Amblyopia is an eye problem that causes poor vision in children. The problem starts when the pathways of vision in the brain don't grow strong enough. Pathways are a little like roads--they carry vision messages from eye to brain. Amblyopia is also called "lazy eye."
A cataract occurs when the natural lens inside the eye becomes cloudy. In its early stages, a cataract may not cause a problem. The cloudiness may affect only a small part of the lens. However, over time, the cataract may grow larger and cloud more of the lens, making it harder to see and dulling and blurring the vision.
A retinal detachment is a very serious problem that almost always causes blindness unless treated. The retina is the inner lining at the back of the eye and it works like the film in a camera. If this inner lining comes off of the back of the eye, this is called a retinal detachment. The appearance of flashing lights, floating objects, or a gray curtain moving across the field of vision are all indications of a possible retinal detachment. If any of these occur, see an ophthalmologist right away.
Diabetic retinopathy is a potentially blinding complication of diabetes that damages the eye's retina. It affects half of all Americans diagnosed with diabetes and all individuals with diabetes are at risk.
Dry Eye Syndrome is one of the most common problems treated by eye physicians. Over ten million Americans suffer from dry eyes. It is usually caused by a problem with the quality of the tear film that lubricates the eyes.
Floaters appear as gray or black specks, lines, or "cobwebs" in front of the eyes. As the eyes move, the floaters move too. They do not follow your eye movements precisely, as they usually drift when the eyes start or stop moving. Floaters may have a variety of causes, some serious, and some not serious at all.
Flashes are sensations of light, when no light is really there. They may appear as many tiny bright lights (like "sparklers") or like flashes of lightening. These flashes usually last for only a second or so, but typically occur repeatedly. They may be more obvious with eye movement, or in a dark room. Some people with migraine headaches may experience a different type of flash. These are usually shimmering, jagged lights that are present constantly for a period of fifteen minutes or so. They typically appear in the center of your field of vision, and progress slowly towards the edges of the visual field. A headache that is commonly throbbing, and on one side of the head, may follow the disappearance of the flashes.
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that gradually steals sight without warning and often without symptoms. Vision loss is caused by damage to the optic nerve. This nerve acts like an electric cable containing over a million wires and is responsible for carrying the images we see to the brain.
Your retina contains an extraordinary photo-sensitive array of cells that line the back of your eye. The light falling onto these cells in the retina is transformed into electrical signals which are transmitted to those brain centers that create the complex and wonderful experience of vision.
The most concentrated collection of photo-sensitive cells in your retina, including those that enable critical color and fine detail vision, are found in the "Bulls-Eye" center zone in an area called the macula.
Macular degeneration is the imprecise historical name given to a very poorly understood group of diseases that cause sight-sensing cells in the macular zone of the retina to malfunction or lose function. The result is debilitating loss of vital central or detail vision.
The brain cleverly learns to compensate and fill in the missing part of the picture in early cases with spotty macular cell damage or dysfunction so that most people only present to their ophthalmologist when disease is fairly advanced.
The best way to find out if you have macular degeneration is to get regular and complete eye exams.
Pseudostrabismus is the appearance of "crossed eyes". When eyes are truly misaligned, the condition is called strabismus. Pseudostrabismus, which is caused by an infant's facial appearance, improves with age as the bridge of the nose narrows, the folds of the eyelid skin disappear and the eyes open wider.
