Cataracts:
This is the opacity of the crystalline or ocular lens. The crystalline is a clear,
transparent and flexible lens that bends or stretches to focus nearer or farther objects.
It is comparable to a photographic camera.
Cataracts cause:
- Blurry or double vision, increased problems with glare and heightened sensitivity to
light.
- Very poor night vision and lack of contrast.
Treatment: Treated by surgery. The opaque crystalline lens is substituted by a transparent
intraocular lens or by a lens with an artificial iris. The outcome depends as always on
each patient, the condition of the retina, cornea and ocular pressure.
Glaucoma:
High ocular pressure, produced by a failure in the drainage of the liquid of the
interior of the eye; causing the eye to accumulate too much liquid and therefore cause
elevated pressure in its interior. If it is not controlled and rises too high, it can
damage the optic nerve with irreversible loss of vision.
In some patients with aniridia, the drainage system of the eye does not function
correctly, perhaps because the root of the iris is stuck to the trabecular system of the
camerular angle and reduces the drainage of the aqueous humor from the anterior chamber to
the external part of the eye.
In small children in whom the epithelium is more elastic, glaucoma is detected by the
increased size and hardness of the ocular globe. Generally it is accompanied by pain and
blurry vision, although sometimes no concrete symptoms indicate its occurrence. It is more
frequent in the infant or juvenile stage, but it can appear in any moment of life, and for
this reason frequent checkups are recommended, at least once a year, to detect glaucoma in
time.
Treatment: Glaucoma can be treated with eye drops, pills and, if the pressure still cannot
be controlled, surgery. Lost vision cannot be recuperated, but the rise in ocular pressure
is halted.
The surgical technique consists of opening new drainage channels, or opening the ones
already existing. There are different procedures, the most frequent is trabeculectomy.
The key to the treatment of glaucoma is prevention with eye drops, which becomes a chronic
treatment. It is very important that the patient be aware of the need to continually use
the drops.
Corneal degeneration:
The cornea is the epithelium which covers the iris and pupil.
The cornea is the part of the eye that is most exposed to external agents, and therefore,
more exposed to infections and lesions. The great regenerative capacity of the cells is of
great importance. The reproduction of the corneal cells originate in the stem cells
located in the limbus, the border area between the cornea and the conjunctiva. Any defect
or lack in the reproduction of the stem cells (as occurs with some people with aniridia),
causes a loss in the regenerative capacity of the cornea, which tends to opacify,
vascularize or ulcerate or make more difficult the recuperation from a transplant or other
operations.
The symptoms are: double, distorted or blurry vision.
Treatment: This is treated surgically by corneal transplant or keratoplastia or by
scraping the cornea (keratectomy) and by limbal transplant. Also, attempts are being made
to transplant amniotic cells to help the corneal regeneration.
A transplant of the limbus can cause post-operative problems, since it is in a
vascularized area, there are more possibilities of rejection and the patient must follow
an immune-suppressant treatment.
Hypoplasia of the optic nerve and the macular:
Lack of development of the optic nerve and of this part of the retina (through which
fine vision is perceived), causing low visual acuity.
Strabismus:
Poor ocular alignment.
Amblyopia:
The eye with better vision is used more often, which causes the other eye to become
“lazy”.
Luxation of crystalline lens:
Dislocation of the lens.
Dry eye:
Disorder in the lachrymal secretions.
Wilms tumor:
Tumor of the kidney.
The symptoms are: Abdominal mass that causes abdominal pain and inflammation, fever and
general indisposition, although sometimes there are no clear symptoms, and in small
children it is very difficult to detect. It is necessary to detect it through ultrasounds,
scanners or magnetic resonance, when it is still in the initial stage and has not spread
to other organs of the body. In these cases the percentage of survival is very high.
Checkups are carried out in infancy (up to 6 years of age) which is the time of highest
risk.
Frequently it is unilateral, (in one kidney), although it can occur in both, which
complicates its treatment.
Treatment: The treatment is a combination of chemotherapy and kidney extirpation through
surgery, when it is in the initial phase, well localized and has not extended to other
organs of the body. In this case, the treatment is usually successful.
Cerebellar ataxia:
Discoordination of movements (Gillespie Syndrome). |
