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.
Ophthalmoplegia is a paralysis of individual groups or all the muscles of the eye. When the internal groups are affected, the pupils dilate, there is a violation of accommodation. The external form is manifested by diplopia, ptosis and the inability to carry out friendly movements with the eyeballs. To make a diagnosis, computer tomography of…
Ocular myiasis is a disease of the organ of vision caused by the introduction of various parasites into the eye cavity. The main cause of ocular myiasis is the penetration of a fly larva or gadfly into the structures of the eyeball. There are superficial and deep ophthalmomiases. Clinical manifestations are diverse and depend on…
Ocular hypertension is an increase in intraocular pressure above 20 mmHg in the absence of glaucomatous changes in the fundus. Common symptoms for all forms are headache, blurred vision, a feeling of discomfort in the eye socket. The complex of diagnostic measures includes tonometry, biomicroscopy of the eye, gonioscopy, tonography. In ocular hypertension, hypotensive therapy…
Juvenile open angle glaucoma is a hereditary form of this ophthalmic disease characterized by a gradual increase in intraocular pressure. Symptoms manifest in childhood or adolescence, are reduced to eye soreness, photophobia, myopia and other visual disturbances (for example, astigmatism). Diagnosis is performed by traditional ophthalmological techniques (tonometry, elastometry, perimetry), as well as molecular genetic…
Eye herpes is a lesion of the eyeball or appendages of the eye caused by infection with the herpes simplex virus (HSV) 1, less often type 2. Clinical manifestations are represented by lacrimation, pain syndrome, photophobia, blepharospasm, the appearance of a “veil” or “fog” in front of the eyes. Diagnosis is based on the detection…
Vitreous detachment is a pathological condition in which the interaction between the vitreous body and the retina is disrupted. It occurs as a result of degenerative changes in the vitreous body, in the presence of high-grade myopia, inflammatory processes or after an eye injury. A complete or partial detachment is isolated. Clinically manifested by the…
Retinal detachment is a pathology of the retina of the eye, in which it is separated from the underlying choroid (vascular membrane). Retinal detachment is accompanied by a sharp deterioration of vision, the appearance of a veil in front of the eye, progressive narrowing of the field of vision, flickering of “flies”, “sparks”, “flashes”, “lightning”,…
Open–angle glaucoma is a chronic eye pathology with a tendency to progression, characterized by increased intraocular pressure and damage to the optic nerve. Clinical symptoms are represented by a decrease in visual acuity and accommodation, painful sensations. The main diagnostic measures are tonometry, gonioscopy, optical coherence tomography, perimetry and ophthalmoscopy. The components of the complex…
Acute bacterial conjunctivitis is an infectious lesion of the mucous membrane of the eye caused by gram–positive or gram-negative bacteria. In acute conjunctivitis, pronounced photophobia and lacrimation, swelling and hyperemia of the eye mucosa, spot hemorrhages, mucopurulent discharge from the conjunctival cavity are noted. Diagnosis of acute conjunctivitis of bacterial etiology includes biomicroscopy of the…
Orbital hypertelorism is an increase in the bone distance between the eye sockets. The pathology is characterized by an incorrect position of the orbits, diplopia, visual impairment. There are multiple cosmetic defects. In the process of diagnosis, the circumference-interorbital index is calculated, visometry, computed tomography, and X-ray examination are performed. Treatment is reduced to performing…
