Dr. Ravi Thadani

Excessive blinking or the urge to rub your eyes is most often caused by foreign objects in your eyes. This foreign object can be anything from your own eye lash to dust or a shard of metal. The area these foreign objects affect is the cornea or the conjunctiva. It can scratch the cornea causing an infection of affecting your vision if not treated in time. A foreign object usually enters your eye as a result of a high impact collision or force like wind etc. Some of the symptoms of having a foreign object in your eye include:

1. Pressure or discomfort in the eye
2. Pain in the eye
3. Excessive tearing and clear or bloody discharge from the eye
4. Increased sensitivity to light
5. Redness in the eye

Blinking continuously a few times can dislodge some types of foreign objects. If it affects your vision or causes constant tearing consult a doctor. Do not attempt to rub your eyes in an effort to remove the object. Instead restrict the movement of your eye until a doctor can remove the irritant. To avoid further injury to the eye, bandage the eye with a clean cloth. If the object does not allow you to close your eye, cover it with a paper cup and bandage it. Do not use anything, such as tweezers or cotton directly on the eye.

In some cases, the irritants can be seen with the naked eye. If you think something is stuck in your eye, wash your hands and look at your eye under a bright light. Pulling the lower lid down and flipping the upper eye lid can allow you to see the eye more clearly. To remove a foreign object under the upper eyelid submerge the eye in a flat bowl of water and rapidly open and close it a few times. This can help flush the object out of your eye. Alternatively pour a glass of warm water over your eye while keeping them open. Washing the eye can help get rid of irritants stuck under the lower eyelid.

In more serious cases, anesthetic drops are used to numb the eye. The eye will then be observed under a magnifying glass to see the extent of the injury. Your doctor may use several methods to remove the irritant depending on its size and extent of penetration. You may also be given medication to help deal with the pain caused by the object.

Dry eyes are a common phenomenon that develops when the tears do not provide sufficient moisture to your eyes. This may also be the result of inadequate production of tears by the tear ducts. This condition cannot be cured permanently; however, treatments usually help.

Signs and symptoms of dry eyes:
1. A scratchy, stinging and a burning sensation in the eyes
2. Mucous surrounding the eyes
3. Sensitivity to light
4. Redness of the eyes
5. A feeling that something is stuck in the eyes
6. Problems in wearing contact lenses
7. Vision problems, especially while driving at night
8. Watery eyes caused due to the irritation that stems from dry eyes
9. Blurred vision

What are the causes?
1. Tears are a mix of fatty oils, water and mucus. This combination safeguards your eyes from any sort of infection in addition to keeping your ocular surface (the cornea surface) clear and smooth. Your eyes dry up if the tear ducts do not produce enough tears; medically, this condition is termed ‘keratoconjunctivitis sicca’. It can occur due to:

• Age
• Certain medical complications such as Sjogren’s Syndrome (a medical condition marked by dry eyes and a dry mouth) arthritis, diabetes, thyroid disorders and deficiency of Vitamin A among a few others
• Side effects of certain medications such as anti-depressants, acne medications, birth control medications and medicines to control high blood pressure
• Laser eye surgery or damage caused to the tear gland due to exposure to radiation or inflammation

2. Increased drying up or evaporation of the tears caused due to exposure to various kinds of smoke, dry air or wind, less of blinking while focusing on any particular activity or an object and eye lid problems such as in-turning of the eyelids (entropion) and out-turning of the eyelids (ectropion) can contribute to this irritating condition.

3. Imbalance in any of the layers constituting a tear film (made of oil, mucus and water) might lead to this condition. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ophthalmologist.

Ever noticed spots or strands that ‘float’ into your line of vision. These are known as floaters. In most cases, they do not affect your vision, but can cause a lot of discomfort. Thus, in most cases they do not require treatment unless they affect your vision significantly. Floaters are more likely to stand out when looking at bright objects or something like a clear blue sky. Moving your eyes can shift the fluid in your eyes and move these floaters out of your line of sight.

Dust particles entering and irritating the eye should not be confused with floaters. Floaters can be described as flecks of a protein called collagen. These flecks can be seen when they are loosened from the back of the eye known as the vitreous. This can happen at any age but is more likely to affect people between the ages of 50 and 75. Being near sighted or suffering from cataract also increases your risk of seeing floaters. In rare cases, it can also be triggered by a disease in the eye, an injury to the eye, tumors or crystal deposits in the back of the eye.

Noticing the odd floater is not something to worry about. However, if you notice a sudden increase in the number and frequency of floaters in your eye, see flashes of light, have pain in the eyes or experience a loss of side vision, consult a doctor immediately. This could also be a sign of a more serious condition like a detached retina that requires immediate medical attention. Excessive floaters can be removed through a surgery known as a vitrectomy or laser vitreolysis. A vitrectomy involves the removal of vitreous gel from the middle of the eye and replacing it with silicone oil or a gas bubble. The surgery last 2 or 3 hours, but you may require an overnight stay in the hospital.

Laser vitreolysis is a more recent form of treatment for this condition. This pain free procedure involves the projection of a laser beam into the eye that focuses on large floaters to break them apart or vaporize them. This procedure can be performed as an outpatient and is considered safer than a vitrectomy. The form of treatment suited to a person will depend on a number of factors including their age, what the floaters look like, where they are located and the frequency of their appearance.

We are sharing some tips that can help you to protect your eyes from holi colors:
1. Make sure that colors or any other product does not get inside your eyes as it can cause serious eye irritation or itchiness. Keep your eyes tightly shut when you are attacked on your face.
2. Do not wear contact lenses while playing with holi colours.
3. Use sunglasses to protect your eyes from a misfire of color filled darts or water jets.
4. Keep a big bucket of clean water near you.
5. Wash the eye with plenty of clean and cold water, if the color goes inside. Remember not to rub or massage the eye.
 

P. S. Note:
“Unpacked colors and paints available in the market contain toxic chemicals can leads to temporary blindness if they enter your eyes”
If you experience any sort of irritation and notice any undesirable signs like persistent redness, change in vision, swelling pain in your eyes, call up an ophthalmologist immediately at ravi eye foundation
Please share to make others aware.

LASIK or laser in situ keratomileusis, is a form of refractive surgery that help patients who are suffering from near sightedness (Myopia), far sightedness (Hypermetropia) and even astigmatism (cylindrical power in glasses). This procedure aims at neutralising the power by correcting the shape of the cornea, which is the transparent layer that lines the front of the eye. Through this procedure, the cornea is reshaped so that the retina receives a focused light.

So what are the health tips for people going through a LASIK procedure? Here is our take:

Advantages:

Biggest advantage of LASIK is that it helps people to get rid of Glasses and contact lenses, which sometimes are cosmetically unacceptable and in some cases are visually disabling.

Best part of LASIK procedure are:

1. Age no bar: If there are no medical objections, then LASIK can be performed regardless of the age of the person. Doctors also tend to wait till young adulthood (around 18-20 years of age) before performing LASIK.
2. Painless: Quick (total duration of surgery is hardly 15 minutes) and virtually painless.
3. Very safe: Has a high success rate ( success rate is 96%) due to use of latest Laser technology which reduces the recovery time and therefore very less complication rates.
4. Stithless: Does not require bandages or stitches.

Adjustments can be made years later to alter the vision as per growing impairment in the future and advancing years.

Risks/Side Effects:

Minor side effects like dryness, glare and halos, which appears as a result of healing process, and tends to subside within few months of time.

Eligibility Criteria:

Any person 18 yrs or older who fulfils the following criteria can undergo Lasik surgery

1. Stable refraction for atleast 1yr (occurs usually after 18 yrs of age)
2. Corneal thickness and topography should be in normal range (requires an Eye Exam)
3. Dilated retinal examination should be normal (requires an Eye Exam)
4. Adequately wet eyes

Note: One should abstain from wearing contact lens at least 2 weeks before the procedure.

Precaution after the Procedure:

Patient is likely to have some inflammation after the procedure and temporary dryness.

Use medicines as prescribed by the doctor

1. Avoid any type of eye makeup for at least 1 month after surgery
2. Avoid swimming or water sports for at least 2- 3 weeks after surgery

In those cases where cases where LASIK cannot be done, there are other refractive surgery options you can go for after consulting with an ophthalmologist. Going through a LASIK procedure is a matter of finding the right specialist and ensuring that you take all the precautions before the procedure. Also, it is important to look into your medical history and eyes in particular so as to avoid complications.

Symptoms, types and treatment of Glaucoma

As we age we get wiser for our experiences and knowledge, but it is also an accepted fact that our body and organ system get much weaker and there may be little that we can do about it. As we hit the middle ages, we start to experience problems such as wrinkles or greying of hair and general fatigue and tiredness after a short amount of activity. However, the real trouble starts when major system dysfunctions, such as the eyes and the vision.

Simple things like reading a book or a newspaper may become major tasks and it may be time to realise that we may be suffering from presbyopia. Presbyopia is commonly known as farsightedness and this is a problem in which patients find it difficult to see objects clearly when they are too close to the eyes.

How it affects the eyes:
It is a common knowledge that the vision system works with the help of natural lenses and its focal point. When the focal point of vision falls on the lenses, you may be able to experience perfect vision, but when it starts to move slightly off the point you may experience problems in viewing regular things such as printed or written words or even the things on your phone or computer.

Experiencing blurred vision when you try to view closer objects occurs because the elasticity of the lens of the eyes changes and the focal length of the lens changes with it. However, there are a lot of treatment alternatives for the problem and people do not have to start feeling old just because they experience difficulty in vision.

Treatments:
The more conventional treatments for presbyopia include the use of glasses with a power of lens that help in correcting the vision and reading may become a favoured activity again. For those who find the use of glasses to be a hindrance in regular life may also opt for contact lens, which may be a more comfortable alternative for those who may not want to make their problem obvious to the world. In a lot of cases, the people who suffer from the problem of far-sightedness may also choose to undergo surgery for the problem so that it can be corrected completely and no other measures may have to be taken.

Health issues may be a regular occurrence as you advance in age and you may have to find alternatives and treatments that help ease out the situation, but it is most imperative to make sure that you take the best advice from a qualified and certified doctor so that you problem may be diagnosed correctly and you may be able to get treatment suggestions that may cater to your specific body and ailment needs.

Lazy eye or amblyopia is a childhood disorder wherein the child’s vision does not develop properly, especially in one of the eyes. If the condition is not treated at the very onset, it can lead to impaired vision in the concerned eye. As the child grows up, the brain will fail to pick up images from that eye.

Causes:

This disorder is known to start when one eye has better vision than the other eye. An example would be if one of the eyes is affected by farsightedness (unable to see objects at a closer range) and the other is normal. In the case of a child, when the brain receives images from both the eyes, it will ignore the faulty eye’s image. When this situation repeats itself over months or years, it might lead to absolute deterioration of vision in the faulty eye.

Strabismus is another cause of amblyopia wherein there is a significant misalignment in the eye; one of the eyes may turn outward or inward. This does not allow the eye to focus properly on an object, thus leading to double vision. The brain again ignores the image from the faulty eye that causes vision deterioration in that eye.

Treatment:

The treatment begins by correcting problems in the affected eye and then putting a patch on the normal eye. Initially, the child may have difficulties adjusting to this new method, but bear in mind that it is absolutely necessary to wear the patch. The entire treatment process may range over a few weeks to even months. Regular visit to the doctor is of utmost importance.

In mild cases, an eye drop called ‘atropine’ may be prescribed for the good eye. The child may also require glasses to improve focus. In case of cataracts, a surgery might be needed to treat it.

The treatment should begin early, as it can get difficult to treat the condition once the child crosses his/her 7-8 year mark.

Diabetes is a scourge that has been spreading like wildfire across the globe. It is one of the major public health concerns of the modern era. Diabetes not only causes damage to your internal organs but will also take a toll on your eyes if left unchecked. Retinopathy, glaucoma, cataracts and blurry vision are common phenomena accompanying diabetes. 

You may not notice it at first. Symptoms can include:

1. Blurry or double vision

2. Rings, flashing lights, or blank spots

3. Dark or floating spots

4. Pain or pressure in one or both of your eyes

5. Trouble seeing things out of the corners of your eyes

Thus Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exam plays an important role to detect it.

Here are some common Diabetic Eye Problems:

1. Blurry Vision: Do things turn blurry for you at times? Well it is not your glasses which are at fault but your high blood sugar count swelling up the lens within your eye and changing your ability to see. In order to correct your vision, you need to try bringing your sugar level back to the optimal range, which is 70 to 130 milligrams per deciliter. Do call on a doctor if the situation persists or deteriorates further.

2. Cataracts: Your eye lens is just like a camera that enables you to see through it by focusing on a particular object. If you have cataract, your otherwise clear lens gets shrouded a layer making it opaque and cloudy. You tend to face difficulties in the form of glares, blurred or clouded vision, and blind spots among other problems. Diabetics are prone to acquiring cataract much earlier than others, with the condition worsening subsequently. They are removed via surgery where your doctor substitutes your hazy lens with a new artificial one.

3. Glaucoma: You eye transmits images to your brain through the optic nerve. Pressure may build up within the optic nerve resulting in damage and ultimately causing total or partial blindness. This is a fairly common disorder with diabetics and a large number of cases pertaining to blindness due to diabetes are caused by this. Usually, glaucoma can be treated with laser, surgery, eye drops or medicines.  It is important to visit a doctor as it can help stop the progression of the disorder much earlier.

4. Diabetic Retinopathy: The retina is a cluster of cells behind your eyes that absorbs light and converts them into images that are sent to the brain via your optic nerve. High blood sugar count can actually wreak havoc on the tiny blood vessels within your retina giving rise to diabetic retinopathy. Symptoms may include blurry vision, seeing spots, blind spots and difficulty in low light or night time. Retinopathy can cause you to progressively go blind and thus it is imperative that you go for periodic check-ups and keep your diabetes under control.

Control and Prevention

If you have diabetes, you are not doomed to develop diabetic eye disease. Although you are at risk, you have the ability to control your diabetes so your vision is not compromised. Controlling diabetes requires you to monitor your blood sugar levels regularly. Follow some steps to help you control and preserve your vision:

1. Taking your Medicines regularly as prescribed by your doctor. Skipping of medication may leads to irregular control and is more hazardous.

2. Eating Right food is essential when trying to prevent or control diabetes. Eat a diet that is high in nutrients, low in fat and moderate in calories. A high-fiber diet with low glycaemic index foods (slow-release carbohydrates) will keep blood sugar steady and make you feel full. Although you do not need to eliminate sugar completely, you must limit sugar to a small serving. The good news is that as you cut sweets, your cravings will change and you will naturally desire more healthy foods.

3. Keep your A1C level under 7%: A1C is a test you have during a visit to your endocrinologist to determine how well-controlled your diabetes has been during the previous 2-3 months. Keeping your blood glucose in this target range means less damage to the delicate blood vessels around your eyes.

4. Control blood pressure and Cholesterol Levels: People with diabetes have a greater chance of having high blood pressure and Cholesterol, which can cause eye blood vessel damage.

5. Regular Physical Exercise can help you control your blood sugar, increase fitness and reduce your risk for heart disease and nerve damage. You must track your blood sugar before, during and after exercise to prevent hypoglycaemia.

6. Annual comprehensive eye exams: If you are pre-diabetic or diabetic, it is even more important to have Complete Dilated eye exam to initially get baseline recordings of the eye conditions and then regular yearly follow-up visits to monitor changes in your vision. If you notice blurred vision and you have had diabetes for a length of time, it might be a signal you need to keep tighter control of your glucose levels.