Ophthalmology is a field of clinical medicine that studies eye diseases: pathological conditions of the eyeball and the accessory apparatus of the eye – lacrimal glands, eyelids, conjunctiva, as well as bone and soft tissue structures surrounding the eyes.
The most important task of ophthalmology is the development and improvement of methods for the prevention, detection and treatment of eye diseases aimed at preserving and correcting visual function. Specialists in the field of eye diseases are ophthalmologists. More narrow ophthalmological specialties include surgical and laser ophthalmology, ophthalmooncology, ophthalmic traumatology, pediatric ophthalmology, etc.
The visual analyzer is a unique sense organ in its meaning. With the help of vision, a person receives up to 80% of information about the world around him. Unfortunately, the percentage of people suffering from eye diseases worldwide is steadily increasing. Therefore, it is so important to have an idea of the first signs of eye diseases, measures for the prevention of ophthalmopathology and ways of its treatment, as well as to understand the importance of timely seeking qualified ophthalmological care.
A disease of this category can occur at any age: they can be genetically determined, congenital, acquired. In children, a significant decrease and loss of vision leads to a delay in mental development, negatively affects the speech function, the motor sphere in the future, forms distorted, fuzzy, fragmentary ideas about the surrounding reality, makes it difficult to establish social ties and behavioral skills in society.
In this regard, the system of early care in ophthalmology provides screening of newborns, children of early, preschool and school age in order to identify subclinical signs (retinopathy of prematurity, strabismus, amblyopia, glaucoma, cataracts, myopia, hyperopia, etc.) and provide early correctional medical and pedagogical assistance.
Acquired diseases can be associated with common and infectious human diseases: beriberi A, measles rubella, diabetes mellitus, injuries, chronic foci of bacterial infection, hypertension, atherosclerosis, renal pathology, neurological diseases, pregnancy pathology, etc. Most often in ophthalmology eye diseases are diagnosed, characterized by abnormalities in the optical apparatus of the eye – hyperopia, presbyopia, myopia, astigmatism, etc.
A large group of eye diseases consists of inflammatory pathology of various structures of the organ of vision – conjunctivitis, keratitis, blepharitis, iridocyclitis, retinitis, uveitis, endophthalmitis, barley, etc. Traumatic damage to the structures of the eye is extremely dangerous in its consequences – burns, mechanical damage to the eyes, ingestion of foreign bodies.
Diseases can develop acutely or gradually, suddenly manifesting itself with a sharp decrease in vision. This kind of pathology primarily includes diseases of the neurovascular apparatus of the eye: atrophy of the optic nerve, ischemic neuropathy of the optic nerve, occlusion of the arteries and veins of the retina, chorioretinal dystrophy, etc. Factors that negatively affect the function of vision and increase the risk of eye diseases are considered age, chronic heart and vascular diseases, metabolic diseases, adverse environmental conditions, stress, smoking, deficiency of vitamins and rare trace elements (zinc, selenium), etc.
The last decades have been marked by the rapid development of ophthalmology. At the disposal of specialists today are modern equipment, innovative technologies, minimally invasive techniques. To detect eye diseases, a large range of diagnostic techniques is used – test, biometric, ultrasound, electrophysiological, X-ray, optical, laboratory, etc. Laser installations used for vision correction, treatment of corneal and retinal pathology, glaucoma and cataracts have found wide application in the surgery of eye diseases.
Traditional therapeutic manipulations, hardware methods of vision correction, microsurgical techniques for the treatment have not lost their relevance in ophthalmology. To date, most surgical interventions in ophthalmology can be performed on an outpatient basis.
Stargardt disease is a hereditary disease of the retina, which is manifested by dystrophic changes in its macular zone and leads to loss of central vision. The onset of the disease occurs in childhood or adolescence. Patients have central scotomas and color vision disorders. The progression of Stargardt disease leads to complete blindness. Diagnosis is…
Coats disease is a congenital pathology characterized by polymorphic changes in retinal vessels in combination with massive intra- and subretinal exudation. Clinical symptoms are represented by leukocoria, decreased visual acuity, the appearance of “fog”, “bright flashes” or specific patterns in front of the eyes. Diagnosis is based on ophthalmoscopy, ultrasound of the eye, OCT, pathomorphological…
Goldmann-Favre syndrome is a congenital form of progressive vitreoretinal dystrophy, in which retinitis pigmentosa, retinoschisis, vitreous pathology develops. The disease is manifested by visual dysfunction in the dark, decreased visual acuity, the appearance of “flies” or rounded opacities in front of the eyes. Diagnosis requires DNA diagnostics, electroretinography, biomicroscopy, ophthalmoscopy, ultrasound of the eye, OCT,…
Myopia is an anomaly of the refractive power of the eye (refraction), characterized by focusing the image of objects not on the retina of the eye, but in front of it. With myopia, a person does not distinguish distant objects well, but sees well up close; there is visual fatigue, headache, impaired twilight vision, progressive…
Blepharochalasis is an ophthalmic disease characterized by atrophy of the skin of the upper eyelids with the formation of excessive folds over the palpebral margin. The main clinical manifestations: “bag-like” overhanging of the upper eyelids, visual impairment, increased lacrimation, conjunctival hyperemia. For the diagnosis of blepharochalasis, physical examination, visometry, biomicroscopy, tonometry, computer refractometry, perimetry are…
Blepharophimosis is an ophthalmic syndrome manifested by bilateral ptosis in combination with a decrease in the vertical and horizontal size of the eyelids. The main symptoms are: pathological eye incision, increased fatigue when performing visual work, visual impairment, impaired accommodation. To make a diagnosis, physical examination, ultrasound of the eye, biomicroscopy, visometry, non-contact tonometry are…
Blepharoconjunctivitis is an inflammation of the edges of the eyelids in combination with a lesion of the palpebral and orbital conjunctiva. The main symptoms of the disease: redness of the eyes, a feeling of “sand” or foreign bodies under the eyelids, photophobia, increased tearfulness. To make a diagnosis, a physical examination, laboratory examination of secretions…
Blepharitis is a bilateral recurrent inflammation of the ciliary edge of the eyelids. Disease is manifested by redness and swelling of the edges of the eyelids, a feeling of heaviness and itching of the eyelids, hypersensitivity to bright light, rapid fatigue of the eyes, improper growth and loss of eyelashes. In the diagnosis, the leading…
Bacterial keratitis is an acute inflammation of the cornea of the eye of bacterial origin. It is clinically manifested by acute pain in the eye, edema, corneal syndrome, pronounced inflammatory injection of the eyeball, the presence of mucopurulent discharge, corneal opacity, superficial or deep ulceration. Diagnosis includes biometry of the eye, microbiological examination of a…
Achromatopsia is a hereditary disease caused by mutations of various genes encoding retinal photoreceptor proteins and characterized by a complete (rod monochromasia) or partial absence of color perception. At the same time, black-and–white vision is preserved, although there are other disorders of the visual apparatus – day blindness (hemeralopia), nystagmus, decreased visual acuity, sometimes strabismus.…
