Cheung 1

Michael Cheung Ms. Oberg English 11 8 April 2014 Eye Diseases and Problems as well as Symptoms and Treatments There are many eye diseases and problems out there. Some are common while others are rare. Their symptoms can range from minor irritation or pain to more life changing effects like permanent blindness. Eye problems can be hereditary or self-imposed. Diseases differ in the way that they can be communicable or non-communicable. When I was young, I was told that I had an eye problem called a lazy eye. They told me that it was in my left eye and the reason for the lazy eye was because I have a droopy eyelid on the left eye. Being little and not exactly knowing how to do research or really caring about the problem I accepted it as a fact. Sometime later I was told that I had a wire holding up that eyelid and that without it I would not be able to see out of the eye. So being young I put the two things together and whenever I was asked why I had an eyelid lower than the other I said it was a lazy eye. It was only later on in life that I found out that I was wrong when I looked up lazy eye for something else. Through that search I found that lazy eye was a condition in which one or both eyes of a person worsens and is dependent on the other eye to make up for the vision therefore having one eye being lazy while the other one works harder as a result. I also learned that this can be corrected early on if noticed by putting a patch on the good eye to make the other eye better. Finding this out helped me understand why I had to put a patch on one of my eye at a young age. Finding this out however, did not help me understand why I had the wire in

Cheung 2

my eyelid. It was not until right before coming up for a topic for this I-Search paper did I find out while I was exploring other options. The condition I have that requires me to have a wire holding up my eyelid is called ptosis. Ptosis is caused by a variety of factors. It can be a result of a stroke, damage to eyelid nerves, or can be inherited. In my case, the ptosis is most likely hereditary however my parents believe it might be caused by improper handling of the doctor when I was born. Ptosis can be resolved naturally over time depending on how it was obtained and have temporary fixes such as putting tape on the eyelid to keep it open. The metal wire is also a temporary fix for me, and is supposed to break or lose its grip sometime during the age of 16 or after. Because of the metal wire, my left eye stays slightly open when I go to sleep and never really fully closes unless I consciously blink my eyes. This causes me problems such as making me have stys, which is a form of eye infection. This is what led me to want to learn more about eye disease and problems to learn of what other diseases relating to the eye I may face in the future. What I wanted to learn in the process of this paper is what other eye diseases are out there in the world, focusing mainly on those that can cause blindness as well as treatments and symptoms. This included the causes of the diseases, whether they are hereditary or not, and also how they progress. I relied on the internet for my research. I found the American Optometric Association website that had lists of eye diseases/problems and looked into detail on most of them choosing those related to blindness and focused more on those than others then double checking the facts by using MedLinePlus another website. During my research, I looked into Astigmatism, Hyperopia, Macular Degeneration, Myopia, and Nystagmus. These were chosen because most of these are commonly known however at least one of them is not commonly known.

Cheung 3

Astigmatism A condition of the eye in which the cornea become an irregular shape affecting the way that light would be absorbed in to the eye. There are no known definite causes of astigmatism, however it is thought to be hereditary. Astigmatism can decrease by itself over time however it can also get worse over time. There are ways to try to change the shape of the cornea by medical practice such as using laser surgery (American Optometric Association). Another treatment for astigmatism is by using rigid contact lenses to slowly reshape the cornea to the desired shape in a procedure called orthokeratology which can be short handed to Ortho-K (American Optometric Association). Those with high amount of distortion in their cornea may not see very far and the shape of the cornea may become more of a football shape the being circular. Astigmatism can be diagnosed during comprehensive eye exams which are usually done when one goes in to get their prescription for eyeglasses or contacts. Hyperopia (Farsightedness) and Myopia (Nearsightedness) - having hyperopia causes one to be unable to focus on things that are near them while myopia is the exact opposite being unable to focus on things that are far away. In hyperopia the cornea does not have enough curve causing light to not focus enough in the back of the eye, myopia however, the cornea has too much curve (American Optometric Association). The easiest way to fix both is to wear glasses or contacts. Myopia is usually inherited however it can also be caused by visual stress. Those who spend long time doing close visually intense work are more likely to become nearsighted and to worsen ones sight. Examples of close visually intense work include reading or working in front of computers for long periods of time. Myopia is usually apparent when one is little and progresses until they are around 20. Macular Degeneration Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD) There is two types of AMD, wet and dry. There is no cure for dry AMD and is the more common of the two. Wet

Cheung 4

AMD, also known as exudative AMD, has temporary cures. Though there are no cures for them now there is a way to slow its progression which is to have a diet that contains low-fat food as well as dark green leafy vegetables, though taking nutritional supplements may work as well (American Optometric Association). AMD is the loss of central vision and is one of the leading causes of blindness, as well as Caucasians being the most vulnerable than other races. Nystagmus A condition in which a persons eye makes involuntary, repetitive, uncontrolled movements. Because of this, both of the eyes cannot perceive and object steady with in their view (American Optometric Association). The condition can be inherited, or is a condition form other eye or medical problems. Most people with this condition try to reduce the severity of it by finding a null point, a point where the nystagmus is minimal and is usually found by shifting their head. (American Optometric Association) After my research Ive gained a greater understanding of eye diseases and problems. Ive learned I gained my nearsightedness from one of my parents as well as a disease that can cause blindness. I was surprised that there werent many diseases that cause blindness. It was also interesting to me that there wasnt much information on some of the diseases/conditions even though our eyes provide us with one of five senses that most of us use daily. Ive also find out that there while some problems have cures available, that there are others that we do not know enough to find a cure. As well as that most of the problems are related to the cornea, at least within the ones that I had researched.

Cheung 5

Works Cited American Optometric Association. Eye & Vision Problems. n.d. 19 March 2014 <http://www.aoa.org/patients-and-public/eye-and-vision-problems>. MedLinePlus. Eyes and Visions. n.d. 19 March 2014 <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/eyesandvision.html>.