DEAR DOCTOR K: I'm scheduled to have a corneal transplant. What can I expect during this procedure?
DEAR READER: The cornea is the clear, round "window" that allows light to enter the front of the eye. If the cornea becomes severely diseased or damaged, it can cause a significant loss of vision. A corneal transplant often is the best solution.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I take a daily aspirin to prevent a heart attack. I just read that aspirin can cause macular degeneration. Should I stop taking it?
DEAR READER: No, you shouldn't stop taking aspirin. Medicine — and life — is full of trading off one risk for another. Doctors and medical scientists aren't (yet) smart enough to discover or invent treatments that have absolutely no risks, only benefits. So you have to compare the risk of a treatment against your risks if you don't take it.
DEAR DOCTOR K: My father was diagnosed with a detached retina. The doctor said this isn't uncommon in older people, and that he could have gone blind without treatment. What are the symptoms of, and treatments for, this condition, so I can protect myself?
DEAR READER: Detached retinas can indeed lead to permanent blindness if they are not treated promptly. The good news is that, compared to when I was in medical school, today's treatments are much more effective.
DEAR DOCTOR K: It's finally happened -- I need reading glasses! Can you help me sort through the different types of corrective lenses?
DEAR READER: I don't know how old you are, but if you're over 40, there's a good chance you are like me. I have both myopia (difficulty seeing distant objects clearly) and presbyopia, which makes reading difficult. In myopia, objects in the distance do not focus sharply on the retina -- the part of the eye that senses the image and sends it into the brain. Glasses can bend the light entering your eyes from distant objects and focus the light on the retina.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I wear corrective glasses for astigmatism, but I don't really understand what astigmatism is.
DEAR READER: Astigmatism means that the cornea of the eye has an irregular shape. The cornea is the clear covering over the lens and the iris. The iris controls how much light enters the eye. The lens focuses the light on the retina, the light-sensitive area at the rear of the eye. The cornea protects these structures and helps to transmit light through the eye.
DEAR DOCTOR K: My son has amblyopia. Can we "force" him to use his bad eye?
DEAR READER: Amblyopia is a condition in growing children in which one eye doesn't see as well as the other. Remarkably, the brain figures out which eye is seeing properly and begins to ignore information from the bad eye.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I was recently diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Can you explain how diabetes affects vision?
DEAR READER: Both of the common types of diabetes, Type 1 (which usually begins in childhood) and Type 2 (which usually begins in adulthood), can affect vision in several ways. After 20 years of having Type 2 diabetes, most people have eye problems. But the risk can be reduced, as I'll explain.
DEAR DOCTOR K: My eye was severely injured in an accident and I am scheduled to have a corneal transplant. What will happen during this procedure?
DEAR READER: The cornea is the clear, round "window" of tissue at the front of your eye. Light enters your eye from the cornea, then travels through the pupil and the lens, falling on the retina, the light-sensing part of the eye. A damaged cornea can cause significant vision loss. If this damage is irreversible, a corneal transplant often is the best solution.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I was just diagnosed with dry AMD. I'd like to learn more about the condition.
DEAR READER: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that strikes at the macula, a small part of the retina that is responsible for sharp, central vision. People with AMD often develop blurred or distorted vision.
DEAR DOCTOR K: I'm 55 years old, and I've started seeing tiny black specks that move around in random directions. I'm worried that I may have an eye disease.
DEAR READER: Your symptoms most likely are caused by a common and harmless problem called floaters. The large chamber at the back of your eye is filled with a jelly-like material called the vitreous. In youth, the vitreous is clear and transparent, and allows light to pass freely to the back of the eyeball. There, the retina turns the light into nerve impulses that the brain reconstructs into images.
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Dr. Anthony Komaroff is a practicing physician, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, and Editor in Chief of Harvard Health Publications. Learn more »
Harvard Health Publications is the publishing division of Harvard Medical School, providing the general public with authoritative, trustworthy, and accessible health information. Learn more »
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