Common Eye Issues

Dry eyes occur when your tears aren’t able to provide adequate moisture for your eyes. Tears can be inadequate for many reasons. For example, dry eyes may occur if you don’t produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears.

Dry eyes feel uncomfortable. If you have dry eyes, your eyes may sting or burn. You may experience dry eyes in certain situations, such as on an airplane, in an air-conditioned room, while riding a bike, or after looking at a computer screen for a few hours.

Treatments for dry eyes may make your eyes more comfortable. These treatments can include lifestyle changes and lubricating eyedrops. For more-serious cases of dry eyes, Restasis may be a good option.

The FDA approved the prescription eye drop Restasis for the treatment of chronic dry eye. It is currently the only prescription eye drop that helps your eyes increase their own tear production with continued use.

Lazy eye (amblyopia) is decreased vision that results from abnormal visual development in infancy and early childhood. Although lazy eye usually affects only one eye, it can affect both eyes. Lazy eye is the leading cause of decreased vision among children.

With lazy eye, there may not be an obvious abnormality of the eye. Lazy eye develops when nerve pathways between the brain and the eye aren’t properly stimulated. As a result, the brain favors one eye, usually due to poor vision in the other eye. The weaker eye tends to wander. Eventually, the brain may ignore the signals received from the weaker — or lazy — eye.

Usually doctors can correct lazy eye with eye patches, eyedrops, and glasses or contact lenses. Sometimes lazy eye requires surgical treatment.

Blepharitis (blef-uh-RI-tis) is inflammation that affects the eyelids. Blepharitis usually involves the part of the eyelid where the eyelashes grow.

Blepharitis commonly occurs when tiny oil glands located near the base of the eyelashes malfunction. This leads to inflamed, irritated and itchy eyelids. Several diseases and conditions can cause blepharitis.
Blepharitis is often a chronic condition that is difficult to treat. Blepharitis can be uncomfortable and may be unattractive, but it usually doesn’t cause permanent damage to your eyesight.

Blepharitis cannot be cured. However, it can be treated and controlled through proper eyelid hygiene. Left untreated, blepharitis can cause more serious conditions such as scarring or injury to the eye’s tissue. If you have blepharitis, take the steps listed below to help treat and cleanse your eye:

1. Take a clean washcloth and wet it in very warm water.
2. Wring the washcloth and place it over the closed eyelids for five minutes.
3. Re-wet as necessary to maintain desired temperature. This will help to soften crusts and loosen oily debris.

A red eye that does not clear up could be an indication of a condition called uveitis. Symptoms include light sensitivity, blurring of vision and pain or redness of the eye. There is a range of treatment options.

Refractive errors are the most frequent eye problems in the United States. Refractive errors include myopia (near-sightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (distorted vision at all distances), and presbyopia that occurs between age 40–50 years (loss of the ability to focus up close, inability to read letters of the phone book, need to hold newspaper farther away to see clearly) can be corrected by eyeglasses, contact lenses, or in some cases surgery. Recent studies conducted by the National Eye Institute showed that proper refractive correction could improve vision among 11 million Americans aged 12 years and older. Learn more about refractive errors.