Overview
Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with the eyes, eyelids, tear system, and visual pathways. Ophthalmologists are physicians who can examine the eyes, diagnose disease, prescribe treatments, and perform surgery. This specialty includes routine eye care as well as urgent and long-term management of serious eye conditions.
Key Symptoms
People may seek ophthalmology care for blurry vision, trouble seeing at night, double vision, eye redness, pain, flashes of light, floaters, or sudden vision changes. Other symptoms include tearing, dryness, light sensitivity, swelling around the eyes, or a feeling that something is in the eye. Some important eye diseases, such as glaucoma or diabetic eye disease, may cause few or no symptoms at first.
Causes and Risk Factors
Eye problems can be caused by aging, injury, infections, long-term health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, and inherited conditions. Risk can also be affected by smoking, ultraviolet light exposure, certain medicines, and a family history of eye disease. Uncorrected refractive errors, cataracts, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and diabetic retinopathy are well-known causes of reduced vision worldwide.
Who Is Affected
People of all ages may need ophthalmology care, from newborns to older adults. Children may be seen for crossed eyes, lazy eye, blocked tear ducts, or vision problems that affect learning. Adults and older people commonly need care for cataracts, glaucoma, retinal disease, dry eye, and changes linked to diabetes or aging.
Prevention
Prevention depends on the condition, but regular eye examinations are an important way to protect vision. Managing diabetes and blood pressure, not smoking, wearing protective eyewear during risky activities, and using sunglasses that block ultraviolet light may lower risk for some problems. Contact lenses should be cleaned and used exactly as directed to help prevent serious eye infections.
Diagnosis and Tests
Eye evaluation may include a vision test, refraction, slit-lamp examination, eye pressure measurement, and a dilated retinal exam. Depending on symptoms, an ophthalmologist may also use imaging tests such as optical coherence tomography, ultrasound, or retinal photography. Some conditions need visual field testing or urgent examination to look for damage to the cornea, optic nerve, retina, or blood vessels.
Treatment Categories
Treatment depends on the problem and may include glasses or contact lenses, eye drops, oral medicines, laser treatment, injections around or into the eye, or surgery. Examples include cataract surgery, glaucoma treatment, repair of eye injuries, and treatment for retinal disease. Early treatment can be important because some causes of vision loss can become permanent if care is delayed.
When to Seek Medical Care
Arrange medical care for new blurry vision, ongoing redness, discharge, discomfort, light sensitivity, or changes that interfere with reading, driving, school, or work. People with diabetes, a strong family history of eye disease, or past eye surgery may need regular follow-up even if they feel well. Eye symptoms after an injury or chemical exposure should always be assessed promptly.
When It May Be an Emergency
Get urgent medical help right away for sudden vision loss, severe eye pain, a chemical splash, a penetrating injury, sudden flashes with many new floaters, or a curtain-like shadow over vision. Urgent care is also needed for eye symptoms with severe headache, nausea, halos around lights, or weakness or trouble speaking. These can be signs of conditions that threaten vision or signal a medical emergency.