ASTEROID HYALOSIS

Asteroid hyalosis is calcium floating inside the fluid of the eye.  It is generally not noticed by patients and does not need to be treated. 

BUMP ON THE EYE

A chalazion is a bump on the lid that is non-tender and non-infectious.  It arises because of stagnation of secretions from a clogged meibomian glands.  It is initially treated with aggressive hot compresses and steroid drops.  Sometimes steroid is injected into it.  Often, if these measures don't work, it has to be removed surgically.  This is not painful as the surgeon numbs the eye. 

ONE REASON YOU SHOULD WEAR SUNGLASSES

A person who spends  a lot of time in the sun should definitely use sunglasses.  One of the things that can happen is that scar tissue extends onto the cornea because of UV light exposure.  This scar tissue will continue to grow until it covers the whole eye.  It can be surgically removed before it does so.  This lesion is called a pterygium (pronounced "tuh-RIG-ee-um")

Crusts in The Eyes in the Mornings

The picture below is the eyelid of an 18 year old boy.  He has crusts at the base of his lashes.  These crusts are produced from bacteria in the eyelash follicles.  This condition is chronic and called blepharitis.  It can cause a foreign body sensation, redness, and irritation of the eyes in the mornings.  It can be controlled with lid scrubs and occasional antibiotics, but is never eradicated completely. 

Red and Irritated Eyes

Sometimes the eyes feel are red in the mornings and they feel irritated.  In the picture below the patient has a lot of debris in their tear film, the eyes are a little red, and there are clogged glands on the lid margin.  This is called meibomianitis.  This is a chronic condition that comes from overpopulation of the normal bacteria in the eyelid because of glands having a tendency to clog.  Treatment ranges from hot compresses (rubbing the eyes well with a very hot cloth a few times a day) to doxycycline pills on a long term basis.  Omega-3 fatty acid supplementation may also help. When the eye becomes very inflammed to where it causes light sensitivity and pain, we have to use combination antibiotic/steroid drops. 

Dry Eyes

The eye below is dry.  Instead of a nice smooth tear film it is broken up quickly.  You can also see some damage to some corneal surface cells. 

"MY CATARACT'S COMING BACK!"

About 35% of patients that have cataract surgery can develop a film on the implant during the first year after surgery.  Sometimes this film can be so bad that it decreases the vision and the patient feels like the cataract is back.  Patients feel like they're looking through a film. 

These cloudy capsules can be easily cleared with a painless laser procedure called a YAG Capsulotomy.  Usually the film never grows back again.