Blepharitis

Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. The inflammation can be found on the outer or inner eyelid. The condition can be difficult to manage because it tends to recur. Symptoms of blepharitis include burning, itching, swelling, flaky skin at the base of the lashes, crusting of the eyelids, blurred vision excessive tearing, itching, sensitivity to light. Other causes of blepharitis can be infections, or other skin conditions.

Treatment: Good eyelid hygiene, including frequent cleaning, light scrubbing, using a mixture of water and baby shampoo. Severe cases of blepharitis may require antibiotics or steroids.

Color Blindness: The colors we see are a result of how our eyes (and thus our brains) interpret different wavelengths of light. People with color blindness have difficulty seeing certain colors, usually reds, greens, and blues.  Inherited color blindness is caused by abnormal photopigments. Most of the time this is genetic but it can also be caused by aging, disease, trauma to the eye, or certain medications. If the cause of the color blindness is genetic, the problem cannot be corrected but people may be trained to adapt to interpret color shades. Men are much more likely to be colorblind than women because the genes responsible for the most common, inherited color blindness are on the X chromosome. In cases where color blindness is acquired, it may be treatable.

Treatment: There is no cure for color blindness. However, people with red-green color blindness may be able to use a special set of lenses to help them perceive colors more accurately. These lenses can only be used outdoors under bright lighting conditions. Visual aids have also been developed to help people cope with color blindness. There are iPhone and iPad apps, for example, that help people with color blindness discriminate among colors.