis - inflammation in the cornea-may cause scratchiness, pain, blurred vision and light sensitivity
Keratoconus - a progressive change in the shape of the cornea, creating a "cone" - like configuration and causing blurred vision - severe cases may require a corneal transplant
Macular Edema - swelling in the center of the retina caused by fluid leakage; results in blurred vision and visual distortion
Neovascularization - growth of new abnormal blood vessels - can occur at several locations in the eye
Nystagmus - oscillating movements of the eye
Ocular Migraine - a visual disturbance usually including an arc of zigzag light and blurry vision - disappears spontaneously and does not usually include a headache
Optic Neuritis - inflammation of the optic nerve, resulting in blurred vision or other visual disturbances - can be caused by multiple sclerosis
Papilledema - swelling of the optic nerve where it enters the eye - can be caused by increased fluid pressure around the brain
Pinguecula - a thickening of the white of the eye;often caused by chronic irritation
Pterygium - growth of tissue from the white of the eye over the cornea - may interfere with vision if it nears the center of the cornea
Ptosis - droopiness of the eyelid - may result from nerve or muscle damage, and sometimes requires surgical correction
Retinal Detachment - separation of the retina from its normal location covering the inner surface of the back portion of the eye
Rubeosis - growth of abnormal blood vessels on the iris
Scotoma - a blind spot
Strabismus - any misalignment of the eye
Stye - an acute inflammation of a gland at the base of an eyelash, caused by bacterial infection.
Trichiasis - abnormal eyelash growth, usually pointing toward the eye
Uveitis - inflammation of the interior of the eye
Vitreous Detachment - separation of the vitreous gel from the back of the eye - a common occurrence which can result in sudden floaters and occasionally causes a tear in the retina
Visual Simulation
On this page we will look at the same scene through the eyes of four different people, one with normal vision, and the others with different vision problems. This should give you a feel for how these people see the world.
Normal
Normal
This is the scene as viewed through normal eyes. Things near and far appear in focus.
Nearsightedness
This is the scene through nearsighted eyes. Close up objects like the chairs are in focus, while objects far away like the islands are blurry.
Farsightedness
This is the scene through farsighted eyes. Objects far away like the islands are in focus, but close up objects, like the chairs are blurry.
Astigmatism
This is the scene through astigmatic eyes. This is like a combination of both near and farsightedness, making all objects blurry.
Eye Cancer.
What Is Eye Cancer?
An eye cancer is a cancer that starts in the eye. There are different types of eye cancers. To understand eye cancers, it helps to know something about the normal structure and function of the eye.
Parts of the eye
The eye has 3 major parts: the eyeball (globe), the orbit, and the adnexal structures.
Eyeball
The main part of the eye is the eyeball (also known as the globe), which is filled with a jelly-like material called vitreous humor. The eyeball has 3 main layers -- the sclera, the uvea, and the retina.
Sclera: The sclera is the tough, white, outer covering over most of the eyeball. In the front of the eye it is continuous with the cornea, which is clear to let light through.
Uvea: The uvea is the middle layer of the eyeball. It is where most melanomas of the eye develop. The uvea has 3 main parts:
The iris is the colored or pigmented part of the eye. It surrounds the pupil, the small opening that allows light to enter the eyeball.
The choroid is a thin, pigmented layer lining the eyeball that nourishes the retina and the front of the eye with blood.
The ciliary body contains the muscles inside the eye that change the shape of the lens so that the eye can focus on near or distant objects. It also contains cells that make aqueous humor, the clear fluid in the front of the eye between the cornea and the lens.
Retina: The retina is the inner layer of cells in the back of the eye. It is made up of specialized nerve cells that are sensitive to light. These light-sensing cells are connected to the brain by the optic nerve. Light enters the eye and passes through the lens, which focuses it on the retina. The pattern of light (image) appearing on the retina is sent through the optic nerve to an area of the brain called the visual cortex, allowing us to see.
Cancers that affect the eyeball are called intraocular (within the eye) cancers.
Orbit
The second part of the eye, called the orbit, consists of the tissues surrounding the eyeball. These tissues include muscles that make the globe move in different directions and the nerves attached to the eye.
Cancers of these tissues are called orbital cancers.
Adnexal structures
Finally, there are adnexal (accessory) structures such as the eyelids and tear glands.
Cancers that develop in these tissues are called adnexal cancers.
Cancers in the eye (intraocular cancers)
Two types of cancers can be found in the eye.
Primary intraocular cancers are cancers that start inside the eyeball. In adults, melanoma is the most common primary intraocular cancer, followed by primary intraocular lymphoma.
In children, retinoblastoma (a cancer arising from cells in the retina) is the most common primary intraocular cancer, and medulloepithelioma is the next most common (but it is extremely rare). These cancers are discussed in our separate document, Retinoblastoma.
Secondary intraocular cancers are cancers that have spread to the eye from another part of the body. These are not truly "eye cancers," but they are actually more common than primary intraocular cancers. The most common cancers that spread to the eye are breast and lung cancers. Usually these cancers spread to the part of the eyeball called the uvea. For more information on these types of cancers, refer to the specific American Cancer Society documents on these cancers.
Intraocular melanoma (melanoma of the eye)
Intraocular melanoma is the most common type of cancer that develops within the eyeball in adults, but it is still fairly rare. Melanomas of the skin are much more common than intraocular melanomas.
Melanomas develop from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. When melanoma develops in the eyeball, it is usually in the uvea, which is why these cancers are also called uveal melanomas. About 9 out of 10 intraocular melanomas develop in the choroid. Choroid cells have the same kind of pigment as melanocytes in the skin, so it is not surprising that these cells sometimes form melanomas.
Nearly all of the remaining intraocular melanomas start in the iris. These are the easiest for the patient and doctor to see because they often arise in a pigmented spot on the iris that has been present for many years and then begins to grow. These melanomas usually are fairly slow growing, and they rarely spread to other parts of the body. For these reasons, people with iris melanomas generally have a good prognosis (outlook).
Intraocular melanomas are generally made up of 2 different kinds of cells.
spindle cells: These are long, thin cells.
epithelioid cells: These cells are almost round but with some straight edges.
Most tumors are composed of both kinds of cells. The outlook is better if the tumors are mostly spindle cells as opposed to mostly epithelioid cells. Epithelioid tumors are more likely to metastasize (spread) to distant sites. If you have intraocular melanoma, your doctor can tell you which type of cells were found.
Primary intraocular lymphoma (lymphoma of the eye)
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in immune system cells called lymphocytes. It usually starts in lymph nodes, which are bean-sized collections of immune system cells. But lymphomas can also start in internal organs such as the stomach, lungs, and rarely in the eyes.
There are 2 main types of lymphoma -- Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Primary intraocular lymphoma is always a non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Most people with primary intraocular lymphoma are elderly or have immune system problems such as the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Orbital and adnexal cancers
Cancers of the orbit and adnexa develop from tissues such as muscle, nerve, and skin around the eyeball and are just like their counterparts in other parts of the body. These are described in other American Cancer Society documents on cancers of muscle, nerve, skin, etc. For example, cancers of the eyelid are usually skin cancers, which are described in our documents on skin cancers (Melanoma Skin Cancer and Skin Cancer: Basal and Squamous Cell)
An eye cancer is a cancer that starts in the eye. There are different types of eye cancers. To understand eye cancers, it helps to know something about the normal structure and function of the eye.
Parts of the eye
The eye has 3 major parts: the eyeball (globe), the orbit, and the adnexal structures.
Eyeball
The main part of the eye is the eyeball (also known as the globe), which is filled with a jelly-like material called vitreous humor. The eyeball has 3 main layers -- the sclera, the uvea, and the retina.
Sclera: The sclera is the tough, white, outer covering over most of the eyeball. In the front of the eye it is continuous with the cornea, which is clear to let light through.
Uvea: The uvea is the middle layer of the eyeball. It is where most melanomas of the eye develop. The uvea has 3 main parts:
The iris is the colored or pigmented part of the eye. It surrounds the pupil, the small opening that allows light to enter the eyeball.
The choroid is a thin, pigmented layer lining the eyeball that nourishes the retina and the front of the eye with blood.
The ciliary body contains the muscles inside the eye that change the shape of the lens so that the eye can focus on near or distant objects. It also contains cells that make aqueous humor, the clear fluid in the front of the eye between the cornea and the lens.
Retina: The retina is the inner layer of cells in the back of the eye. It is made up of specialized nerve cells that are sensitive to light. These light-sensing cells are connected to the brain by the optic nerve. Light enters the eye and passes through the lens, which focuses it on the retina. The pattern of light (image) appearing on the retina is sent through the optic nerve to an area of the brain called the visual cortex, allowing us to see.
Cancers that affect the eyeball are called intraocular (within the eye) cancers.
Orbit
The second part of the eye, called the orbit, consists of the tissues surrounding the eyeball. These tissues include muscles that make the globe move in different directions and the nerves attached to the eye.
Cancers of these tissues are called orbital cancers.
Adnexal structures
Finally, there are adnexal (accessory) structures such as the eyelids and tear glands.
Cancers that develop in these tissues are called adnexal cancers.
Cancers in the eye (intraocular cancers)
Two types of cancers can be found in the eye.
Primary intraocular cancers are cancers that start inside the eyeball. In adults, melanoma is the most common primary intraocular cancer, followed by primary intraocular lymphoma.
In children, retinoblastoma (a cancer arising from cells in the retina) is the most common primary intraocular cancer, and medulloepithelioma is the next most common (but it is extremely rare). These cancers are discussed in our separate document, Retinoblastoma.
Secondary intraocular cancers are cancers that have spread to the eye from another part of the body. These are not truly "eye cancers," but they are actually more common than primary intraocular cancers. The most common cancers that spread to the eye are breast and lung cancers. Usually these cancers spread to the part of the eyeball called the uvea. For more information on these types of cancers, refer to the specific American Cancer Society documents on these cancers.
Intraocular melanoma (melanoma of the eye)
Intraocular melanoma is the most common type of cancer that develops within the eyeball in adults, but it is still fairly rare. Melanomas of the skin are much more common than intraocular melanomas.
Melanomas develop from pigment-producing cells called melanocytes. When melanoma develops in the eyeball, it is usually in the uvea, which is why these cancers are also called uveal melanomas. About 9 out of 10 intraocular melanomas develop in the choroid. Choroid cells have the same kind of pigment as melanocytes in the skin, so it is not surprising that these cells sometimes form melanomas.
Nearly all of the remaining intraocular melanomas start in the iris. These are the easiest for the patient and doctor to see because they often arise in a pigmented spot on the iris that has been present for many years and then begins to grow. These melanomas usually are fairly slow growing, and they rarely spread to other parts of the body. For these reasons, people with iris melanomas generally have a good prognosis (outlook).
Intraocular melanomas are generally made up of 2 different kinds of cells.
spindle cells: These are long, thin cells.
epithelioid cells: These cells are almost round but with some straight edges.
Most tumors are composed of both kinds of cells. The outlook is better if the tumors are mostly spindle cells as opposed to mostly epithelioid cells. Epithelioid tumors are more likely to metastasize (spread) to distant sites. If you have intraocular melanoma, your doctor can tell you which type of cells were found.
Primary intraocular lymphoma (lymphoma of the eye)
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in immune system cells called lymphocytes. It usually starts in lymph nodes, which are bean-sized collections of immune system cells. But lymphomas can also start in internal organs such as the stomach, lungs, and rarely in the eyes.
There are 2 main types of lymphoma -- Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Primary intraocular lymphoma is always a non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Most people with primary intraocular lymphoma are elderly or have immune system problems such as the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
Orbital and adnexal cancers
Cancers of the orbit and adnexa develop from tissues such as muscle, nerve, and skin around the eyeball and are just like their counterparts in other parts of the body. These are described in other American Cancer Society documents on cancers of muscle, nerve, skin, etc. For example, cancers of the eyelid are usually skin cancers, which are described in our documents on skin cancers (Melanoma Skin Cancer and Skin Cancer: Basal and Squamous Cell)
Multifocal Contact Lenses
Are you over 40? If so, you're probably much more active than your parents were at your age. Biking, jogging, exercising and playing sports are just a few of the activities that today's Baby Boomers routinely enjoy.
So it's no surprise that many 40-somethings and older Baby Boomers prefer contact lenses over glasses for their active lifestyles.
But once we reach our mid-40s, presbyopia makes it difficult to focus on near objects. Until recently, reading glasses were the only option available to contact lens wearers who wanted to read a menu or do other everyday tasks that require good near vision.
But today, a number of multifocal contact lens options are available for you to consider. Multifocal contact lenses offer the best of both worlds: no glasses, along with good near and distance vision.
Some multifocal contact lenses have a bifocal design with two distinct lens powers — one for your distance vision and one for near. Others have a multifocal design somewhat like progressive eyeglass lenses, with a gradual change in lens power for a natural visual transition from distance to closeup.
Multifocal contacts are available in both soft and rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) lens materials and are designed for daily wear or extended (overnight) wear. Soft multifocal lenses can be comfortably worn on a part-time basis, so they're great for weekends and other occasions if you prefer not to wear them on an all-day, every day schedule.
For the ultimate in convenience, one-day disposable soft multifocal lenses allow you to discard the lenses at the end of a single day of wear, so there's no hassle with lens care.
In some cases, GP multifocal contact lenses provide sharper vision than soft multifocals. But because of their rigid nature, GP multifocal contacts require some adaptation and are more comfortable if you condition your eyes by wearing the lenses every day.
Hybrid multifocal contacts are an exciting new alternative. These lenses have a GP center and a soft periphery, making it easier to adapt.
Multifocal Designs
A commonly used contact lens design for people with presbyopia is the concentric bifocal pattern. In this type of contact lens, the near correction is in a small circle at the center of the lens, surrounded by a much larger circle containing the distance correction. The distance correction could be placed in the center instead, with the near prescription in the outer ring.
In this example of the concentric design, the near prescription is in the middle and far is on the outside, but they can be reversed.
In this example of the translating design, the near prescription is on the bottom. The bottom edge is flattened to keep the lens from rotating on your eye when you blink.
In the aspheric design, the near and distance prescriptions are both near the pupil.Beyond this familiar configuration, the two basic multifocal contact lens designs are alternating and simultaneous image.
Alternating image designs (also called translating designs) have distinct zones in the lens for distance vision and near vision. These designs are available in gas permeable lens materials only.
Like bifocal eyeglasses, the top part of an alternating image multifocal GP lens is for distance vision and the bottom part is for near. The two zones are separated by a nearly invisible line that helps your eyecare professional determine if the lens is fitting properly.
When you look straight ahead while wearing an alternating multifocal, you're looking through the distance portion of the GP lens. When you look down to read, the lens remains supported by your lower lid, so your line of sight now passes through the lower (near vision) portion of the lens.
The near segment can have a half-moon, crescent or annular shape. (The annular segment circles around the entire periphery of the lens.) In alternating multifocals with half-moon or crescent-shaped near segments, the lens maintains its proper rotational position by means of an area of unequal thickness in the lens called a prism ballast. In some cases, the bottom edge of the lens is also truncated to help align it properly with the wearer's lower lid.
Because alternating multifocal lenses typically have just two lens powers, these lenses usually provide good vision for driving and for reading. But they may not perform as well as simultaneous image designs for computer work and other intermediate-range visual tasks.
Simultaneous image designs have both distance and near vision portions of the lens in front of the pupil at the same time. These designs are available in both soft and GP lens materials.
Your brain must determine which area of the lens to emphasize and which area to ignore to provide the best image resolution.
Blended designs, such as the aspheric example shown here, can be complicated because they seek to correct the particular points of aberration in your eyes, to provide the most natural vision experience possible.
Astigmatism
In the past, soft multifocal contact lenses could not correct astigmatism. If you had astigmatism, your only choice in multifocal contact lenses was rigid gas permeable lenses.
Today, soft multifocal contacts can also correct astigmatism by using a toric lens design. The lenses achieve the proper rotational positioning on the eye by means of unequal thickness zones in the lens to create a prism ballast effect (similar to that on a translating GP multifocal).
Hybrid multifocal contact lenses also correct most types of astigmatism.
Monovision
Until you have a contact lens fitting, there's no way to know for sure if you'll be able to successfully adapt to wearing multifocal contact lenses. If multifocal lenses aren't comfortable or don't give you adequate vision, a monovision contact lens fitting may be a good alternative.
Monovision uses your dominant eye for distance vision and the non-dominant eye for near vision. Right-handed people tend to be right-eye dominant and left-handed folks left-eye dominant. But your eyecare professional will perform testing to make that determination.
Usually, single vision contact lenses are used for monovision. One advantage here is that single vision lenses are less costly to replace, lowering your annual contact lens expenses. But in some cases, better results can be achieved using a single vision lens on the dominant eye for distance vision and a multifocal lens on the other eye for intermediate and near vision. Other times, your eyecare professional may choose a distance-biased multifocal on your dominant eye and a near-biased multifocal on the other eye. These techniques are referred to as modified monovision fits.
What if Multifocal Contacts Don't Work Out?
If your multifocal contact lenses don't work out for you, your eyecare professional can return most brands to the manufacturer for a refund. So if you're an unsuccessful wearer, you can usually receive a full or partial refund of the material costs of your contact lens fitting fee.
But part of your contact lens fitting fee involves the time and services your eye doctor or contact lens fitter provides during the fitting and follow-up visits. This portion of your overall fitting fee usually is not refundable.
To increase your chances of success with multifocal contact lenses, it's important to manage your expectations. These lenses usually won't be able to match the clarity you get with bifocal or progressive eyeglass lenses. It's also very likely you will still need single vision eyeglasses or reading glasses for specific tasks like driving at night or reading small print.
But it's reasonable to expect multifocal contact lenses to give you very acceptable vision for 80 percent of your daily activities, and without the need for supplemental eyeglasses
So it's no surprise that many 40-somethings and older Baby Boomers prefer contact lenses over glasses for their active lifestyles.
But once we reach our mid-40s, presbyopia makes it difficult to focus on near objects. Until recently, reading glasses were the only option available to contact lens wearers who wanted to read a menu or do other everyday tasks that require good near vision.
But today, a number of multifocal contact lens options are available for you to consider. Multifocal contact lenses offer the best of both worlds: no glasses, along with good near and distance vision.
Some multifocal contact lenses have a bifocal design with two distinct lens powers — one for your distance vision and one for near. Others have a multifocal design somewhat like progressive eyeglass lenses, with a gradual change in lens power for a natural visual transition from distance to closeup.
Multifocal contacts are available in both soft and rigid gas permeable (RGP or GP) lens materials and are designed for daily wear or extended (overnight) wear. Soft multifocal lenses can be comfortably worn on a part-time basis, so they're great for weekends and other occasions if you prefer not to wear them on an all-day, every day schedule.
For the ultimate in convenience, one-day disposable soft multifocal lenses allow you to discard the lenses at the end of a single day of wear, so there's no hassle with lens care.
In some cases, GP multifocal contact lenses provide sharper vision than soft multifocals. But because of their rigid nature, GP multifocal contacts require some adaptation and are more comfortable if you condition your eyes by wearing the lenses every day.
Hybrid multifocal contacts are an exciting new alternative. These lenses have a GP center and a soft periphery, making it easier to adapt.
Multifocal Designs
A commonly used contact lens design for people with presbyopia is the concentric bifocal pattern. In this type of contact lens, the near correction is in a small circle at the center of the lens, surrounded by a much larger circle containing the distance correction. The distance correction could be placed in the center instead, with the near prescription in the outer ring.
In this example of the concentric design, the near prescription is in the middle and far is on the outside, but they can be reversed.
In this example of the translating design, the near prescription is on the bottom. The bottom edge is flattened to keep the lens from rotating on your eye when you blink.
In the aspheric design, the near and distance prescriptions are both near the pupil.Beyond this familiar configuration, the two basic multifocal contact lens designs are alternating and simultaneous image.
Alternating image designs (also called translating designs) have distinct zones in the lens for distance vision and near vision. These designs are available in gas permeable lens materials only.
Like bifocal eyeglasses, the top part of an alternating image multifocal GP lens is for distance vision and the bottom part is for near. The two zones are separated by a nearly invisible line that helps your eyecare professional determine if the lens is fitting properly.
When you look straight ahead while wearing an alternating multifocal, you're looking through the distance portion of the GP lens. When you look down to read, the lens remains supported by your lower lid, so your line of sight now passes through the lower (near vision) portion of the lens.
The near segment can have a half-moon, crescent or annular shape. (The annular segment circles around the entire periphery of the lens.) In alternating multifocals with half-moon or crescent-shaped near segments, the lens maintains its proper rotational position by means of an area of unequal thickness in the lens called a prism ballast. In some cases, the bottom edge of the lens is also truncated to help align it properly with the wearer's lower lid.
Because alternating multifocal lenses typically have just two lens powers, these lenses usually provide good vision for driving and for reading. But they may not perform as well as simultaneous image designs for computer work and other intermediate-range visual tasks.
Simultaneous image designs have both distance and near vision portions of the lens in front of the pupil at the same time. These designs are available in both soft and GP lens materials.
Your brain must determine which area of the lens to emphasize and which area to ignore to provide the best image resolution.
Blended designs, such as the aspheric example shown here, can be complicated because they seek to correct the particular points of aberration in your eyes, to provide the most natural vision experience possible.
Astigmatism
In the past, soft multifocal contact lenses could not correct astigmatism. If you had astigmatism, your only choice in multifocal contact lenses was rigid gas permeable lenses.
Today, soft multifocal contacts can also correct astigmatism by using a toric lens design. The lenses achieve the proper rotational positioning on the eye by means of unequal thickness zones in the lens to create a prism ballast effect (similar to that on a translating GP multifocal).
Hybrid multifocal contact lenses also correct most types of astigmatism.
Monovision
Until you have a contact lens fitting, there's no way to know for sure if you'll be able to successfully adapt to wearing multifocal contact lenses. If multifocal lenses aren't comfortable or don't give you adequate vision, a monovision contact lens fitting may be a good alternative.
Monovision uses your dominant eye for distance vision and the non-dominant eye for near vision. Right-handed people tend to be right-eye dominant and left-handed folks left-eye dominant. But your eyecare professional will perform testing to make that determination.
Usually, single vision contact lenses are used for monovision. One advantage here is that single vision lenses are less costly to replace, lowering your annual contact lens expenses. But in some cases, better results can be achieved using a single vision lens on the dominant eye for distance vision and a multifocal lens on the other eye for intermediate and near vision. Other times, your eyecare professional may choose a distance-biased multifocal on your dominant eye and a near-biased multifocal on the other eye. These techniques are referred to as modified monovision fits.
What if Multifocal Contacts Don't Work Out?
If your multifocal contact lenses don't work out for you, your eyecare professional can return most brands to the manufacturer for a refund. So if you're an unsuccessful wearer, you can usually receive a full or partial refund of the material costs of your contact lens fitting fee.
But part of your contact lens fitting fee involves the time and services your eye doctor or contact lens fitter provides during the fitting and follow-up visits. This portion of your overall fitting fee usually is not refundable.
To increase your chances of success with multifocal contact lenses, it's important to manage your expectations. These lenses usually won't be able to match the clarity you get with bifocal or progressive eyeglass lenses. It's also very likely you will still need single vision eyeglasses or reading glasses for specific tasks like driving at night or reading small print.
But it's reasonable to expect multifocal contact lenses to give you very acceptable vision for 80 percent of your daily activities, and without the need for supplemental eyeglasses
Blurry Vision
Blurry vision can be caused by several different things.
Almost everybody has experienced it at some point in there lives, and often blurry vision is caused by our own stupidity. Not always, but most of the time. That’s probably why I’ve experienced blurry vision several times in my own life.
The easiest way to get blurry vision is to walk around without your glasses on. This may sound stupid, but lots of people refuse to go to the eye doctor and get their eyes checked or re-checked. The result: blurry vision.
Common Blurry Vision Causes
You can also get blurry vision from consuming too much alcohol or taking illegal drugs. I’m sure most of you have had a few too many beers and had your vision go wacko as a result. I’m also sure that none of you have ever done illegal drugs, so you wouldn’t have any first hand experience with blurry vision because of it. Guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.
If you have high blood pressure you may experience some blurry vision. This is explained in depth in the articles on high blood pressure found on this site.
Blurry vision can also be a result of over exerting yourself. For instance, if you go jogging and push your body to the limits, it’s only a matter of time before you aren’t getting enough oxygen to fuel your body and so your vision may blur.
If you have a cold or viral infection you may get blurry vision in short doses. If your body is fighting off an infection of some type, it saps your resources and sometimes you end up with blurry vision. Do yourself a favour and get some rest.
Some prescription drugs have the added bonus of giving you blurry vision. If you are experiencing blurry vision from a prescription drug, you might want to consult your doctor. They may change your prescription to one that doesn’t give you blurry vision.
I suffer from migraine head aches occasionally. Often, when I’m suffering from one of these episodes, I get blurry vision.
You may experience blurry vision at steep altitudes. I’m sure that most of you don’t mountain climb so you will never have to worry about this side effect. You never know for sure though, so I thought I’d add it in for good measure.
I’m also afraid of heights. If I’m up high (high for me may not be high for you. Anything over ten feet is a major accomplishment for me. I’m such a wimp.) I tend to get blurry vision. Funny how the body works. I’m afraid of heights because I don’t want to fall, so naturally my body gives me blurry vision. Who says nature doesn’t make mistakes?
Sometimes blurry vision could be a symptom of a more serious health problem. If you suffer from blurry vision frequently, you should see a doctor and get checked out. Perhaps, you might also think about seeing your friendly neighbourhood eye doctor for good measure.
Almost everybody has experienced it at some point in there lives, and often blurry vision is caused by our own stupidity. Not always, but most of the time. That’s probably why I’ve experienced blurry vision several times in my own life.
The easiest way to get blurry vision is to walk around without your glasses on. This may sound stupid, but lots of people refuse to go to the eye doctor and get their eyes checked or re-checked. The result: blurry vision.
Common Blurry Vision Causes
You can also get blurry vision from consuming too much alcohol or taking illegal drugs. I’m sure most of you have had a few too many beers and had your vision go wacko as a result. I’m also sure that none of you have ever done illegal drugs, so you wouldn’t have any first hand experience with blurry vision because of it. Guess you’ll just have to take my word for it.
If you have high blood pressure you may experience some blurry vision. This is explained in depth in the articles on high blood pressure found on this site.
Blurry vision can also be a result of over exerting yourself. For instance, if you go jogging and push your body to the limits, it’s only a matter of time before you aren’t getting enough oxygen to fuel your body and so your vision may blur.
If you have a cold or viral infection you may get blurry vision in short doses. If your body is fighting off an infection of some type, it saps your resources and sometimes you end up with blurry vision. Do yourself a favour and get some rest.
Some prescription drugs have the added bonus of giving you blurry vision. If you are experiencing blurry vision from a prescription drug, you might want to consult your doctor. They may change your prescription to one that doesn’t give you blurry vision.
I suffer from migraine head aches occasionally. Often, when I’m suffering from one of these episodes, I get blurry vision.
You may experience blurry vision at steep altitudes. I’m sure that most of you don’t mountain climb so you will never have to worry about this side effect. You never know for sure though, so I thought I’d add it in for good measure.
I’m also afraid of heights. If I’m up high (high for me may not be high for you. Anything over ten feet is a major accomplishment for me. I’m such a wimp.) I tend to get blurry vision. Funny how the body works. I’m afraid of heights because I don’t want to fall, so naturally my body gives me blurry vision. Who says nature doesn’t make mistakes?
Sometimes blurry vision could be a symptom of a more serious health problem. If you suffer from blurry vision frequently, you should see a doctor and get checked out. Perhaps, you might also think about seeing your friendly neighbourhood eye doctor for good measure.
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)
A pink eye is the most obvious symptom of conjunctivitis, so the term "pink eye" often is used for this common eye problem that can have many different causes.
A pink eye, along with itching, burning, stinging, irritation, pain, grittiness, crusting or light sensitivity, are all symptoms that provide clues about the type of conjunctivitis you could have.
Contagious forms of pink eye are usually linked to bacterial or viral infections. Non-contagious pink eye can occur when eye irritants such as allergens, dust and smoke are in the environment. Coughing and sneezing can spread contagious pink eye by spraying tiny droplets from infected mucus into the air. Shared towels also can be infected, as well as table tops, counter spaces and bathrooms.
Pink eye can occur in adults, but most often it occurs in young children through epidemics that spread rapidly in classrooms and day care centers. Particularly in these communal settings, you need to take extra precautions to prevent pink eye, such as frequent hand washing by adults and children.
In fact, when pink eye is present, it's a good idea to keep a can of disinfectant spray handy and use it often.
Because a reddish or pink eye can be a symptom of many different types of eye problems — some that can be quite serious — make sure you consult with your eye doctor.
Why Is the Eye Pink in Pink Eye?
Pink eye results from inflammation of the conjunctiva, the clear membrane covering the white part of the eye (sclera) and interior lining of the eyelids.
Although the conjunctiva is transparent, it contains most of the blood vessels on the eye's surface. So anything that triggers eye inflammation will cause these conjunctival blood vessels to dilate. This contributes to the eye's pink or reddish appearance, particularly evident against the backdrop of the white sclera.
Pink Eye Causes, Signs and Symptoms
The way your eyes feel and look will provide some clues about the type of pink eye you have. Besides causing a pink eye, conjunctivitis also can make your eye hurt or itch.
For more common types of pink eye, here are some of the symptoms:
Allergic conjunctivitis causes itching, redness and excessive tearing in both eyes. Your nose also may be stuffy, itchy and runny.
Bacterial conjunctivitis often spreads to both eyes and causes a heavy discharge, sometimes greenish. Crusting may appear on eyelids.
Viral conjunctivitis usually affects only one eye, which has excessive watering and a light discharge. Crusting on eyelids sometimes occurs.
During your eye exam, try to give your doctor exact details of how your eye was affected. You'll be asked whether symptoms came on gradually or suddenly, if you've been in contact with anyone else who has had pink eye, as well as other questions.
Conjunctival inflammation gives the eye a reddish tinge commonly known as pink eye.Often your answers alone will determine the diagnosis about the type of conjunctivitis you have.
To pinpoint the cause of pink eye and then choose an appropriate treatment, your eye doctor also will examine your eyes and possibly collect a sample (culture) to send out for analysis.
If a sample is needed, the eye will be numbed with drops and the surface will be gently swabbed. Antibiotic eye drops often are prescribed initially. But the medication may be changed, depending on culture results.
If you have a bacterial infection, common causes can include staphylococcus (staph), streptococcus (strep) and — in children — Haemophilus influenza, a flu that is not viral.
Who Gets Pink Eye?
Anyone of any age can have pink eye. But children contract conjunctivitis more often than adults because they have plenty of colds and respiratory tract infections that can be an underlying cause.
Preventing Pink Eye in Children
Because children are in close contact in day care centers and classrooms, it is difficult to avoid the spread of bacteria and viruses causing pink eye. The following information can help parents, day care workers and teachers reduce the risk of a pink eye outbreak:
Personal items, including hand towels, should never be shared at school or at home.
Teach children to use tissues and cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze or cough.
Discourage eye rubbing and touching, to avoid spread of bacteria and viruses.
Adults in schools and day care centers should wash their hands frequently and have children do the same. Soap should always be available for this.
Antiseptic solutions should be used constantly to clean surfaces such as common toys, table tops, drinking fountains, sinks and faucet handles.
Despite all these precautions, your child still may develop pink eye. If so, be considerate of others and do your part to keep the infection from spreading.
Tell your child's teacher or caretaker about the infection so that extra steps can be taken to sanitize classrooms or day care centers.
Minimize exposure by keeping your child home until the contagious stage has passed. Your doctor can let you know when your child can interact with others again safely, usually about three to five days after the diagnosis.
Newborn babies also are at significant risk for pink eye. This is because a baby can obtain a bacterial infection causing pink eye while making contact with its mother during the birth process. In fact, according to Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2008, conjunctivitis is found in 1.6 percent to 12 percent of all newborn babies in the United States.
Sometimes, infections in newborn infants are due to common pathogens such as strep or staph. A mother who is infected with a sexually transmitted disease, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia, also can pass along this infection to the baby — which can show up as pink eye. This is why newly born infants must be evaluated for gonococcal and chlamydial conjunctivitis as well as other forms, so antibiotic treatment can begin immediately, before any eye damage occurs.
As a precaution, most newborn infant eyes are treated with silver nitrate and/or antibiotic ointments, to make sure any possible infections are stopped before they can cause damage. However, this preventive treatment does not work for chlamydial conjunctivitis, which must be treated with antibiotics after a diagnosis.
When exposed to infected secretions, sexually active adults also can have pink eye due to bacteria associated with STDs. If you have a heavy discharge of mucus from your eyes, and other causes of pink eye have been ruled out, be sure and relate any concerns you might have to your doctor.
Contact lens wearers particularly are vulnerable to pink eye, which can be caused by infections from poor hygiene in the handling of lenses, solutions and cases. Also, some soft contact lens wearers can develop an abnormal immune response that can cause giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC).
Pink eye also can be a symptom of many types of underlying diseases, especially those causing inflammation, including:
Blepharitis
Dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)
Lyme disease
Collagen and vascular diseases
Reiter's syndrome
Sarcoidosis
Stevens-Johnson syndrome
In these cases, the disease itself must be treated, to alleviate pink eye and other possible symptoms.
And, of course, anyone who starts sneezing at the first sign of ragweed likely is familiar with allergy symptoms such as a pink eye, eye irritation and itchiness related to non-contagious allergic conjunctivitis.
Can Pink Eye Cause Vision Loss?
Most types of pink eye are not considered serious or threatening to eyesight, especially when appropriate treatment — when necessary — is given in a timely way.
But when other causes have been ruled out, persistent conjunctivitis can signal a potentially serious underlying disease that often only your doctor can diagnose.
Left untreated, certain types of bacterial conjunctivitis can scar the eye's surface. This may lead to permanent eye damage and vision loss.
In extreme and rare cases of uncontrolled conjunctivitis, an eye might even need to be removed because of infection that spreads throughout the eye and its interior (endophthalmitis).
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) Treatments
Pink eye treatment options vary, often depending on whether your conjunctivitis is caused by a virus or bacteria. Antibiotic eye ointments or drops may help bacterial forms of conjunctivitis, but don't work for viral forms.
Swim goggles are good protection against organisms that can cause pink eye.Unless there's some special reason to do so, eye doctors don't normally prescribe medication for viral conjunctivitis, because it usually clears up on its own within a few days to several weeks.
If you have allergic conjunctivitis, artificial tears may help dilute irritating allergens that may be present in your tear film. Antihistamine allergy pills or eye drops also may help control symptoms.
For all types of conjunctivitis, warm compresses placed on the outside of the eyelids and lubricating eye drops may help eyes feel better.
How To Prevent Pink Eye
Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis, which can be caused by airborne sources, spread easily to others. So your first line of defense is to avoid the cause of conjunctivitis, such as contaminated hand towels.
Wash your hands often, to keep pink eye from spreading.Never share washcloths, towels or pillowcases with anyone at home or in a public environment. Don't share eye drops or cosmetics such as eyeliner, eye shadow or mascara. If you have pink eye, replace these items to avoid re-infection after your recovery.
You also want to use common-sense precautions to avoid spreading pink eye from one infected eye to the other. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching the corners of your eye or rubbing your eye. If your contaminated hand then touches the unaffected eye, you could end up with pink eye in both eyes.
To avoid allergic conjunctivitis, try these tips:
Dust and vacuum frequently to eliminate allergens in the home.
Keep windows and doors closed on days when the airborne pollen count is high.
Stay in well ventilated areas if you're exposed to smoke, chemicals or fumes.
If you are a swimmer, try using protective swim goggles. Exposure to chlorinated water in pools can be a source of noninfectious pink eye, such as allergic conjunctivitis caused by irritation.
Also, you risk picking up a bacterial eye infection anytime you swim without eye protection in an unsanitary body of water such as the ocean or an underchlorinated swimming pool.
These tips for contact lens wearers also may help prevent pink eye or reduce the chance of re-infection if you have already had conjunctivitis:
Always follow the strict cleaning and handling instructions taught by your eye care practitioner to avoid bacterial contamination of the contact lens, which could then spread to the eye.
If you do have pink eye, do not wear your contact lenses until the condition is gone. Otherwise, you run the risk of extending or worsening symptoms.
Even if your contact lenses are extended wear and it isn't yet time for disposal, you still may need to replace them, because they could be contaminated.
Replace any contact lens solutions in which contaminated contact lenses may have been placed.
When you take a bath or enter a hot tub or any other body of water, be sure to remove contact lenses first to avoid trapping bacteria between your eye and the lens.
If other explanations have been ruled out, ask your eye doctor about the possibility that you could be having an allergic reaction to your particular contact lens solution or preservatives within that solution.
Soft contact lens wearers are more susceptible to a form of pink eye known as giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC), caused by abnormal immune responses. If you have GPC, ask your eyecare practitioner about other options, such as wearing a different kind of lens.
Remember, pink eye is a minor eye infection, but sometimes it can develop into a more serious condition.
Because you have no way of knowing for sure what type of pink eye you have, see your eye doctor before using any eye drops in your medicine cabinet from previous infections or eye problems
A pink eye, along with itching, burning, stinging, irritation, pain, grittiness, crusting or light sensitivity, are all symptoms that provide clues about the type of conjunctivitis you could have.
Contagious forms of pink eye are usually linked to bacterial or viral infections. Non-contagious pink eye can occur when eye irritants such as allergens, dust and smoke are in the environment. Coughing and sneezing can spread contagious pink eye by spraying tiny droplets from infected mucus into the air. Shared towels also can be infected, as well as table tops, counter spaces and bathrooms.
Pink eye can occur in adults, but most often it occurs in young children through epidemics that spread rapidly in classrooms and day care centers. Particularly in these communal settings, you need to take extra precautions to prevent pink eye, such as frequent hand washing by adults and children.
In fact, when pink eye is present, it's a good idea to keep a can of disinfectant spray handy and use it often.
Because a reddish or pink eye can be a symptom of many different types of eye problems — some that can be quite serious — make sure you consult with your eye doctor.
Why Is the Eye Pink in Pink Eye?
Pink eye results from inflammation of the conjunctiva, the clear membrane covering the white part of the eye (sclera) and interior lining of the eyelids.
Although the conjunctiva is transparent, it contains most of the blood vessels on the eye's surface. So anything that triggers eye inflammation will cause these conjunctival blood vessels to dilate. This contributes to the eye's pink or reddish appearance, particularly evident against the backdrop of the white sclera.
Pink Eye Causes, Signs and Symptoms
The way your eyes feel and look will provide some clues about the type of pink eye you have. Besides causing a pink eye, conjunctivitis also can make your eye hurt or itch.
For more common types of pink eye, here are some of the symptoms:
Allergic conjunctivitis causes itching, redness and excessive tearing in both eyes. Your nose also may be stuffy, itchy and runny.
Bacterial conjunctivitis often spreads to both eyes and causes a heavy discharge, sometimes greenish. Crusting may appear on eyelids.
Viral conjunctivitis usually affects only one eye, which has excessive watering and a light discharge. Crusting on eyelids sometimes occurs.
During your eye exam, try to give your doctor exact details of how your eye was affected. You'll be asked whether symptoms came on gradually or suddenly, if you've been in contact with anyone else who has had pink eye, as well as other questions.
Conjunctival inflammation gives the eye a reddish tinge commonly known as pink eye.Often your answers alone will determine the diagnosis about the type of conjunctivitis you have.
To pinpoint the cause of pink eye and then choose an appropriate treatment, your eye doctor also will examine your eyes and possibly collect a sample (culture) to send out for analysis.
If a sample is needed, the eye will be numbed with drops and the surface will be gently swabbed. Antibiotic eye drops often are prescribed initially. But the medication may be changed, depending on culture results.
If you have a bacterial infection, common causes can include staphylococcus (staph), streptococcus (strep) and — in children — Haemophilus influenza, a flu that is not viral.
Who Gets Pink Eye?
Anyone of any age can have pink eye. But children contract conjunctivitis more often than adults because they have plenty of colds and respiratory tract infections that can be an underlying cause.
Preventing Pink Eye in Children
Because children are in close contact in day care centers and classrooms, it is difficult to avoid the spread of bacteria and viruses causing pink eye. The following information can help parents, day care workers and teachers reduce the risk of a pink eye outbreak:
Personal items, including hand towels, should never be shared at school or at home.
Teach children to use tissues and cover their mouths and noses when they sneeze or cough.
Discourage eye rubbing and touching, to avoid spread of bacteria and viruses.
Adults in schools and day care centers should wash their hands frequently and have children do the same. Soap should always be available for this.
Antiseptic solutions should be used constantly to clean surfaces such as common toys, table tops, drinking fountains, sinks and faucet handles.
Despite all these precautions, your child still may develop pink eye. If so, be considerate of others and do your part to keep the infection from spreading.
Tell your child's teacher or caretaker about the infection so that extra steps can be taken to sanitize classrooms or day care centers.
Minimize exposure by keeping your child home until the contagious stage has passed. Your doctor can let you know when your child can interact with others again safely, usually about three to five days after the diagnosis.
Newborn babies also are at significant risk for pink eye. This is because a baby can obtain a bacterial infection causing pink eye while making contact with its mother during the birth process. In fact, according to Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2008, conjunctivitis is found in 1.6 percent to 12 percent of all newborn babies in the United States.
Sometimes, infections in newborn infants are due to common pathogens such as strep or staph. A mother who is infected with a sexually transmitted disease, such as gonorrhea or chlamydia, also can pass along this infection to the baby — which can show up as pink eye. This is why newly born infants must be evaluated for gonococcal and chlamydial conjunctivitis as well as other forms, so antibiotic treatment can begin immediately, before any eye damage occurs.
As a precaution, most newborn infant eyes are treated with silver nitrate and/or antibiotic ointments, to make sure any possible infections are stopped before they can cause damage. However, this preventive treatment does not work for chlamydial conjunctivitis, which must be treated with antibiotics after a diagnosis.
When exposed to infected secretions, sexually active adults also can have pink eye due to bacteria associated with STDs. If you have a heavy discharge of mucus from your eyes, and other causes of pink eye have been ruled out, be sure and relate any concerns you might have to your doctor.
Contact lens wearers particularly are vulnerable to pink eye, which can be caused by infections from poor hygiene in the handling of lenses, solutions and cases. Also, some soft contact lens wearers can develop an abnormal immune response that can cause giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC).
Pink eye also can be a symptom of many types of underlying diseases, especially those causing inflammation, including:
Blepharitis
Dry eye (keratoconjunctivitis sicca)
Lyme disease
Collagen and vascular diseases
Reiter's syndrome
Sarcoidosis
Stevens-Johnson syndrome
In these cases, the disease itself must be treated, to alleviate pink eye and other possible symptoms.
And, of course, anyone who starts sneezing at the first sign of ragweed likely is familiar with allergy symptoms such as a pink eye, eye irritation and itchiness related to non-contagious allergic conjunctivitis.
Can Pink Eye Cause Vision Loss?
Most types of pink eye are not considered serious or threatening to eyesight, especially when appropriate treatment — when necessary — is given in a timely way.
But when other causes have been ruled out, persistent conjunctivitis can signal a potentially serious underlying disease that often only your doctor can diagnose.
Left untreated, certain types of bacterial conjunctivitis can scar the eye's surface. This may lead to permanent eye damage and vision loss.
In extreme and rare cases of uncontrolled conjunctivitis, an eye might even need to be removed because of infection that spreads throughout the eye and its interior (endophthalmitis).
Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis) Treatments
Pink eye treatment options vary, often depending on whether your conjunctivitis is caused by a virus or bacteria. Antibiotic eye ointments or drops may help bacterial forms of conjunctivitis, but don't work for viral forms.
Swim goggles are good protection against organisms that can cause pink eye.Unless there's some special reason to do so, eye doctors don't normally prescribe medication for viral conjunctivitis, because it usually clears up on its own within a few days to several weeks.
If you have allergic conjunctivitis, artificial tears may help dilute irritating allergens that may be present in your tear film. Antihistamine allergy pills or eye drops also may help control symptoms.
For all types of conjunctivitis, warm compresses placed on the outside of the eyelids and lubricating eye drops may help eyes feel better.
How To Prevent Pink Eye
Both viral and bacterial conjunctivitis, which can be caused by airborne sources, spread easily to others. So your first line of defense is to avoid the cause of conjunctivitis, such as contaminated hand towels.
Wash your hands often, to keep pink eye from spreading.Never share washcloths, towels or pillowcases with anyone at home or in a public environment. Don't share eye drops or cosmetics such as eyeliner, eye shadow or mascara. If you have pink eye, replace these items to avoid re-infection after your recovery.
You also want to use common-sense precautions to avoid spreading pink eye from one infected eye to the other. Wash your hands frequently, and avoid touching the corners of your eye or rubbing your eye. If your contaminated hand then touches the unaffected eye, you could end up with pink eye in both eyes.
To avoid allergic conjunctivitis, try these tips:
Dust and vacuum frequently to eliminate allergens in the home.
Keep windows and doors closed on days when the airborne pollen count is high.
Stay in well ventilated areas if you're exposed to smoke, chemicals or fumes.
If you are a swimmer, try using protective swim goggles. Exposure to chlorinated water in pools can be a source of noninfectious pink eye, such as allergic conjunctivitis caused by irritation.
Also, you risk picking up a bacterial eye infection anytime you swim without eye protection in an unsanitary body of water such as the ocean or an underchlorinated swimming pool.
These tips for contact lens wearers also may help prevent pink eye or reduce the chance of re-infection if you have already had conjunctivitis:
Always follow the strict cleaning and handling instructions taught by your eye care practitioner to avoid bacterial contamination of the contact lens, which could then spread to the eye.
If you do have pink eye, do not wear your contact lenses until the condition is gone. Otherwise, you run the risk of extending or worsening symptoms.
Even if your contact lenses are extended wear and it isn't yet time for disposal, you still may need to replace them, because they could be contaminated.
Replace any contact lens solutions in which contaminated contact lenses may have been placed.
When you take a bath or enter a hot tub or any other body of water, be sure to remove contact lenses first to avoid trapping bacteria between your eye and the lens.
If other explanations have been ruled out, ask your eye doctor about the possibility that you could be having an allergic reaction to your particular contact lens solution or preservatives within that solution.
Soft contact lens wearers are more susceptible to a form of pink eye known as giant papillary conjunctivitis (GPC), caused by abnormal immune responses. If you have GPC, ask your eyecare practitioner about other options, such as wearing a different kind of lens.
Remember, pink eye is a minor eye infection, but sometimes it can develop into a more serious condition.
Because you have no way of knowing for sure what type of pink eye you have, see your eye doctor before using any eye drops in your medicine cabinet from previous infections or eye problems
MACULAR HOLE
You should read this information sheet in conjunction with the vitrectomy information sheet.
A macular hole occurs in the macular region of the retina. The retina is the seeing part of the eye. A macular hole tends to develop around the age of 65 and is 4 times more common in females. It is thought to be due to a transparent membrane on the surface of the retina, which contracts and causes a stretching progressive enlargement of a hole in the most sensitive part of the retina. Eventually fluid can collect beneath the retina causing further deterioration of vision.
Natural course
There are 4 stages of macular hole -( 1 to 4).
80 to 90% progress from stage 2 onwards.
60% of eyes with macular hole eventually only see the top or the second line ( the largest letters) on the test chart.
Less than 10% retain driving vision in the eye with macula hole.
A macular hole can develop in the second eye.
The risk to the second eye is 7%, by 6 years later.
It is extremely rare for the condition to recover without treatment( 3%).
Treatment
The aim of treatment is to peel away the membrane and seal the hole. The procedure usually requires a gas bubble to be placed inside the eye to seal the hole. Afterwards strict posturing is essential for the success of the operation.
Results
The best results are achieved in patients who have not had symptoms for long that is less than 6 months do better than less than a year. Similarly the better the vision the better the results.
Furthermore the more advanced stages do worse.
For example: For stage 2 there is 90% success for closure of the hole. For stage 3 to 4, there is 30 to 70% successful closure.
For a large group of patients receiving treatment, I would expect half the patients to report an improvement in vision. Half would report no change and 5% would be worse.
Late problems
Macular holes sometimes reopen, then further surgery can be considered.
Within 2 years of surgery it is very likely that a cataract would have developed, requiring surgery.
Rarely retinal detachment occurs.
A macular hole occurs in the macular region of the retina. The retina is the seeing part of the eye. A macular hole tends to develop around the age of 65 and is 4 times more common in females. It is thought to be due to a transparent membrane on the surface of the retina, which contracts and causes a stretching progressive enlargement of a hole in the most sensitive part of the retina. Eventually fluid can collect beneath the retina causing further deterioration of vision.
Natural course
There are 4 stages of macular hole -( 1 to 4).
80 to 90% progress from stage 2 onwards.
60% of eyes with macular hole eventually only see the top or the second line ( the largest letters) on the test chart.
Less than 10% retain driving vision in the eye with macula hole.
A macular hole can develop in the second eye.
The risk to the second eye is 7%, by 6 years later.
It is extremely rare for the condition to recover without treatment( 3%).
Treatment
The aim of treatment is to peel away the membrane and seal the hole. The procedure usually requires a gas bubble to be placed inside the eye to seal the hole. Afterwards strict posturing is essential for the success of the operation.
Results
The best results are achieved in patients who have not had symptoms for long that is less than 6 months do better than less than a year. Similarly the better the vision the better the results.
Furthermore the more advanced stages do worse.
For example: For stage 2 there is 90% success for closure of the hole. For stage 3 to 4, there is 30 to 70% successful closure.
For a large group of patients receiving treatment, I would expect half the patients to report an improvement in vision. Half would report no change and 5% would be worse.
Late problems
Macular holes sometimes reopen, then further surgery can be considered.
Within 2 years of surgery it is very likely that a cataract would have developed, requiring surgery.
Rarely retinal detachment occurs.
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