Posts Tagged ‘Ptosis’

Look me in the Eye…..

Thursday, July 8th, 2010

With growing awareness of body language and eye contact, nowadays we’re more conscious than ever of the importance of how we come across to others. The pressure is increased even further if you suffer from an eye condition that affects the way you look, especially when it comes to the super sensitive issue of your eyes.

One of the most common problems patients suffer from is lazy eye, or  as people often call it. One eye wanders and does not focus as with as normal eye. This can make it difficult for other people to tell where you are looking. It can be successfully operated on, so do bring it up with your optician, it may be possible for you to be referred to the hospital eye service for assessment.

Cosmetic problems with the coloured part of the eye, the Iris, are more unusual. We have patients with different coloured eyes, or with a segment of the Iris missing. This can be treated with coloured contact lenses, which we can use to match the different colours, or to disguise a gap in the Iris. This can produce excellent results without resorting to surgery.

Ptosis is a term which covers drooping lids due to muscle defects. The muscles which control the eyelids are a complex mechanism and any difficulties with the system can impair vision if the lids droop down across the eye. Surgery can help in some cases, or you can have a slim metal prop attached to your specs which lifts the faulty lid.

Any of these issues may also be helped when it comes to changing your specs – small and fashionable frames, possibly with a light tint will give your more confidence and a small measure of camouflage. It’s never to late to look into solutions for these problems, and new techniques may give you options now that weren’t possible a few

Electro Spex

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Over the years glasses have managed to perform a number of functions that the average spec wearer may be surprised about. If even 3D sounds a bit space age, then prepare to be surprised at the thrilling James Bond type gadgets that your glasses could incorporate….

You may already know that you can have specs that treat your ailing ears as well as eyes. These nifty little gadgets have fashionably chunky sides that house a hearing aid. This only treats certain types of hearing loss, and has caused heart failure for many an optician, attempting to make adjustments on a very expensive and fragile piece of equipment!

Your frames can also help with a couple of medical conditions. Ptosis causes eyelids to droop down, and holding your lids up all day so you can see becomes tiresome and pretty inconvenient. Ptosis props are slim metal wires that attach to the frame and hook under the lids to hold them in place. This can be life changing for the patient. They can also hold facial prosthesis, for patients who have had tissue removed due to cancer, or injury. The prosthesis is attached to the specs or built around them to give support.

For the gadget lovers amongst you Oakley created a range of sunglasses with an MP3 player built into the side of the specs, perfect for cyclists and runners who can have music as they exercise without the bother of carrying their MP3. They also developed a Bluetooth attachment on their sunnies as an earpiece for your mobile phone – very Mission Impossible!

This year we move on a stage further, with the first electronic version of a varifocal lens. The lens blends optics with gadgetry – a sure fire winner with all the boys around the office! The electrics allow the wearer to focus at any distance in an instance, with a cunning blend of electrics, chemistry and the magic of optics. The theory is that they will give the wearer a wider field of view than in any varifocal, with less distortion.

So nothing ever stays still, and 2010 looks to be an exciting year for new advances. Now we just need some specs that move so you can’t sit on them, lenses that never scratch, contact lenses that shout at you if you put them in the wrong eye…..

Looking at Lids

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Like many other parts of our anatomy the eyelids seem to be simple little structures that we all take for granted. They just help us get to sleep by shutting out the light don’t they?!! But if we delve a bit deeper and take a closer look at our lids, there’s much more to it than that….

Eyelids are one of the thinnest areas of skin

Eyelids are one of the thinnest areas of skin

Eyelids are one on the thinnest areas of skin on our bodies, and these slivers of tissue are rich in glands and specialised calls that fulfil several functions. Firstly, the complex muscles that control the lids enable us to protect the eyes from foreign bodies with the lightening fast blink reflex. Then, the action of closing the lids smoothly distributes the tear layer across the eye, wetting it, disinfecting it, and washing out debris.  The cornea, the sensitive layer that covers the front of the eyeball must be kept wet, so the lids have a vital role to play here.

Although the skin that forms the lids is very thin, it’s made of many layers – skin covering the lids, soft subcutaneous tissue beneath, layers of muscle plates, and then the tissue that lines the lid against the eyeball, the conjunctiva. Glands lie within the lid to add components to our tear film.

As they are such complex structures, there are several things that can go wrong with the lids. Physical defects can cause problems, such as ectropian, a condition where the lower lids turn outwards. This isn’t just in humans, you see it in many breeds of dog! It may be present at birth, or happen due to scarring or slackening of the lids as we age. It can be corrected with surgery. Entropian occurs when the lids turn inwards. This can be extremely painful as the lashes rub against the cornea. Treatment must be fast as if the cornea is scarred then damage may be permanent. Surgicial treatment involves removing the excess skin and tightening up the edge of the lids.

Ptosis is a condition that many opticians deal with, this is a drooping of the top lids due to probelms with the nerves or muscles. The drooping lids obstructs vision, and is treated with glasses that have a metal prop attached to hold the lid up, or by surgery. Styes are a common irritation, a blockage and then swelling of one of the glands that lie along the lid margin. These are simply treated with topical anti-biotics.

So next time you’re sweeping your eyeshadow or mascara along your eyes, spare a moment to take a look at your lids, and appreciate the work they do!