Inflammation of Eyes or Eyelids, red eyes, itching, pain, discharge

Symptoms of Inflammation of Eyes or Eyelids, red eyes, itching, pain, discharge could be due to:

BLEPHARITIS

Description:Inflammation of the outer edges of the eyelids

Persons most affected:Adults of all ages and both sexes.

Organ or part of body involved:Eyelids and sometimes the cornea and conjunctiva of the eye.

Symptoms:Symptoms include reddening of the eyelids with the appearance of scales caught in the eyelashes. Ulcers may form on the edges of the eyelid and yellowish crusts form on top of these. The lashes become matted and project in various directions, or they may fall out. The conjunctiva and cornea may become reddened and inflamed. A person with symptoms of eye inflammation should seek medical attention.

Treatment:Blepharitis is a stubborn condition that is somewhat resistant to treatment but usually clears in time, although it may recur. Treatment involves cleaning the eyes, bathing them with warm water containing sodium bicarbonate and removing the scales. Also, antibiotic eyedrops and solutions of artificial tears may be prescribed by the doctor.

CONJUNCTIVITIS

Description:Inflammation and infection of the mucous membrane (conjunctiva) that lines the inside of the eyelid and covers the front of the eye.

Persons most affected:All age groups and both sexes.

Organ or part of the body involved:Conjunctiva of the eyes.

Symptoms:Reddening, watering and itching of one or both eyes. Discharge from the eye, which may be clear or yellowish, and forms crusts that glue the eyelids together after sleeping. There may be eye pain and discomfort, Symptoms vary according to the cause of the conjunctivitis and some forms are more serious than others. A person with symptoms of conjunctivitis should seek medical advice.

Treatment:Depends upon the cause and nature of the condition but usually involves the application of eyedrops or ointment to relieve the symptoms and to kill infection. Drugs used include sodium cromoglycate, chlorampenicol and tetracycline antibiotics, penicillin and acycloguasine. Recovery from the milder forms of conjunctivitis is normally complete.

CORNEAL FOREIGN BODIES

Description:A foreign body lodging on the cornea or outer surface of the eye.

Persons most affected:All ages and both sexes.

Organ or part of the body involved:Cornea.

Symptoms:Intense irritation and watering of the eye and photophobia (profound sensitivity to light).

Treatment:Removal of foreign body and application of antibiotic drops or ointment. An eye patch may be worn until any damage has healed (usually about 24 hours).

ENTROPION

Description:Inward turning of the eyelid, causing the eyelashes to rub and irritate the cornea.

Persons most affected:Both sexes, usually older people.

Organ or part of the body involved:Eyelid.

Symptoms:Sore, watering, red eyes.

Treatment:Involves admittance to hospital for surgery to correct the condition.

IRITIS

Description:Inflammation of the iris, the coloured part of the eye, which is a muscular disc controlling the entry of light.

Persons most affected:Adults of both sexes, especially those aged under 60.

Organ or part of the body involved:The iris.

Symptoms:Symptoms include eye pain, which may be severe, reddening and watering of the eye, sensitivity to light and blurring of vision. A person with symptoms of eye disorder should seek prompt medical advice.

Treatment:Consists of mydriatic eyedrops that dilate the pupil, and anti-inflammatory cortisone (steroid) eyedrops. Occasionally, steroid tablets may be prescribed. The eye should be rested as much as possible and the condition usually improves in one or two weeks.

KERATITIS

Description:Inflammation and/or infection of the cornea of the eye, which may arise from a number of different causes. (The cornea is the outermost, transparent exposed layer of the eye that lies over the iris and lens.)

Persons most affected:All ages and both sexes.

Organ or part of the body involved:Cornea of the eye.

Symptoms:Reddening, inflammation, watering and severe pain and blurring of vision. There may be a yellow discharge. A person with symptoms of keratitis should seek immediate medical treatment as the bacterial form can rapidly lead to a loss of sight.

Treatment:Depends on the cause of the keratitis. If it is bacterial, the person requires admittance to hospital for intensive antibiotic therapy in the form of eyedrops and tablets. If the cause is a virus, antiviral eyedrops will be required. Other treatments include the use of artificial tears and wearing a patch to rest the eye until the condition clears. Some conditions may require corrective surgery. With prompt treatment at an early stage most forms of keratitis can be cured. However, there is a danger of permanent damage and loss of vision in some cases, especially if treatment is delayed.

PTOSIS

Description:Drooping of the eyelid.

Persons most affected:All ages and both sexes.

Organ or part of the body involved:Eye(s)

Symptoms:Eyelid drooping over the eye and poor blinking reflex.

Treatment:Depends on cause. Surgery may be required, or treatment of underlying disorder.

SCLERITIS

Description:Deep inflammation of the sclera, the outer white fibrous layer of the eyeball.

Persons most affected:All ages and both sexes, but more common in adults.

Organ or part of body involved:Eye(s)

Symptoms:Pain in the eye, which can be extremely severe, with purple discolouration of parts of the sclera. A person with symptoms of scleritis should seek immediate medical advice.

Treatment:Is usually in the form of a corticosteroid drug, such as prednisone, taken by mouth. However, if scleritis occurs in conjunction with rheumatic disorders or does not respond to corticosteroid treatment, immunosuppressive drugs such as azathioprine or cyclophosphamide may be prescribed by a specialist. In this case, the patient requires careful monitoring, due to the potent effects of these drugs.

STYE

Description:A bacterial infection and inflammation of the follicle (small sac) at the base of an eyelash, resulting in a painful, pus-filled adscess.

Persons most affected:All ages and both sexes.

Organ or part of body involved:Eyelid of one eye.

Symptoms:Early symptoms are a red, shiny swelling on the edge of an eyelid, which is painful and tender. The "head" of the stye usually develops around the base of the eyelash and more than one stye may develop. A person with symptoms of a stye should seek prompt medical treatment.

Treatment:Is by means of hot compresses to encourage the stye to come to a head, removal of the eyelash so that pus can drain out and application of antibiotic eyedrops or ointment containing chloramphenicol. Care should be taken not to rub or touch the eye so as not to spread the infection. The infection usually clears up within about a week although there is a tendency for recurrence.

SUBCONJUNCTIVAL HAEMORRHAGE

Description:Bleeding under the conjunctiva (the lining of the eyelid and the white of the eye).

Persons most affected:All ages and both sexes, but it is spontaneous usually only in the middle-aged or elderly.

Organ or part of the body involved:Conjunctiva.

Symptoms:The white of the eye becomes partially or totally bright red.

Treatment:None. This condition disappears after a few days.

BRAIN TUMOUR

Description: A growth of abnormal cells in the brain, which may be malignant or nonmalignant and could be fatal. Because of the location of a nonmalignant brain tumour it can cause very serious symptoms.

Persons most affected: All ages and both sexes, but more common in adults.

Organ or part of the body involved: Brain.

Symptoms: Symptoms vary depending on the location of the tumour and may be slow in onset. Symptoms include headache, vomiting, nausea, dizziness, poor coordination, disturbance of vision, weakness affecting one side of the body, mental changes and fits. A person with any symptoms of brain disorder should seek medical advice.

Treatment: This depends very much on the type and location of the tumour. Treatment can include surgery, radiotherapy and the use of radioisotopes and chemotherapy.

CATARACT

Description: A condition where the lens of the eye becomes hard and opaque, resulting in blurring of vision.

Persons most affected: Elderly persons of both sexes. But may also affect younger people in certain circumstances and a congenital form can occur in newborn babies.

Organ or part of the body involved: The lens of one or both eyes.

Symptoms: The main symptom is blurring of vision which may get worse.

Treatment: Surgical removal of the whole or part of the affected lens.

GLAUCOMA

Description: A serious group of conditions affecting the eyes. They are all charaterized by high pressure within the eye and may result in blindess.

Persons most affected: Adults of both sexes aged over 40 years, but those aged over 60 being at particular risk.

Organ or part of the body involved: Eye.

Symptoms: For open-angle glaucoma or chronic glaucoma there are no or few symptoms until the condition is well advanced and then a person normally experiences some form of disturbance in vision. This may be a partial loss, particularly of peripheral vision or blurring of vision, which usually gets worse. A person may see halos around lights and have poor night vision.

Narrow-angle glaucoma or acute glaucoma symptoms include seeing a halo of coloured light around lamps, blurring of vision, severe pain around the eye and a throbbing headache. Vision is increasingly affected and the eyeball is hard and tender. The eye may be red and swollen. This condition requires emergency medical treatment.

Treatment: Open angle or chronic glaucoma treatment consists of the application of eye drops several times a day and taking tablets. Some patients may require a surgical operation called trabulectomy which helps to drain fluid from the eye more easily.

Narrow-angle or acute glaucoma requires admittance to hospital and intensive use of drops and tablets. Surgery is then required to prevent the condition from returning.

RETINAL DETACHMENT

Description: A hole or tear in the retina, the layer that lines the interior of the eye which contains light sensitive cells and nerve fibres.

Persons most affected: All ages and both sexes, especially males.

Organ or part of the body involved: Retina, usually one eye only.

Symptoms: Symptoms include the appearance of floating spots before the eye, blurring of vision, flashes of light and loss of sharpness in the centre of the image. A person may appear to see a curtain or veil in the affected eye. Any person with these symptoms requires emergency medical treatment to preserve sight in the affected eye.

Treatment: Surgery is required to seal the hole or repair the seperation of the retina by means of electric current, which produces heat or cold using liquid nitrogen or solid carbon dioxide. Laser treatment may be the preferred method if treated in the early stages.