Find Out More About Eye Diseases With Our Team in Toowoomba

The macula is the central part of the retina. It is located directly behind the pupil at the back of the eye.  It is the most sensitive part of the retina as it provides detailed vision and colour vision. You read, recognize faces, thread a needle, drive a car and watch TV with your macula. Diseases of the macula can affect all of these functions. 

Macular degeneration is a condition where the portion of the retina that is responsible for detailed vision such as reading or recognizing faces (called the macula) is damaged. There are two forms of macular degeneration – wet macular degeneration and dry macular degeneration.

Ask us to provide you with an Amsler grid that can be used for regular self-checks at home. Darling Downs Optometrist can further test with an extensive examination that includes looking at the back of the eye, taking retinal photos and a non-invasive OCT scan at $59.00 if required.

Currently, there is no treatment for the dry form of macular degeneration. Wet macular degeneration can be treated with a regular schedule of intravitreal injections. Ultraviolet protection (with wrap-around sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat), a diet rich in anti-oxidants (leafy green and red/yellow vegetables, corn, eggs and fish) and not smoking all help to reduce the risk of AMD progressing.

A pterygium is a small fleshy growth of tissue on the front surface of the eye. It is usually raised and red. It can increase in size over time and spread across onto the cornea. It occurs in response to sunlight exposure, usually acquired during childhood and early adulthood.

Because pterygia are raised, they can cause ocular irritation and symptoms of dryness or foreign body sensation. 

They can result in blurry vision by destabilizing the tear film, or through induced astigmatism (by deforming the front of the eye).

They can also become very red and unsightly and cause sufferers distress through their appearance.

Regular application of ocular lubricants is normally the first line of defence. This will help alleviate the irritation. Unfortunately, your pterygium will not regress with eye drops alone.

Surgical removal is recommended once the pterygium gets close to the pupil margin.

Pterygium removal is conducted under assisted local anaesthetic. The operation usually takes 45-60 minutes and you will feel no pain or discomfort during the procedure.

After your operation, your eye will feel very sore for 3-4 days. It will be watery, feel like gritty sand is inside your lids, and your eye will be very sensitive to light.

We recommend you take one week off from work/normal duties if possible.

Your eye will be red for 6-8 weeks after surgery.

Dry eyes are a very common but potentially debilitating condition. There are many causes of dry eye, but the most common is meibomian gland dysfunction, also called Blepharitis. This results in the important oil layer of our tears being unstable and thinner than it should normally be.

Healthy tears are vital to your eyes functioning correctly.  Your tears are a very important part of your eyes, immunity, cleaning system and optical pathway.  

When your eyes are dry you may experience:

• Painful, sore gritty eyes
• Blurred vision
• Recurrent corneal infections or erosions
• Persistent eye “fatigue”
• A pressure feeling behind the eyes
• “Watering” eyes

Talk to our Optometrist about the best approaches to your specific dry eye problem.

Sometimes small blood vessels in the whites of the eyes break and cause a red spot or speck. This is called a subconjunctival hemorrhage. The blood vessels may break because of sneezing, coughing, vomiting, straining, or bending over, but sometimes there is no clear cause. The blood may look alarming, especially if the spot is large. It is usually not a cause for concern and will clear up in 2 to 3 weeks. Subconjunctival hemorrhage is usually not a serious problem if your vision is normal, there is no eye pain, and the bleeding does not cover a large portion of the white of the eye and does not spread into the coloured part of the eye (iris).

Bleeding that occurs between the coloured part of the eye (iris) and the cornea is called a hyphema. This is more serious than bleeding that occurs in the white of the eye. You may have mild pain or no pain at all. After an eye injury, blood usually appears immediately. But if the injury is mild, blood may not appear until up to 5 days later. You may also have vision changes. Hyphema may be a more serious problem for a person who has sickle cell disease. If you have a hyphema, see an eye specialist (ophthalmologist).

Medicines that help prevent blood clots may increase the risk of bleeding in both the white or coloured part of the eye. When there is bleeding in the eye, do not take aspirin, aspirin-related products, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) for pain because they can increase bleeding. Use acetaminophen (such as Tylenol) instead.

Eye floaters are small moving spots that appear in your field of vision. They may be especially noticeable when you look at something bright, such as white paper or a blue sky.

Eye floaters can be annoying, but they generally don't interfere with your sight.

Occasionally a particularly large eye floater may cast a subtle shadow over your vision. But this tends to occur only in certain types of light.

Most of the time people learn to live with eye floaters and ignore them. And they often become less noticeable over months to years. Only rarely do benign eye floaters become bothersome enough to consider treatment.

But sometimes eye floaters are a sign of a more serious condition. You should seek immediate medical attention if you notice a sudden increase in the number of eye floaters.

Immediate medical attention is especially important if the floaters are accompanied by flashes of light or a loss of side vision. If you have these symptoms, see an eye doctor right away. If available, choose an ophthalmologist with retinal expertise. Without immediate treatment, you can have permanent vision loss. These symptoms may be caused by:

• Retinal detachment
• Retinal tear
• Bleeding within the eye
• Symptoms of Eye Floaters

Eye floaters, when seen, usually appear to have some slight. They generally appear to dart away when you try to focus on them.

Eye floaters can appear in many different shapes, such as:

• Black or grey dots
• Squiggly lines
• Threadlike strands, which can be knobby and semi-transparent
• Cobwebs
• Ring-shaped

Once you develop eye floaters they usually do not go away, though they tend to improve over time.

Most eye floaters are caused by small flecks of a protein called collagen.

The back compartment of the eye is filled with a gel-like substance called vitreous humour.

As you age, the vitreous and its millions of fine collagen fibres shrink and become shred-like. Shreds can accumulate in the vitreous. The clear vitreous gel which completely fills the back of the eye earlier in life decreases in size and no longer can fill this space…. it pulls away from the retina and it is often the areas of previous attachment to the retina which are seen as floaters as they now float freely in the vitreous gel.

Meibomian glands are glands that are arranged vertically within the eyelid near the lashes. The force of an eyelid blink causes oil to be excreted onto the posterior lid margin. The oil is the “staying power” of the tears that help prevent rapid tear evaporation. In a patient with Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), vision is affected because there is too much or too little oil in the tear film.

MGD is the most common form of lid margin disease. In the early stages, patients are often asymptomatic, but if left unmanaged, MGD can cause or exacerbate dry eye symptoms and eyelid inflammation. The oil glands become blocked with thickened secretions. Chronically clogged glands eventually become unable to secrete oil which results in permanent changes in the tear film and dry eyes.  

Symptoms include:

• Dryness
• Burning
• Itching
• Stickiness
• Watering
• Light Sensitivity
• Red Eyes
• Foreign Body Sensation
• Chalazion/Styes
• Intermittent Blurry Vision

1. Warm Compresses

Heating the lids will increase oil production and melt the oil that has solidified in the glands. Use a warm washcloth to apply heat on the eyelids for two minutes. This warms the oil, allowing it to flow more freely, and helps soften lash debris. 

2. Massage

Apply light pressure with your index finger or a Q-tip to the lid margin near the lash line.  Roll the finger upward on the lower lid while looking up, then roll the finger downward on the upper lid while looking down. Excessive manipulation of the lids can cause additional irritation, so lid massage and scrubs should be performed only twice a day during the acute stage, and once daily during maintenance.

3. Lid Scrubs

This helps to remove oil, bacteria and debris. It also stimulates the oil glands. Use a Q-tip or a warm washcloth on the tips of your fingers to rub along the lash line on the top and bottom lid.

4. Flax Seed Oil

In addition to the above, some people benefit by adding omega-3 fats to their diet which will help with the oil consistency. About 1 tbsp/day for toddlers or 1 tbsp/day for older children is enough. Mix with juice, smoothies, or hot cereal. Do not take with blood-thinning medication or blood-sugar lowering medication.   If your child can take pills, there are tablets that can be taken instead (ex Thera Tears Nutrition).

5. Systane Balance Eye Drops

Used in conjunction with warm compresses and lid massage helps the health of Meibonian Glands so that it can produce the essential oils in the tear film.