Pterygium

A pterygium is a non-cancerous growth of fleshy tissue on the conjunctiva and cornea. It often starts on the nasal side of the eye (near the nose) and can grow slowly onto the cornea (the clear front window). It is thought to be linked to long-term exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light, wind, and dust.

Disease

Symptoms

You may see a raised, pinkish, triangular-shaped growth on the white of your eye. Often there are no symptoms, but if it grows, it can cause redness, a gritty feeling, or blurry vision if it distorts the cornea. The primary risk factor is chronic sun exposure without proper eye protection.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is straightforward through a simple slit-lamp examination, where the doctor uses a microscope to look at the front of your eye and measure the growth.

Treatments

If small and not bothersome, it requires no treatment other than using lubricating drops for irritation and UV-protective sunglasses to prevent further growth. If it causes persistent discomfort, significantly affects vision, or continues to grow, it can be surgically removed. Surgery may involve grafting tissue to reduce the chance of it growing back.

More to read

Disease

Cataract

A cataract is a clouding of the eye's natural, clear lens. Think of it as a clear window that slowly becomes frosted. This clouding scatters light, preventing a sharp image from reaching the retina. It is most commonly related to aging. However, some forms of congenital cataract are seen in children.

Disease

Refractive Error

Refractive error means that your eye does not focus light ideally onto the retina, resulting in a blurred image on the retina. This condition is not a disease, but a common problem with light focusing. Its main types include myopia (nearsightedness: nearby objects are clear while distant objects appear blurry), hyperopia (farsightedness: distance vision may be clearer than near vision), and astigmatism (vision is blurry at all distances due to an irregularly shaped cornea).

Disease

Night Blindness

Night blindness is a symptom, not a disease. It means your eyes have trouble adapting to low light. This is often due to a problem with the rod cells in your retina, which are responsible for night and peripheral vision.

Disease

Color Blindness

Most color blindness is not complete blindness to color, but a difficulty telling certain colors apart. It is usually an inherited condition (more common in males) present from birth. It happens when certain light-sensitive cone cells in your retina don't work properly. The most common type is trouble distinguishing reds from greens.

Disease

Retinopathy of Prematurity

ROP is a disease that affects premature infants. In the womb, the retinal blood vessels grow late in pregnancy. When a baby is born very early, this normal growth is interrupted. After birth, abnormal, fragile blood vessels may begin to grow in the retina. These vessels can leak and scar, potentially pulling the retina off (detachment).

Disease

Retinal Detachment

A retinal detachment is a medical emergency. It occurs when the retina peels away from the back wall of the eye, like wallpaper bubbling off a wall. When detached, the retina cannot function, leading to vision loss.