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Watering
Eye: Watering eye is when tears are produced without any obvious reason.
How does it happen?
It is caused when tears are unable to drain away properly (epiphora) or
too many tears are produced (hypersecretion). Epiphora and hypersecretion can occur as a result of conditions such as conjunctivitis (eye
inflammation), an eye injury, or something irritating the eye, such as car
fumes
How
tears work: Tears
are constantly produced to keep the eyes moist. They are produced in the
small gland located above and outside each eye, called the lacrymal gland,
and in the small cells found in the membrane that covers the eyeball
(conjunctiva). When you blink, tears are spread over the front of
your eyes. The tears drain away through tiny channels know
n as canaliculi, which are found on the inside of your eyes. The tears drain into a tear "sac" before flowing down a tube and
into your nose.
Blocked
tear duct:
If your tear ducts become blocked or narrowed, or if you have an eye
infection, excess tears can build up. This causes the tear ducts to
overflow, leading to a watering eye. If you have a blocked tear d
uct, your eye may water at least 10 times a day.
Who
is affected by watering eyes?
You can develop watering eyes at any age but it is most common in young
babies (0-12 months) and people over the age of 60. It can affect one or
both eyes and can cause blurred vision, sore eyelid skin and sticky eyes.
Treatment
isn't
always necessary for watering eyes and mild cases may not need treatment
at all. It depends on how severe your watering eyes are and wha
t is causing it. For example, if you have a blocked tear duct, sur
gery may be required to unblock it. Having treatment for watering
eyes will depend on how severe the problem is and what is causing it.
Treatment is not always necessary.
Treatments:
-
If
infective conjunctivitis is causing watering eyes, your doctor may ad
vise you to wait for a week or so to see if the condition resolves itself
before prescribing a course of antibiotics.
-
If
allergic conjunctivitis is causing watering eyes, antihistamines
(medication to treat allergic conditions) may be prescribed to help reduce
the inflammation (swelling).
-
If
your watering eyes are being caused by an inward-growing eyelash
(entropion), or a foreign object, such as a piece of grit in your eye, the
eyelash or object can be removed.
-
If
your lower eyelid turns inwards (entropion) or outwards (ectropion), a
minor operation carried out under local anaesthetic may be recommended.
The most common procedure involves tightening the tendon that holds the
outer eyelid in place to give it extra support.
Surgery
for blocked tear ducts:
Tear ducts are the tubes that excess tears drain away through.
If a blocked tear duct is causing watering eyes, it can be treated with
surgery. However, it is up to you whether or not you want treatment.
If your watering eye is not bothering you, surgery may not be necessary.
If
your eye is sticky or if there is a lump below your eye, treatment
is usually recommended to avoid your eye from becoming infected. If
your symptoms are particularly severe and your watering eyes are
interfering with your vision for driving, reading and sports, treatment
will be required. If you have an infection in your tear sac (where excess
tears from your eyes drain into), it will need to be treated with surgery.
Left untreated, the infection could spread to your eye socket.
Post
Treatment Care: Always
follow the doctor’s instructions. You
might be prescribed some ointment or drops for a period of 7 days if you
resort to surgery.
Dry
Eye Syndrome
Dry eye syndrome, or dry eye disease, occurs when the eyes do not make
enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly as the oil glands are
blocked or abnormal. This leads to the eyes drying out and beco
ming inflamed (red and swollen) and irritated. The condition is
also known as dry eyes or keratoconjunctivitis sicca. If the main problem
is a blockage of the oil secreting glands, then the condition is called
blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction or lid margin disease.
How
does it occur?
Dry eye syndrome, or dry eye disease, occurs when the eyes do not make
enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly as the oil glands are
blocked or abnormal. This leads to the eyes drying out and beco
ming inflamed (red and swollen) and irritated. The condition is
also known as dry eyes or keratoconjunctivitis sicca. If the main problem
is a blockage of the oil secreting glands, then the condition is called
blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction or lid margin disease. The
symptoms of dry eye syndrome can be mild or severe. They include:
-
-
-
A
feeling of something in your eye
-
-
Dry
Eye syndrome can have a number of causes including:
-
Being
in a hot or windy climate
-
-
Side
effects of medicines
-
-
Age
(up to a third of people aged 65 or older may have dry eye syndrome
Treating
dry eye syndrome: Dry
eye syndrome is not usually a serious condition unless it is due to
inflammation or certain diseases where there is an overactive immune
system. Steps can be taken to relieve the symptoms including:
-
Treating
the underlying cause
-
Using
ocular lubricant eye drops
-
Wearing
specialised eyewear
In
severe cases, dry eye syndrome may be treated with surgery to block
the drainage tear ducts. This is either with temporary plugs or by
permanently sealing the drainage hole.
You
can help ease or prevent dry eyes by:
-
Keeping
your eyes and eyelids clean and protecting them from the environment.
-
Using
your computer or laptop correctly to avoid eye strain
-
Using
a humidifier to moisten the air
-
Avoid
air conditioning or sitting directly in front of a fire
Who
is affected? Dry
eye syndrome is a common condition. It tends to affect people abov
e 60 years of age, but it can affect younger people. It is also
more common in women than men.
Are
there any complications? Dry
eye syndrome may be uncomfortable, but does not usually affect vision. In
rare cases, severe untreated dry eye syndrome can cause scarring of the
eye's surface, leading to visual impairment.
Pterygium.
What
is a Pterygium?
A pterygium is a non-cancerous growth of the clear, thin tissue
(conjunctiva) that lays over the white part of the eye (sclera). One or
both eyes may be involved.
Causes,
incidence, and risk factors:
The cause is unknown, but it is more common in people with excess outdoor
exposure to sunlight and wind, such as those who work outdoors.
Risk factors are exposure to sunny, dusty, sandy, or windblown areas.
Farmers, fishermen, and people living near the equator are often affected.
Pterygium is rare in children.
Symptoms:
The
main symptom of a pterygium is a painless area of raised white tissue,
with blood vessels on the inner or outer edge of the cornea. Sometimes it
may become inflamed and cause burning, irritation, or a feeling like
there's something foreign in the eye.
Signs
and tests: A
physical examination of the eyes and eyelids confirms the diagnosis.
Special tests are usually not needed.
Treatment:
No
treatment is needed unless the pterygium begins to block vision or causes
symptoms that are hard to control. Then it should be removed with surgery.
Wear protective glasses and a hat with a brim to prevent the condi
tion from returning.
Expectations
(prognosis):
Most pterygia cause no problems and do not need treatment. If a ptery
gium affects the cornea, results are usually good after it is removed.
Complications:
A
pterygium can return after it is removed.
Prevention:
Protecting
the eyes from ultraviolet light may help prevent this condition
Post
Surgery: If
you had your pterygium surgically removed, you will be prescribed ointment
and drops for about 10 days. The eye will still be red for the first 15
days, and the redness usually subsides after a month. It is important to protect the eye from dirty air conditions and wear sunglasses to
protect from UV light of the sun.
Minor
Eye Surgeries. Chalazion:
A chalazion is a cyst in the eyelid that is caused by inflammation of a
blocked meibomian gland, usually in the upper eyelid. At the onset,
the eyelid may become inflamed and painful, but usually it develops
without any inflammatory symptoms. A chalazion may heal without treatment, but if it continues to enlarge, a surgical intervention,
using local anaesthesia is necessary to remove it. This is usually
done from underneath the eyelid to avoid a scar on the skin. After
the surgery, antibiotic eye drops are applied.
Eating
a healthy diet that includes flaxseed oil and omega-3 fats.
Other
minor eyelid lesions:
-
-
-
Xanthelasma:
a sharply demarcated yellowish collection of cholesterol underneath the
skin, usually on or around the eyelids
-
Malignant
eyelid lesions:
-
Basal
cell carcinoma: the most common type of skin cancer. Although it does not
metastasize, it is considered malignant, because it can cause significant
destruction by invading surrounding tissues. Surgical resection results in
complete recovery.
Eye
tests and care. How
do our eyes work?
The eye is the body’s equivalent of a camera. Light enters through
the pupil and is focused on the retina, much like a camera film.
The iris controls the amount of light that enters the eye and the lens is
there to focus images from different distances onto the retina.
The outside of the eye is covered by a tough white sheet known as the
sclera, the front of which, known as the cornea, is transparent in order
to allow light to enter the eye. A delicate and integral part of
the human body, the eye is prone to a number of common ailments and
problems. Eye twitching can be caused by stress or fatigue. Itchy Eyes could be a sign of Blepharitis, dry eye syndrome or allergies.
Blurry vision could be caused by Astigmatism, cataracts, glaucoma or a
number of other diseases. There are numerous ailments that af
fect children, the most common being ptosis and astigmatism.
Eye functionality also deteriorates as we get older. An important factor in maintaining healthy vision as we age is ensuring annual
comprehensive ocular examinations.
Eye
Care for Mid-life: Developing minor vision problems is very common in people over the age of 40.
Most adults in their early to mid-40s may begin to experience problems
seeing things clearly at close distances. This is due to a condition known as presbyopia, which is caused by the lens inside the eye
beginning to harden with age. Aside from the onset of presbyopia,
the incidence of eye health problems often increases throughout these
years. Even persons who are not experiencing any vision problems should be examined as often as possible for symptoms of developing eye
problems. Those with a family history of conditions such as diabetes, glaucoma, or macular degenerations, as well as smokers are more at
risk than others. Women experiencing menopause may suffer from dry eyes
due to reduced tear productions and hormonal changes. Whilst this may be very uncomfortable and irritating, eye specialists will easily be
able to recommend soothing lotions and eyedrops. Other vision problems
such as cataracts, glaucoma, or retinal detachment sometimes occur in
persons over the age of 40, which makes it all the more important to seek
regular vision check- ups.
Eye
Care for the Older Patient:
With older age comes a greater increase in severe eye problems. Dry
-eye syndrome becomes much more frequent and can be caused by decreased
tear production as well as diluted tears, and most people can expect to
develop cataracts, which require a surgical procedure to deal with.
The most common noticeable problem is peripheral vision loss. Although not specific to the elderly, peripheral vision starts degenerating
gradually upon birth, but does so at a very slow rate. It is not until we reach old age that we start to see 20%-30% less than we did at birth.
This makes driving a hazard and requires you to look around furthe
r to see a greater field of vision. A decrease in night vision, much
like peripheral vision loss, is normal as one gets older. Glaucoma
is a big risk for everyone above the age of 60 especially those who have a
family history of glaucoma, diabetes, hypothyroidism, short sightedness,
or previous eye injuries. Though the condition cannot be totally cured and the damage irreversible, early treatment can slow or prevent
further loss of vision, so make sure you see your ophthalmologist
regularly to ensure you are healthy.
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