Chalazion

Chalazion is also known as a meibomian gland lipogranuloma, is a cyst in the eyelid that is caused by inflammation of a blocked meibomian gland, usually on the upper eyelid. Chalazia differ from styes (hordeola) in that they are subacute and usually painless nodules. They may become acutely inflamed but, unlike a stye, chalazia usually point inside the lid rather than on the lid margin. There is no role of bacteria in causing Chalazion. But the site affected by Chalazion can get bacterial infections. This lump is small but in some people this lump is quite large and that can give them blurred vision or distorted vision. It can give sharp pain along with inflammation. When the lump gets drainage on its own, then one gets relief from this condition. But in some rare cases Chalazion becomes chronic and patients want to remove it.

For treating the Chalazion, eye specialists will give warm compresses so as to cause the spontaneous drainage. The antibiotics are of use when it is infected. Doctors can also perform surgical operation to make the lump open and drain it manually. It is not a major operation though. In people suffering from rosacea, uncorrected refractive errors are more prone to get Chalazion again and again. There are some common causes behind the occurrence of Chalazion.

Causes of Chalazion

1. Blockage in the oil gland.
2. Viral infections
3. Low immunity levels
4. Rosacea
5. Blockage of the sebaceous glands.
6. Uncorrected refractive error.

Symptoms of Chalazion

1. Swelling on the eyelid
2. Eyelid tenderness
3. Sensitivity to light
4. Increased tearing
5. Heaviness of the eyelid

Treatment of Chalazion

1. Place warm and wet compresses on the affected eyelid for about 15 minutes. Repeat this procedure several times in a day. 
2. Put some antibiotic drops in the eye. Make sure that you have doctor's prescription for the antibiotic eye drops. 
3. Avoid rubbing or touching the Chalazion, as this could make the Chalazion lump bigger. Make sure that your children also are well advised to do so, in case they have got Chalazion. 
4. Before touching your eyelids wash your hands with soap, so as to avoid any kind of bacterial infection to the eyes. 
5. Your eye doctor might give you steroid injection in the nodule to help resolve it faster.
6. In case of chronic Chalazion, your doctors will advise you to undergo surgery.

Chalazion will take few weeks time to get cured completely. Hence your main duty is to take care that the affected eyelid doesn’t get any other kind of secondary bacterial infection. For this you should try to maintain good hygiene while cleaning your face and eyes. Clean your eyes softly so that the lump doesn't get rubbed. This is not a contagious condition; hence there is no need to worry. If your child has got Chalazion, then assure them that it will go after few weeks. Tell them not to touch the affected eyelid. 

Book an Appointment today for complete eye checkup at Diveeksha Eye Clinic an ISO 9001:2008 certified eye clinic located in Sector- 20, Noida.

Amblyopia

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is an eye disorder characterized by an impaired(decreased) vision in an eye that otherwise appears normal, or out of proportion to associated structural abnormalities of the eye. It has been estimated to affect 1-5% of the population.

In amblyopia, visual stimulation either fails to transmit or is poorly transmitted through the optic nerve to the brain for a continuous period of time. It can also occur when the brain "turns off" the visual processing of one eye to prevent double-vision, for example in strabismus (squint/crossed-eyes). It often occurs during early childhood, resulting in poor or blurry vision. Amblyopia normally affects only one eye in most patients. However, it is possible, though rare, to be amblyopic in both eyes, if both fail to receive clear visual images.

Detecting the condition in early childhood increases the chance of successful treatment, especially if detected before the age of five. The earlier it is detected, and the underlying cause corrected with spectacles or surgery, the more successful the treatment in equalizing vision between the two eyes.

Mechanism of Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a developmental problem in the brain. The part of the brain receiving images from the affected eye is not stimulated properly and does not develop to its full visual potential. The critical period of visual development in humans is up to 2 years of age.

Facts of Amblyopia

If not got detected in its early stage, Amblyopia can cause marked decrease of vision along with decreased depth perception. 

In recent research on this condition, it is been found that it is easier to correct this condition in children than in adults. 

Without doing a complete eye check this condition will never get detected. Infants and pre-school going children should go for complete eye checkup to rule out this condition. 

Symptoms of Amblyopia

Many people with amblyopia, especially those who only have a mild form, are not even aware they have the condition until tested at older ages, since the vision in their stronger eye is normal. However, people who have severe amblyopia may experience related visual disorders, most notably poor depth perception. Amblyopes may suffer from poor spatial acuity, low sensitivity to contrast and some "higher-level" deficits to vision such as reduced sensitivity to motion. These deficits are usually specific to the amblyopic eye. Amblyopes also suffer from problems of  binocular vision such as limited stereoscopic depth perception and usually have difficulty seeing the three-dimensional images in hidden stereoscopic displays such as autostereograms. However, perception of depth from monocular cues such as size, perspective, and motion parallax remains normal.

Types of Amblyopia

Amblyopia has three main causes:

1. Strabismic: by squint/strabismus (misaligned eyes)
2. Refractive: by anisometropia (high degrees of myopia/nearsightedness ,hyperopia/farsightedness, or astigmatism in one or both eyes)
3. Deprivational: by deprivation of vision early in life by vision-obstructing disorders such as congenital cataract 

Treatment of Amblyopia

Treatment of strabismic or anisometropic amblyopia consists of correcting the optical deficit (wearing the necessary spectacle prescription) and often forcing use of the amblyopic eye, either by patching the good eye, or by instilling topical atropine in the good eye.

Eye patching is usually applied on a part-time schedule that is about 4-6 hours a day. Treatment is continued as long as vision improves. It is not worthwhile continuing to patch for more than 6 months if there is no improvement.

Deprivation amblyopia is treated by removing the opacity as soon as possible followed by patching or penalizing the good eye to encourage use of the amblyopic eye. The earlier treatment is initiated, the easier and faster the treatment is and the less psychologically damaging. There is also a greater chance of achieving 20/20 vision if treatment is initiated as early as possible.

Early diagnosis increases the chance for a complete recovery. This is one reason why we recommend that children have a comprehensive eye examination by the age of 6 months and again at age 3. Lazy eye will not go away on its own. If not diagnosed until the pre-teen, teen or adult years, treatment takes longer and is often less effective.

Book an Appointment today for complete eye checkup at Diveeksha Eye Clinic an ISO 9001:2008 certified eye clinic located in Sector- 20, Noida.