Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye's optic nerve. It usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of your eye. That extra fluid increases the pressure in your eye, damaging the optic nerve.Glaucoma is the second largest cause of eye blindness in the world.

There are several types of Glaucoma:
1. Open-angle Glaucoma
2. Normal-tension Glaucoma
3. Angle-closure Glaucoma
4. Congenital Glaucoma
5. Secondary Glaucoma
6. Glaucoma suspect

How will you know that you are suffering from Glaucoma?
Only half the people with glaucoma are aware that they are suffering from this condition. When Glaucoma develops, there are usually no early symptoms. This is why glaucoma can 'steal' sight gradually.

Symptoms:
1. In its early stages, open-angle Glaucoma has no obvious symptoms. As the disease progresses more blind spots develop in the peripheral (side) view.
2. An attack of angle-closure Glaucoma includes the following:
a. Severe pain in the eye or forehead
b. Redness of the eye
c. Decreased vision or blurred vision
d. Vision rainbows or halos
e. Headache
f. Nausea
g. Vomiting
If you get any of the symptoms rush to your doctor and take an eye exam as soon as possible.

Causes:
1. Eye injury
2. Inflammation of the eye
3. Dilating eye drops
4. Blocked or restricted drainage in your eye
5. Use of steroid-containing medications (pills, eye drops, sprays)
6. Poor or reduced blood flow to your optic nerve
7. High or elevated blood pressure

Who is at Risk for Glaucoma?
People with more risk of developing Glaucoma include people who:
1. Are over age 40
2. Have family members with glaucoma
3. Have high eye pressure
4. Are farsighted or nearsighted
5. Have had an eye injury
6. Have diabetes, migraines, high blood pressure, poor blood circulation or other health problems affecting the whole body.

Types, Causes and Symptoms of Glaucoma

Tip for eye care

This is the worst time of the year, for your eyes. Pollution from firecrackers, smog due to weather change and generally ever increasing vehicular pollution adds up to be the worst for your eye health. 

Protect your eyesight and take care of your eyes by following these simple daily eye care tips.

1. Eat Well: Protect your eyes from within. Eat for good vision. Eat foods that have various nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids, zinc and lutein, vitamins A, C and E to keep eye problems at bay. Green leafy vegetables, salmon and other oily fishes, eggs and nuts, orange and citrus fruits are great for eyesight.

2. Quit Smoking: For better eye-care leave smoking. This simple activity can make you likelier to get optic nerve damage, macular degeneration and cataracts.

3. Have eye-care routine: Most of us don’t have an eye care routine, which is essential for keeping them fit. So, develop a good eye-care routine. In this routine, practice eye exercises, focusing eyes on a point far away to promote muscle development. Clean eyes everyday with fresh, clean water to reduce eye mites and other problems.

4. Wear Sunglasses: Wearing sunglasses on a regular basis will protect eyes from UV rays and ensure protection. This will help in reducing the chances of getting cataracts and developing macular degeneration.

5. Use Safety Wear: It is important that you regularly wear safety wear problems. For instance, for sports, wear eye protection products, sports goggles or protective face masks.

6. Look away from computer: A lot of us use computers too much for work and recreation. Now is the time to look away from it. Staring at the computer for long can cause eyestrain and blurry vision, trouble focusing at a distance and result in dry eyes as well as neck and shoulder pain with headaches. So, take regular breaks from that computer.

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Doctor's Advice On How To Keep Your Eyes Safe This Diwali

The eye is a complex organ. It is made up of a number of different parts which together build a sense of image. Retina is a very significant part of the eye. It is this part of the eye that helps it project the image. The object image is ultimately created on this part of the eye. But it is also a very sensitive and delicate organ. There are many abnormalities that may affect the retina. Central Serous Retinopathy is one such abnormality.

This medical condition of the eye is precipitated when there is a buildup of fluid behind the retina. This leads to the detachment of the retina. The patient may experience gradual or even sudden loss of vision as the central retina gets detached.

The Retina and its Structure

The retina is a very important part of the eyes. It is a membranous structure where vision takes shape and is composed of several layers. It contains special photoreceptor cells that help in identifying color, vision, etc. There are different cells that help in central as well as peripheral vision. The central region of the retina is also known as macula. Retinal Detachment is a disorder of retina that can turn people blind or low in vision. Medical intervention is necessary to regain lost vision.

Symptoms of Central Serous Retinopathy

Patients need to be aware of the symptoms lest they should be caught completely unaware of it.

Objects may appear farther away than usual.

White portions of images may appear dull and lines may appear crooked.

Patients may experience blurry vision in the initial stages.

However, it does not always a precipitate symptom. If fluid buildup is not affecting the central vision area, the patient may not experience any deterioration in central vision. This is a perception that the central part is responsible for the central vision. He or she may experience a clear central vision, although there is a fluid buildup. Nevertheless, it may eventually push the central part and detach the retina resulting in Central Serous Retinopathy. Patients may experience a darkening or blurring of their central vision. This is usually limited to one eye. However, one may experience such problems in both eyes at different stages of life.

Risk factors

Though the contributory factors are not well known, it is thought that stressful lifestyles and some medicines can contribute to such ailments.

Treatment

Treatment may not always be required in all cases. Doctors may just ensure that built-up fluid is draining out. However, if fluid is not draining out, medical intervention is necessary doctors may go for treatments like photodynamic therapy, thermal laser treatment, or medications. Doctors may also recommend stopping steroids and bringing in lifestyle changes.

Conclusion:

People who notice any changes in their vision or experience pain or blurry vision should consult an Ophthalmologist as soon as possible. If a person is already suffering from any eye disease and experiences such symptoms, he/she should immediately seek medical attention without waiting for his/her next appointment.

In some cases, the fluid dissolves itself with no further medical treatment. However, if it does not, a variety of medicines and medical treatments are available.

Central Serous Retinopathy - What Should You Know?

Amblyopia is decreased vision in one or both eyes due to abnormal development of vision in infancy or childhood.It is commonly known as lazy eye, in which a child's vision does not develop properly, usually in one eye. If it is left untreated, a child's vision will never develop correctly in the affected eye.

What are the types of Amblyopia are there?
There are several different types and causes of Amblyopia, such as Strabismic Amblyopia, Deprivation Amblyopia and Refractive Amblyopia.
The end result of all forms of Amblyopia is reduced vision in the affected eye(eyes).

How does Lazy Eye occurs?
Lazy eye occurs when your brain favors one eye, often due to poor vision in your other eye. Eventually, your brain might ignore signals from your weak or lazy eye. The condition can result in vision impairment and loss of depth perception.

What are the Symptoms of Lazy Eye?
Lazy eye may be hard to detect until it becomes severe. Early warning signs include:
1. Tendency to bump into objects on one side
2. An eye that wanders inward or outward
3. Eyes that appear not to work together
4. Poor depth perception
5. Double vision
6. Squinting

What Causes Lazy Eye?
A number of conditions and factors can lead you to rely on one eye more than the other. These include:
1. Constant strabismus or turning of one eye
2. Genetics or a family history of lazy eye
3. Different levels of vision in each of your eyes
4. Damage to one of your eyes from trauma
5. Drooping eyelids
6. Vitamin A deficiency
7. Corneal ulcer or scar
8. Eye surgery
9. Vision impairment, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism
10. Glaucoma, which is high pressure in your eye that can lead to vision problems and blindness

How is Amblyopia diagnosed?
When it first occurs, parents and children often don't notice the condition. It's important to get routine eye exams as an infant and child, even if you show no outward symptoms of eye problems.
Family history of amblyopia is a risk factor for the condition.

How Is Lazy Eye Treated?
Glasses/Contact Lenses
Eye Patch
Eye Drops
Surgery
Other treatments include:
Atropine penalization therapy (also used for maintenance)
Optical blurring through contact lenses or elevated bifocal segments

What Is Amblyopia? Are You or Your Child Suffering From It?

Do your eyes get tired easily? Do they look sore or sandy? If yes, then it s time to worry for your eyes now. There is every possibility that you might have developed a dry eye. It is a common disorder of the eyes that occurs due to aging. It causes discomfort as you end up feeling scratchy or gritty all the time. The eyes turn red and have a burning sensation and feel itchy. Things get worse when you tend to stress your eyes by spending extra hours in front of the computer or read texts. In fact, the discomfort increases as the blinking frequency of the eyes get reduced.

One may also develop blurred vision due to dry eyes. An individual feels as if there is some particle inside his or her eyes, but finds nothing. Though this condition doesn t lead to very dangerous consequences, it is always a wise decision to seek medical help. The medical term for this condition is keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Once you develop dry eye, there is always a tendency to get it back again. But, the good news is that it can be treated to get some relief.

Causes
Dry eye is caused due to problems related to tear formation. When we blink our eyes, a film is formed over it. This thin layer is called a tear film. Tear film is responsible for clarity in vision. In case, enough tear is not produced, one tends to suffer from dry eyes. It is mainly caused due to ageing. 
If you don't produce enough tears, if your tears aren't of the right quality or your tears aren't spread across the front of your eye properly then you may develop dry eye. The glands producing tear or the tear film get inactive with age. Sometimes, the tear film is also affected by certain medicines, contact lenses, diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome.

Treatment
Dry eyes caused due to ageing cannot be cured completely. You must see a doctor for treatment but there are no permanent cure remedies. However, there are ways to help you get some relief. Here are the ways:

Try to increase the natural tears: There are certain home-based remedies to get some relief from the problem. You can keep the temperature of your room lower to get rid of the symptoms of dry eyes. Higher temperature leads to the evaporation of the tears. You can keep a humidifier in your room that adds more moisture to the air inside the room. This prevents drying up of the eye due to evaporation of tears. It is also found that when one blinks less, tear formation is reduced. The blinking is reduced while working on computers and reading. One must be careful while doing such things and try and blink as many times as possible.
Use eye drops: One needs to use eye drops called  artificial tears.  They are an alternative to the natural tears. If usual drops are not effective, gel-based thicker drops or overnight ointments are prescribed.
Block tear ducts: Another way of tackling dry eyes is by reducing the drainage of tears. For this, the tear ducts are blocked by plastic pieces called punctual plugs. The process is termed as punctal occlusion.
Take food supplements: Certain oils and Omega 3 and 6 are known to be beneficial in treating dry eyes. Include these supplements in your diet to keep your eyes healthy.

Dry Eye Syndrome - 4 Ways to Treat It!

With technology at your fingertips, it is hard to think of times when the existence of laptops and television sets was unimaginable. Technology is common enough to be taken for granted in present times. TV and laptops are especially in widespread use. The primary reason could be entertainment, an urge to connect to the larger world, or the need to kill time. Such dependability leads to severe health hazards. Read on to find out more:

Effects of TV and laptops on your health:

    Sleep deprivation: Long hours of exposure to artificial light can lead to sleep deprivation.
    It can also lead to serious vision problems: Watching TV or using laptops for long hours can make your eyes vulnerable to constant glare. You fail to realize, but changing lights of a computer screen or of a television set in a dark room can be extremely strenuous for your eyes to adjust. Constantly changing lights can lead to glaucoma. However, dry and itchy eyes, headaches and poor vision are the commonly noticed effects.
    It causes obesity in children and adults: Since all your work can be done on the internet, you tend to become lethargic. You are too lazy to go to the market or to the bank. Even if you are not watching you use the television for background music. Adults therefore do not make qualitative use of their free time. Children are addicted to playing games and browsing sites on the laptop. They hardly indulge in outdoor games. This leads to obesity in adults and children all the same.
    Propels your desire to eat fast food or packaged food: Binge eating is a very common practice while watching TV or using laptops. Chips, pizzas, burgers, ice- creams, cold drinks and absolutely anything junk devoid of nutritional value are more liked by us. Junk food not only leads to weight gain but is also detrimental to our digestive system.
    Can increase the risk of infertility in men: Laptops heat up when used for a long span of time. This heat can increase scrotum temperature which results in reduced sperm production, leading to infertility.   

As is said, nothing in excess is good for your health. It is therefore, best to make controlled use of TV and laptops to avoid its harmful effects.

Watching TV and Using Laptop: How it Affects Your Health?

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