Robin wrote:
I have black cobweb-like lines in my right eye, at the right side.  In the morning there are many little tiny dots but they seem to disappear during the day.  Are these a kind of floater?

ANSWER

Dear Robin
Both the cob-web and the tiny dots are types of floaters. Occasionally seeing a small number of floaters is very common, and usually not a sign of serious pathology. However, seeing cobwebs accompanied by many tiny dots in your vision can be an indication of more serious problems with your retina. You need to see your optometrist on an urgent basis to have a thorough assessment of the inside of your eyes to determine what is causing your current symptoms as they can sometimes indicate a retinal tear or a haemorrhage inside the eye.
Please see your optometrist.
Dr. Smit

Mallika wrote:
I have severe allergic conjuctivitis. Can an optometrist prescribe steroid eye drops in Ontario or do I have to go through my family doctor to see an opthomologist? The problem with the latter is that it will take months and by that time allergy season will be over and I’m afraid my eyes may fall out from itching! I’ve tried Patanol, Opticrom, I’m continually using cold ice packs and lubricating my eyes and it is only getting worse. Please help!

ANSWER

Dear Mallika
It sounds as if you are really plagued with allergies! Unfortunately, although in many provinces optometrists can prescribe steroid eye drops, that is not yet the case in Ontario. That is expected to change in the near future, and then you would be able to receive the treatment that you appear to require directly from you optometrist without having to go through your family doctor to see an ophthalmologist. Your family eye doctor could prescribe steroid eye drops, but many are reluctant to do so, as most do not have a slit-lamp microscope to thoroughly examine the exterior of the eye to determine if steroids are required, and to monitor the effectiveness of the treatment should steroids be prescribed. In the meantime, using cold compresses and ocular lubricants (and Patanol if you still have a valid prescription) is probably your best option until you are seen by an ophthalmologist.
Best of luck.
Dr. Smit

Robert wrote:
My eyes are sensitive to light and also motion which make my eye lids want to stay closed. I have no pain no swelling and my vision is perfect. A dry eye test showed they are dry but medicine and off the shelf lubes give no relief. Please help, my doctors are at a lost.

ANSWER

Dear Robert:
With the limited information you have provided, I am at a bit of a loss as well. Sensitivity to light can be caused by a multitude of factors including the density of your pigmentation (blondes tend to be more sensitive than people with darker pigmentation), internal and external eye inflammation. Sensitivity to motion can be caused by a muscle imbalance between the eyes, and it is often related to issues with the inner ear where our balance centre is located. If there are no obvious ocular signs to explain your symptoms, you may need to consult with your family physician in order to investigate other, non-ocular causes.
Best of luck,
Dr. Smit

Carrol wrote:
I was diagnosed with Pingula (not sure of spelling) after complaining of dry eyes.  I have been put on a course of cortisone eye drops every 3 months.  I also bought a pair of sunglasses from the Dr.’s office.  Is there anything else I can do as a preventive like eye vitamins?
Cheers,
Carrol

ANSWER

Dear Carrol
Pingueculae are always located on the white part of your eye that is exposed when your eyes are opened, usually in the “3 and 9 o’clock” position. They are never tucked up under your upper or lower lid. They are a thickening of the normal conjunctiva (skin of the eye) as a response to dryness and irritation from airborne irritants and UV radiation (sun exposure). For most patients, regular use of ocular lubricants (artificial tears) is helpful in keeping pingueculae under control. Cortisone drops are usually only prescribed when the pingueculae become inflamed (pingueculitis) and they are most often prescribed sparingly, to reduce the inflammation to where it is manageable with ocular lubricants. The eye vitamins that are commonly available are usually intended for the treatment of macular degeneration and may be of limited help for pingueculae. Ensuring that you have an adequate amount of Omega 3 oils in your diet (from consumption of fish or available supplements) may also be helpful in controlling the condition.
Hope this helps.
Dr. Smit

Alison wrote:
What is the Canadian definition of legally blind?  I have a friend who had one eye removed and the other eye vision is poor.  Trying to find out under what rules is one considered legally blind.

ANSWER

Alison,

To be considered legally blind in Canada the vision needs to be 20/200 or less in each eye or have a visual field with a diameter equal or less than 20 degrees in each eye. These levels are really severe and It is quite unfortunate as a lot of people with low vision don’t meet these standards. There are many people with vision that is better than 20/200, but are still considered to have low vision as their visual impairment interferes with everyday activities.  It would be best for your friend to visit an Optometrist if they haven’t recently to have their vision checked and to find out if they meet the standard of being legally blind.  Here is the link to information from CRA and it includes the T2201 form, which is required in order to register as being legally blind. http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pbg/tf/t2201/t2201-09e.pdf

Dr. Doman

Teddy wrote:
Hello,

My wife is complaining of ‘fatigue of the eyes’ when reading / doing the dishes / anything which needs to look things at a close distance. It takes her a long time to read a short document since she needs to ‘take a rest’ (take off her glasses and rub the surrounding of the eyes). The glasses were prescribed two years back by an optometrist. In the past 6 years, she saw a number of optometrists and ophthalmologists and changed her glasses 3 times. A month back, we were actively worried and were actively looking on the net and came across her diagnosis - convergence insufficiency. I think she has almost all the signs and symptoms. No body mentioned this problem during her visits. We need somebody to confirm the diagnosis first. What do you recommend? What is the possible treatment options? Can you recommend an optometrist who specializes on convergence insufficiency?

Thanks,
Teddy

ANSWER

Hello Teddy,
Convergence insuf. (CI) is a problem, and I trust most optometrists are confident in testing, diagnosing and treating CI.  Feel free to be specific and ask your optometrist to test and check your wife’s convergence.  The other option would be that you search where you live for an optometrist who specializes in binocular vision.  Usually there is few treatments plans, full prescription, visual training… etc.  Am sorry I can’t be more specific, as I need her prescription, age and where you live.

Dr. Sally Aldayeh, OD

Ida wrote:
I am 43 years old with myopic macular degeneration.  A week ago, I developed my most significant symptoms with distortion, blurriness and movement of whatever my right eye focuses on.  There are about five vertical lines of distortion which have a ripple down effect.  My left eye is working hard to compensate for this so that when I go to focus with both eyes, the movement and distortion is minimal.  That being said, the feelings of nausea and motion sickness are significant.

I consulted with my ophthalmologist who is also a retinal specialist.  I was informed that my left eye and brain would work to rewire, and that eventually, the motion sick feeling would go away.  Do you have any recommendations regarding how I can better cope with these symptoms?

I was told there is no treatment available for my right eye, but am interested in finding out if there are other specialists I should consult or if there are any clinical trials or alternative therapies available for me to try.  I have already been taking eye health vitamins, but am interested in looking at all my options.

This vision loss is impacting my life at an early age, and may risk my ability to continue working sooner than I would like it to.

Thanks.

ANSWER

Hello,
The only two options would be either closing your bad eye and only using your good eye for few hours at a time.  Take a break and open both eyes and so on, just so you don’t strain your good eye.  The other option, would be consulting with your ophthalmologist about anti-nausea medication.  Please keep in mind that there won’t e a quick fix, and that your symptoms are temporarily.  Good luck

Dr. Sally Aldayeh, OD

Teren wrote:
I am 23 and have been wearing progressive lenses since I was 15. I have multiply eye conditions including a prism and require glasses however I am tired of always having to wear larger glasses to accomidate for the progressive lens as most glasss are not made for younger people needing a prism. At work I use a computer but from a distance and do not use my progressive anyway, what could be the side effects on my eyes if i decide to drop the progressive lens?

ANSWER

Hi Teren,
Progressive lenses are usually prescribed for younger patients to aid with their focus deficiency at near, also you have prisms in your glasses to avoid seeing double.  If you drop the progressive lenses, and depending on how strong your near prescription is, you might notice some difficulty focusing at near.  You can ask your optometrist to trial your reading with just your distance prescription and then go from there.  But for sure worth looking into.

Dr. Sally Aldayeh, OD

Helen wrote:
I wear progressive lenses. I am 60. I do a lot of computer work and I have blurry vision reading the computer screen or printed material.
I also have astigmatism and a strong near-sighted prescription.  If I take off my glasses and look at the computer or printed page from pretty close up, then it is much better.   I also think I have dry eyes. I think my prescription is okay because for distance I can see well. Is there a special computer or reading glasses that will help me?  Thanks.

ANSWER

Helen,
Dry eyes are a real concern for many people who work long hours on a computer. Often artificial tears can help the dryness.  Regarding the design of the glasses - yes there are special kinds for the computer.  They are made in Progressive format as well as lined bifocals and sometimes just plain computer readers.  In a Progressive or a bifocal, the top part of the lens is focused on the computer monitor and the bottom is focused on paper closer to you.  Readers are only focused at the computer monitor distance.  Ask your Optometrist to recommend the lens type right for you.
Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO

Michael wrote:
I didn’t know what category to place this under, but over the summer of 2009 I began to have vision problems, I would suddenly have blurry vision, I would squint my eyes, at first this only happened when I would get stressed or upset, or so I thought, I would be fine one min and then look at my cell phone for 2 seconds and look away and things were blurry. Come sept-nov 2009 it would happen randomly at any given time. My eyes would feel sore like my eye balls were swollen; I felt it every time I blinked. and now march 2010 my eyes just hurt, between summer and now my vision has changed dramatically and generally I have great vision all my life I have never had any problems. Somebody told me that if this gets worse than by next summer I could lose my sight all together and possibly be blind, has anyone heard of this before? this is really random, and sounds dumb but I’m really scared cause even I can’t see how rapidly I’m losing my sight, I went to my optometrist and he did full eye scans front and back and then quickly told me he saw nothing wrong but I know in my heart something is wrong, I wake up in the morning, I can’t see, periodically I can’t see, at night I suddenly can’t see, my eyes hurt to blink, it’s all so random, and above all, since I went to see him in Feb., my vision has reduced dramatically.

I’ve never heard let alone see this anywhere with anyone, I sit at the computer all day long but I’ve been this way since I was 14 and have never had any problems, I know it could be a reason but no I don’t think it would cause something like this. Please any feedback would be great. My vision is getting worse each day and I can’t even see across the room anymore. And all this over a period of months.

ANSWER

Michael,
You don’t say how old you are, so this is more difficult to answer. Sometimes prolonged close work (reading) can cause some of these symptoms especially if you are hyperopic (far sighted). I would suggest that you again see an optometrist and describe your symptoms and changes to them. They should then do an exam where they measure your focusing ability more closely, as well as instilling drops to better measure how far sighted you really are. It is possible that you need glasses for close work.

Dr. Joan Hansen, Optometrist for CAO