Uveitis is an inflammation of the uveal tract in the eye. The uveal tract comprises the middle part of the eye, made up of the anterior and posterior chambers. The anterior chamber, which includes the iris, the colored portion of the eye, is more...
Retinal detachment is a serious condition that can lead to severe, permanent vision loss. The retina is area of the eye that lines the back of the eye. The retina contains sensors that transmit vision signals to the brain. Damage to a small area...
Droopy eyelids can interfere with vision as well as create cosmetic concerns. It is a normal symptom of aging, to some extent. However, according to Virginia E. Bishop, contributor to "Foundations of Low Vision," when eyelids occlude the pupil,...
The eye can be affected by many diseases, and any part of the eye can be affected by disease. Most diseases are fairly common and have treatments that can help decrease vision loss, but some diseases are extremely rare and have unusual...
There are two different types of diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease whereby the body attacks the cells of the pancreas so it no longer produces insulin. In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the...
Macular degeneration is a degenerative disease that affects the part of the eye called the macula, which is a small area in the retina at the back of the eye. The retina processes light into signals that are transmitted to the brain via the optic...
There are two kinds of macular degeneration: wet and dry. Wet macular degeneration accounts for approximately 10 to 15 percent of all macular degeneration diagnoses, according to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation. In this type of...
Due to the impact of abnormal glucose levels, diabetics are at risk for developing a variety of vision-related diseases. One major disease is called diabetic retinopathy because it affects the retina, causing vision loss and possible blindness....
Many eye conditions do not cause serious eye problems, though some diseases may result in vision loss. Routine eye exams will help detect eye diseases and prevent damage to the eye. The doctor will perform vision tests and examine the back of the...
In the United States alone, more than 6 million people don't recognize diabetes symptoms, making them unaware that they have diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. Diabetes is a disease in which the body allows excess sugar to...
Ocular herpes is the infection of the herpes simplex virus type 1 in the eye. The virus is associated with the oral herpes condition that causes cold sores on the lips, mouth and nasal areas. The infection is recurrent, and scarring of the cornea...
Products for the visually impaired can make a huge difference in the life of someone with mild or severe vision loss. Some products, such as weak magnifiers and special lamps, are easy to purchase at a craft, lighting or department store. However,...
The intraocular pressure in the eye is maintained by the aqueous fluid, which brings nutrients to the cornea, iris and lens, and helps the eye maintain its shape. About 4cc of aqueous fluid are produced each day; too much or too little produced or...
Lupus is an autoimmune disorder that occurs when the body's immune system attacks itself. This condition affects many parts of the body and, according to the Oxford Journal of Rheumatology, the eyes are affected in about one-third of patients....
A hallucination---sometimes called sensory hallucination---is the abnormal sensory perception, usually of auditory or visual nature, that happens when an individual is awake and conscious. There are no real triggers to these perceptions. In other...
Eye floaters can be a highly annoying visual disturbance. Most of the time, a few floaters in your line of vision aren't harmful, but occasionally floaters, especially if they're large, numerous and develop suddenly, can be a sign of a problem in...
Blood vessels in the eye provide a mode of transport for oxygen and nutrients to the cells. If clotting or bleeding occurs in these blood vessels in the conjunctiva---the thin, transparent membrane that lines the inner surface of the eyelids and...
Floaters--annoying but often benign visual disturbances--occur commonly as people age. Floaters appear as small strings or dots that move quickly when a person tries to focus on them, and are easiest to see when looking at a white wall or other...
As defined by the UK organization Retinal Surgery, vitreoretinal surgery is a surgical procedure for the treatment of problems of the eye involving the retina, macula, and vitreous humor. The retina is the part of the eye where light signals are...
AMD, age related macular degeneration, afflicts over 10 million people in the U.S., according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The older a person becomes, the more likely he is to experience AMD; for people over 60, the disease is the...
Eyes normally move only in response to stimuli or direct commands from the brain. If severe, rapid involuntary eye movements may interfere with vision. Rapid eye movement, or REM, can occur as a natural process or as a symptom of disease. It may...
Glaucoma is an eye disease that begins when you have an eye pressure that is too high for your eye. This can occur if the fluid that fills the front chamber of your eye does not drain out as fast as your eye produces the fluid. High pressures can...
Diabetes is a disease of uncontrolled glucose production and not enough insulin to metabolize it. The chronic disease can progress quickly if blood sugars are not controlled. The complications of long-term uncontrolled diabetes can be devastating...
As macular degeneration progresses, central vision worsens, causing blurriness and sometimes a blind spot called a "scotoma." The patient may already own bifocals prescribed to improve near and distant vision. However, when vision loss is severe,...
Peripheral vision is the part of the visual field used when looking out of the side of the eye. Eye diseases that destroy peripheral vision include glaucoma, which usually affects the elderly; retinitis pigmentosa, which begins to cause vision...
Diabetes, a disease characterized by high blood glucose levels, can lead to serious eye complications. The changes caused by diabetes aren't obvious until damage has already been done, which is why the American Diabetic Association (ADA)...
Your eye produces aqueous humor, a clear fluid contained in the front chamber of your eye located in front of your iris. Since the aqueous constantly enters your eye, aqueous must also continuously drain out of your eye. If your eye does not have...
Diabetes, a leading cause of vision loss, damages blood vessels throughout the body, including the eye. Types of damage done can vary, depending on how long a person has had diabetes and how good their blood glucose control is. The longer a person...
The herpes simplex virus is a highly contagious virus that is spread through direct contact with a lesion or sore, or with viral particles that an infected person sheds. The virus can be transmitted via infected bodily fluids, or passed to a fetus...
