Eye Conditions D-K

Diabetes: How it Affects Your Vision: What You Need to Know

Diabetes mellitus (usually referred to as diabetes) is a chronic carbohydrate metabolism disorder resulting from inadequate production or utilization of the hormone insulin. When a person has diabetes, their pancreas either doesn’t make enough insulin or their body cannot use it effectively. Diabetes is an illness that makes it hard for your body to use […]

Dry Eyes

What Is Dry Eye? Dry eye is a condition in which the tears do not sufficiently hydrate the cornea. The cornea is a transparent dome-shaped tissue that forms the front part of the eye. It functions as a window and allows light to enter the eye. What Are Tears? The tear film of the eye […]

retina with small tear (text: retinal tear)

Floaters, Retinal Tears, and Retinal Detachments

By Mrinali Patel Gupta, M.D. What Are Floaters? As their name implies, floaters are usually small, black shapes that look like spots, squiggles, or threads and “float about” in one’s vision. They generally move as the eyes move and are most noticeable against a plain bright background, such as a white or light-colored wall. What […]

Distant view of a city. Example of vision with glaucoma. Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases which result in damage to the optic nerve and vision loss.

A Guide to Living with Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness, especially among older adults. It often develops slowly and without warning, earning its nickname: the “sneak thief of sight.” This guide is here to help you understand glaucoma in plain language, navigate your diagnosis, and take steps to protect your vision and quality […]

Juvenile Macular Degeneration

How Is Juvenile Macular Degeneration Diagnosed? As central visual acuity declines, your child or teenager will have difficulty reading (or recognizing pictures, numbers, and letters if not yet reading), identifying faces and facial expressions, driving, and gathering all of the visual information on a television screen, computer screen, phone, or tablet. The child may notice […]

Woman in eye doctors office with a cover on one eye and an eye chart in the background

Legal Blindness: What is it?

“Legal blindness” is a definition used by the United States government to determine eligibility for vocational training, rehabilitation, schooling, disability benefits, low vision devices, and tax exemption programs. It’s not a functional low-vision definition and doesn’t tell us much about what a person can and cannot see. Having low vision means that even with regular glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery, you […]

Keratoconus

What Is Keratoconus? Keratoconus is a bilateral (both eyes) degenerative condition of the cornea, a transparent dome-shaped tissue that forms the front part of the eye. Keratoconus gradually causes the cornea to thin, bulge/protrude outward, and become cone-shaped. This creates an abnormal curvature of the eye called astigmatism that can cause blurry vision, problems with […]