DRY EYE SIGNS

Here's a really good picture of a patient with dry eyes. Fluorescein dye was placed in the eye and a red-free light was shined on the eye to make the tears glow. You can see that within a few seconds the tears break up on the surface of the eye. You can also see damaged surface cells inferiorly.

DRY EYE DAMAGE

The big glowing area is actually fluorescence that indicates damaged surface cells on the eye. This occurs in moderate to severe dry eye. This patient has irritated eyes, especially towards the end of the day. Treatment has to be quite aggressive with this patient. It often takes more than just store bought artificial tears.

RETENTION CYST

While this may look scary, it is really not harmful. These are little pockets of fluid. They can be drained if they are bothersome to the patient.

CLOUDY CORNEAL TRANSPLANT

This is an eye of a patient who had a corneal transplant a long time ago. Most corneal transplants turn out pretty well. This one happens to be somewhat cloudy, likely from low-grade inflammation following the surgery.

METALLIC FOREIGN BODY

The picture above is of a metallic foreign body in the cornea. Fluorescein dye was placed in the eye so the tears and any abrasions or irregularities glow.

When metal embeds in the cornea, it immediately begins to rust. Within an hour a rust ring will form. So when the doctor takes the foreign body out, a rust ring remains. This also needs to be removed using either a 35 gauge needle or a special "brush".

A defect remains. If the defect is close enough to the visual axis, anti-inflammatory drops should be used in addition to antibiotic drops to reduce scarring. These heal pretty fast.

POSTERIOR SUBCAPSULAR CATARACT

This is a picture of a posterior subcapsular cataract in a young patient who had previously had steroid injections for an inflammation.

EPISLCERITIS

Episcleritis is an inflammation on the white part of the eye. It usually affects young females and may recur. It causes minimal discomfort and no vision loss. It may be bilateral. It usually goes away on it's own after weeks or months but may require a topical steroid or oral non-steroidal antinflammatory for resolution to occur sooner.