3 Must Know Facts About Visual Floaters!
Eye health
7 Factors that may Give You an Eye Twitch
Experiencing that pesky twitch and tic is extremely irritating and uncomfortable. Eye twitch is a repetitive spasm of eyelid that is caused by number of factors.
From Visually.
Uveitis – what are the signs symptoms and causes of Uveitis? And why you need to know
Uveitis – signs , symptoms and diagnosis
Introduction
Uveitis is inflammation (swelling) of the middle layer of the eye, called the uvea or uveal tract.
The uvea is made up of the iris (the coloured part of the eye), the ciliary body (the ring of muscle behind the iris), and the choroid (the layer of tissue that supports the retina).
Symptoms of uveitis include:
- a painful red eye – the pain can range from mild aching to intense discomfort, and focusing your eye can make the pain worse; the eye can feel tender or bruised
- blurred or cloudy vision – this may come after other symptoms
- sensitivity to light (photophobia)
- marked or new floaters – shadows, webs, dots or veils that move across the field of vision
- loss of peripheral vision (the ability to see objects at the side of your field of vision)
- a pupil shaped differently or that doesn’t get smaller when reacting to light
- headaches
One or both eyes may be affected by uveitis. The symptoms can develop suddenly or gradually over a few days.
People with long-term uveitis tend to have more visual symptoms and their eyes may look normal. Patients with sudden onset uveitis usually have more pain and tenderness.
When to seek medical advice
Contact your GP as soon as possible if you have persistent eye pain or you notice an unusual change in your vision, particularly if you’ve had previous episodes of uveitis. The sooner uveitis is treated, the more successful treatment is likely to be.
Your GP may refer you to an ophthalmologist, who is a specialist in eye conditions. An ophthalmologist will examine your eye in more detail with a microscope and light (a slit-lamp), and may suggest further tests if uveitis is diagnosed.
This may include scans of your eyes, X-rays and blood tests. Knowing the cause of your uveitis will help determine the treatment needed.
Why does uveitis happen?
There are a wide range of potential causes for uveitis, although a specific cause is not always identified.
Many cases are thought to be the result of a problem with the immune system (the body’s defence against illness and infection). For unknown reasons, the immune system can become overactive in the eye.
Less commonly, uveitis can be caused by an infection or injury to the eye, and it can also happen after eye surgery.
Read more about the causes of uveitis.
Types of uveitis
There are different types of uveitis, depending on which part of the eye is affected:
- anterior uveitis – inflammation of the iris (iritis) or inflammation of the iris and the ciliary body (iridocyclitis); this is the most common type of uveitis, accounting for about three out of four cases, tends to come on quickly, and can be recurrent, causing pain and redness
- intermediate uveitis – inflammation of the area behind the ciliary body and the vitreous jelly; this can cause floaters and blurred vision
- posterior uveitis – inflammation at the back of the eye, the choroid and the retina; this can cause problems with vision
In some cases, uveitis can affect the front and back of the eye. This is known as panuveitis.
How is uveitis treated?
The main treatment of uveitis is steroid medication (corticosteroids), which can reduce inflammation inside the eye.
The type of steroid medication used depends on the type of uveitis you have. Eye drops are often used for uveitis affecting the front of the eye, whereas injections, tablets and capsules are more often used to treat uveitis affecting the middle and back of the eye.
In some cases, additional treatment may be needed. This might be eye drops to relieve pain, a type of medicine called an immunosuppressant, and even surgery.
Uveitis caused by infection needs specific treatment.
Read more about treating uveitis.
How long can it last?
Uveitis can be:
- acute – when it resolves quickly after treatment
- recurrent – when repeated episodes are separated by gaps of several months
- chronic – when the condition continues long-term or requires long-term medication to control it
Complications
Although most cases of uveitis respond quickly to treatment and cause no further problems, there is a risk of complications.
The risk is higher in people who have intermediate or posterior uveitis, or have repeated episodes of uveitis.
Complications of uveitis include permanent damage of the eye and some loss of vision.
It’s estimated that the more serious types of uveitis are responsible for 1 in every 10 cases of visual impairment in the UK.
Read more about the possible complications of uveitis.
Who is affected?
Uveitis is uncommon. It’s estimated that 2 to 5 in every 10,000 people will be affected by uveitis in the UK every year.
It usually affects people aged 20 to 59, but can also occur in children. Men and women are affected equally.
It’s more likely to occur in people with other inflammatory or immune conditions.
Despite being uncommon, uveitis is a leading cause of visual impairment in the UK. This is why it’s very important to diagnose and treat the condition as early as possible.
Miracle cures or modern quackery? Stem cell clinics multiply, with heartbreaking results for some patients.
Symptoms of macular degeneration
Doris Tyler lay on the examining table as the doctor stuck a long, thin tube into her belly. The doctor pulled back a plunger, and the syringe quickly filled with yellow blobs tinged with pink.
“Look at that beautiful fat coming out. Liquid gold!” one of the clinic’s staff exclaimed in a video of the procedure provided to The Washington Post.
Hidden in that fat were stem cells with the amazing power to heal, … the clinic… had told Tyler. The clinic is one of hundreds that have popped up across the country, many offering treatments for conditions from Parkinson’s disease to autism to multiple sclerosis.
Federal regulators have not approved any of their treatments, and critics call such clinics modern-day snake-oil salesmen. But on that day in 2016, Tyler trusted the clinic to extract stem cells from her fat and inject them into her eyes, where she was told they could halt or even cure the macular degeneration threatening her sight.
Five days after the injections, the clinic was boasting online that it had performed the first such treatment in Georgia for macular degeneration. On Facebook, the clinic called Tyler “our fabulous patient!” and urged others with her disease to book an appointment.
But by then, Tyler’s vision was getting blurry.
Within weeks, the retina in her left eye detached. Then went the retina in her right eye, according to a lawsuit Tyler and her husband filed in March against the clinic. Surgery after surgery failed to repair the damage. She quickly lost the ability to read large-text print. She could no longer make out the faces of her seven grandchildren.
Within months, she said, she was completely blind.
read the full article here
Can you see what’s on the menu?
Vision
Outside of the home or work, 35+ glasses wearers said the top three most common places to use their reading glasses are in pubs, bars or restaurants (61%), banks (50%) and theatres (42%)
Almost half (47%) of reading glasses wearers over 35 said the combination of small font and ambient lighting makes reading menus difficult
Most (53%) also said they would struggle when ordering food or drinks from a menu without their reading glasses
Magnivision have gone to a typical British pub, to serve up a helpful alternative for those who struggle to read a menu
Ever gone out for lunch or dinner, opened up the menu and thought “Oh no I’ve forgotten my glasses”, or worse “I just can’t read that” – if so, then you’re not alone!
New research, commissioned by Magnivision reveals most (53%) over 35 year old glasses wearers would struggle when ordering food or drinks from a menu without their reading glasses, with nearly half (47%) struggling with the combination of small font sizes and ambient lighting. So what happens if you forget your reading glasses?
Responding to the research results, Magnivision have gone to a typical British pub to offer reading glasses to pub goers who were struggling to read a menu, which had been edited to resemble an eye test. In fact, the research showed most (52%) glasses wearers aged over 35 would find it handy if a restaurant stocked backup glasses, in case they forgot theirs. So this is a call to action to not only encourage people to go and get regular eye checks, but also to venues to help those who have forgotten their reading glasses.
Celebrity chef Phil Vickery commented “eating out is one of life’s great pleasures and it’s a shame if struggling to read the menu is diminishing this experience. It can be incredibly frustrating and mildly embarrassing trying to make your choice if you have poor eyesight”
Magnivision trialled it’s reading glasses in one pub but is keen to encourage the wider pub and restaurant sector to offer reading glasses, as they’re the most popular places to use reading glasses, outside the home and workplace. But they’re keen to not stop there in encouraging other businesses to consider reading glasses, with banks (50%) and theatres (42%) following closely behind as the top venues for needing reading glasses.