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More than three million people in the United States do not have normal vision, even with the help of eyeglasses or corrective lenses. These individuals are considered visually impaired. Visual impairment may be caused by a number of eye diseases, including age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and cataracts. Visual impairment may also be caused [...]

Amblyopia (“lazy eye”) is caused by unequal refractive errors, misaligned eyes (strabismus) or other abnormalities. Patching is one technique for treating amblyopia. A patch is placed over the better-seeing eye to make the child use and develop good vision in the “lazy eye.” Using eyedrops is another technique for treating amblyopia. One drop of the [...]

The thyroid gland, located in the front of the neck, produces hormones that help regulate your body’s metabolism (the process in which the body transforms food into energy). In a small number of people, the thyroid gland malfunctions and produces more hormones than the body needs. This is called hyperthyroidism, or Graves’ disease. The overproduction [...]

The carotid (pronounced ka-rah-tid) arteries are located in your neck and are the main arteries supplying blood to the eyes and brain. There are two carotid arteries: one on the right side of the neck (which supplies blood to the right side of the brain) and one on the left side of the neck (which [...]

A subconjunctival hemorrhage is similar to an ordinary bruise on the skin—it’s like a “bruise” on the eye. It usually appears as a single, concentrated spot of red, or many diffuse red splotches, on the white of the eye. The red represents blood under the conjunctiva, the clear membrane that covers the white of the [...]

Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP) is an eye disease that occurs in a small percentage of premature babies. In ROP, abnormal blood vessels grow on the retina—the light-sensitive layer of cells on the back of the eye that allow us to see. In some cases, the abnormal blood vessels may shrink and go away without treatment. [...]

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of genetic disorders that affect the retina’s ability to respond to light. The retina is the layer of light-sensing cells lining the back of your eye that converts light rays into impulses. The impulses are sent through the optic nerve to your brain, where they are recognized as images. WHAT [...]

A retinal vein occlusion occurs when a vein in the eye’s retina is blocked. The retina is the layer of light-sensing cells lining the back of your eye. It converts light rays into signals, which are sent through the optic nerve to your brain where they are recognized as images. A blocked vein damages the [...]