Diseases of the Eye

Severe burns of the face often involve the eyelids. The treatment is the same as for burns on other parts of the face except that great care must be used to preserve tissues still capable of healing. Chemical burns involving the eye should be given prompt first aid by rinsing the eye with generous quantities of flowing water or milk. The eyelids should be separated so that the rinsing includes their under surfaces. A physician should take over the care of the patient as soon as possible.

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Cataract
In cataract the lens of the eye becomes progressively opaque. The patient first notices a reduction in the acuteness of vision. As the cataract progresses, his vision continues to fail until he can perceive only light and darkness. Frequently cataracts develop at about the same time in both eyes. Of the various types, senile cataract is the most common. It typically develops after the age of fifty.Certain diseases predispose to early development of cataracts, notably diabetes. Sometimes a cataract develops following an eye injury. Long-continued exposure of the eyes to high temperatures, as with workers in glassblowing and iron puddling, favors the development of cataract.

What To Do
1. Consult a physician who specializes in eye diseases (an ophthalmologist).
2. The usual treatment for cataract is surgical removal of the opaque lens. After surgery, light can enter the eye in the normal manner, but because there is no lens the light rays do not focus on the retina. Visual images are blurred and distorted.
3. Therefore the patient must be supplied with artificial lenses in one of tree ways:
a: The wearing of glasses fitted with specially adapted lenses. Such lenses appear thick, but provide reasonably good vision in a central visual field. Lateral vision is somewhat limited.
b: The wearing of contact lenses which rest on the eye itself (beneath the lids) and are of proper size to enclose only the cornea of the eye. When properly fitted, contact lenses provide satisfactory distant vision so that the person sees essentially as well as before. For reading, glasses must be used in addition to the contact lenses.
c: The installation of implanted lenses ("implants"). In this instance, a small, specially prepared plastic lens is inserted into the eye at the time of cataract surgery. Implanted lenses have been in use in Europe for several years. Their use in the United States is relatively recent. There are certain technical difficulties that may cause problems when lens implants are used.