Author Archives: Marketing Team

A pterygium is a triangular growth of abnormal conjunctival tissue that invades the cornea. Its development is not related to injury or inflammation. 90% of pterygia are located nasally, the nose side of the eye. Both eyes are frequently involved but often only one. The pterygium can advance to involve the visual axis causing marked loss of visual acuity. The pterygium can be distinguished from a pingueculum, which is a small-elevated yellowish mass, which can become inflamed. The pterygium grows in the interpalpebral fissure (that is the exposed part of the eye) as an elevated fleshy mass of the conjunctiva. Symptoms Burning, irritation, tearing and a foreign body sensation may accompany the growth of a pterygium onto a cornea. Astigmatism may be induced and may lead to decreased vision. As…

Many hundreds of corneal grafts taking place annually in South Africa, the need for which continues to increase. Corneal transplantation, also known as corneal grafting, is a surgical procedure where a damaged or diseased cornea is replaced by donated corneal tissue (the graft). When the entire cornea is replaced it is known as penetrating keratoplasty and when only part of the cornea is replaced it is known as lamellar keratoplasty. What is recoded below is a snapshot of the process undertaken to ensure that the donor cornea is harvested and delivered to the surgeon timeously for the graft to take place. The graft co-ordinator is contacted by a hospital to notify them of the passing of a donor patient. The medical history of the donor patient is reviewed to confirm…

What is Presbyopia? Are you always searching for your reading glasses? Have you ever wished that there was a solution to this problem? When you are in front of the television your glasses are either in the bedroom, kitchen, car or even at the office. With the development of technology there is an operation available which could eliminate this problem and make the "old" eye as good as new. Reading problems will start to occur at the age of about 40 years and affects just about everybody after 45. When the eyes are focusing close up, the lens changes its shape. The diameter increases and light rays are focused on the retina. As we get older the lens grows and when the space is too limited to adjust its shape,…

Glaucoma What is glaucoma? In the normal eye a watery liquid is constantly produced and drained away through tiny drainage canals. This fluid maintains a pressure within the eye that remains constant as long as the fluid drains as quickly as it is produced. The normal intraocular pressure is between 10 and 21 mm Hg. Glaucoma may occur when there is a build-up of pressure within the eye due to clogged or covered drainage canals, where the eye fluid cannot drain away. Glaucoma is a physical condition within the eye and it is not a form of cancer or tumor, it is not infectious or contagious, it is not a danger to life itself. Glaucoma is a painless and silent disease and if it is left untreated or neglected, it…

FOR THIS ARTICLE, NDSS INTERVIEWED DANIELLE LEDOUX, MD ASSISTANT IN OPHTHALMOLOGY AT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL, BOSTON AND INSTRUCTOR IN OPHTHALMOLOGY AT HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL Down syndrome has effects on the developing eye which can impact the proper development of vision. Eye disease is reported in over half of patients with Down Syndrome, from less severe problems such as tear duct abnormalities to vision threatening diagnoses such as the early onset of cataracts. Particular attention should be paid to vision in people with Down syndrome. What is Different About the Eyes in Individuals with Down Syndrome? Dr. Ledoux: As any family member of a person with Down syndrome knows, there are characteristic features about the eyes. This includes upward slanting of the eyelids, prominent folds of skin between the eye and the…