Allergies

​Eye allergies are no different than allergies that affect your sinuses, nose, or lungs. When an allergen comes in contact with your eyes, your body releases histamine – a chemical produced in reaction to a substance that the immune system can’t tolerate. Special cells called mast cells make histamine. These cells are present throughout the body but are highly concentrated in the eyes. Ocular allergens tend to be airborne (as are most other allergens). The most frequent allergic triggers include pollen, pet hair or dander, and dust.

Amblyopia

Amblyopia, also known as lazy eye, is a condition characterized by diminished vision in one or both eyes. Amblyopia is the most common cause of visual impairment in children and young to middle-aged adults. Amblyopia can be caused from unequal refractive error between the two eyes, high but equal refractive error in both eyes, an eye turn (strabismus), or a cataract. It’s estimated that about 5% of children in the United States have amblyopia because many of the conditions that cause amblyopia have no obvious signs to parents. Eye examinations before a child turns five years old is crucial in order to detect any of the conditions that cause amblyopia.

Astigmatism

Astigmatism occurs when the cornea, or surface of your eye, is irregularly shaped. A perfectly shaped cornea is spherical, like a baseball, allowing all light rays that enter your eye to focus on the retina. As a result, the image you see is sharp and crisp. With astigmatism, the shape of the cornea is irregular — more like a football than a baseball — causing the light rays to focus on two points rather than one. The result is distorted or blurred vision. Like nearsightedness and farsightedness, astigmatism affects the way you see except astigmatism affects your vision at all distances, not just close up or far away.