You are able to see objects by a complex process. As light bounces off objects it is reflected and picked up by your cornea. The American Optometric Association states that, "For clear vision to occur, the cornea must have the correct shape and...
The cornea is the transparent covering of the eye's surface. Light enters the eye through the cornea and is focused for clear vision. Sometimes the cornea prevents clear vision because it's damaged or distorted. That's when replacement of the...
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...
Lasik, or laser-assisted in situ keratomileusis, is the most common type of refractive surgery, and vision-threatening complications are rare, according to the All About Vision website. In this procedure, the eye surgeon creates a flap of cornea,...
The cornea helps the eyes focus light to create an image on the retina. Along with the lens, the cornea uses refraction, or the bending and focusing of light, to produce an image. Individuals who have a misshapen cornea experience imperfections in...
The cornea is the clear outer dome that covers the front of your eye. An injury or infection to the cornea may result in an open wound or erosion of an area on this sensitive tissue, a condition known as a corneal ulcer. Contact lens wearers have...
Laser eye surgery is a vision correction option for many people with nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. These vision problems are called refractive errors. Laser vision-correction procedures reshape the cornea--the clear area at the...
LASIK (laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis) is a common type of eye surgery that permanently alters the shape of the cornea--the transparent covering on the front of the eye--in order to improve vision and lessen or eliminate the need for eye...
Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for the chicken pox, according to the Mayo Clinic. Symptoms include a painful rash accompanied by a band of blisters that develops on the body....
A genetic disorder, Fuchs' dystrophy affects the cornea, which covers the iris in the eye. MedlinePlus notes that Fuchs' dystrophy usually affects both eyes. Patients with Fuchs' dystrophy have eye pain, vision that gets worse during the day,...
The cornea is made of multiple layers of cells. These layers must remain clear for optimal vision; if any becomes cloudy for any reason--disease, trauma or infection--vision becomes blurry. Corneal transplantation is an option if the problems with...
Also called myopia, nearsightedness is a visual problem that occurs when the eyeball is unusually long from front to back. This effects the way the retina receives the light rays that form visual images and as a result causes blurring of distant...
Just a few decades ago, people who needed glasses or contact lenses wore them their entire lives. Today, people with refractive errors such as nearsightedness or farsightedness can permanently correct their vision surgically, and abandon glasses...
The medical term for a scratched eye is a corneal abrasion. When an object, such as a fingernail or contact lens scratches your eye or when you get sand or other objects in your eye, they injure your cornea (the clear exterior tissue of the eye)....
Cholesterol plays a key role in the building of healthy cells. Your body manages to produce all the cholesterol it requires to function, so consuming a diet that is high in fat can cause the amount of cholesterol in your body to increase. The...
The eyes are complex organs that can be affected by many diseases. Blurred vision, double vision and blindness are common symptoms of eye diseases that are experienced by thousands of people each year. Common diseases such as cataracts and...
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,...
The first human eye was treated with laser surgery in 1988 , By 2006, about 1.3 million laser vision-correction procedures were being performed annually, according to the TLC Vision Corporation's 2006 Annual Report. Although clearly popular, there...
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,...
The cornea is your eye’s outer layer. It’s a smooth, clear film composed of cells and proteins that helps you focus, and protects your eyes from dust and germs. Your cornea can recuperate from infections and light scratches, but if the...
The front of your eye has a dome of clear tissue called the cornea. In a typical eye, the cornea has a rounded curvature, but in some people the cornea may gradually form into a pointed or cone shape. This condition, called keratoconus, causes...
Laser assisted in situ keratomileusis (LASIK) is a surgical procedure that can reduce the amount of nearsightedness (myopia), farsightedness (hyperopia) and astigmatism by reshaping the curvature of a patient's cornea. The cornea is the clear...
All surgical procedures inherently contain some level of risk. It is therefore necessary to weigh the risks versus the benefits when contemplating surgery. Most procedures are performed because they are medically necessary, but laser refractive...
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...
PRK, or photorefractive keratectomy, was invented in the early 1980s and was the first kind of corrective eye surgery to use a laser rather than a blade to remove corneal tissue. PRK uses an excimer laser that sends out a cool beam of ultraviolet...
Your cornea is the clear, round dome of tissue that covers the front of your eye. One corneal condition, keratoconus, occurs when the tissues of the cornea break down. This condition results in the cornea changing shape, becoming a pointed cone...
When dealing with vision problems, you are usually faced with the decision of wearing glasses or contacts. If you choose contacts, you may wonder how a device so small can be worn to correct your vision without damaging the corneal tissues of your...
Laser-in-situ-keratomileusis or LASIK surgery cuts a flap into the surface of the cornea and removes some of the underlying corneal bed tissue, which adjusts the shape of the lens. The corneal flap is dropped back into place and the newly...
Tea tree oil comes from the leaves of the tea tree, scientifically known as the Melaleuca alternifolia, a tree native to Australia. Some people use tea tree oil on their skin as a method of treating bacterial and fungal infections, or they add the...
