Eyelab Logo

Tag: eye disease

Posted on by Dr. Elisa Xiao

Why Do I Need To Get My Eyes Dilated?

It’s not the most comfortable experience, but…

Photo by Mārtiņš Zemlickis on Unsplash

Dilation is a crucial component of your eye exam. Dilating drops enlarge your pupils to allow more light to enter the eye, giving the doctor a better view of the interior and back of your eye. Think of it as looking through a keyhole – the larger and wider the keyhole, the more you can see into the room behind the door.

Why is dilation important?

  1. It enables your optometrist to more accurately determine your prescription by unmasking the effect of accommodation.
  2. It helps to identify eye conditions in children, such as amblyopia (lazy eye).
  3. It helps detect retinal conditions, glaucoma, and other neurological conditions
Photo by v2osk on Unsplash

If it’s so important, why isn’t it done in every eye exam?

Although it is recommended for everyone, dilation is not absolutely necessary for all patients and situations. Dilation can cause blurry near vision and light sensitivity for several hours after the drops are applied. To determine if dilation is needed and appropriate, your optometrist considers several factors:

  1. Age. The risk of eye diseases increases with age, so dilation is highly recommended for adults/seniors. In children, it helps to determine a more accurate prescription that is not masked by their accommodation system.
  2. Ocular history/ Family history. Having a history of eye diseases can predict your risk for developing certain conditions. Genetics plays a role in many ocular diseases.
  3. Overall health. Diabetes, high blood pressure, and other systemic conditions increase the likelihood of developing eye problems.
  4. Presenting symptoms. Symptoms that draw patients into the exam room may warrant a dilated exam. Flashes, floaters, or curtain veil over vision warrant immediate dilation, as they can be a sign of a serious condition.
Posted on by Dr. Melody Tong

What is Uveitis?

Photo credit: allaboutvision.com

Uveitis is inflammation inside your eye that usually occurs when your immune system fights an infection. It can also happen when your immune system attacks healthy tissue in your eye. Uveitis affects the middle layer of the eye, called the Uvea, resulting in white blood cells and proteins leaking. It can affect one eye or both eyes. Uveitis can affect anyone, but it is most common in people aged 20 to 60.

What are the symptoms of uveitis?

  • Blurry vision
  • Decreased vision
  • Eye pain
  • Red eyes
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Floaters

There are different types of uveitis.

  1. Anterior Uveitis: affects the iris (colored part of the eye) and is the most common type that affects the front of the eye
  2. Intermediate Uveitis: affects the middle of the eye
  3. Posterior Uveitis: affects the back of the eye
  4. Panuveitis: affects all parts of the eye

What causes uveitis?

The cause of uveitis is not always known. Infections, systemic inflammatory diseases, or an eye injury can all cause uveitis. Smoking cigarettes can increase the risk of uveitis.

How is uveitis treated?

Your optometrist will most likely prescribe two eye drops: a steroid to reduce inflammation, and an eye drop to dilate the pupil to help with the pain and swelling. Uveitis can lead to permanent vision loss; therefore, early diagnosis and treatment are essential to prevent complications and preserve vision.

Posted on by Dr. Elisa Xiao

Recognize the Signs of Macular Degeneration

Photo by FORMAT arw on Unsplash

Macular degeneration is a condition that affects our macula – the spot on our retina responsible for crisp central vision and color vision. As we age, debris can build up in the macula and create deposits known as ‘drusen’. The drusen are the first signs that macular degeneration are present and can cause blurry vision and distortion to one’s vision.

Symptoms to look out for:

  • Visual distortion (straight lines seem bent)
  • Trouble adapting to low light (eg. when entering a dark room)
  • Reduced intensity/ brightness of colors
  • Need for brighter light when reading/working
  • Blurriness of printed words
  • Difficulty recognizing faces
Adapted from: Photo by Senjuti Kundu on Unsplash

Who gets macular degeneration?

This condition is most common in patients over 60 years old. Some other risk factors are those with high blood pressure, family history, smokers, Caucasian patients, cardiovascular disease, and obesity.

How can I prevent macular degeneration?

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, including diet and exercise is the best way to ensure your eyes stay healthy for as long as possible. The AREDS 2 study has shown that certain vitamins are beneficial in preventing the progression of macular degeneration, however, these vitamins have the best effect in patients who have already began to show signs of macular degeneration.

It is important for everyone to get their eyes examined yearly in order to be able to see as clearly as possible, as well as check for any signs of eye disease or conditions that can affect one’s overall health in addition to the eyes.

Posted on by Dr. Melody Tong

Cataracts or Cadillac?

Photo by Vlad Sargu on Unsplash

What is a cataract?

If we are lucky to live long enough, we will develop cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the lens in our eye. Think about the process of cooking an egg, instead of being clear, the egg becomes white and cloudy.

Similarly, our lens becomes white and cloudy due to damage from the sun and UV rays. This is why it is important to wear sunglasses, hats, and UV protection when we are outside. These preventative measures can slow or delay the process of developing cataracts.

Photo by Jonathan Cooper on Unsplash

How will I know when it’s time to remove a cataract?

When vision is substantially affected, usually 20/40 or worse, or when it becomes difficult to drive at night due to glare from headlights, along with the appearance of the cataract itself, is when your optometrist will recommend surgical removal of the cataract.

Can cataracts be prevented?

Unfortunately, there is no way to predict who will get cataracts at what age, and how fast they will progress, but the best way to delay the development of cataracts is to wear sunglasses, and use UV protection when outdoors. Fortunately, cataract surgery is an elective surgery that is not urgent. Overall, cataracts are very common diagnoses and are not a big cause for concern.

Posted on by Dr. Melody Tong

The Silent Thief of Vision – Glaucoma

Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

Glaucoma is sometimes referred to as the “Silent Thief of Vision”, and if left untreated, is one of the leading causes of blindness in Canada. Glaucoma is associated with elevated intraocular pressure, which consequently puts strain and pressure on the optic nerve. This excessive pressure will lead to optic nerve tissue damage, which could cause gradual vision loss. The peripheral vision is typically affected first, however could eventually lead to central vision loss if no treatment is initiated.

The increase in intraocular pressure could be the result of two main problems:

  1. There is too much intraocular fluid being produced within the eye, called the aqueous humor
  2. The fluid being produced is not being effectively drained from the eye through the trabecular meshwork

Therefore, initial treatment of glaucoma involves topical medications which work on these two anatomical structures. Surgical intervention could also be warranted to control high pressure within the eye.

The best way to detect and diagnose glaucoma is through annual eye exams with your optometrist. This will allow them to monitor optic nerve health, as well as measure intraocular pressure to ensure stability. It is especially important to be screened for glaucoma if there is a family history of the disease.