Maintain your tear quality by making lifestyle and nutritional adjustments, such as avoiding excessive exposure to cigarette smoke and consuming large quantities of caffeine or alcohol. Avoiding triggers will ease your Dry Eye discomfort while improving your productivity.

According to Robert Latkany, M.D., "There is a direct link between increased Omega-3 Fatty Acid consumption and a lower incidence of Dry Eye—the latest research is hard to ignore."

Omega-3s are essential Fatty Acids. "Essential" means that, because the body cannot produce them, their inclusion in the diet is vital for good health. The two best sources of Omega-3 Fatty Acids are dark, oily, cold-water fish, and Flaxseed. They deliver a multitude of health benefits, yet, as a population, Americans are Omega-3 deficient. An estimated 83% of Americans do not receive enough Omega-3s in their diet. North Americans have among the lowest dietary intake of Omega-3s in the world.

Benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids include management of the following Diseases:

• Dry Eye
• Allergies and Asthma
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Cancer (Breast Cancer, Colon Cancer and Prostate Cancer)
• Tumor Growth Inhibition
• Crohn’s and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
• Diet, Weight Control, and Obesity
• Adult and Child Attention Deficit Disorder
• Cholesterol Reduction
• Bipolar Disorder
• Arteriosclerotic Diseases

Dry-Vites contain Salmon Oil and Flaxseed Oil; these oils decrease inflammation, stimulate tear production and provide a higher quality tear film by improving the oil layer of the tear film. Dry-Vites provide the Dry Eye Relief you have been searching for. After taking Dry-Vites for 4 – 8 weeks, you will notice less morning eye discomfort and relief that lasts all day long.

A study by the Women’s Health Study at Harvard, which included over 30,000 women showed a high intake of Omega-3 Fatty Acids, decreased their risk of developing Dry Eye.

Learn about Dry Eye and the benefits of Omega-3 Fatty Acids.

Amy Grech is a Copywriter/SEO Specialist based in New York City.

Red Eyes is the most common symptom of the eye which attracts attention of everybody. Usually the redness of eyes is most often mistaken for conjunctivitis. Infact conjunctivitis is one of the many causes for red eyes, the others being glaucoma, iridocyclitis, corneal ulcer, scleritis, episcleritis etc. to name a few.

Most of the time conjunctivitis being viral in origin, there will be recovery even without treatment, whereas diseases like glaucoma, corneal ulcer etc., need urgent treatment. Otherwise they will cause permanent irreversible damage to the structure as well as the functions of the eye.

Some people use eye drops indiscriminately. First of all self medication is dangerous. That too to use the medication prescribed for some other disease is still dangerous.For example to treat an acute glaucoma, one has to use a drug called pilocarpine. If it is given in a case of iridocyclitis it will be disastrous. Similarly, atropine which should be given in a case of iridocyclitis and corneal ulcer, if given in a case of glaucoma, it could cause permanent damage. So cross medication and self medication has got a deleterious effect especially in the treatment of the red eyes.

The common bacterial conjunctivitis is treated with suitable antibiotics and frequent washing of eyes whereas corneal ulcer is treated with antibiotics, atropine and a pad to patch the eye (to give rest to the eye ). The acute glaucoma in which there is sudden loss of vision with pain, redness, headache and vomiting is treated is treated with pilocarpine drops, systemic acetazolamide or injection mannitol. The iridocyclitis in which there is gradual loss of vision with pain and redness is treated with atropine, antibiotics with local steroids as well as systemic steroids.

Most of the time the duration between the onset of the disease and initiation of the correct treatment has got an important role on the final result after the treatment in case of red eyes. So if this time is delayed, whatever be the reason, one is bound to lose some amount of vision which he would have saved had he gone to the doctor at the earliest.

–Dr.H.S.Mohan

Tobacco Amblyopia results from the excessive use of tobacco, either by smoking or chewing. And also occasionally from the absorption of dust in tobacco factories. Smokers of shag and strong tobacco mixtures or cigars suffer most. Cigarette and beedi smokers are affected often. In many cases there is also over- indulgence in alcohol. The patients are usually 35 to 50 years of age, may have smoked excessively for years with impunity, the attack coinciding with some intercurrent cause -debility or digestive disturbance.

Various substances have been regarded as the toxic agent, but a potent factor may be poisoning with the cyanide in tobacco smoke associated with a deficiency of vitamin B12.

The patient complains of increased fogginess of vision, usually least marked in the evening and in a dull light. Central vision is greatly diminished, so that reading and near work become difficult; although the condition is bilateral, one eye is usually more affected. Patient finds very difficult in bright sunlight.

On examination, one can find the peculiar bad smell of tobacco, trembling of hands. Except for the diminution ofvision, in all other respects eye would be almost normal. After dilating pupil and examining the retina in detail also, one cannot find any significant changes. The only test which helps to diagnose the disease correctly is the visual fieldexamination. The purpose of doing this examination is to know whether all the parts of the retina are equally sensitive to light, and also to find out the non - seeing areas.

Pathologically the condition is due to degeneration of the ganglion cells of the retina, particularly of the central areas where the cells show vacuolation and Nissl degeneration. Since the central area is affected, patient feels the fogginess of vision. Initially it may not pose much problem for the patient,but if it persists, the patient may become almost blind, because he would not be able to see the central objects because of the central blindness.Therefore the disease has to be diagnosed in the earlier stages, so that the proper treatment can be instituted and the blindness can be halted.

Treatment consists of abstention from or severely curtailing the use of tobacco and alcohol. If this is done the prognosisis eventually good although the visual improvement may not be evident for a period of some months. Improvements may be hastened by large doses of vitamin B preparations (B1 and particularly B12 ).It is unfortunate that most of the time our patients fail to follow this strict regimen and slowly start smoking as well as drinking, with the result that they would land up in their old misery.

Smokers should note that not only they are more prone for the respiratory diseases and heart problems but also they may lose their precious eyesight partially or fully and should make serious efforts to give up smoking.

—— Dr.Mohan H.S.

Squint eyes over the years have been looked upon as a black spot on the human beauty. Nevertheless, it has been posing the prospective brides with innumerable problems in matters of matrimony. However of a beauty she might be, one look at her eyes the boy turns her down. Such boys do not care to probe whether squint eyes can be set right.

Sometimes, on the other hand, people with squint are considered lucky in the society. But the Ophthalmologists who know the consequences of squint, do not think so. On the contrary, they stress the disadvantages and negative aspects of squints- as outlined below.

The two eyes normally should be in a definite visual axis. A manifest deviation of the visual axis of either eye is known as squint or strabismus. So one eye is deviating or squinting, the other eye takes up the visual function mainly. So it becomes a dominate eye. Most of the time, the deviating eye slowly becomes impaired functionally. Later it almost becomes blind. This hard fact will not be known to the squinting person unless he closes the good eye and tests for the other eye vision.

When the degree of squint is gross, it is very easy to recognise that. But when there is a small amount of squint, various tests have to be done to diagnose correctly the type and amount and presence of squint.

Mainly there are two types of squint -paralytic and non-paralytic. There are seven small muscles around each eye-ball, which are responsible for the various movements of the eye. These muscles are supplied by 3rd,4th, and 6th cranial nerves- which are derived from the brain.

Whenever these nerves become weak or lose their conducting capacity, the respective eye muscles become immobile. So when the other normal eye moves in a particular direction, if the affected eye cannot move in the same direction, squint becomes evident which is a paralytic squint.

Non- paralytic or concomitant deviations are for the most part, produced by anomalies of the power of convergence and divergence and the co-ordinated use of the two eyes to obtain binocular single vision. In these cases the amount and character of the deviation does not vary when the eyes are turned to the right or left.

Before going to the causes of squint, it is necessary to know the necessity of two eyes. It is the fact that when we observe a single object with both the eyes we see it as a single object instead of two. Obviously one may ask -what is the necessity of having two eyes? Even if one becomes blind, the other one can function normally - one may think.

One eye is always complement to the other eye. When we see with both eyes, the extent or field of vision is definitely wider than with one eye. Moreover, two eyes are necessary to have what we call as “ BINOCULAR SINGLE VISION” the important aspect of this being depth perception. There are 3 stages in this binocular single vision. 1. Simultaneous perception. 2. Fusion. 3. Steriopsis ( the one which gives the sense of depth )

The development of reflexes concerning the binocular single vision and the movements of eye muscles - are not complete until the child is 5 years. Usually this will be established when the child becomes 8 years old. So any disturbances during this period ( below 5years ) may hamper the relation between the movement of the two eyes and may cause a squint.

Causes of Squint : 1. Accommodation and convergence anomalies. 2. Refractive errors. 3. Weakness in the nerves supplying the eye muscles. 4. The gross difference in the vision between 2 eyes due to any reason. 5. Patching or closing of one eye for a prolonged period. 6. Defect in the development of the nerves between retina and the brain. 7. Hereditary and genetic or familial causes.

Clinically, there are two types of squints - Convergent Squint- when one or both eyes are turned in, and Divergent Squint - when one eye is turned outside the normal visual axis.

Treatment :

No case of squint can be said to be ‘cured’ unless, in addition to normality of appearance, there is restoration of binocular single vision in all circumstances. Although the latter cannot be achieved in every case, a satisfactory cosmetic result can invariably be obtained by means of operation or surgery.

In a case of squint there may be three possible defects of function which have to be remedied:

1. The loss of normal function of the squinting eye. This may not only concerns visual acuity but also visual localisation.

2. The loss of normal binocular function.

3. The physical deformity caused by the deviation of the visual axis. This is the defect which attracts the attention of parents but is the least important from the point of view of visual function.

To give complete treatment, child should be between 6 and 8 years. So the parents and school teachers have a very important role to play. They should subject these squinting children for treatment at the earliest. Because any treatment or surgical correction done after the age of 8 years is not complete or perfect because then we can only correct the physical deformity but we cannot get the very important functional part of it i.e. binocular single vision. So most of the time in persons who are treated for squint after the age of 8 years, one eye would be stronger, other eye would be weaker. They will not have binocular single vision - which can give them the exact form and depth perception.

The methods of treatment:

1. Correcting the refractive errors - by glasses whenever refractive error is found to be the cause of squint.

2. Deliberate occlusion or patching of the fixing eye so as to improve the vision of the squinting eye.

3. By special type of (orthoptic ) exercises in order to improve the binocular faculties.

4. By operation or surgery - to restore parallelism of the visual axis.

One or more of these methods or all four may be needed in any individual case.

Finally it is the dire responsibility of the parents and the teachers to detect this malady, which renders their children look ugly in the eyes, during the tender age of 6 to 8 years lest it is practically impossible to develop a squintless society.

– Dr.H.S.Mohan

The origin of contact lens could be traced back to sixteenth century. A good number of inventors or scientists have contributed to the evolution and modification of the concept behind contact lenses. So no single person could be adjudged as the sole inventor of contact lenses.

However credit for the modern form of contact lens is usually attributed to F.E.Muller. F.E.Muller’s version came up in 1887. The other one who is also considered as one of pivotal contributor to the evolution of contact lenses is Rene Descrates. Descrates invented corneal contact lens. Another British scientist John Herschel’s contribution is widely acknowledged.

Second half of nineteenth century witnessed a new herald in the history of contact lenses with lots of inventions and innovations. That was the period in which mainstream of society got aware of the lenses that could be directly placed on cornea or sclera. However this awareness was limited to only niche.

Eugen Fick’s Scleral contact shells in late nineteenth century became an instant hit among niche. This lens was later on modified by August Miller.

With the advent of plastic scleral lenses contact lens history took a new turn and researches were diverted towards lot of sophisticated substitutes of glass contacts. William Feinbloom is considered as pioneer of plastic contact lenses. One more scientist of that period Joseph Dallos earned accolade for his contribution.

George Butterfield earned recognition for improved corneal lens. This is the way contact lenses underwent the modifications.

More sophisticated and comfy lenses came on the block once Silicone hydrogel was introduced. These are common historical facts available on contact lenses.

This ever growing contact lens history suggests that people were actually in need of a better contact lens. Some historians of contact lenses suggest that it was Leonardo Da Vinci who first toyed with the idea of contact lenses.

Even now innovations haven’t stopped and new models of contact lenses keep coming up. Colored contact lenses have given a different turn to the history of contact lens. With advent of colored contacts, contact lens usage is not confined to only vision correction instead it could be used for fashion and fun purposes as well.

Disposable contact lenses have resulted in a great surge in popularity of contact lenses. Also the falling prices have made it possible for average users to use contact lenses.

History doesn’t end here. Many more innovations are impending, that are likely to come soon on the block.

To get more information on best contact lenses, types of contact lens and contact lens reviews visit www.contactlenseclub.com/contacts

Laser eye surgery has been such an enormous boon for the "seeing-eye" world that thousands of people with defective sight problems can thank this relatively simple and quick procedure for restoring their sight to acceptable and satisfying levels. But are you aware that their are risks associated with laser eye surgery?

It’s foolhardy to think that any type of surgery is risk free and laser eye surgery is no different. The question you have to ask yourself is whether the benefits of having this type of procedure outweigh the risks and in most cases patients will choose the former.

The good news is that the chances of suffering serious vision-threatening side effects from laser eye surgery are extremely low. But there are risks nevertheless and you should be aware of them.

What Are The Side Effects?

Corneal infection is always a possibility following procedures such as Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK) and Lasik. However, the risk is so low that when it’s presented as a possible worst case scenario to patients, they generally dismiss it as non-threatening. The percentage factor is something like 0.1 per cent which is extremely low. Those who experience it will suffer no long term effects and it usually means a slower healing process and some extra discomfort. It’s hardly reason for concern considering the benefits from receiving the surgery.

Corneal infection aside, one of the more common side effects of laser eye surgery is what is termed as under or over correction. What does this mean? Simply put, it’s difficult to predict exactly how a patients eyes will respond to treatment so in some cases, corrective lenses may be needed in the short term or further surgical treatment is scheduled.

Dry Eyes

Dry eyes are another side effect of laser eye surgery but again, it’s not sight threatening and can be treated easily with lubricating drops. Patients are generally more worried about the inconvenience of the extra healing time which can amount to several weeks.

PRK patients in some instances will report a condition known as corneal haze. Corneal haze occurs during the recovery process and while it is not threatening in the majority of procedures, there is always the possibility that vision could be impaired somewhat if the haze becomes excessive. As a prospective patient, you should be made aware of this but again, it shouldn’t affect any decision you may make in going ahead with surgery.

Lasik Risks

Flap damage is a risk for lasik patients. The worst case scenario is that the flap could be irrepairably damaged or even lost however, once again the chances of this occurring are extremely low. Another risk for lasik patients involves the possibility of suffering a distorted corneal shape which may occur during healing. If this occurs, it will have some impact on the overall quality of vision.

If you are concerned about the side effects of laser eye surgery then you need to discuss them with your surgeon. We’ve covered a few but there are others, including a condition known as regression. It simply means that the eye may retreat to it’s former state following surgery. This could occur several months following the procedure and further surgery may need to be scheduled. The bottomline… yes, there are risks associated with surgery but in the world of "laser eye" they are extremely low.

Dean Caporella is a professional broadcaster. Are you aware of laser eye risk? What are the advantages? Get the latest eye surgery news and reviews at:http://www.eyesurgeryplace.com

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of blindness. It is just one form of macular disease, which affects the eye’s retina. An estimated 500,000 people in the UK suffer from AMD, 40% of these are over the age of 75. Also it is the leading cause of blindness in developed countries like USA, Canada and Australia. It was thought that the incidence of this disease is very low in a developing country like India, a decade earlier. But this scenario is no more true now, as we are seeing more and more cases of AMD.

What is AMD?

AMD is the most common form of macular disease, which affects the central part of the retina. It is an age-related process and usually develops after a person reaches 50 years. It generally involves both eyes, although they may not be affected at the same time or to the same degree. Some 90% of these cases are dry AMD which cannot be treated but 10% are wet ADM. Dry AMD means visual cells simply stop to function. Wet AMD is by far the most aggressive form of the disease. The condition is caused by the growth of new blood vessels under the centre of the retina. These can leak fluid, causing scar tissue to form and destroying central vision in a period of between two months and three years. Peripheral vision is retained. The condition causes problems reading, seeing small objects and distorted vision.

What are the symptoms?

In the early stages of AMD, central vision may be blurred or distorted. Objects may take an unusual size or shape. This process can happen quickly or develop over several months. People with the condition may become very sensitive to light or actually see lights that are not there. There may be some discomfort, although overall the condition is not painful.

How is AMD treated?

Variety of medical treatment is tried over several years, like prescribing high doses of B-complex tablets, Anti-oxidants etc. But the results are not good. But in recent years, PDT is tried in developed countries and has given fairly good results.

Photo dynamic therapy (PDT) is the first effective treatment for correcting wet AMD. It is a relatively new treatment and was first used in the UK in 1999 by doctors at the Royal Liverpool University hospital. PDT is thought to be suitable for around a third of patients with wet AMD since it is effective only if the condition is caught early. It involves injecting a light sensitive dye called Visudyne into the body, which sticks to the lining of abnormal blood vessels within the retina. The process takes half an hour. A light is then shone into the area through a contact lens, activating the dye and causing it to damage the abnormal blood vessels.

The treatment may need to be repeated every three months and it is fairly costly.

Side effects include lower back pain, a reaction to light and a temporary loss of vision in around 3% of cases.

– Dr.H.S.Mohan

There are so many myths and misconceptions about eye. Some of the common myths are listed below with scientific explanations.

Myth -1 – By wearing glasses constantly, the number of the glasses becomes less.

Fact – It is not possible to lessen the number of the glasses by wearing it constantly, but the person gets constantly good quality of vision, which lessens the strain to the eyes.

Myth -2 – Spectacles are used only for presbyopia (after 40 years ) for near vision problem or for the high refractive errors like myopia.

Fact – Spectacles are necessary in other refractive errors like astigmatism and high hypermetropia, both of which cause headache, if the glasses are not worn in these conditions.

Myth -3 – By doing some eye exercises and putting some herbal medicines to the eye, one can reduce the number of glasses and also in the course of time one can get rid of glasses.

Fact – There are no scientific studies to prove these hypothetical facts and it is proved beyond doubt that there are no remedies as such to lessen the number of the glasses.

Myth -4 – By consuming vitamin A and vegetables like carrot (which contains rich amount of vitamin A ), one can get rid off any problems of the eye.

Fact – Vitamin A is useful for those, who have got deficiency of vitamin A only. But recently, the incidences of deficiency of vitamin A are very very less. If one consumes vitamin A unnecessarily, he would land up with hypervitaminosis A, with the result that the excess of vitamin A consumed accumulates in the liver, resulting in several physical problems. Therefore vitamin A should not be consumed without the proper advise of competent eye specialist. (Quacks are known to prescribe vitamin A excessively when they do not understand the eye disease).

Myth 5 – Squint eyes are signs of some good luck. So they should never be treated.

Fact – This view is completely wrong. Nearly 50% of the squint eyes can be treated by just wearing proper glasses. It is advisable to treat the squinting eyes in the early ages of 6-8 years, because then the treatment would be complete and effective. Otherwise the more squinting eye would become amblyopic, that means almost blind. So early detection and proper management is a must in a case of squint.

Myth 6 – Eye would be very clean, if you clean the eye with the cold water by sprinkling the water inside the eye.

Fact – It is not necessary to do so. Sometimes it is dangerous also. Eye has gets natural lubrication by the secretion of tears,which is non-stop all the 24 hours. Sometimes the traces of the bleaching powder, which may be present in the water may irritate the eye and in some rare occasions may cause some mild chemical reactions.

Myth 7 – Lemon, honey and some vegetable oils can cure the red eyes completely.

Fact – It is not true. Each case of red eye has to be properly examined before coming to a proper diagnosis and according to that disease, the treatment has to instituted.

Myth 8 – Eye may get infected or the vision may become less, if the tooth or teeth are extracted.

Fact – Not true. Eye would neither get infected nor the vision deteriorates if there are extractions of the teeth.

Myth 9 – It is possible to cure the cataract by instilling various that too non-allopathic drops.

Fact – So far, there are no non-surgical cure for cataract.

Myth 10 – Cataract has to be operated only when it becomes mature.

Fact – This was the case until some years before.Now in the modern cataract surgery, it is not necessary that one waits till the cataract becomes mature. As soon as the vision deteriorates in that eye, it is advisable to undergo for the surgery.

Myth 11 – It is very healthy practice to see the sun directly and gaze the sun rays. Some people even advocate this to lessen the number of glasses.

Fact – Most unscientific and uncalled for. The ultra-violet and infra-red rays present in the sunlight are harmful both to the cornea and retina. In fact the powerful sun rays (like the one of solar eclipse) directly burn the central part of the retina, the macula – causing a significant blindness.

Myth12 – Any blindness can be cured by eye transplantation and the whole eye ball is transplanted.

Fact—Only corneal blindness can be treated by eye transplantation. The whole eye ball can never be transplanted as the nerve of vision optic nerve is cut while removing the eye ball from the cadaver.

—- Dr. H.S.Mohan,

We have all heard about someone that has had a "laser eye surgery" performed with success and sometimes we think if we should have one too as an alternative to wearing glasses or contact lenses. But, what is a "laser eye surgery"?

When we talk about it we are referring to the name the ophthalmologists use: Lasik eye surgery, which is actually a procedure that merges two previous eye surgery techniques, with better results in terms of vision improvement as well as minor incidents of infection and reduced recovery time.

The term Lasik is an acronym for Laser Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis. Succesfull refractive eye surgery can help to reduce common vision disorders like miopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. In most cases you will not need to use glasses or contact lenses anymore.

Lasik eye surgery was developed as a synthesis of keratomileusis (improving the refractive state of the cornea) and photorefractive keratectomy (changing the shape of the cornea). Lasik quickly became accepted for its greater accuracy, with very few complications when compared to either of the prior procedure types and shortened recovery time for patients.

Laser eye surgery is performed with a mild sedative and patients remain awake and aware, though relaxed from the sedative. Additionally, the use of anesthetic eye drops help to decrease movement and responsiveness of eye muscles so that the procedure can be more safely carried out.

The surgery procedure is as follows, a very fine blade is used to make a series of tiny flaps in the surface of the cornea. These flaps are then folded back to reveal the stroma, which is the middle section of the cornea. The lifting and folding back of these flaps is the part of this procedure that tends to be somewhat uncomfortable for the patient.

After that, an excimer laser is used to reshape the corneal stroma. What happens is that, the extra ‘bumps’ of the cornea are vaporized. The process is very gentle because the laser is able to release the molecular bonds that hold the cells of the corneal surface together, thus leaving the adjacent stroma undamaged.

In this second step, when the flap is lifted, the patient’s vision will become blurry and filled with white light that surrounds the orange laser light. This can be somewhat disorienting to the patient, but knowledge of the procedure alleviates much of the “feeling of encountering the unknown”. Since the procedure is very short in duration, this period passes relatively quickly.

Once the procedure is complete, the flaps are held in place with a natural adhesive until healing takes place. Patients should use a darkened pair of goggles to protect their eyes from bright lights and protective shields to prevent rubbing of the eyes when asleep, they are advised to avoid sunlight and other known irritants over the few days following the procedure. Recovery is very rapid and most patients feel great after only a day or two.

Jorge Sanchez is an accomplished Webmaster and publisher of http://www.Laser-Eye-Surgery-Advise.com where he provides more advise on eye surgery solutions, corrective eye laser surgery and details on how does laser eye surgery works.

Glaucoma - The Silent Scourge

Glaucoma is a serious disease of the eye, which is bound to cause serious damage if it is not diagnosed early. It is a condition in which normal intra-ocular pressure or the eye pressure is raised. Normally the eye pressure or the intra-ocular pressure is 16 to 20 mm of Hg. One has to suspect the Glaucoma, if the eye pressure is more than 20. It is measured by an instrument called tonometer.

Glaucoma is considered serious because it is usually detected very late. By the time it is diagnosed it would have done enough damage to the eye. The reason for the late detection of the disease is – it has very few symptoms.

The affected person does not experience many problems in his eyes except the deterioration of vision. This dimness of vision is related to the age or the common eye disease - cataract, which also occurs in the same age group between 60-70 years. The another point to note here is- the damage it causes is most of the time irreversible. The correct treatment only ensures the arrest of the further damage. It cannot restore the lost vision. Therefore it has to be diagnosed as early as possible.

MAGNITUDE OF THE PROBLEM :

The problem of the Glaucoma is more in developing countries because of the poverty, ignorance and non-systematic health system. It is estimated that one in every ten patients who visits eye hospital has glaucoma and one in every 100 becomes blind because of glaucoma in these countries. The survey conducted in various part of India indicates the prevalence of glaucoma as 14-25%, whereas the same figure in the developed countries like U.S.A. and U.K. is 12-13%.

Eye has also a definite pressure just like the blood pressure of the body. Normally this pressure is about 10-20 m.m. of Hg. Eye surgeon suspects the possibility of glaucoma if there is any increase in this figure. Eye pressure is measured by an instrument called - Tonometer.

TYPES OF GLAUCOMA :

Mainly there are three types of glaucoma.1.Open angle glaucoma 2.Closed angle glaucoma 3. Congenital glaucoma

OPEN ANGLE GLAUCOMA :

This is the most common variety of glaucoma and has got least symptoms. This is seen both in women and men in almost equal proportions. Usually seen in the age group of 60-70 years.. The importance of this disease lies in the fact it is detected very late because it causes very few symptoms.

The main symptoms experienced by the patient are- blurring of vision, difficulty in doing the near work like reading, writing etc, the need to change the glasses frequently, the changes in the field of vision. This type of glaucoma would have usually damaged one eye and the process of damage would have started in the other eye also. The delay is also partially due to the fact that the central area of vision is preserved until the end stage of the disease. Because of all these reasons this type of glaucoma has to be diagnosed as early as possible. The following are the criterias which would help in the early diagnosis - 1. The pressure of the eyeball ( the intra-ocular pressure ) 2. The changes in the optic disc. 3. The changes in the visual field.

The changes in the visual field mainly are - the appearance of so many non-seeing areas, which means that the specific area of the optic nerve is destroyed. The other change is - the enlargement of the normally existing blind spot and the contraction of the peripheral visual field, which means that more and more optic nerve fibres are destroyed.

The exact reasons for the increase of the eye pressure are not known. But it is thought that there is some sort of blockage at the site where the aqueous liquid is absorbed to the blood.

TREATMENT:

There are many drugs which are used in the medical line of management but mainly Timolol, pilocarpine, epirine are used. But the dis-advantage of using these drugs are that they have to be used life long. So most of the time it is advised to get the surgery done, which ensures the steady maintenance of the eye pressure. Recently laser-(Non Surgical treatment)-Selective Laser Trabeculoplasty has given good results in many patients.

NARROW ANGLE GLAUCOMA :

Opposed to the previous type of glaucoma, in this type, there are many symptoms which prompt or which bring the patients to the eye surgeon. It is seen more in women, in 50-60 years, particularly in those who are highly strung and anxious in disposition and usually show an instability in their vasomotor reactions.

The patient feels blurring of vision to start with, then sometimes he or she experience coloured haloes around light, mild headache may be seen occasionally. Then suddenly he or she feels severe headache, severe pain only in one eye, profuse watering, sudden acute redness of the eyes and above all patient feels sudden loss of vision in that eye. At this stage when the patient presents to the eye surgeon, the detailed examination reveals- particular eye has become red, the vision remarkably is reduced (almost

blind) and the eye pressure (intra-ocular pressure) shoots up to the range of 80-85 mm of Hg ( very hard eyeball ).Any eye surgeon recognises this stage as emergency and takes immediate measures to reduce the eye pressure.

There is a blockage for the passage of aqueous fluid from posterior chamber to anterior chamber at the angle of the anterior chamber which is responsible for the high pressure of the eyeball. Because of this nature this type of glaucoma gets the name- narrow angle glaucoma

TREATMENT:

The initial treatment is to reduce the eye pressure by using eye drops like pilocarpine, timolol and tablets acetazolamide but if the pressure is in the range of 80, it may be necessary to use mannitol by intravenous drip for the immediate lowering of eye pressure. But whatever may be initial treatment, the final treatment is surgery or operation. To create a passage between anterior and posterior chamber for the aqueous fluid- is the aim of the surgery. Sometimes argon laser is used to create this passage instead of surgery. Another important issue in this type of glaucoma is doing a prophylactic surgery or laser to the other normal eye even though it never showed any signs or symptoms of the disease. It is advisable to prevent the possible acute attack in the other eye, because narrow angle glaucoma is usually bilateral.

It is always advisable to lower the eye pressure to reasonably acceptable levels. If properly managed the almost blind eye regains vision appreciably. If the long term treatment is not instituted at this stage, the patient may go into this type of acute attacks twice or thrice at the interval of 2-3 months.

CONGENITAL GLAUCOMA OR BUPHTHALMOS :

Both eyes are generally affected, seen more in boys than girls. It may be detected soon after birth or later in the childhood by 3-4 years. It is due in most cases to a failure in the development of the tissues in the region of the angle of the anterior chamber. This results in the overall increase of pressure throughout the globe, with the result that the whole eyeball looks like the big eyeball of buffalo, hence the name- Buphthalmos.

The treatment of the Buphthalmos is purely surgical but most of the time it is unsatisfactory.

Glaucoma is seen sometimes as a secondary condition primary being some other disease of the eye itself.

Because of the extensive damage this disease causes to the eye as already pointed out, it is always advisable to diagnose glaucoma at the earliest. Since the most common variety- Open angle glaucoma does not have many symptoms, it is advisable to have a regular eye check-up once in a year or two after 50 years of age by a competent eye specialist. It is always advisable to have the refraction test or the test for glasses after 40 with the competent eye surgeon rather than with the optometrist or the technician in the spectacle shop.

Dr.H.S.Mohan