1.2.4 Flashcards
Explain the Implications of AMD to a patient
The macular is an area at the back of the eye which is responsible for your central vision and making out fine detail.
When the macula is damaged it becomes harder to recognise faces or to read/ watch television
However, the edge of your vision is not normally effected
There are two types of AMD, dry and wet.
Dry AMD is the most common and happens with age and it’s the gradual degeneration of the cells at the back of the eye leaving deposits called Drusen on the back of the eye.
Progressed slowly and you don’t usually notice a change for many years.
People with dry AMD have near normal vision.
No treatment of AMD but you can help slow down progression of it turning into wet AMD.
This can be done by having a good diet, exercise, eating leafy green vegetables and smoking cessation
Wet AMD develops due to abnormal blood vessel growth at the back of the eye, this leads them to leak. Wet AMD can cause sudden and rapid loss of central vision.
Symptoms:
Straight lines may appear distorted or bent
Spots or smudges may appear in your vision
Bright light may be uncomfortable
Wet AMD treated by injections which prevent the growth of blood vessels and destroy the extra blood vessels. Injections inserted in the corner of your eye.
Explain glaucoma in layman’s term to a patient
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain is damaged by the pressure of the fluid inside your eye. It can affect one or both your eyes and can lead to sight loss if not treated.
The two most common types of glaucoma are:
Chronic glaucoma- develops slowly. This is the most common form of glaucoma in the UK. Most common form is primary open angle glaucoma (POAG)
Acute glaucoma- causes the pressure inside your eye to increase rapidly. Called acute angle closure glaucoma.
Symptoms of glaucoma:
Chronic- no symptoms in early stages just good to have regular eye examinations- later stages may have blurring around the outside of your vision. This is due to the nerve at the back of your eye getting damaged.
Acute glaucoma-
Increase in pressure and get short bursts of pain, discomfort and blurred vision. This can happen when pupils get bigger, so you may notice at night or when you’re in a dark area or when reading.
Ache in the eye which may come and go, nausea, vomiting, red eyes or seeing coloured rings around white lights. Can look like a haze or mist.
This is due to the iris bulging which completely blocks the drainage channels.
Glaucoma causes blind spots in your vision doesn’t affect central vision but does affect surrounding vision.
Explain cataracts in layman’s terms to a patient
Cataracts is formed when the clear lens inside your eye becomes cloudy or misty.
Gradual process that usually happens as we get older. Early stages of cataract don’t affect your sight but if your sight becomes impaired you may be referred for surgery to replace the cataract with a clear artificial lens.
Causes of cataracts:
Age
Young people can develop due to injury of the eye
Some medical conditions such as diabetes, or taking medication such as steroids
Smokers
More UV exposure
Symptoms:
Vision less clear and distinct - tend to need to wear glasses more
Car headlights and streetlights can become dazzling
Difficulty moving from shade to sunlit areas
Colours may look faded or yellow
Explain diabetic retinopathy in layman’s term to a patient
Where small blood vessels leak in the back of your eye.
Can reduce the risk of developing this by controlling ur diabetes, HBP, and cholesterol levels.
Don’t experience symptoms early on but you will as it progresses in the worser stages,
Gradual vision worseing
Sudden vision loss
Shapes floating in your fields of vision (floaters)
Blurred or patchy vision
Eye pain or redness
How can diabetes affect the eye?
Retina is a light sensitive layer of cells at the back of the eye that converts light into electrical signals.
The signals are sent to the brain and the brain turns them into the images you see.
It needs a constant blood supply which is receives through the network of tiny blood vessels.
Over time these blood vesssles can become damaged:
- Tiny bulges develop in the blood vessels which may bleed slightly but done affect vision
- More severe and widespread changes affect the blood vessels, including more significant bleeding into the eye
- Scar tissue and new blood vessels which are weak and bleed easily develop on the retina
Diabetic maculopathy:
Damaged blood vessels leak fluid and protein causes a build up of swelling (/oedema)
Explain presbyopia in layman’s terms to a patient
Inability to focus on things that are at normal reading distance, natural part of ageing when your lens loses elasticity.
Usually starts to become noticeable around 40s
Find things closer to you difficult to read and then as you get older it takes longer to change your focus between looking at something close and far away.
Lens becomes stiffer not the muscles that control it.
As you get older the distance you can see things up close gets further and further away.
Explain hyperopia in layman’s terms to a patient
Normally light is focused by the cornea and lens to form a sharp image on the retina. Long sightedness occurs when the eyeball is slightly too short so the focus point is behind the retina at the back of the eye.
If you are long sighted you find it difficult to see objects that are close to you.
Symptoms:
Tired eye or headaches after reading and writing/ working on the computer or close up activities
Need to screw up their eyes to see clearly
See distance objects clearly but nearby objects look blurred or fuzzy
If a child eye starts turning in, this may indicate they are long sighted
Explain myopia in layman’s terms to a patient
If you are short sighted you have problems seeing things in the distance clearly, but can see things that are close.
Due to the eye being slightly too long, which means that light focuses in front of the retina at the back of your eye, rather than focusing directly on it, distance vision then appears blurry.
Explain astigmatism in layman’s terms to a patient
Most people’s eyes are round like a football and light focusses on one area of the back of the eye.
If you have astigmatism your eye is shaped a bit like a rugby ball, this means that the light focusses on more than one area of the retina so your vision is distorted or blurry.
Caused by shape and size of your eye
Can cause blurred vision, headaches and eye strain
Can also occur alongside short sight or long sight.
