EYE DISEASES

An investigatory project by Shrikanth Pillai XII B

10.05.2022
12TH GRADE BIOLOGY
History
The first known cataract surgeon was from India, Sushruta brought cure to over
70 eye diseases as early as 800 BC. Then in the middle ages, hand lenses and
microscopes were discovered to learn more about the structure and function of
the eye.

Some historical events are:

● Georg Joseph Beer introduced Beer’s operation as a treatment for cataract.

● Baron Michael Johann Baptist de Wenzel, who was the oculist of King George
III, had remarkable skill at removing cataracts and legitimized the field.
● Ernst Abbe is renowned for the development of various optical instruments
used in the field of ophthalmology.
● Hermann von Helmholtz invented the ophthalmoscope in 1851

The first hospital dedicated to the practice of ophthalmics. opened in 1805 in

London. Throughout the 20th century, the investigations in the field of
ophthalmology were further expanded. Several subspecialties were introduced to
focus on particular areas or diseases of the eye.

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INTRODUCTION
The human eye is an organ which reacts to light and pressure. As a sense organ,
the mammalian eye allows vision. Human eyes help provide a three dimensional,
moving image, normally colored in daylight. They allow conscious light perception
and vision including color differentiation and the perception of depth. The human
eye can differentiate between about 10 million colors and is possibly capable of
detecting a single photon. The eyes detect light and convert it into
electrochemical impulses in neurons.

In higher animals, the eye is a complex visual system that collects light in the
environment, controls your intensity with the diaphragm, focuses on adjustable
contact lenses to form an image, converts the image into a set of electrical
signals, and transmits these signals to the brain to the visual cortex and other
areas of the brain.

The eye is not shaped like a complete circle, but rather a two-dimensional unit,
composed of the front and back part. The anterior part is made up of the cornea,
iris and lens. The cornea is clear and very curved, and is attached to a large
posterior part, made up of the vitreous, retina, choroid and white outer shell
called the sclera.

The retina contains two major types of light-sensitive photoreceptor cells used for
vision: rods and cones.

● Rods cannot distinguish colors, but they are responsible for monochrome
vision and work well in low light. The rods are spread throughout the retina but
are not in fovea and are not in the blind area.
● Cones are those responsible for color vision. They need brighter light to work
than needed rods. Cones are very concentrated in and near the fovea. Only a
few are present on the sides of the retina.

When rods and cones are stimulated by light, they connect through the retina to
send an electrical signal to the optic nerve fibers.

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LABELING
Near the front of the eye, in the area protected by the eyelids, the sclera is
covered with a thin, transparent membrane called the conjunctiva, which runs to
the edge of the cornea. The conjunctiva also covers the back of the eyelids and
eyeballs.

Light enters the eye through the cornea, a clear, curved layer in front of the iris
and pupil. The cornea acts as a protective cover for the front of the eye and also
helps to focus light on the retina behind the eye.

After passing through the cornea, light travels to the pupil.

The iris — the circular, eye-shaped area around the lens— controls the light that
enters the eye. The iris allows more light in the eyes (enlargement or extension of
the pupil) when the surrounding area is darker and allows less light on the eyes
(shrinkage or congestion of the pupil) when the surrounding area is illuminated.

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EYE DISEASES
Like many other parts of the body, the eye is susceptible to infections and
diseases. These diseases can be very serious and should be treated with
caution, and they should be referred to a doctor as soon as possible. Eye
infections usually do not show any early symptoms and sometimes the pain is not
there because not many see a change in their vision until the disease has
reached its final stage. Therefore, the best protection is to check your eyes
regularly.

Various optometrists and opticians are involved in the treatment and

management of eye and visual disorders. The Snellen Chart is one type of eye
chart used to measure vision. At the conclusion of a thorough eye examination,
an eye specialist may give the patient an eye socket to correct the lens. Other
eye disorders imposed by corrective lenses include myopia affecting about
one-third of people, hyperopia affecting about a quarter of people, and
presbyopia (presbyopia) loss of visual focus in old age).

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Amblyopia
Amblyopia, also called the lazy eye, is a disorder in which the eye and the brain
do not work properly. It results in a decrease in visual acuity that may seem
normal. It is the most common cause of decreased visual acuity among children
and young adults.

The cause of amblyopia can be any condition that interferes with childhood focus.
This may be due to poor visual acuity, an eye that is so irregular in focus that it is
difficult to focus, one eye seeing too close or the other farsighted, or a blurring of
the lens of the eye. After the root cause is corrected, vision is not fully restored as
the mechanism is also connected to the brain. Amblyopia can be difficult to
detect so regular checkups are recommended for all children between the ages
of four and five.

Treatment includes eye patches, drops, glasses or contact lenses and

sometimes surgery.

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Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a natural reaction to blurred vision, which makes it difficult to
concentrate when doing things like reading, using a cell phone, or working on a
computer. It is not a serious and rare disease; in fact, it is more common over the
years.

For young people, the lens of the eye is soft and flexible, easily adapting to a
wide range of viewpoints. As you grow older, the crystal lens in your eye
becomes stronger and loses its elasticity. With this loss of flexibility, your eyes
are unable to adjust properly to stay focused on objects.

People often make mistakes about the symptoms of presbyopia for

long-sightedness. However, these two conditions have different causes:
long-sightedness vision is the result of dysfunction in the cornea, while
presbyopia is the result of loss of lens flexibility. A significant sign of presbyopia is
blurred vision while doing everyday things that require a close and clear vision.

Common treatments for presbyopia include:

• Magnifiers

• Reading glasses

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Myopia
Near-sightedness, also known as short-sightedness and myopia, is a condition in
which the light focuses on the front, rather than the visual, the retina. This causes
distant objects to become blurrier while nearby objects appear to be normal.
Other symptoms may include headaches and eye strain. Excessive vision
increases the risk of retinal detachment, cataract membranes, and glaucoma.

The main reason is believed to be a combination of genetics and nature. Risks

include doing work that involves focusing on nearby objects, spending too much
time indoors, and family history of the situation. It is also associated with the
upper echelon of the economy. This situation involves the length of the eyeball
being too long or too small for the lens to be too tight. It is a kind of refractive
error.

There is little evidence that near sight can be prevented by little children
spending a lot of time outdoors. This may be related to exposure to natural light.
Close vision can be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or surgery.
Eyeglasses are the easiest and safest way to fix them. Contact lenses can
provide a wide field of vision; however they are associated with an increased risk
of infection. Refractive surgery can be a source of treatment at extreme cases

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Hyperopia
Far-sightedness, also known as long-sightedness and hyperopia, is an eye
condition in which light is concentrated in the back of the retina rather than on the
retina. This causes the near objects to be dim, while the distant objects may
appear normal. As the condition worsens, things in all levels may fade. Other
symptoms may include headache and eye strain. People with hyperopia may
also experience restorative dysfunction, binocular dysfunction, amblyopia, and
strabismus.

The reason for the imperfection in the vision is : often when the eyeball is too
short, or the lens cannot be round enough. It is again a kind of refractive error.

Correction is usually achieved by the use of convex corrective lenses. For near
objects, the eye has to accommodate even more.

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Cataracts
Cataract is a clouding of the lens in the eye which leads to a decrease in vision.
Cataracts often develop slowly and can affect one or both eyes. Symptoms may
include faded colors, blurry vision, halos around light, trouble with bright lights,
and trouble seeing at night.This may result in trouble driving, reading, or
recognizing faces. Poor vision caused by cataracts may also result in an
increased risk of falling and depression.Cataracts are the cause of half of
blindness and 33% of visual impairment worldwide.

Cataracts are most commonly due to aging but may also occur due to trauma or
radiation exposure, Risk factors include diabetes, smoking tobacco, prolonged
exposure to sunlight, and alcohol.

Prevention includes wearing sunglasses and not smoking.

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 EXPERIMENT
AIM: TESTING VISION WITH THE SNELLEN CHART

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