A - Z eye conditions

Act immediately on eye pain Contact lens wearers who experience any kind of unusual pain in their eyes should visit their ophthalmic optician straight away, advises the Eyecare Trust....

Adie's pupil, sometimes called the Holmes-Adie syndrome, is an unusual neurologic disorder in which the ability of the pupil to constrict is impaired, usually in one eye (although the second...

What is the macula? Imagine that your eye is like a camera. There is a lens and an aperture (an opening) at the front, which both adjust to bring objects into...

What is Amblyopia? Amblyopia is the medical term for poor vision in one, or sometimes both eyes. It is generally caused by lack of use of one eye when the...

Angioid streaks are broad, irregular, red to brown to grey lines which radiate from the area around the optic nerve head under the retinas of individuals with pseudoxanthoma elasticum (PXE)....

The search for an answer Being born without eyes, the condition termed anophthalmia, has recently hit the headlines again. Pam Henderson, Peripatetic teacher in Lincolnshire, gives some background to...

What is Astigmatism? For normal undistorted vision, the cornea should be smooth and equally curved in all directions. When astigmatism is present, the cornea is warped and curves more...

Azoor is a condition in which retinal dysfunction occurs in response to multifocal inflammation at the back of the eye. The retina lines the back of the eye rather as...

Blepharitis is a non-contagious eye condition that occurs when the glands around your eyelashes become blocked or infected. Mild blepharitis is a common eye complaint affecting as many as one in...

What is a cataract? If you have been told that you have a cataract, don't be alarmed. Over half of those over 65 have some cataract development and most...

What is Coloboma? Coloboma describes a situation where the patient has a portion of the structure of the eye lacking. This gap can occur in a range of areas and...

What is colour vision deficiency? The nerve cells which receive and process light at the back of the eye - the retina - are of two main types: the...

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin, transparent layer that lines the inner eyelid and covers the white part of the eye. The three main types of conjunctivitis are...

What is Corneal Dystrophy? The globe of the eye is made of five layers and the cornea is the transparent front portion. It is also the most sensitive structure...

A report launched today (19.09.05) by the Healthcare Commission highlights how half a million people in the UK could be unaware that they have diabetes. Here the Eyecare Trust provides...

What is diabetes? Diabetes mellitus or `sugar diabetes' affects about one person in fifty in the UK. This means that the body cannot cope normally with sugar and other...

Gonococcal Conjunctivitis Newborns can acquire a gonococcal infection of the conjunctiva from their mother while passing through the birth canal. For this reason, most states require that all newborns receive eyedrops--often...

What is Double Vision? If you see two of whatever you are looking at simultaneously, you may have a condition known as double vision, also referred to as diplopia....

What is Drusen? Small, sharply defined, circular, yellow or white dots lying below the level of the retinal vessels, either discreet or coalesced into larger masses, located throughout the...

Keratoconjunctivitis sicca or dry eye syndrome is the most common cause of eye irritation in people aged 65 and over. What is dry eye syndrome? Dry eye syndrome occurs...

Every wakening second your eyes produce tears containing natural infection fighting antibiotics. Blinking spreads this over the eyes surface before being sucked through two small holes in the nasal corner...

What is Dyslexia? People with specific learning difficulties have problems with certain areas of academic performance, yet do well in other subjects and are generally intelligent. The most common...

What is Entropion? This is a condition that commonly affects the lower eyelid, causing it to turn inwards, resulting in the eyelashes rubbing on the front of the eye....

What is Episcleritis? An inflammation of the episclera, a membrane covering the sclera of the eye. Causes, incidence, and risk factors The sclera is composed of collagenous fibres to form a...

The eyelids play a key role in protecting the eyes. They help spread moisture (tears) over the surface of the eyes when they close (for example, while blinking); thus, they...

What is Farsightedness? If you can see objects at a distance clearly but have trouble focusing well on objects close up, you may be farsighted. Your eye care practitioner may refer...

What is Fuchs Dystrophy? Fuchs dystrophy is a slowly progressing disease that usually affects both eyes and is slightly more common in women than in men. Although doctors can often...

What is glaucoma? Glaucoma is the name for a group of eye conditions in which the optic nerve is damaged at the point where it leaves the eye. This...

When a corneal herpes simplex infection (herpes simplex keratoconjunctivitis, keratitis) begins, it may resemble a mild bacterial infection because the eyes are slightly painful, watery, red, and sensitive to light....

What is Herpes Zoster? Herpes zoster is the medical name for shingles. It is caused by reactivation in the adult years of the chicken pox virus that occurred during...

What is iritis? Iritis is the inflammation of the iris, the coloured portion of the eye. It has been known cause extreme pain, light sensitivity and sight loss, which...

What Is Keratitis? Infection or inflammation of the cornea (the centre portion of the eye that surrounds the pupil). Causes Bacterial, viral or fungal infections.The most...

Keratoconus is a vision disorder that occurs when the normally round cornea (the front part of the eye) becomes thin and irregular (cone) shaped. This abnormal shape prevents the light...

Signs & Symptoms The patient is usually over age 20 and is nearly always asymptomatic, except for possible complaints of flashing lights (photopsia). There appears to be a higher...

The human eye is shaped like a ball, measuring approximately one inch across, and functions like a living camera. The front portion of the eye, consisting of the cornea (the...

If you can see objects nearby with no problem, but reading road signs or making out the writing on the board at school is more difficult, you may be near-...

Myopia (short-sightedness) occurs when rays of light are brought to a focus in front of the retina because the optical power of the eye is too great, or the eye...

What is nystagmus? Nystagmus is an involuntary movement of the eyes - usually from side to side, but sometimes the eyes oscillate up and down or even in a...

Much has been written about Myasthenia Gravis (MG) in recent years, because there now seems to be a plausible, scientific explanation for the cause of this disease. The word "gravis"...

What is Ocular Rosacea Ocular rosacea is associated with a chronic skin condition known as acne rosacea. The problem usually affects those with light skin, and is characterized by...

Light sensitivity, also called photophobia, is a sensitivity or intolerance to light. Light sensitivity may occur with sunlight, fluorescent light or incandescent light. Sometimes light-sensitive people are bothered only by...

What is Posterior Vitreous Detachment? Posterior Vitreous Detachment or PVD for short is a common condition that occurs in about 75% of people over the age of 65. As...

Presbyopia is a vision condition in which the crystalline lens of your eye loses its flexibility, which makes it difficult for you to focus on close objects. Presbyopia may seem to...

What Is Ptosis? Ptosis (pronounced TOE-sis) is the medical term for drooping eyelids. A person with ptosis is not able to lift one or both upper eyelids to uncover the...

What is the retina? Imagine that your eye is like a camera, and the retina is the film. The retina is a fine sheet of nerve tissue lining the...

What is retinitis pigmentosa? Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the name given to a group of hereditary eye disorders. These disorders affect the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue lining the...

Sjogrens Syndrome (SS) pronounced 'show-grins', is one of the most common and least diagnosed rheumatic diseases. In some patients, it presents as only vague symptoms of dry mouth and irritated...

What is Solar Retinopathy? The name given to eye damage which has been caused by looking directly at the sun is solar retinopathy. The eclipse of the sun on...

Spots or floaters are small, semi transparent or cloudy particles within the vitreous, (which is the clear, jelly-like fluid that fills the inside of your eyes). They are quite common...

This page aims to answer some of the questions and concerns you may have if your child has a squint or if there is a family history of squint. Squint can...

What is Temporal Arteritis (also known as Giant Cell Arteritis)? Giant Cell Arteritis, Temporal Arteritis and Cranial Arteritis are terms which can be used when diagnosing an inflammatory disease affecting...

What is Thyroid Eye Disease? This is a disorder where the fat and muscles behind and around the eyes become swollen. There is still much that we do not know...

If we think of the eye as a hollow, fluid-filled, 3-layered ball, then the outer layer is the sclera, a tough coat, the innermost is the retina, the thin light-gathering...

Creutzfeld-Jakob Disease (CJD) is a frightening but nonetheless intriguing disease. It occurs in most populations at approximately 1 case per million per year. It is referred to as classical or...

Most of the serious retinal problems that require surgery are caused by problems with the vitreous, the clear jelly-like substance that fills the space in the eye. Posterior Vitreous Detachment With...