Macular Degeneration

Human tears contain over twenty different types of protein as well as mucus and oils. These compounds along with other debris, such as make up are deposited on the surfaces of contact lenses and cause problems such reduced comfort and blurry vision.

Macular Degeneration (also often referred to as AMD, short for Age Related Macular Degeneration) is a disease that affects people as they get older. It causes reduction of central vision. This can be quite mild or in some cases very severe. It is the main cause of sight loss in the UK and the rest of the Western World.

The eyelids contain glands that produce oil that is secreted into the tears. The glands are called meibomian glands and the oil they produce is called meibum. Insufficient oil in the tears or poor quality oil contributes to the eyes becoming dry. This type of dry eye is known as Evaporative Dry Eye.

Tears are made up of water and other substances such as salts, mucus and oil. In Dry Eye Syndrome, tears often become more 'salty' due to a reduction in the watery molecules. These 'saltier' tears are referred to as being 'hyper-osmolar'.

Many people have been told that they suffer from blepharitis, which is a condition which affects the eyelids, causing soreness, redness, crusting and swelling of the lid margin. It is a very common cause of red, burning, dry, watery, gritty eyes and contributes to infections such as repeated lid styes and cysts. Some types of blepharitis are curable, but many cases are chronic (long term) and incurable and requires on-going treatment.

If yes, then you may be suffering from Sjögren's Syndrome. Some people who suffer from dry eyes, do so because they have an underlying auto-immune disorder. Sjögren's Syndrome is one such disorder that is frequently missed and under diagnosed as its symptoms often mimic other conditions. Sjögren's can therefore often be overlooked or misdiagnosed.

A study in Germany has found that regular 'eye training' can lead to improvements in reducing areas of vision loss that occur in glaucoma. Damage to the visual fields in glaucoma were previously thought to be permanent, but recent work by scientist suggest that daily eye workouts may be able to reverse some of the changes.

A new study by Cornell University and published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in December 2013 showed that coffee prevents retinal degeneration.