Corneal Abrasion - A Common Eye Problem That Can Be Easily Treated

By Brent McNutt 

 

    

 

Corneal abrasion is a superficial scratch in the outer lens of the eye. It is usually caused by improper wearing of contact lenses or by particles that get lodged in the eye. A scratched cornea can be painful and alarming. Good thing is that the eyes are one of the quickest healers in the body and scratched corneas are easy to treat. Some of the symptoms of corneal abrasions include pain, redness, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, excessive tears, the feeling that there is an object or particle in the eye, and possible swelling of the eye.

Natural healing process
A scratch in the cornea can heal completely within 24 to 48 hours, depending on the severity, leaving no permanent damage when healed. During this time, the cells will reconnect the undamaged layers and renew the scratched part of the cornea. If you feel like you scratched your cornea, do not rub your eyes! It will only worsen the abrasion. Instead, flush your eyes with water to get rid of the object or particle that scratched your eye. Use a cold compress over your eye to keep it from swelling and lessen the pain. Keep your eyes closed and let it rest. If you cannot wait too long and the pain or discomfort is unbearable, you should contact an eye doctor in urbane scrubs to see if you need treatment.

Seeing an eye doctor
To ease the pain, anesthetic eye drops are typically used during examination and to prevent infection, an eye doctor will usually recommend antibiotic eye drops. After the treatment, the doctor will cover your eye with a tight eye patch to prevent your eyelid from moving. You will have to wear the eye patch for at least 24 hours so that the healing process will not be disturbed and so that it repairs quickly and smoothly.

What to avoid
Those who wear contact lenses should not wear it for the whole period of the treatment and healing period because it will only slow down the healing process. Also, the medication can cloud or stain soft lenses, thereby damaging it. Superficial cornea abrasions do not cause permanent blindness or loss of vision but it may blur your vision temporarily. Once your eye heals, it may take a few weeks before your clear vision returns (if you had clear vision before the abrasion). During this time, it is advised that you refrain from rubbing your eyes. This will slow down the healing process or even aggravate the abrasion.

Recurrence
In some instances, a corneal abrasion can spontaneously recur long after it has healed, usually occurring when you wake up in the morning. This happens when an area of the eye's epithelium failed to reconnect to the deeper layers of the cornea. When this happens, it is best to go to the eye doctor so that a special instrument can be used to form better connections between the layers of the cornea. The treatment will be similar to the one that was administered in the original abrasion. You can also ask your doctor about lubricants or ointments that you can use to prevent recurrent abrasions.

Brent McNutt enjoys talking about urbane scrubs [http://www.uniformhaven.com] and landau scrubs [http://www.uniformhaven.com/landauscrubs.html] and networking with healthcare professionals online.

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What Causes a Headache Behind the Eyes?

By George McKenzie 

    

Having a headache behind the eyes is a relatively common problem, and such headaches happen for a variety of reasons.

Most of the time, such headaches are a sign of some other problem or disorder. This problem may have nothing to do with your eyes or vision.

To stop the pain, you first have to figure out where the pain is coming from.

What Causes a Headache Behind the Eyes?

Here are the most common reasons most people get a headache behind the eyes.
Your sinuses or an infection in your respiratory system can might be the cause. Swollen nasal passages near the eyes can put pressure on nerves behind the eyeballs when you have a cold or the flu..

Unfortunately, there's a possibility your headache may be caused by a tumor. Hopefully, this is not the case.

But the most common problem that causes a headache behind the eyes is related to general eye health and eye conditions or disorders. Something happens that causes the lens of the eye to cast an unfocused image on the retina. When this happens, your brain automatically tightens your eye muscles in an effort to compensate. After this has been going on for a while, the eye muscles become strained, causing soreness.If this situation corrected, the muscles become even more strained and sore.

There are several common vision problems that are likely to result in soreness and pain behind the eyes.The list of vision problems that are likely to produce such discomfort or pain include the following.

Astigmatism - Sometimes there's a change in the shape of the lens, which results in a distorted image landing on the retina. Vision becomes blurry or fuzzy.

You'll notice that people who have astigmatism sometimes have to squint a lot. By squinting, they're trying to force their eyes to focus. Squinting, if it's done often enough, overworks and strains the eye muscles. This causes pain around the eyeballs, which feels like a headache behind the eyes.

Presbyopia - When we're young, and even in our early adult years, the lenses of our eyes are pretty flexible. But with passing time, we lose some of this flexibility.

The result: objects close to us begin to lose their clarity. This is why many people need "reading glasses" as they pass into middle age.

When you have uncorrected presbyopia, you will strain your eyes trying to make them focus as you read. This results in headaches in the area around the eyes.

Hyperopia - This is similar to presbyopia in that images don't focus correctly on the retina. They focus in an area behind the retina instead. Once again, the brain overworks the eye muscles in an effort to resolve the problem. This, of course, lead to strained muscles and soreness around the eyes.

Tips for Relieving Headache Pain

Many different over-the-counter medications are available that will relieve pain from a mild headache behind the eyes. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist for specific recommendations.

If over-the-counter pain-relievers don't work, and your headache persists for several days, call your doctor. He or she may prescribe something stronger.

If your headaches are happening often, and you haven't had an eye exam for a while, a visit to your optometrist is probably in order. Since headaches behind the eyes are often caused by uncorrected vision, a set of eye glasses or contacts may put an end to your discomfort.

Acupuncture and massage may help to some people.

Short of the possibilities just mentioned, your best bet is rest and relaxation. If eye strain is the cause of your headaches, then giving your eyes a break is probably the best prescription for finding relief.

For more information on topics related to this article, click on Headaches Behind the Eyes [http://www.eye-health-info.info/most-common-eye-problems/headache-behind-eyes.html].

George McKenzie is a retired TV anchor, medical reporter and radio talk show host. He is a frequent contributor to Eye Health Information [http://www.eye-health-info.info/], a resource site about eye health and vision.
 

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Top 3 Causes of Double Vision

By Jim Kirk 

When you see double, it is no joke. You can often lose your balance, and find it hard to walk or drive your car. Do not insist on driving, take a cab instead. The first major cause of double vision could be the improper prescription of eye glasses, or your vision has worsened beyond what your prescribed glasses can repair. You get dizzy, and images get blurry. Go to your optometrist quickly for a consultation and the prescription of a new pair of glasses.

The second major cause is eye strain. With today's fast pace society and working culture, a lot of us have to review documents or stare at the computer for long hours. This causes eye strain, and bad habits for the eyes. Here are some good habits for you to adopt. Take a break from the computer for at least once every hour. Use your ring finger to gently massage the areas around your eye balls. Rub your palms quickly together and place them on your closed eyes for deep relaxation.

The third major cause is due to an illness. A major bout of common flu can cause you to get double vision and dizziness. Always get a check with your doctor on what the possible cause can be, as it can be a symptom of a major illness.

The best advice is still to get rid of your glasses, and seek to regain your natural perfect eye sight. I have thrown away my glasses several years back, and was thankful that I am saved from a lifetime of eye wear inconveniences and costs.

I now have perfect vision in my right eye, and near perfect in my left. I have searched for natural ways to improve my vision, and have found one that actually works for me. Do check out the scientifically proven, natural and easy way to improve your vision, without burning a hole in your pocket.
 

Go to the website [http://health11.info] for more information.

Jim Kirk has always been interested in natural healing, and has researched on multiple topics in this area. He is a much sought after public speaker and a writer. He highly recommends the natural healing methodology at [http://health11.info] to recover your vision naturally and easily with a scientifically proven trademarked method.
 

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Eye Exercises to Help Improve Peripheral Vision

By Eoin McDonnell  |   Submitted On March 13, 2010  

 

There are many eye exercises to help improve peripheral vision. When we are young our eyes unintentionally become trained to look straight ahead as we spend our days looking at books, the blackboard and computers. As a consequence of this the muscles we use for peripheral vision become weak because of lack of use. The way to prevent this is to keep our eyes moving and retrain them not to stare or squint which is the most damaging thing we can do with them.

When we are out and about in nature our eyes are constantly moving around taking in our surroundings and moving smoothly from tree to flower to tree without us even noticing. Our eyes only stop when they see something that our brain doesn't immediately recognise. They stop for a moment until our brain realises what the object is and then return to moving around. This is our eyes in their comfort zone.

When we stare or squint it is not natural for our eyes and so they become strained. Particularly if we are trying to take in lots of information which we find boring our eyes become tired and consequently our eyes become strained.

To combat this there are eye exercises to help improve peripheral vision and all of the other ailments our eyes suffer such as myopia, presbyopia, astigmatism etc. which all mostly stem from eye strain at a young age.

One technique is known as tracing which prompts smooth movement in our eyes, allows them to relax and is very simple to do. Basically, pick an object such as a car, a building, a sofa and trace your eyes slowly around the shape of the object 3 or 4 times. This is just one exercise which enables us to use some of the muscles in our eyes that we may be neglecting in our busy daily lives.
 

This is just one of the eye exercises to help improve peripheral vision. Learning exercises to relax the eyes and promote more movement is a great way to develop lasting habits and ensure great eyesight for years to come. If you would like to learn more techniques then http://www.bettervision.info has many very helpful and worthwhile programs and exercises.
 

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The Progress of Macular Hole

By Bianca Gianni 

 

    

 

When your grandmother or grandfather reads every morning, do you notice them that holding their newspaper in an evident distance from their body? They also squint their eyes as they read the periodical. This condition is normal as certain eye irregularities are rampant especially when a person ages and reaches the age of 50 and above. The macula, which is the portion of our eyes which provides sharpness as we need it for reading, driving and seeing fine details, is affected most of the time as the person ages.

If a person is affected with those said condition, he or she has similar symptoms with macular degeneration which usually occurs before the condition progresses. However macular degeneration and macular hole have two distinct damages in the eye, as hole in the macula affects the retina and if this condition grows severe, retinal detachment can be anticipated. The vitreous gel which comprises 80 percent of the eye is in some form, a contributory factor or a conduit of formation of macular hole because, the proportion of vitreous gel diminishes along with the advancement of age. If this happens, as its fluid grows minimal due to ageing, its fibers that are attached to the retina will be pulled away and it can tear the retina which creates a hole in the macula.

This condition is a sight-threatening condition what should receive immediate medical attention. It has three stages namely Foveal detachment (stage 1), without treatment, 50% is most likely to progress to the second stage; Partial-thickness holes (stage 2), without treatment, 70% will progress and grows severe to the last stage; and Full-thickness holes (stage 3).

To avoid the vitreous gel to eventually pull away the retina and produce macular hole, vitrectomy is done in order to allow further improvement and treatment of the condition. This procedure removes the vitreous gel and a bubble containing mixture of air and gas will be replace to act as an internal and temporary bandage that holds the edge of the macular hole in place as it heals. The surgery is done through local anesthesia and the outcome might be uncertain. Most surgeons consider it as "damage limitation". If complication might take place, a cataract can progress rapidly in most patients and most certain than not, the patient might be able to develop a macular hole in the other eye too.
The probability is one in ten chances in most patients.

Recovery from the surgery varies from patient to patient. Those who had macular hole for less than 6 months may recover much more certainly than those who had longer experience of having macular hole. The important thing to consider post operatively is to let the patient have a head-down position maintained and monitor, so as to keep the posture in the correct place while the retina heals.
 

To know further on the information about Macular Hole Surgery just click the proceeding link which can help you. http://Macular Hole Surgery [http://MacularHoleSurgery.org]

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What Causes Double Vision?

By Rachel Berret

 

    

Have you ever had the experience when you see things in double? It is as if there are two of every single thing that you see. Sometimes, it would happen for only a few hours. But it can also last for entire days and can happen frequently. If this happens often, maybe you should already try to consult an eye doctor because you may already be suffering from a condition called diplopia or commonly called "double vision".

Your eyes do work independently, one eye perceiving an image in a totally different way that the other does. But as the neurons get to your brain, the images are reconciled in that you would be made to interpret and "see" only one object. Diplopia or double vision happens when this particular function of your brain becomes distracted.

Double vision can be caused by a number of eye disorders. One primary cause is cornea problems. When your cornea is infected or is severely scarred, your vision can be unequal. It can also progress to dryness of the cornea, which is a common cause of double vision.

Having cataracts can also cause diplopia. Cataracts usually affect your lens, which perceive the images that your eyes gather. Due to the presence of cataracts, which may either be in one or in both eyes, the images can be quite distorted and you may see two objects instead of one.

Problems with your eye muscles can also be considered as causes of double vision. If the muscles that control your eyes are relatively weak, they tend to distort the images that you see. Sometimes, when the muscles of one eye are weaker than the other, the image you see can be distorted at the surface level. It is likely that the images depicted by that eyes would not reconcile with the clearer depiction of the eye with a stronger set of muscles.

Finally, problems with your nerves and your brain can cause double vision. Tumors, multiple sclerosis, strokes and aneurysms can distort the travel of messages from your eyes to your brain. It would be difficult for your brain to reconcile the images perceived by your eyes and would cause you to see double.

Diplopia can happen to anybody. This is why it is important that you take care of your eyes to ensure that they will not be affected by any condition that would distort the images they perceive.

Hi. I'm Rachel Berret, a big advocate seeing an osteopath for your health complaints. I have a great osteopath Melbourne that helps me overcome my own aches and pains such as back pain, neck pains and headaches.

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Effects of Stress on Peripheral Vision - Exercises to Improve Your Peripheral Vision 

By Joel Travers King  

  
    

Stress presents a challenge when it comes to maximizing our performance in the workplace. Its effects range from an inability to focus on tasks to forgetfulness, irritability and high blood pressure. Additionally, in extreme cases, we may even experience headaches or find ourselves bumping into objects at times. However, Regardless of these stress factors, there are a series of peripheral vision exercises that can reduce the effects of stress on the visual system while increasing our peripheral eyesight.

What is Peripheral vision? Peripheral vision is defined as that area of sight at the edges or the sides of your visual field. A scientific study conducted by 2 researchers Mark B. Anderson, PHD of Beloit College and Jean M. Williams, PHD of the University of Arizona, required a group of participants to do an evaluation about various stressful situations and hassles in their lives. The results of that study concluded that people who were exposed to higher levels of stress reported that there was a reduction in their peripheral vision. This was evident in their inability to perform visually challenging tasks. This study highlights the critical need to reduce stress in our lives through the practice of peripheral vision techniques.

The good news is the fact that a series of peripheral vision exercises can correct these vision problems. These exercises have several benefits: This includes correcting visual imbalances therefore, causing both eyes to work together equally. A simple technique involves blocking off your central vision which is defined as the aspect of sight located in the middle of our visual field. Why is blocking your central vision important? Because both of your eyes have two different peripheries. When you block your central vision, the brain responds automatically by registering both peripheries. This is a means by which you can increase your peripheral vision while equalizing the balance between both eyes.

Here are some additional tips that will help you to better improve your peripheral vision:
Become more aware of things in your surroundings. Be seated in a comfortable chair and take off your glasses or contacts. Make an effort to observe as much of your surroundings to your left and to your right. The biggest challenge involved in performing such a technique is the fact that you may notice that your brain struggles to prevent you from observing both sides simultaneously. This causes you to neglect one side of your periphery. However, this challenge can be overcome by practicing the following technique:

• Sit at your computer and try to maintain your periphery. This technique requires you to wave your hands to the sides of your face. Then, try to increase your visual awareness so that you notice the rest of your environment beyond your computer screen. An additional benefit of this technique is relief from eye strain. (self-healing.org/peripheral-vision-exercises, 2009).

Peripheral vision exercises are an effective way to reduce stress in our eyes. They incorporate a series of vision techniques that increase our awareness of our surroundings which in turn boost our peripheral eyesight. The benefits are quite positive ranging from restoring the ability of both eyes to work together in perfect balance, to preventing visual imbalances and relieving stress and tension in the eyes. Ultimately, Peripheral exercises provide many benefits in terms of promoting and enhancing our precious eyesight.
 

I am Joel King and I am City College Broadcasting graduate who has done extensive research in the field of natural vision improvement.As a success story, I enjoy helping others discover effective vision alternatives to glasses and contacts.Improve the quality of your life with this effective eye program that increases your peripheral vision while reducing stress in your life today!Visit: http://betternaturalvision.com

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Keratitis Types And How To Treat Them

By Caroline Hawthorn 

Keratitis can be caused by a number of things. The three major types of this condition are fungal, bacterial, and viral, depending on the specific cause of the condition. The cornea of your eye becomes irritated or inflamed, and this is normally the result of an injury or corneal penetration that results in an infection. This condition is not difficult to treat once a diagnosis of the cause has been made, but it is important that you receive treatment right away. Waiting too long can cause permanent blindness in some cases. Approximately fifty thousand people will develop this condition each year, and the specific treatment will depend on what the cause is. Good hygiene and hand washing practices could prevent many of these cases.

Fungal keratitis is caused by a fungal infection. The fungi responsible can be one of more than seventy different fungus species that has been known to cause this condition. Fungal infections as the cause are rare, but they are more common in tropical climates. It can be very difficult for an ophthalmologist to isolate the specific fungus responsible so that the right treatment can be given. Once the cause has been identified as a fungus then you may be prescribed or given anti fungal ointment or drops to use in your affected eye as directed. This condition has risen significantly in the last three decades, and many believe it is due to the use of corticosteroids and other immune suppressant drugs given to treat the corneal inflammation.

Bacterial keratitis can be caused by a number of different bacterial infections. One of the most common causes is not cleaning or taking proper care of contact lenses, which allow bacteria into your cornea. Another cause is using daily wear lenses which are soft and then leaving these contacts in overnight. Makeup that has been contaminated by bacteria can also cause this condition. If your condition is caused by bacteria you may wake in the morning and be unable to open your eyes because they are stuck shut. This form of the condition can be very aggressive, and should be treated immediately. Antibacterial ointments or drops will be prescribed for you to place in your eyes. These medications will kill off the bacteria causing the inflammation and infection. This condition can be contagious, so make sure you wash your hands and any objects which touch your affected eye thoroughly.

Viral keratitis is most commonly caused by an infection with the herpes simplex virus, but this is not always the case. While herpes simplex causes many cases of this condition it can also be caused by the varicella zoster virus, as well as adenoviruses. If the herpes simplex virus is the cause of your corneal problems in this case it can recur whenever you have an outbreak. If you do not seek treatment this could result in scarring on your cornea, problems with your vision, or even glaucoma or blindness eventually. Anti viral eye drops or ointments may be prescribed, as well as medications to reduce the inflammation in your cornea. In severe cases surgery may be required to remove any damaged or dead corneal tissue.

Caroline Hawthorn is one of the authors of the health informational web portal HealthArticles101.com.

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Dealing With Dry Eye Irritation 

By Adrian Whittle 

A frequent complaint that eye doctors will come across is dry eye irritation. Many people have this problem to the extent that they will seek help from their doctor or an eye specialist. The problem stems from problems with tears or the tear duct and is known as dry eye syndrome. This article will look at the syndrome and suggest some possible ways to treat it.

Typical Symptoms

Dry eye irritation is normally a burning or stinging sensation. The eyes could be itchy and feel scratchy when moving under the eye lids. Irritation can be started by environmental conditions such as air pollution or exposure to bad weather conditions such as winds and storms. Irritation may also be caused by some obstruction on the surface of the eye like wearing contact lenses.

It may sound like a contradiction, but another sign of dry eyes could be watery eyes. The surface of the eye is kept moist by the tear ducts. If the eyes are dry there is a possibility that the tears ducts compensate for this dryness by producing more tears. This can flood the drainage system of your eyes causing watery eyes and irritation.

Treating Dry Eyes

Using eye drops is the first treatment that a person may try. This is not so much solving the problem but giving relief for dry eyes. Many brands of eye drops can be bought at pharmacies without a prescription. However, if the dry eyes persist then it is probably a good idea to see your doctor.
Being exposed to dry or smoky environments will cause dry eyes. If your eyes are sensitive to this then avoid places where these conditions are prevalent. Many bars may be smoky and windy conditions can dry out the eyes. By putting humidifiers in your home you can relieve dry eyes. Humidifiers put water into the air and clear out smoke.

Further Examination

Dry eyes can be diagnosed by a visual examination from your eye doctor or specialist. However more rigorous tests might be carried out to establish the extent of the condition and how the tear ducts are working. Special drops may be used to confirm dry patches on the eyes surface which could identify the cause and any other eye problems.

Causes of Dry Eye Irritation

As we get older the mechanism of the eyes become more worn and weaker. This is the same for tear production and is the major cause for dry eyes. Decreased tear production could be due to changes in hormonal secretion. Menopause is often a time when women may get dry eyes.

Using artificial tears or eye drops can generally help the condition and is a good interim solution for dry eyes. However, if the problem persists it is worth examining your lifestyle. It could be a poor diet, a lack of exercise, stress at work, insomnia, working too hard or medications that you are taking that may exert influence over tear production. A doctor you may be able to help pinpoint where the problems lies by asking you a few questions about your lifestyle and when the condition most often occurs.

Prevention is always better than needing to cure an eye disorder, visit [http://www.eyecareinsight.com] for tips and advice on how to care for your eyes properly. The site has features on the services offered by Vision World Eye Care [http://www.eyecareinsight.com/eye-care/vision-world-eye-care-%e2%80%93-quality-provider-of-eye-care-services-20/] and laser eye surgery in Oklahoma City [http://www.eyecareinsight.com/laser-eye-surgery/laser-eye-surgery-in-oklahoma-city-19/]. Adrian Whittle writes on eye health and care.

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Eye Care Tips for Contact Lens Wearers

By Emily A Roberts  |  

 

It's safe to say that the popularity of contact lenses will grow - even though a lot of people enjoy wearing glasses and fashion brands create pairs that could easily be considered works of contemporary art, the use of contacts is not going to diminish - they're simply too comfortable to be ditched just like that.

There are several ground rules of eye care that everyone who wears lenses should know - our eyes are precious and the constant use of contacts will at some point put a strain on them.

Hygiene First!
Always wash your hands before inserting or removing your contact lenses - you can only imagine how many germs and other nasty things might be transmitted to your eyes via your fingers. Without proper hygiene, you simply risk cold or nasty eye infections.

Think about Allergy
If you're allergic to things like pollen, watch out - your lenses might contribute to the symptoms you're suffering from. Allergens, such as pollen or dander, can stick to your contact lenses, allowing for a prolonged contact with allergens that might end up badly. If your symptoms are really bad, it's best if you wear your glasses for a while. If you simply hate to part with your contact lenses, make sure that you clean them really well or use the disposable lenses at a regular interval.

Use Eye-Drops
Moisturizing eye drops should be a must, especially if you work long hours in front of the computer screen. Dry lenses are not only unpractical - they're also uncomfortable - but they can become plain dangerous and cause damage to our eyes. Use eye drops whenever you feel like it - if you suffer from watery or itchy eyes caused by allergies, resort to these eye drops that include antihistamines.

Make-up Corner
Applying make-up while wearing contacts is a bit risky - your eye shadow might end up sticking to your lenses. How to avoid it? Put them on before you start your make-up routine, use non-allergenic eye-friendly products, use cream rather than powder eye shadow - if you choose powder, keep your eyes closed during the application. Before removing your make-up, make sure to remove your lenses first.

Mind How Long You Use Your Lenses
Make sure you do not wear your lenses longer than you should - contacts for two weeks should be worn for two weeks not two months. The dirt and protein deposits accumulate and can cause eye infections, irritation or even permanent damage to your eyes.

Give Your Eyes a Rest Once in a While
It is great to break your habit sometimes and opt for glasses instead of your usual contacts. It is important that your eyes breathe - make sure to always use highly breathable lenses and wear your glasses for a few hours a day to let your corneas get some oxygen.

Keep Your Eyes in Check
Keep regular appointments with your ophthalmologist - visit him at least once a year. If your eyes get weaker and you keep on wearing your old contacts, you are in for trouble - just like old glasses, lenses are not safe and can cause headaches.

For more information about contact lenses, visit http://www.webcontacts.com.au.

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