Vitaminn A possibly is the most important vitamin for the health of your eyes. This vitamin keeps your vision working and the small organelles of your eyes working properly, the cornea included. There are dietary recommendations concerning vitamin...
The purpose of the inner layer or the endothelium of the cornea is to pump the fluid out of the cornea and keep it clear. When the endothelial cells stop working, the cornea swells; this is called corneal edema. The endothelial cells can be...
The ICD-10 (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) lists more than 100 eye and ear diseases. There are a number general vision problems such as strabismus, myopia (near-sightedness), hypermentropia...
According to the Mayo Clinic, trachoma is an infection that leads to blindness and is considered the leading bacterial cause of blindness worldwide. The trachoma bacteria can be contracted through eye, nose or throat secretions and can be spread...
The back of the eye relays visual images to the brain, but the front of the eye also plays an important role in keeping vision clear. Vision may become blurry if the front of the eye has a cloudy film. Many conditions can cause the front of the...
Ulcers on the eye typically appear on the cornea, the clear window that lets light into the back of the eye. Corneal ulcers often result from infections, severe dry eye, a foreign body or other inflammatory disorders, says the U.S. National...
Glaucoma is a disease that causes loss of peripheral vision due to damage to the retina and optic nerve. Severe glaucoma results in what is called "tunnel vision" because the remaining visual field is like looking through a tunnel. Different types...
Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve in the back of the eye. Most of the time, but not always, glaucoma is caused by elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) in the eye. Elevated IOP can be caused by many different things including inherited diseases...
Vision plays a big role in an infant's perception of the world. While eye diseases are relatively rare in infants, they do exist, and if left untreated can lead to permanent eye damage or even blindness. Eye exams are an important part of...
Ocular herpes is a viral infection that stems from the same virus that causes cold sores. This condition typically occurs in only one eye and involves the cornea, the clear outer covering of the front of your eye. Symptoms may include redness,...
Lasik eye surgery corrects astigmatism, nearsightedness and farsightedness by reshaping the clear cornea at the front of the eye. The procedure involves cutting a flap of surface corneal tissue, applying a laser to the exposed cornea and replacing...
As soon as you realize that a chemical has gotten into your eye, immediately start flushing it out with water. This can be done with water from a regular sink or an emergency eye wash station, if available. As you flush, try to determine exactly...
Bloodshot eyes are characterized by the appearance of tiny jagged red lines on the white of the eye, or sclera. These lines are actually blood vessels that have become enlarged due to irritation or blockage. The amount of redness is not a good...
Inside the eye sits a lens that refracts light onto the retina, and the retina passes on the light, which turns into the visual images we see. Over time, the lens in the eye gradually turns thick and yellow, resulting in blurry, discolored vision....
The white part of your eyeball is called the sclera, and the black part is known as the pupil. The pupil performs like a camera shutter and controls the amount of light entering the lens and retina located behind it. When you visit an eye...
Routine eye exams help doctors monitor eye conditions, and when the doctor feels a surgical procedure may improve health or vision in the eye, he will discuss these options with the patient. In some instances, the patient does not have to make an...
Instead of prescription eye glasses, many people choose to wear contact lenses. Contacts offer a safe alternative to glasses, though they do require care. When a doctor prescribes contacts, he will give a detailed explanation for cleaning and...
The clear tissue at the front of the eye is the cornea; in order to have clear vision, the tissue of the cornea needs to remain thin and transparent. The inner layer of the cornea called the endothelium keeps the cornea clear, and if there is a...
Cataracts are cloudy constituents that develop in the natural lens of the eye over time. They often impair normal vision and require surgical removal. During cataract surgery, the opaque lens is removed by an ophthalmologist, and replaced with a...
A person develops a cataract when the lens inside of the eye becomes cloudy and impacts vision. Cataract surgery is a common and safe procedure that typically has a short recovery time. However, as with all surgeries, there can be complications...
Ultraviolet light is sometimes referred to as ultraviolet radiation. It comes from wavelengths of light that are produced by the sun and other light sources but which are invisible to the human eye. This wavelength of light is able to penetrate...
Herpes zoster, or shingles, can occur in any person who ever had chicken pox. Shingles is the reactivation of the same herpes virus at a later date; it presents as a skin rash consisting of blisters. This rash can occur on any part of the body,...
The cornea is the first line of defense against injury to the eye. The dome-shaped, clear tissue of the cornea covers the iris, the colored part of the eye, and the pupil, the hole that adjusts to let light into the eye. Diseases that damage the...
Chemical burns--caused by either acid or alkali substances--can cause pain, light sensitivity, reduced vision and damage to the eyelids. According to the "Handbook of Ocular Disease Management," burns caused by an alkali, such as drain cleaner,...
With age comes changes to your need for certain vitamins and minerals. Vitamin A, an antioxidant vitamin, is equally important in the later years of life. Vitamin A serves many functions in the body, including maintaining eye health, epithelial...
Your diet can have an effect on all aspects of your health. When you adhere to a healthy diet, you expect that your body will be healthy. However, sometimes the foods you eat can cause discomfort and irritation in various parts of your body. One...
As you age, your eyes undergo physical changes that cause your vision to decline. Some of these changes include increased cornea sensitivity, cloudiness and loss of flexibility in the eye lenses and a decrease in the reaction time of your pupils....
Glaucoma is a term used for a group of eye diseases that affects the optic nerve in various stages depending upon the intraocular pressure in the eye. According to the Glaucoma Research Foundation, more than 4 million people in United States are...