Four eye conditions to watch out for in patients

Updated on February 3, 2021

Sight is perhaps the most used of the senses, with your eyes only getting a well-earned rest during sleep. As such, it is common for patients suffering from eye complaints to approach healthcare professionals. While you are no doubt familiar with common and easily treatable conditions such as conjunctivitis, some eye health issues are a bit more complex. Here are four eye conditions to watch out for in patients. 

Optic neuritis 

The optic nerve sends messages from the eye to the brain, and as such is instrumental in helping you to see. Optic neuritis is an inflammation of the optic nerve, preventing the right signals from being sent to the brain and therefore resulting in vision problems. Symptoms include blurred vision, eye pain, and loss of color and peripheral vision. Although most people recover with full vision in a few weeks, problems with night vision and seeing colors as washed out can persist. The condition can be identified during a regular eye test; if an optician suspects that a patient has optic neuritis, they will be referred to a specialist eye hospital where a treatment plan can be drawn up. 

Cataracts

Cataracts are a common condition for people aged 65 and over, but they can occasionally be found in younger people and children. They form when a cloudy patch develops in the eye’s lens, preventing light from reaching the back of the eye and therefore causing blurred and misty vision. In addition to this, a cataracts patient may experience discomfort with bright lights, colors appearing faded with a yellow or brown tinge, and see a halo around bright lights such as car headlights. Cataracts can be easily treated surgically by replacing the clouded optical lens with a high-quality synthetic lens. Visit panoptix.myalcon.com for more information about Trifocal IOLs. 

Corneal ulcers

Corneal ulcers are painful sores that develop on the cornea of the eye. They are caused by bacterial infections and as such are more common in contact lens wearers, particularly if the wearer does not practise good lens hygiene. Symptoms include the feeling of something in the eye, a gray or white spot on the cornea, and blurred vision. Patients should obtain medical advice immediately from either an optician or specialist eye hospital. Treatment for corneal ulcers usually involves a course of intensive antibiotic eye drops with which to treat the bacterial infection. Patients are also advised not to wear contact lenses or eye makeup during the treatment period. 

Uveitis 

Uveitis is a rare condition in which the middle part of the eye – the uvea or uveal tract – becomes inflamed, causing symptoms such as redness, eye pain, and clouded vision. Though such symptoms are common in other eye conditions, uveitis is most successfully treated sooner rather than later, so it is advised that patients consult a health care professional as soon as possible. An eye specialist will be able to prescribe a course of steroid eye drops to help reduce the inflammation. 

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