Overview

A chalazion (kuh-LAY-zee-on) is a cyst that forms in the eyelids as a result of a blockage in one or more of the meibomian glands that produce oil that forms the outer layer of tears. It initially may resemble a stye – being red, tender and swollen. But after a few days, chalazia typically become a painless, slow-growing bumps that, unlike a stye, do not contain live bacteria. However, they may attract bacteria and lead to an infection or occur as an after-effect of a stye. But in most cases, chalazia are gone within a few months, although one chalazion cyst may be followed by other, possibly larger cysts over several years.

Chalazia – named for the Greek word for small bump – can be so small that they are barely visible or as large as a pea. If they become large enough, they can press against the cornea, distorting the eyeball and blurring vision.

Symptoms

The first symptom is the swelling of the eyelid with little to no tenderness. Other symptoms include:

• A slow-growing bump that is firm and painless
• Surrounding skin may be loose
• Blurred vision if the chalazion is large

Prevention

If you are prone to chalazion, keeping the eyelid margins very clean and free of debris may prevent recurrences. Washing with a warm washcloth and very mild shampoo can do this. Scrub the outer eye and lashes gently and rinse with warm water at least once per day. It is also advised to keep your hands clean, to avoid rubbing your eyes and to not share eye makeup.

Treatment

Warm compresses are usually the first line of treatment, helping to unclog the duct and allowing pus to drain away. Simply place a folded washcloth moistened in warm water on the affected area for 10-15 minutes, four times a day. You can also gently massage the lid from the nose outward to help release blocked fluid from the gland.

Your eyecare practitioner may also prescribe eye drops, ointment or oral antibiotics, depending on the degree of inflammation and tenderness. Some research indicates that homeopathic medicines may dissolve the chalazion, but you should discuss this option with your eye doctor before starting the medicine. If the chalazion persists for more than 6 weeks, quick and easy surgery (chalazion excision) can be performed in a doctor’s office to remove it.

Overview

Color blindness, also known as color vision deficiency, is the inability to distinguish colors and shades or to recognize them at all. It occurs when the color-sensing cones of the retina are absent or do not function properly.

About 8 percent of males and 1 percent of females are color-blind to some degree. Most color-blind people have difficulty in distinguishing among various shades of the same color or seeing some colors as brightly as others; the inability to distinguish any colors at all and see the world in black-and-white is rare.

Most color blindness is inherited and present at birth. But acquired color blindness can result from cataracts, retinal or optical nerve disease, use of certain medications or simply the normal aging process — as we age, the normally clear lens begins to darken, making it harder to differentiate one dark color from another.

Normally, the pigments of each cone correspond to one of the primary colors of light – red, blue and green. In color blindness, there is a broad range of variances in these cones, including unbalanced proportions of cones for each color, absence of cones for one or more colors, and malfunction of cones for one or more colors. If no functioning cones are present, the rods take over in sensing lightness and darkness that enhance peripheral vision and vision in dim light.

Symptoms

While people with color blindness may have trouble distinguishing any or various colors or shades, the most common inherited form is “red/green” color blindness, in which there are problems seeing shades of red or green. For instance, red might appear as yellow or invisible or that pastel shades of yellow and green are indistinguishable. Another common form is blue/yellow color blindness.

Prevention

Color blindness is usually detected during a routine eye exam. Children should be tested for color blindness beginning at age 4. It cannot be prevented, but poses no threat to overall health. Although it may be inconvenience to some people, it presents no handicap on everyday life.

Treatment

While color blindness cannot be cured, there are many methods of coping with and compensating for the difficulties it presents, such as:

• Tinted contact lenses can make some colors appear dimmer or brighter, and may help some with certain color vision deficiencies. Some color-blind people claim that wearing a lens in one eye helps their vision and functioning, although there is no evidence indicating that the lenses actually allow them to see more colors. The lenses may blur vision and distort depth perception, creating potentially dangerous situations.

• Electronic Eyes are hand-held devices that identify colors. In such devices, color sensors activate an audio synthesizer that speaks the color aloud. The sensors, however, cannot read text.

If your child is color-blind, you can make modifications to help him/her identify colors. This includes activities such as labeling clothing, accessories and other items to help with coordination, and teaching how to recognize brightness and location of green, yellow and red positions on traffic lights and the meaning of signs by shape. You may also have to make adjustments in reading materials at school. Be on alert for books that use colored print and colored backgrounds and inform teachers that color-oriented and color-coded school assignments are not appropriate for your child.

Overview

A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s normally clear lens, leading to a progressive blurring or dimming of vision. It is the world’s leading cause of blindness and among the most common conditions related to aging – by age 65, you have a 50 percent chance of developing a cataract and by age 75, it jumps to 70 percent.

Cataracts can also result from injury, chronic eye diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa and ailments such as diabetes, or past use of corticosteroid medications or radiation treatments. Some researchers believe that lifestyle habits such as smoking and not wearing sunglasses to protect eyes against ultraviolet light are also risk factors.

A cataract occurs when proteins in the lens begin to clump together, forming a cloudy area. As these clumps grow, they interfere with vision by distorting or blocking the passage of light. Many cataracts begin to form in your 40s or 50s, but don’t affect vision until years later. Cataracts can occur in infants, usually the result of an infection during pregnancy such as toxoplasmosis, rubella, syphilis or herpes simplex. In children, a cataract can also result from metabolic disease.

There are three primary types:

• Nuclear cataracts are the most common, typically known as “age-related cataract.” Found in the center of the lens, they intefere with the ability to see distant objects. Interestingly, while the cataract is progressing, reading vision may temporarily improve because as the lens becomes more dense and cloudy, it changes the eye’s ability to focus, making it clearer up close than at far distances. This symptom is often referred to as “second sight.”

A nuclear cataract clouds the lens in the center.

• Cortical cataracts begin in the lens’s outer rim and grow “spokes” toward the central core. These spokes block light, causing glare and loss of contrast. Both near and distance vision are slowly disrupted. Diabetics often develop this type of cataract.

A cortical cataract develops spokes from the center of the lens outward.

• Subcapsular cataracts affect the back of your lens and usually progress more quickly than other types. Subcapsular cataracts cause blurriness and glare, and are more likely to strike those with diabetes, extreme nearsightedness, retinitus pigmentosa or people who take steroid medications.
  

  A subcapsular cataract builds up on the back of the lens.

Symptoms

A cataract starts out small and initially has little or no effect on vision. As the cataract grows and clouds more of the lens – what doctors call “ripens” – it will be harder to read and do other normal tasks. The word “cataract” means waterfall and for people with a ripe cataract, it is like trying to see through a waterfall or wall of fog. Other symptoms include:

• Blurred vision, as if you are looking through a cloudy piece of glass
• Double vision (diplopia)
• A sense that colors appear faded and decreased ability to distinguish some colors
• Seeing halos around lights
• Glare or sensitivity to light or from oncoming headlights while driving
• Difficulty seeing at night

Prevention

There is no way to prevent age-related cataracts, but several factors can increase your risk of developing them sooner, or developing other types of cataracts. If you have diabetes, you need to tightly control your blood sugar level. Women can reduce risk of congenital cataracts with rubella immunization before becoming pregnant and monitoring conditions such as herpes. Others factors that can play a role in prevention:

• Avoiding eye injuries, such as a blow or other trauma
• Not smoking
• Limiting or eliminating use of corticosteroids, major tranquilizers and diuretics
• Protecting eyes with quality sunglasses, especially if you live at a high altitude or spend a lot of time outdoors
• Avoiding alcohol abuse
• Eating a healthy diet. Although there is no definitive proof, some studies suggest that “antioxidant” nutrients such vitamin C may play a preventative role.

Treatment

In the early stages until the cataract ripens, your doctor may recommend stronger eyeglasses, using eye drops to widen the pupil and let in more light or adjusting lighting to reduce glare. When cataracts disrupt your daily life, it may be time for cataract-removal surgery, one of the most frequent procedures done in the U.S. If both eyes are affected, the surgeries are performed on different days.

More than 1.5 million Americans undergo surgery each year to remove the clouded lens, which is usually replaced with a clear, plastic intraocular lens (IOL). With an IOL, vision is restored to 20/40 or better in more than 90 percent of cases. You cannot see or feel the lens and it needs no special care. For those unable to wear an IOL, special glasses with powerful magnification or contact lenses are used.

Cataract surgery falls into two groups:

• Intracapsular: Both the lens and the protective capsule that surrounds it are removed. Once standard, this has been largely replaced by extracapsular surgery. Those who require intracapsular surgery may not be eligible for IOLs and instead need specially designed glasses or contacts.
• Extracapsular: Only the lens is removed. The front of the capsule is opened and ultrasonic waves break the lens into pieces (a process called “phacoemulsification”). The pieces are then vacuumed out of the capsule. The normal lens capsule surrounding the lens is left intact.