Glaucoma is a condition where the pressure of fluid inside the eyeball causes gradual damage to the nerves transmitting vision from the retina to the brain, resulting in painless gradual loss of side vision. If you have a family history of glaucoma your risks of having glaucoma at some stage in life are slightly higher than average. Regular assessment of your retinas and optic nerve for signs of glaucoma, and measurement of eye pressure, are all normal parts of an eye examination. If necessary, further tests of your peripheral vision will be arranged to detect early signs of glaucoma. Glaucoma is best detected by regular eye health assessment to compare possible changes in optic nerve health and eye pressures over time.

Cataracts are gradual changes of the lens behind the pupil of the eye, where the clear layers of the lens can become cloudy and dull in various ways. This causes slow reduction in vision, difficulty reading and driving, especially at night, and problems with headlights and glare. Cataracts are easily detected by examination of your lenses with a microscope, which as integral test of your eye ehealth examination.

Diabetes can affect the eye mainly when you have had the condition for many years, or your blood sugar levels are often high or variable. The blood vessels of your retina can begin to leak small drops of blood and fluid, damaging the nerves, and causing new but fragile vessels to grow, which can easily break leading to bigger haemorrhages and damage to vision. If you have either Type I or II diabetes it is recommended you have a thorough examination of your retina annually.

Symptoms of dry eye can include itching, grittiness, redness, dryness or even excessive watering, and heavy or burning sensations of the eyes. These symptoms may be more noticeable in certain types of air conditioning, when working on computers or reading, near oil or gas heaters, or in windy conditions. They can be made worse by certain medications or general health conditions, smoking, hormone replacement therapy or the ‘pill’ (or even being pregnant), and often tend to be more of a problem for people who suffer allergies or hayfever.

Quite often, in our experience, people just tend to put up with dry eye problems or buy dry-eye drops across the counter, without having the problem properly examined and diagnosed. Treatment options can include a great range of drops, with certain drops best for particular types of dry eye problem; lid compresses and massage; and in severe cases small plugs can be inserted in the drainage channels of the lids to stop the tears draining away.

One of the most common causes of dry eye symptoms is problems with the glands along the edge of both eyelids. These glands supply oil into the tears, which helps to lubricate the eye and keep the water in the tears from evaporating too quickly. These glands can become gradually closed up, (especially in hot, dry and dusty conditions), with the oil thickening from soft oil to wax which cannot flow out of the gland opening. Treatment involves hot compresses to expand the gland openings and soften the oil so that it can be gradually expressed with massage. The process is best done at home every day for at least one to two weeks to gradually help the glands to work more normally, and often the dry eye symptoms are significantly alleviated or sometimes completely eliminated.

LID COMPRESSES & MASSAGE INSTRUCTIONS

• To treat your lids in this way, soak a facecloth (washer) in water sufficiently hot that your hands are still comfortable; squeeze out the water and then place the washer on your closed eye for 5 seconds.

• Take the washer away, keep your eyelid closed and use the edge of your first finger to rub firmly horizontally along the eyelids where they join.

This treatment may need to be used in conjunction with certain tear replacement drops during the day or at night, depending on the reason for and severity of your dry eye.

The first step is to have the necessary tests performed to diagnose the specific reason for your dry eye symptoms.