Amblyopia or Lazy eye is the eye condition in which vision is reduced and cannot be corrected with glasses or contact lenses. All the images seen by the amblyopic eye are not fully acknowledged by the brain. It always affects only one eye, but may be accompanied with reduction of vision in both eyes. It can cause loss of vision, including loss of depth perception and two-eyed 3D vision. It's treatment can yield improvements at any age, but early detection can offer the best chances for a cure. Recent research has proven that lazy eye treatment can be successful in older children and adults. Comprehensive vision examinations are required for infants, toddlers, and pre-school children for the detection of lazy eye or amblyopia.

When the brain parts related with visual processing do not function properly, problems arise with such visual functions as the perception of movement, depth perception and fine detail (acuity, clear eyesight and sharp vision). Amblyopia is the most prevalent neurological defect of vision in children and adults resulting from developmental problems in the brain. Any interference with clear vision in either eye during the first six years or 'critical' period of visual and brain development can cause a lazy eye.

Constant strabismus or the constant turn of one eye in any direction, be it inward turn or crossed eye is one of common causes of amblyopia. The differences in vision or it's prescription between the two eyes leads to refractive amblyopia. Sometimes congenital disorders or a physical blockage of an eye due to trauma, drooping lids, cataract or a blocked tear duct can also lead to amblyopia. Many parents and children are not aware of any symptoms, as amblyopia usually occurs in one eye only and a lazy eye condition can exist without a noticeable eye turn. The visual acuity tests in addition to the 20/20 eye test charts and eye examination with cycloplegic drops by ophthalmologists are necessary to detect lazy eye.

Vision therapy for the eyes and brain is a highly effective non-surgical treatment for lazy eye. It is a progressive program of vision exercises customized to fit the visual needs of each patient. It is conducted at the clinic and occasionally supplemented with exercises to be done at home or workplace. It improve visual comfort, ease, and efficiency and change how a patient processes or interprets visual information. When considering treatment options, it is important to understand that lazy eye results from neurological deficit or problems in the brain and surgery for lazy eye is performed on the muscles on the outside of the eye. Most of the cases, lazy eye surgery provides cosmetic benefits and does not improve the patient's vision, hence options for vision improvement should be exhausted before eye muscle surgery is considered.

Lazy Eye or Amblyopia - Symptoms and Cure

Eye twitching, tics in the eyelids and spasms in the eye are pretty common. In case of eye twitching, usually the lower eyelid becomes involved. The upper eyelid may also twitch in certain cases. Twitches are not permanent in nature, and they leave after some time. In some cases, eye twitching may last for long durations of time such as weeks or months.

Eye twitching is not a critical medical condition. It is a temporary prickling and irritation in the eyes, which ceases after some time. Common twitching of the eyes is not related to any neurological disorder.

Here are some reasons which cause eye twitches-

Stress
Every individual goes through some amount of stress, and the body reacts differently in different people as a result of stress. An eye twitch may be caused due to stress, especially related to strain in the eyes.
In order to reduce stress you should practice yoga, meditation, perform breathing exercises and take a break. Reducing the stress would also cease the twitching in the eyes.

Tiredness
Eye twitching can appear when you are fatigued or very tired. Lack of proper sleep makes your body tired, and this might trigger eye twitching.
You should improve upon your sleeping hours and sleep more.

Eye strain
Vision problems and any issue related to the eyes can cause stress, which may result in constant twitching in your eyes. Whenever too much stress is imposed upon your eyes, they tend to react and twitching occurs. Any problem would make the eyes put in more effort, which results in strain.
You should have an eye check up if you experience an eye strain accompanied by twitching sensation in your eyes.

People who use computers, laptops, tablets and smartphones for a profuse period of time experience pain and twitching in the eyes. There is a 20-20-20 rule to be followed while using such devices, which reduces eye strain and reduces itching or twitching. You can also avail special eyeglasses for people who spend a lot of time on computers.

Caffeine
Intake of an excess amount of caffeine leads to eye twitching. Cut down your doses of coffee, tea, dark chocolates and soft drinks in case of eye twitching and you may observe an easing in the twitching.

Alcohol
Alcohol also leads to eye twitching so you must abstain from alcohol in case you are having twitching in the eyes.

Dry eyes
This disorder develops in people who have crossed the age of 50. People who use computers a lot also develop dry eyes, which leads to eye twitching.

Our eyes twitch because of a lot of reasons. You should know the facts right and avoid situations that lead to eye twitching.

Why Our Eyes Twitch?

Bloodshot eyes aren't exactly the best feature of a person! When a person's eyes are bloodshot, it is quite easy to 'see' that something is wrong! Eyes are possibly the most delicate organs of the body, and are all the more vulnerable to infections such as 'subconjunctival haemorrhage'. However, as dour as such terms may sound, there is a lot which really should be known about them!

The eye has a thin layer which goes by the name of the conjunctiva, which covers a part called the sclera. Many a times, especially in the case of children, if an injury unfortunately occurs in the eye, there are chances that it may form subconjunctival haemorrhage.

The reason why this occurs is that there are some of the very small blood vessels in a person's eye break. The reason for this, apart from an injury could also be on account of a sudden increase in the blood pressure of the person. This usually takes place due to some very strenuous lifting exercise but also can occur due to laughing or sneezing!

The occurrence of a subconjunctival haemorrhage can also be closely linked to the consumption of pills which thin the blood such as aspirin.

Treating Subconjunctival Haemorrhage

Now, considering the fact that such a haemorrhage has the potential to look quite scary, it may be natural for a person to react proactively. However, in many cases this is not required at all. As a matter of fact, the issue clears up within a couple of weeks at the maximum and a week and a half, on average. If this does not happen to be the case, it is a signal that a medical professional should take a look at the patient's eye.

In many instances, a person may not even get to know that he or she is suffering from a subconjunctival haemorrhage as there is no effect on the vision of the person and he or she would probably get to know that this is the case by taking a look in the mirror or being informed of his or her eye looking red.

In order to treat a subconjunctival haemorrhage in an effective manner, the first thing to be done by a person is to avoid any medication which could be causing it. Also, it is quite important not to rub one's eye as this really does slow down the healing process.

Artificial tears help soothe the eye but they do not hasten the rate of repair. A subconjunctival haemorrhage may occur, but if a person follows the right steps, his or her vision can consistently remain 20/20!

All About Subconjunctival Haemorrhage

People are well aware of the harmful effects that UV rays have on the skin, but very few know that UV rays can damage their eyes as well. The tissue that human eye is made up of is one of the most sensitive tissues in the body and hence, the most vulnerable. The increasing level of UV radiation reaching the Earth s surface every minute has made it indispensable to take the required precautionary measures to protect the eyes.

What are UV rays?

Sunlight consists of 3 types of radiations - Infrared, Visible light and UltraViolet. Artificial sources like lasers, tanning beds and welding machines also emit UV radiation.

There are three types of UV radiations - UV-A, UV-B and UV-C. 

UV-C is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not possess any risk. It is UV-A and UV-B radiations that adversely affect the eyes and vision.

Impact of UV rays on  eyes

Too much exposure to UV rays can affect vision, harm the eyes, and deteriorate overall eye health. There are various eye problems that are aggravated by excessive exposure to UV radiation:

Macular Degeneration: It is caused by damage to the retina over time by UV rays. It leads to age-related blindness. Too much exposure to UV rays increases the risk of developing macular degeneration.
Cataract: It is the clouding of eye s natural lens - the part of the eye that focuses the light we see. Too much exposure to UV rays increases the risk of developing cataracts. 
Pterygium: Often known as  surfer s eye , pterygium is a pink, non-cancerous growth that is formed on the conjunctiva. UV rays are believed to be responsible for the development of this growth.
Skin Cancer of the Eyelids: Too much exposure to UV rays can cause skin cancer in and around the eyelids.
Photokeratitis: Popularly known as corneal sunburn or  snow blindness , photokeratitis is caused due to excessive short-term exposure to UV-B rays. Photokeratitis occurs when you spend long hours at the beach or skiing. It sometimes leads to temporary vision loss. 
How to protect the eyes from harmful UV rays?

Here are some tips to help ensure that eyes are protected against harmful UV rays:

Always use quality sunglasses that block out 99-100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation when outdoors.
Stay away from tanning beds, and if you use them occasionally, always wear eye protection. 
Wrap around frames should be used if you spend a lot of time outdoors.
Be sure to see your doctor at least every two years.

UV Rays - Are They Damaging Your Eyes?

Eye Strain is an umbrella term that denotes a number of symptoms that relate to the extended use of eyes as well as discomfort that may come from excessive smartphone and computer use. This condition may or may not lead to significant eye damage and is usually characterised by blurry vision, headaches and a feeling of dryness in the eye as you blink less which creates less tears. This may happen due to the extended use of the eye when you are following objects on a screen or staring at a screen for too long. So, is eye strain the cause of your headaches? 

Find out more in this article.

Causes: Eye Strain or Asthenopia is caused by concentrating on visually intense tasks like reading from texts that have a fine print, the use of computers and other screens for prolonged periods, and trying to focus on objects in the dark. This can lead to distress of the muscles in this area which can also cause eye strain leading to a variety of symptoms including double imagery and even headaches and mild migraine like conditions.

Eye Muscle Imbalance: When there is eye strain which leads to headaches, it can also give rise to eye muscle imbalance which makes it difficult to concentrate with both eyes at the same time. In such cases, one may need bifocal glasses so as to fix the issue and prevent such debilitating headaches to remain on a persistent basis.

Diagnosis: Digital eye fatigue and ocular eye strain leading to headaches can be diagnosed by a doctor with the help of regular eye examinations. In any case, one should have the eyes checked at least once a year. This is especially important if your job involves sitting in front of the computer screen for prolonged hours.

Symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms of these headaches that are caused by eye strain. Apart from blurry vision which does not allow the patient to see properly and clearly without glasses, it can also cause headaches with symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light. Retinal or eye migraines do not necessarily have to come with headaches, but the pressure can be painful enough.

Treatment: To begin with, the best form of treatment for headaches born from eye strain includes prevention which can be done by getting plenty of rest and sleep even as we limit the hours spent in front of the screen. One can also lower the resolution of the screen and make it more ambient. Also, the screen should be placed at a considerable distance from the eyes. The doctor can also prescribe glasses and eye drops for better eye lubrication.

Headache - Can Eyestrain Be the Reason Behind it?

Swelling of the conjunctiva membrane due to an infection is called conjunctivitis. It can affect one or both eyes. The blood vessels get inflamed and the eye looks red or pink. Pink eye is the common name of conjunctivitis.

Symptoms

The symptoms of conjunctivitis are very obvious:

The white part of the affected eye appears reddish because the membrane which is affected is a layer that covers the white.

The affected eye is extremely itchy.

The eyelids get swollen.

It is painful, especially when the surroundings are bright.

A crusty layer may or may not form during sleeping and it can make it difficult to open the eye.

The infection typically affects one eye first and catches on to the other eye within a day because it is highly contagious. People in contact with the affected person are highly susceptible to contracting the infection.

Causes

This highly contagious infection is painful and itchy and needs immediate attention. The treatment is the same no matter what the cause. The main causes are:

Bacterial infection (indicated by sticky secretion).

Viral infection (indicated by a watery secretion).

In infants, it can be the cause of a partially opened tear duct.

Sometimes it happens due to an allergic reaction.

A Chemical reaction.

Immediate Action

Before going to a doctor and getting medicines, some immediate steps must be taken. Here are some things to do to reduce the discomfort and prevent the infection from spreading.

Contact lenses must be removed to prevent further infection. Infected contact lenses must be discarded or disinfected.

Contact with other people must be avoided. Direct physical contact, using the same towel or eye products must be avoided.

Avoiding touching the unaffected eye, it might prevent infection of the second eye.

Using a lukewarm compress can relieve some of the pain.

Using an over-the-counter hydrating eye drop can relieve some of the itchiness and the annoying sensation of having something in the eye.

Treating Conjunctivitis in Ayurvedic Way

Antibiotics have a lot of side effects and it does not sit well with some people. This is why a more natural approach is recommended. Ayurveda helps treat all the symptoms with zero side effects. Ayurvedic treatment is effective because it has everything needed:

Anti-inflammatory properties.

Antioxidants.

Antibacterial properties.

Ayurvedic treatment always works for conjunctivitis and does not cause any side effects. It is best to prevent getting infected altogether though. Using fresh sheets, fresh towels, disinfected eyewear and avoiding touching the eyes before disinfecting the hands can help.

Take Away

Conjunctivitis is one irritating eye infection which is contagious in its nature. However, it can be cured with proper care and ayurvedic treatment. It is always advisable to consult an ayurvedic specialist before going for any of the ayurvedic treatment.



Conjunctivitis - How Can Ayurveda Help?

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