Your Eyes at AMS Ophthalmic Opticians

Your eyes are very unique. You better take good care of them. It is worth it.

Your Eyes:

Here you will find useful information for health of your eyes.

Regular Eye Checks

Regular eye checks should provide the basis for maintaining proper eye health, as some of the serious eye conditions do not have any visible early warning symptoms. However, whilst prevention is the best defence, problems or injuries can occur suddenly and unexpectedly. The ability to recognise signs and symptoms and also knowing what to do could be crucial to preserving sight.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the world's leading causes of blindness. In the UK, 1 in 50 people over 40 have this condition. Glaucoma is not curable, but blindness is preventable if the glaucoma is diagnosed and treated early enough. While there are usually no warning signs, regular eye tests will help detect the onset of the disease.

What is glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye condition characterised by loss of vision due to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve carries sight images to the brain and any damage to the nerve results in damage to sight.

Usually, but not always, the damage occurs because pressure within the eye increases and presses on the nerve, which damages it.

Will I go blind from glaucoma?

If you have been diagnosed with glaucoma, this does not mean you will go blind, especially if you have been diagnosed with glaucoma at an early stage in the disease. Drops and sometimes operations can stabilise the glaucoma, and, with regular check-ups, you will be able to manage the condition. You will experience some degree of sight loss but it will be minimised with effective treatment.

Cataracts

Having a cataract is a bit like having a dirty windscreen on a car. It can make the view cloudy or foggy. When the sun is behind you, the vision through the dirty windscreen is ok, but when you turn into the sun, the view through the windscreen becomes a ‘white out’. A cataract is similar in that glare from lights, the sun when it is low in the sky and on-coming headlights can all cause problems with the vision. When these problems make normal daily activities difficult, it is time to get the cataract operated on.

Cataracts do not permanently impair your vision and you will not go blind from a cataract. A simple operation will restore your sight. Most forms of cataract develop in adult life, and can occur any time after the age of 40. The normal process of ageing causes the lens to harden and become cloudy. Cataracts can also be caused by injuries to the eye, for instance, any cuts, blows or burns to the eye which cause damage to the lens inside the eye.

Inside the eye, behind the iris (the coloured part of the eye) is a lens. In the normal eye, the lens is clear or transparent, and helps to focus light rays on to the tissue at the retina at the back of the eye. When a cataract develops, the lens becomes cloudy and prevents the light rays passing into the retina. The picture that the retina receives becomes dull and fuzzy. Cataracts usually form slowly and people experience a gradual blurring of vision.

Squint

A squint is the common name for 'strabismus' which is the medical term used to describe eyes that are not pointing in the same direction. Squints are also sometimes called 'lazy eye' or 'cast' according to the direction of the turn of the eye.

The squint may be present all or only part of the time, in only one eye or alternating between the two eyes. A squint can occur for a number of reasons:

Refractive (focusing) abnormality

Eye muscle imbalance

These separately or together cause are known as squint.

It can run in families

Illness - can make it obvious

Injury

Rarely, it can be due to other diseases or illness.

Diabetes

Diabetes is a common disease and has important implications for the short term and long term health of sufferers. This section will tell you more about diabetes and how it affects the eye.

Effects of diabetes:

Fluctuations in blood sugar can cause changes in the focussing of the crystalline lens within the eye and cause temporary visual blurring, particularly if diabetic control is poor. Diabetes can also cause cataracts in young people, or accelerate the development of cataract in older people.

Diabetic retinopathy is one of the commonest causes of blindness in the UK in people between the ages of 30-65, and 12% of people who are registered blind and partially sighted each year have diabetic eye disease. At any one time up to 10% of people with diabetes will have retinopathy requiring medical follow up or treatment.

Diabetes can also affect other organs, and the presence and severity of retinopathy may be an indicator of increased risk of other complications of diabetes such as ischemic heart disease, kidney disease, or diabetic neuropathy (which contributes to male impotence and diabetic foot disease).

Can I prevent the development of retinopathy?

Tight control of diabetes can reduce the risk of retinopathy by 60% in type I (insulin dependent) and 40% in type II (non-insulin dependent) diabetes, and will also reduce the risk of other diabetic complications.

Although the majority of people with diabetes who have had diabetes for long enough will have some degree of retinopathy, eye checks will enable early diagnosis and early treatment. When people first develop diabetic retinopathy they have no symptoms, but, if diagnosed at this early stage, it is a treatable condition, which is why it is important for diabetics to have regular eye tests.

When should I have my eyes examined?

People with insulin dependent diabetes need to have their eyes examined at diagnosis and after they have had diabetes for 4 years and then regularly. People with non-insulin dependent diabetes should have an eye examination at diagnosis and yearly thereafter by their diabetic specialist, GP, ophthalmologist or optician. Sight tests are free for people with diabetes.

Macular degeneration

Macular degeneration accounts for almost 50% of all visual impairment in the developed world. It usually affects people over 50 years of age and is known as Age-related Macular Degeneration (ARMD or AMD).

There are other forms of macular disease which affect younger people, which are often termed 'macular dystrophy' and may run in families - however, this type of macular degeneration is rare. Macular degeneration can also be caused by eye injury, infection or inflammation. Diabetes can also cause macular disease (known as diabetic retinopathy).

If detected early enough laser treatment can be effective in arresting AMD in a minority of patients. For the majority of patients, however, it remains untreatable.

How will my sight be affected?

Initially only one eye may be affected and symptoms in the early stages may not be noticed since one good eye can mask the sight problem of the other eye.

You may notice:

The central part of your vision is 'reduced'. You may see the outline of a face but not the features

Straight lines may appear wavy or misshapen

Judging distances and heights becomes difficult and may cause you to misjudge and miss your step

You may find it difficult to match similar shades of the same colour

You may find you need better lighting

In general, you will have little problem walking from one place to another although crossing busy roads may be more difficult. However, you are likely to have difficulty reading, seeing television, recognising friends across the street, or sorting out coins - activities where detailed vision is necessary.

Will I go blind?

AMD alone does not result in total blindness. Only the central (reading) vision is affected and the surrounding vision remains normal. Useful side vision that allows you to see to get around is retained in both forms of AMD

Corneal Graft

When patients have been told that they need a corneal graft often they feel worried about what this involves. This section will give you more information on what a corneal graft is and the grafting procedure involves.

The cornea is the window at the front of the eye. In the normal eye the cornea is transparent. Light is able to enter the eye through the clear cornea, pass through the clear lens to focus on the retina at the back of the eye. When the cornea is deformed or damaged from injury or disease, light the path of light to the retina is distorted. The picture that the retina passes to the brain is not clear and sight becomes distorted or patchy.

What are the reasons for a corneal graft?

The chief function of the cornea is to help focus and transmit light. When this is interfered with by irregularity, scarring or water logging and cannot be helped any more by any other treatment (eye drops, drugs, spectacles or contact lenses) a corneal graft may be performed to:

Improve your sight

Alleviate your pain

Repair a perforation (if your cornea has ruptured)

What is a corneal graft?

It is an operation in which part of your cornea is removed and replaced with a similar piece of cornea from a donor eye.

Retinal Detachment

When a retinal detachment develops a separation occurs between the retina and the wall of the eye at the back of the eye. This is similar to wallpaper peeling off a wall. The part that is detached (peeled off) will not work properly, and the picture that the brain receives becomes patchy or may be lost completely. An operation is necessary to replace the detached retina in its proper position.

What are the symptoms of a retinal detachment?

People often describe seeing "something black" or "a curtain", "cobweb" or "flashing lights". In older people, these do not necessarily indicate a serious problem, but the sudden appearance of floaters and flashes requires a full eye examination to exclude the presence of retinal holes or tears.

What causes a retinal detachment?

Nearly all retinal detachments develop because of a hole or tear in the retina. This usually occurs when the retina becomes 'thin', which can occur in short sighted people, or if the vitreous (the jelly-like substance that fills the eye) separates from the retina. Other eye or health problems such as diabetes and injuries such as a blow to the eye can occasionally be the cause of a retinal detachment. Cataract operations can also cause retinal detachment.

Floaters

Floaters are shapes which people can see drifting across their vision. The exact form of these is very variable - they may appear as small dots or irregularly shaped strands.

What causes floaters?

The eye is filled by a jelly like substance - the vitreous.

As the vitreous ages strands of a protein called collagen become visible within it. These strands swirl gently when the eye moves, giving rise to the perception of floaters. In some people, usually over the age of 40, the vitreous can separate from the retina. When this happens it tugs on the retina, causing the eye to see flashes of bright white light. A sudden increase (shower) of floaters is usually seen at the same time. This is called posterior vitreous detachment and may lead to retinal detachment.

Are floaters serious?

Generally people should not be concerned about seeing one or two floaters in their vision, particularly if they have been there for some time. A sudden increase in the number of floaters, especially if you also see white flashing lights, is seen with posterior vitreous detachment. If you see this you should see an eye doctor urgently to ensure you are not getting a retinal detachment.

Can floaters be removed?

It is technically possible to remove floaters by performing an operation to remove the vitreous - a vitrectomy. Unfortunately this operation carries significant risks to sight because of the possible complications, which include retinal detachment and cataract. Most eye surgeons are therefore reluctant to recommend this surgery unless there is a threat to sight.

What to do if you feel something is wrong with your eyes

If you are concerned that you may have something wrong with your eye, either one of the conditions covered here or something else, you should see your optometrist (optician) to have your eye examined.

Your optometrist will examine your eye(s) and tell you whether there is anything to be concerned about. If there is anything which indicates a problem with your eyesight, he/she is likely to ask you to see your GP, and may give you a letter to take with you. Your GP will refer you to your nearest Eye Hospital or other ophthalmic clinic.

If you injure your eye, have sudden and severe pain, or your vision suddenly gets much worse or you lose it altogether, you should go to your nearest ophthalmic clinic or accident and emergency department as soon as possible.

Optician can also pick up problems and advice you. Please get you Eyes checked regularly at AMS Ophthalmic Opticians because they are worth it.