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Eye Diseases

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Images

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Seniors
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Some eye problems are minor and don't last long. But some can lead to a permanent loss of vision.

Common eye problems include

• Refractive errors
• Cataracts - clouded lenses
• Optic nerve disorders, including glaucoma
• Retinal disorders - problems with the nerve layer at the back of the eye
• Macular degeneration - a disease that destroys sharp, central vision
• Diabetic eye problems
• Conjunctivitis - an infection also known as pinkeye

Your best defense is to have regular checkups, because eye diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection and treatment could prevent vision loss. See an eye care professional right away if you have a sudden change in vision, if everything looks dim, or if you see flashes of light. Other symptoms that need quick attention are pain, double vision, fluid coming from the eye, and inflammation.

NIH: National Eye Institute

Start Here

• Common Eye Disorders (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
• Eye Disease Simulations (National Eye Institute)

Symptoms

• Eye Symptoms (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Dilating Eye Drops (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Eye Exam (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Eye Problems: Symptom Checker Flowchart (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
• Get Screened at 40 (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• How Often Should I Have an Eye Exam? (Prevent Blindness America)
• Keep Your Vision Healthy: Learn About Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exams (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Vision Screening (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Comprehensive Dilated Eye Exam? (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• 5 Top Foods for Eye Health (Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics)
• Four Fantastic Foods to Keep Your Eyes Healthy (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• How to Use Eye Drops Properly (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)
• How to Use Eye Ointments and Gels Properly (American Society of Health-System Pharmacists)

Living With

• Diet and Nutrition (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Abnormal Head Position (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Are 3-D Movies Bad for Your Eyes? (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
• Dermoid Cyst (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Floaters (Prevent Blindness America)
• Headaches in Children (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Inflammation of the Orbit (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
• Neurofibromatosis (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Ocular Hypertension (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• People with Increased Risk of Eye Damage from UV Light (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• Red Eye (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Smoking and Eye Disease (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• What Is an Ocular Migraine? (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Choroidal Detachment
• Choroideremia (Foundation Fighting Blindness)
• Eyes, Bulging (Proptosis) (Merck & Co., Inc.)
• Facts about Uveal Coloboma (National Eye Institute)
• Holmes-Adie Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Kearns-Sayre Syndrome (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
• Leukocoria (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Polypoidal Choroidal Vasculopathy
• Subconjunctival Hemorrhage (Broken Blood Vessel in Eye) (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
• Toxoplasmosis (and the Eye) (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Uveitis (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish
• What Is a Pinguecula and a Pterygium? (American Academy of Ophthalmology) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetic Testing and Eye Disease (American Academy of Ophthalmology)
• Genetics Home Reference: aniridia (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: autosomal dominant vitreoretinochoroidopathy (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Blau syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Bosma arhinia microphthalmia syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: coloboma (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: congenital stromal corneal dystrophy (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Fraser syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Gillespie syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: gyrate atrophy of the choroid and retina (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: isolated ectopia lentis (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Kearns-Sayre syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: lattice corneal dystrophy type I (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Lenz microphthalmia syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Lowe syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: microphthalmia (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: microphthalmia with linear skin defects syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Norrie disease (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: oculocutaneous albinism (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: oculofaciocardiodental syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: RAB18 deficiency (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: WAGR syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Genetics Home Reference: Weill-Marchesani syndrome (National Library of Medicine)
• Learning about WAGR Syndrome (National Human Genome Research Institute)

Images

• Flashes and Floaters (Logical Images)

Statistics and Research

• Keep an Eye on Your Eyes: Technologies for Protecting Vision (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Vision Problems in the U.S. (Prevent Blindness America)

Clinical Trials

• Clinical Trials in Vision Research (National Eye Institute)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Eye Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Real-world evidence of treatment for relapse of noninfectious uveitis in...
• Article: Ophthalmic Drug Discovery and Development: Regulatory Aspects of Patient Focused...
• Article: Interleukin-17: The Role for Pathological Angiogenesis in Ocular Neovascular Diseases.
• Eye Diseases -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Diagram of the Eye (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish
• Glossary (Foundation Fighting Blindness)
• NEI for Kids: Glossary (National Eye Institute)

Find an Expert

• Find Services for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (American Foundation for the Blind)
• Finding an Eye Care Professional (National Eye Institute) Also in Spanish
• National Eye Institute

Children

• About the Eye (National Eye Institute)
• Anisocoria and Horner's Syndrome (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Excessive Blinking in Children (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Facts about Anophthalmia and Microphthalmia (National Eye Institute)
• Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Pediatric Ophthalmologist (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Trichiasis (Misdirected Eyelashes) (American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus)
• Warning Signs of Vision Problems in Children (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish
• Your Eyes (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Taking Care of Your Vision (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Seniors

• Eldercare at Home: Vision Problems (AGS Foundation for Health in Aging)
• Medicare Benefits and Your Eyes (Prevent Blindness America)
• The Aging Eye (National Eye Institute)

Patient Handouts

• Anisocoria (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Choroidal dystrophies (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Coloboma of the iris (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Episcleritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Eye and orbit ultrasound (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Eye burning - itching and discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Eye pain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Eye redness (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Fluorescein angiography (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Fluorescein eye stain (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Heterochromia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ophthalmoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Orbit CT scan (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Orbital pseudotumor (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Photophobia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pinguecula (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pterygium (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Pupil - white spots (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Scleritis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Slit-lamp exam (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Standard ophthalmic exam (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Subconjunctival hemorrhage (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Uveitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish