Ophthalmology is a specialised branch of medicine that involves the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of ophthalmological diseases and disorders. The eyes are one of the most vital parts of the body, and it only makes sense that you take care of them. To maintain optimum eye health and a sharp vision, it is vital to get those examined by an eye specialist regularly. The diagnosis and treatment of ophthalmological diseases in their earlier stages guarantees a better outcome than being diagnosed at an advanced stage.
The Department of Ophthalmology at Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Indore offers primary ophthalmological care services, including ophthalmologic checkups and routine and emergency medical and surgical management of a vast range of ophthalmological conditions. Annual ophthalmological exams, consultation for eyeglasses, and referrals for fitting contact lenses are also offered. Consult the top eye specialists in Indore at our hospital.
Our department has a team of highly qualified ophthalmologists who have years of experience in the field and is equipped with the latest state-of-the-art technology and ophthalmologic instruments.
Comprehensive diagnostic services available include assessment of refractive errors, visual acuity, slit lamp evaluation, tonometry, ophthalmoscopy, gonioscopy, pachymetry, visual field testing, and fundus photography. The typical disorders diagnosed and treated in the department include contact-lens-related problems, blepharitis and dry eye, corneal ulcers, pterygium, herpes zoster and herpes simplex infections, allergic conjunctivitis, cataract, diabetes, glaucoma, macular degeneration, refractive errors like myopia, hypermetropia, and astigmatism, and ocular trauma.
Following are the four most common ophthalmological conditions that cause blindness or loss of vision:
There are, however, hundreds of other ophthalmological diseases and disorders.
Macular degeneration is an ophthalmological condition that affects the central vision. It causes damage to the central area of the retina (called macula) that allows you to see fine details. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in people above the age of 60. It is classified as being either dry or wet.
Wet macular degeneration occurs when the abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the macula and leak fluid and blood. This causes damage to the macula and leaks fluid and blood. The damage to the macula causes loss of central vision. Dry macular degeneration causes thinning of the macula, therefore, blurring the central vision over time. It is more common than the wet form and accounts for around 70% to 90% of the cases.
The symptoms of macular degeneration include black or dark spots in the central part of the field of vision, blurred central vision, and curved or wavy appearance to straight lines. Even though it doesn’t have a complete cure, treatment for macular degeneration can slow disease progression or prevent severe loss of vision. The treatment of wet macular degeneration has advanced in recent times and intraocular injections of some effective medications have been introduced.
Cataract refers to clouding of the eye lens. This cloudiness can affect one or both the eyes. Cataracts are the leading cause of blindness in the world. It can occur at any age and can even be present since birth. However, these are more common in those above the age of 50.
The symptoms of cataract include glare around lights at night, blurry/cloudy vision, sensitivity to bright light, trouble seeing at night, changes to the way you see colours, need for bright light to read, and frequent changes to your prescription eyeglass. Surgery to remove and replace the cloudy lens with an artificial one is highly successful. More than 90% of people see better after the cataract is removed.
Diabetes-related retinopathy is a common diabetes complication. Diabetes-related retinopathy is a disorder which is characterised by ongoing damage to retinal blood vessels due to long-term unmanaged glucose levels in the blood. The retina is the light-sensitive tissue in the eye that is required for clear vision. Most patients with diabetes-related retinopathy show no changes in vision until the disease is severe. In other people, the symptoms can come or go.
The symptoms of diabetes-related retinopathy include poor night vision, new colour blindness or seeing colours as faded, distorted or blurred vision, small dark streaks or spots in your vision, and trouble reading or seeing distant objects. The treatment of diabetes-related retinopathy includes injection of a specific type of medication and surgical procedure that addresses shrinking or repairing retinal blood vessels.
Glaucoma is an ophthalmological condition that results from an increased fluid pressure in the eye. The pressure damages the optic nerve, affecting how the visual information is transmitted to your brain. Undiagnosed and untreated glaucoma can cause loss of vision or blindness in one or both the eyes. Glaucoma tends to run in families.
Glaucoma is of two main types - open-angle and closed-angle. Open-angle glaucoma occurs slowly, developing slowly over time. You may not notice the change until the disease reaches an advanced stage. Closed-angle glaucoma can occur suddenly. It is a painful condition and causes vision loss very quickly. The symptoms of glaucoma include headaches, eye pain or pressure, red eyes, low vision, tunnel vision, blurred vision, rainbow-coloured halos around lights, and nausea and vomiting. The treatment of glaucoma focuses on reducing the eye pressure and includes laser therapy, eye drops, and surgery.
Retinal detachment refers to the detachment or separation of the retina from its underlying tissues that hold it in place within the eye. This is a serious ophthalmological condition that can cause blindness if left untreated.
Depending on the severity of retinal detachment, you may or may not have symptoms. The symptoms of retinal detachment include seeing light flashes, darkening or covering of part of your side vision, and seeing squiggly lines or dark spots drifting across your vision. Treatment of retinal detachment includes laser therapy and surgical approaches to close or seal the retinal tear and reattach the retina.
Ophthalmological conditions commonly seen in children include:
Refractive eye conditions make you issues with focus. As light passes through the lens and cornea, it is improperly bent. Refractive errors include farsightedness (hyperopia), nearsightedness (myopia), and distorted vision at all distances. These ophthalmological conditions can be treated with contacts, eyeglasses, or surgery.
Presbyopia is the failure to focus over a range of vision. It is sometimes confused with farsightedness, however, those are not the same conditions. Presbyopia is defined as a natural loss of lens flexibility that develops with age. Farsightedness refers to an abnormally short eye shape that causes light to bend incorrectly after entering the eye. Presbyopia is treatable with corrective lenses.
Yes, genetic factors can play a role in many types of ophthalmological disease, some of which are major causes of blindness in children, infants, and adults. Around 60% of blindness cases among infants are caused by inherited ophthalmological conditions, including congenital glaucoma, congenital cataracts, eye malformations, and retinal degeneration.
A family history is noted in about one-third of cases of ophthalmological diseases. In adults, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma appear to be inherited in many cases. There has been significant progress in identifying the genes causing retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative retinal disease causing gradual vision loss and night blindness. Gene therapy has been recently used to treat a type of retinitis pigmentosa of early childhood onset.
Some common inherited vision problems include refractive errors like nearsightedness, retinal degeneration, refractive errors like farsightedness, nearsightedness, and astigmatism, glaucoma, and retinal degeneration.
A lot can be done to protect your vision, including:
Having a good vision helps you to interact with the surrounding environment. Some problems with vision can be corrected easily, while others can’t be cured. However, if it is detected and treated early, many ophthalmological diseases can be corrected or the disease process slowed so that your vision is reduced. If you experience any vision changes, consult top ophthalmologists at our Department of Ophthalmology. Get an eye checkup done regularly. Some vision problems don’t have any warning signs. We offer advanced eye tests and help prescribe eyewear, medications, or perform surgery to reduce or slow vision loss and help improve your vision.
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