An inflammation resulting in the formation of a thin layer inside the eyelids or the white part of the eyeball is known as pink eye or conjunctivitis. This condition turns the eye ball into pinkish color, hence the name. Based on the severity of the infection, either one or both eyes get affected.

What are the common symptoms?

Medium to heavy swelling of the eye
Eye crusting after sleep
A burning sensation
Irritation, itching or blurred vision
Redness and increased sensitivity of the eye
Different kinds of conjunctivitis:

Allergic Conjunctivitis: This is the type of conjunctivitis that results from eye irritants such as animal dander, dust particles and pollen. This is not infectious in nature. Treatment prescribed by ophthalmologist includes eye drops and non-steroidal medications. It is advised to keep the eye moist till it gets cured.
Viral Conjunctivitis: As the name suggests, this kind of conjunctivitis is caused due to a viral attack. Sadly though, antibiotics don t work and there is no particular medication for this type of conjunctivitis. Like common cold, viral conjunctivitis runs its course in a span of 1-2 weeks. Since virus is contagious, it is necessary to ensure that the microbes don t spread. Some common prevention measures are listed below:
Eye cosmetics should be abandoned till the conjunctivitis is cured
Hands should be frequently cleaned
Hand and eyes should not be in contact
Frequent change of pillow covers, towels and clothes
Swimming should be completely avoided
Spectacles in place of lens should be used until advised otherwise by a medical practitioner
Bacterial Conjunctivitis: This kind of conjunctivitis is caused by the streptococcal bacteria and has potential to cause real damage if proper medication is not taken on time. This is highly contagious. Prescription often includes antibiotic drop and ointments. The medication is prescribed for 2-3 weeks depending on the level of bacterial spread in the eye. It is very essential to complete the full course of medication to avoid recurrence. Prevention measures as stated above should be strictly followed.
Chemical conjunctivitis: Eye irritants such as chlorine cause this conjunctivitis. Frequent swimmers often get affected by this type of eye infection. Topical steroids are prescribed to cure this kind of infection. Immediate medical attention is required to avoid lasting injury to the eye.
How to prevent pink eye?
While prevention is the best way to refrain from conjunctivitis, some basic hygiene checks are very important. Here is a list of must do s:

Do not share personal items such as combs, towels and toiletries.
Stay away from a conjunctivitis infected patient
Using of goggles while swimming
Frequent usage of hand sanitizer and hand wash

Pink Eye - How You Can Prevent It

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition in which the optic nerve gets damaged and the situation gets worse over time. If untreated, individuals may go permanently blind. Most individuals, with glaucoma, have no previous symptoms or warning signs of this disorder and this is the reason why it is important to have regular eye check-ups.

Causes of glaucoma
Eyes have a liquid called aqueous humor. This fluid flows out of the eyes through mesh like channels for proper lubrication of the eye. However, there can be situations in which these channels may get blocked. In such a case, there would be a build-up of this liquid, thereby causing an increase in fluid pressure. This is usually a major cause of glaucoma. Although there has been no elaborate evidence of what exactly causes this blockage, doctors have noticed that this can be inherited.

Other less common causes include:

Any sort of blunt injury or chemical injury to the eye
Blocking of blood vessels inside the eye
Other inflammatory conditions
Improper eye surgery
Types of glaucoma
There are mainly two kinds of glaucoma than can occur:

Open-angle glaucoma: This is the most common kind of glaucoma and is also called wide-angled glaucoma. In this kind, the tubular meshwork through which the liquid flow occurs is normal. However, the fluid flow isn t the way it should be.
Angle-closure glaucoma: This is also known as acute glaucoma or chronic angle closure. In this case, the liquid is not able to drain properly because of the angle between the iris and the cornea being too narrow, thus causing the iris to be in the way. This can cause a sudden build-up of pressure, thereby leading to chronic glaucoma.
Facts about glaucoma

This disorder usually has no previous signs or symptoms and occurs all of a sudden.
This disorder mainly affects individuals above 40 years of age.
Glaucoma can be inherited.
People with diabetes have chances of suffering from glaucoma.
If not treated early, it may lead to permanent blindness.
Symptoms of glaucoma
Usually there aren t many symptoms to warn people about this disorder. However, one of the first signs is definitely losing peripheral or side vision. Other symptoms might include

Chronic vision loss
Visibility of halo around lights
Narrowed vision
Glaucoma is treated by any of the three methods:

Prescription eye drops in order to reduce eye fluid formation, thereby resulting in outflow increase
Laser surgery
Microsurgery

Glaucoma - A Complete Guide on It!

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness in people across the globe. It damages the optic nerve that carries sensory images from the retina to the brain. A faulty eye pressure is responsible for damaging the very delicate optic nerve fiber causing small blind spots in the retina. Unfortunately, for most patients this disease only gets diagnosed when the number of blind spots is on the higher side.

Types of Glaucoma

Open angle: This is a type of Glaucoma which results from the blockage of the drainage angle of the eye resulting into an increased eye pressure.
Angle closure: This is the kind of Glaucoma which results from the narrowing down of the drainage angle leading to complete blockage.
Target segment of Glaucoma

Family history: Inheritance surely plays a role in case of Glaucoma too. If Glaucoma runs through families of an individual, there are higher chances of getting this disease. Although there is no hard and fast rule about it, the risks of inheriting this disease are on the higher side.
Eye injury: If there is any history of previous eye injuries, the probability of the onset of Glaucoma cannot be turned down. Specially, if the injury is related to optic nerve, there are very high risks involved.
Bilateral Oophorectomy: Dual Ovary removal before the age of 40 results in deficiency of estrogen resulting in Glaucoma. Although most surgeons warn their patients of the possible risk of these procedures, many surgeries such as these have resulted in patients losing eyesight in the form of Glaucoma.
Patient with Diabetes: In case of acute diabetes, retina gets damaged and the eye starts producing new blood vessels on the iris resulting into an increased eye pressure. This condition often leads to Glaucoma due to blockage of fluid flow in the eye.
Eye Conditions: Myopia, multiple surgeries to the eye, blunt trauma etc. can lead to Glaucoma. A patient who has undergone any kind of eye surgeries suffers from inflammation. However, major inflammation is often found twisting blood flow in the eye resulting into Glaucoma.
If a patient is 40 or above: After a person reaches 40 years of age, a lot of diseases start cropping in to the body. Studies show that Glaucoma has a higher frequency in people who is more than the age of 40 or above.
High eye pressure: A patient with an eye pressure of above 21 mm HG is also at a very high risk of getting glaucoma. For a normal person the IOP lies between 10 to 21 mm HG.
Blood flow related disease: Diseases such as acute migraine, hypertension and low blood pressure which involves blood flow related problem often aggravate to glaucoma.
Ethnic Background: Statistics show that people from Afro American, Hispanics, Asian and Caribbean background have greater chances of being affected by Glaucoma.

Glaucoma - Are You at Risk?

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?

Eye allergies are characterized by red and itchy eyes which may result from various allergens coming in contact with the eye. Eye allergies can cause swelling of the eyelids, redness in the eyes and may also lead to conjunctivitis. Conventional treatments prescribe eye drops containing chemicals that may aggravate the condition.

Homeopathy-the best natural treatment for eye allergies-

The allopathic system relies mainly on steroids and anti-allergic medicines for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. Even  then, it is unable to cure the allergy. It only ends up controlling it or keeping the symptoms under check. In homeopathy, the intention is to completely cure the allergy. Homeopathy recognises that the immune system of the body sometimes overreacts to some seemingly harmless things. This overreaction of the body is the root cause of problem. 

Therefore, it tries to correct the immune system. In this the medicines that are used by homeopathy are perfectly natural medicines. None of the medicines are chemical in nature. They are made from natural sources like plants or fruits or vegetables or minerals. The basic material is further diluted by a special mechanism which reduces the content of the original matter while increasing its latent healing powers. That is why these natural homeopathic medicines do not have any side effects.

The homeopathic remedies for eye allergies are:

1. Euphrasia

This remedy is used to treat allergies which cause watery discharge from the eyes and which tends to have burning sensation on the skin. The condition tends to aggravate during the evening and in closed spaces.

2. Argentum nitricum

Argentum nitricum is used to treat eye allergies which show symptoms such as aversion to bright light and conjunctiva swelling. The symptoms may be accompanied by gas in the abdomen.

3. Ruta

This is an effective remedy for allergic conjunctivitis where you may experience a constant feeling of something being stuck in the eye. There may also be swelling in the eyelids, redness and continuous watery discharge.

4. Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla is recommended if symptoms such as itchy eyes, yellowish discharge from the eyes and swelling of the eyelids are present. Hot and humid climatic conditions tend to aggravate this.

5. Apis Mel

Apis Mel is another homeopathic remedy that is used to treat eye allergies. Symptoms such as swelling of the eyes, burning sensation and intense pain in the eyes are very common. The symptoms are aggravated by hot weather conditions and direct exposure to the sun.

Eye Allergies - Know The Homeopathic Treatment For Them!

Eye allergy or allergic conjunctivitis is an adverse immune response of the body that occurs when it comes across an irritating substance or allergens like smoke, dust or pollen. The body assumes these to be harmful substances and releases chemicals called histamine to fight against them.

Symptoms of an eye allergy-

Allergy in the eyes causes the occurrence of certain symptoms-

  Itching in the eyes

  The sensation of burning in the eyes

  Redness

  Watery discharge

  Swollen eyelids

  Light sensitive

What triggers it?

An eye allergy is usually triggered by the following components-

  Pollen

  Dander

  Dust Mites

  Mould

  Pet Dander

  Exhaust from vehicles

What to do if you suffer from eye allergy-

  Consult an eye specialist or allergist - It is important to consult a physician since the symptoms may pertain to other allergies like asthma or eczema that have different treatment.

  Take proper medication - Take the prescribed eye drops, oral histamines or decongestants to alleviate the symptoms.

  Avoid the allergen - It is difficult to do so if the allergies are seasonal, that means if the eye allergies always occur during specific seasons of the year. If they are not seasonal, you can avoid the allergens if you

Keep the doors and windows closed at home and while riding the car
Take a shower or change your clothes after coming back home from outside
Wear an allergy-relief mask while outside to filter the smoke, dust, etc.
Wear glasses to protect eyes from the allergens
Wash hands after petting any animal
Use a dehumidifier to protect against mould
  Take allergy shots - These are good precautionary measures for seasonal allergies. These increase the tolerance for the irritants. Similarly some eyedrops can be given to decrease the frequency, severity and intensity of allergy episodes.

  Natural remedies - If nothing else works you can use a cold compress to relieve the itchy eyes. Eat walnuts, fish oil and flaxseed oil that contain Omega- 3 fatty acids to reduce inflammatory substances in the body.

What not to do if you are having an eye allergy-

  Avoid rubbing your eyes; that will further irritate your eyes and damaged the eye surface

  Do not keep your indoor surroundings dirty and dusty

  Do not dry-sweep the floors

  Do not pet any animal if you are allergic to animal dander

There is no permanent cure for eye allergies yet but the proper treatment and precautions can help to reduce many of the symptoms. Over-the-counter medications may work out for some people but others may require severe treatment. Remember in spite of prophylactic or therapeutic treatment if u are exposed to a high load of allergens, you will develop symptoms of allergies but they will be milder than if u had no prophylaxis.

Eye Allergies - What To Do & What Not To Do?

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