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A stye (hordeolum) is a small, painful bump at the base of your eyelash or under the eyelid. It often causes the eyelid to swell. A chalazion is a larger red lump on the eyelid. A chalazion is not usually very painful, and it usually doesn’t cause the entire eyelid to swell. Treatments range from warm

Subconjunctival hemorrhage is a blood spot on the white of your eye. It looks serious, but it is usually harmless. Subconjunctival hemorrhage is caused by a broken blood vessel in the eye, which often happens when coughing, sneezing or straining leads to a quick rise in blood pressure. Trauma to the

Thyroid eye disease (TED) is when your immune system attacks the muscles and tissues surrounding your eyes. This pushes the eye forward and causes the eyes to bulge. TED can also cause dry eye and double vision. You can reduce symptoms by using lubricating eye drops, wearing sunglasses, and quitting

A torn retina is when you have a hole or tear in your retina, like a rip in a piece of cloth. This is a serious problem that must be treated right away. Symptoms include seeing a lot of floaters and flashes suddenly, as well as vision loss. It is treated with surgery. If you have any questions about

Toxoplasmosis is a disease caused by a parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Most people who get the disease don’t have any symptoms and don’t need treatment. For people with weak immune systems or babies who get toxoplasmosis from their mothers, it can cause serious health problems. There is no cure

Trabeculectomy is a type of surgery to treat glaucoma. With glaucoma, fluid does not drain properly from the front of the eye. Pressure builds in the eye, which damages the optic nerve. Trabeculectomy creates a new way for aqueous humor to drain from the eye. This helps reduce eye pressure. If you have

Trachoma is an eye infection affecting both eyes. It is the world’s leading cause of infectious blindness. If the infection is untreated, scarring occurs inside the eyelid. This leads to the eyelashes turning inward toward the eye. The eyelashes brush and scratch against the cornea. This continual

Trichiasis is a common eyelid problem. With trichiasis, eyelashes grow inwards toward the eye. The lashes rub against the cornea, the conjunctiva, and the inner surface of the eyelids. This irritates the eye. Anyone can develop trichiasis, although it is more common in adults. Eye infection, swelling

Usher syndrome is a condition that is inherited from your parents. It causes hearing and vision loss. Vision loss happens because of an associated disease called retinitis pigmentosa. This is when light-sensitive cells in the retina die, causing blindness over time. Treatment can include learning Braille

Uveitis is when the middle layer of the eyeball (uvea) gets inflamed. You are more likely to get uveitis if you have had certain diseases, viruses or an eye injury. Symptoms include a red eye, pain and blurry vision. This is a serious condition that must be treated immediately to save vision. Treatment

A visual field test measures how much you can see around you. Ophthalmologists often use this test to diagnose and monitor eye problems. To take the test, you sit at a device called a perimeter with one eye covered. When you see a light appear on a screen, you simply press a button. The test is repeated

People get vitamin A deficiency when they do not eat a balanced diet with enough vitamin A. If you have vitamin A deficiency, you may have trouble seeing at night (night blindness). If untreated, it can lead to corneal ulcers and permanent blindness. Vitamin A deficiency is treated with vitamin A supplements. If

Vitrectomy is a type of eye surgery to treat certain problems of the retina and vitreous. Some of these problems include diabetic retinopathy, detached retina, macula problems and more. Usually an ophthalmologist does this surgery to remove blood in the vitreous that keeps light from focusing properly

Vitreomacular traction (VMT) is when vitreous— which fills the middle of our eyes—doesn’t detach completely from the back of the eye as it should with age. The vitreous then pulls on the macula, which can damage the macula and threaten vision. Symptoms of VMT include distorted/blurry vision, seeing

Wavefront-guided LASIK (or custom LASIK) is a type of refractive surgery. With this outpatient procedure, a laser is used to reshape your cornea, improving how light rays are focused in the eye. A device called a wavefront scanner creates a very detailed map of the cornea. This map is programmed into