Eye Health

Is glaucoma curable? Can glaucoma be prevented Vision loss from glaucoma cannot be reversed. Routine eye exams are essential to discover glaucoma early and begin glaucoma treatment before significant vision loss has occurred. Regular eye examination after 40 years of age is an important preventive measure. This can be repeated every 3 to 4 years if there are no symptoms and every 1 – 2 years if a family member has glaucoma, if you have diabetes, if you are on long term systemic steroids for…

What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide is an eye disease in which the optic nerve is damaged, leading to permanent vision loss. Usually (but not always) the damage occurs when the eye's internal fluid pressure rises too high. It is often referred to as a “silent killer” as it does not manifest any symptoms until extensive peripheral visual loss becomes apparent in the final stages of the disease. Most varieties of glaucoma are chronic, virtually lifelong…

Am I at risk of developing glaucoma? Some of the risk factors for glaucoma are: Presence of glaucoma in other family members Increasing age – above 40 years Hypermetropia Thyroid disease Patients who are on long term steroid therapy for other diseases such as asthma, arthritis etc. Previous eye injury or surgery Hypermetropia (farsightedness) Damage due to glaucoma may be more severe in those patients who have associated diabetes, widely fluctuating blood pressure and myopia. Regular eye…

Information about Dry Eyes provided by Dr. Ankita Daftary, Opthalmologist, Mumbai What is dry eye disease: It is an extremely common and often unrecognised disease affecting millions of people. It is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance and tear film instability with potential damage to ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolality of the tear film and inflammation of ocular surface. Dry eye disease is a…

Tear substitutes form the mainstay of treatment. They are aqueous solutions containing polymers that determine their viscosity, retention time and adhesion to ocular surface. They are cellulose derivatives like HPMC-hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and CMC-carboxymethycellulose, polyvinyl derivatives like polyvinyl alcohol, chondroitin sulfate and sodium hyluronate. Artificial tears provide improvement in symptoms of eye irritation, blurred vision and visual contrast sensitivity. However…

Dry Eyes can progress through various stages - from mild to severe. Each stage can have different complications. On examination in mild form of dry eyes, the tear film may show mucous debris and strings of mucoid discharge. The picture may be of a non-specific chronic conjunctivitis. In moderate cases, there may be corneal epithelial erosions, punctate keratopathy, and filamentary keratitis. Severe cases present with corneal ulcer, opacities and neovascularisation.  

A doctor, typically an opthalmologist needs to do a complete examination of the eye. He/she will ask you for other health conditions, your history of eye health, your habits and practices. They may even need to measure the volume and quality of tears using - Schirmir test.  - Fluorescein dye test - Lissamine green test  

Treatment modalities: The treatment of dry eyes can be divided into: Medical therapy: Is the mainstay of treatment for mild to moderate type of dry eyes. Tear substitutes or artificial tears are aqueous solutions containing polymers that determine their viscosity, retention time and adhesion to ocular surface. In moderate to severe cases, where there is a lot of inflammation, drugs like topical cyclosporine A and corticosteroids are administered. Oral tetracycline and essential fatty acids…

Therapy of dry eyes require a multipronged approach. Mild cases of dry eyes- Patient will benefit from preventive measures like behavioural and environmental modifications. Certain preventive measures are as follows- Avoid direct blow of air to your eyes e.g hair dryers, car heaters, and air conditioners. Use humidifiers in winters. Wraparound glasses help during outdoor activities. During prolonged use of screens and long reading hours one should take a break of few seconds every half an hour…

What are the symptoms and signs of dry eyes: Dry, scratch, gritty and sandy feeling in the eye. Foreign body sensation. Ocular irritation, itching and burning. Pain, soreness, redness, heaviness of eyelids. Blurred vision and intolerance to light. Increased blinking, watering and excessive mucous secretion. The symptoms tend to be worse towards the end of the day with prolonged use of eyes. As dry eyes syndrome progresses from mild stage to severe, there will be different symptoms and…