A stye (also called a hordeolum) is a small, red, painful lump that grows from the base of your eyelash or under the eyelid. Most styes are caused by a bacterial infection. You can also get a stye if you have blepharitis. This is a condition that makes your eyelids at the base of the eyelashes red and swollen. When you first get a stye, your eyelid is probably red and tender to the touch. Your eye may also feel sore and scratchy. A chalazion is a swollen bump on the eyelid. It happens when the eyelid’s oil gland clogs up. It may start as an internal hordeolum (stye). At first, you might not know you have a chalazion as there is little or no pain. But as it grows, your eyelid may get red, swollen, and sometimes tender to touch. If the chalazion gets large, it can press on your eye and cause blurry vision. Rarely, the whole eyelid might swell. Dr. Bhandarkar may give you a prescription for antibiotic pills by mouth and special anti-inflammatory steroid cream at your visit.

Blepharitis is inflammation of the eyelids. They may appear red, swollen, or feel like they are burning or sore. You may have flakes or oily particles (crusts) wrapped at the base of your eyelashes too. Blepharitis is very common, especially among people who have oily skin, dandruff or rosacea. Everyone has some bacteria on their skin. Some people, however, have more bacteria at the base of their eyelashes than other people. This can cause dandruff-like flakes to form. Also, some people have problems with oil glands in their eyelids, leading to blepharitis. We have several different treatments for Blepharitis including antibiotic and steroid ointments and mechanical cleaning aids which may be prescribed at your visit with Dr. Bhandarkar.

Inside our eyes, we have a natural lens. The lens bends (refracts) light rays that come into the eye to help us see. If you have a cataract, your lens has become cloudy, like the bottom lens in the illustration. It is like looking through a foggy or dusty car windshield. Things look blurry, hazy or less colorful with a cataract. Symptoms of having a cataract include blurry vision, double vision, light sensitivity, increased glare at night, trouble reading and driving and loss of contrast. Dr. Bhandarkar can inform you on the level of your cataracts during a dilated eye exam in the office and can advise you if surgery is needed.

Conjunctivitis is often called pink eye. It happens when the conjunctiva is irritated by an infection or allergies. Your eyes are red and swollen (inflamed), and sometimes they have a sticky discharge. You can have conjunctivitis in one or both eyes. Some types of pink eye are very contagious (easily spread from person to person). Viral conjunctivitis is the most common type of pink eye. This conjunctivitis is very contagious and often spreads through schools and other crowded places. It usually causes burning, red eyes with a watery discharge. Bacterial conjunctivitis is also very contagious. An infection from bacteria causes this form of pink eye. With bacterial conjunctivitis, you have sore, red eyes with a lot of sticky pus. Allergic conjunctivitis is a type of pink eye that comes from an allergic reaction to something. It is not contagious. Allergic pink eye makes your eyes very itchy, red and watery, and the eyelids may get puffy. Dr. Bhandarkar can evaluate you for conjunctivitis and prescribe the correct medication at your visit.

People with diabetes can have an eye disease called diabetic retinopathy. This is when high blood sugar levels cause damage to blood vessels in the retina. These blood vessels can swell and leak. Or they can close, stopping blood from passing through. Sometimes abnormal new blood vessels grow on the retina. All of these changes can steal your vision. PDR is the more advanced stage of diabetic eye disease. It happens when the retina starts growing new blood vessels. This is called neovascularization. These fragile new vessels often bleed into the vitreous. If they only bleed a little, you might see a few dark floaters. If they bleed a lot, it might block all vision. These new blood vessels can form scar tissue. Scar tissue can cause problems with the macula or lead to a detached retina. PDR is very serious and can steal both your central and peripheral (side) vision.  Dr. Bhandarkar can advise you if you have any diabetic retinopathy with a dilated eye exam.

Our eyes need tears to stay healthy and comfortable. If your eyes do not produce enough tears, it is called dry eye. Dry eye is also when your eyes do not make the right type of tears or tear film.  Symptoms of dry eye include stinging and burning. Blurred vision, especially when reading. There is a scratchy or gritty feeling like something is in your eye. There are strings of mucus in or around your eyes. Your eyes are red or irritated. This is especially true when you are in the wind or near cigarette smoke. It is painful to wear contact lenses.  You have lots of tears in your eyes.   Dry eyes can be caused by aging, change in hormonal status, history of contact lens use, allergies, medications and medical conditions.   We have several treatments for Dry eyes including steroid eye drops, Restasis, Xiidra, Cequa and punctal plug occlusion.  Dr. Bhandarkar can perform a thorough evaluation and treatment plan for your dry eye symptoms.  

Floaters look like small specks, dots, circles, lines or cobwebs in your field of vision. While they seem to be in front of your eye, they are floating inside. Floaters are tiny clumps of gel or cells inside the vitreous that fills your eye. What you see are the shadows these clumps cast on your retina. You usually notice floaters when looking at something plain, like a blank wall or a blue sky. As we age, our vitreous starts to thicken or shrink. Sometimes clumps or strands form in the vitreous. If the vitreous pulls away from the back of the eye, it is called posterior vitreous detachment. Floaters usually happen with posterior vitreous detachment. They are not serious, and they tend to fade or go away over time. Severe floaters can be removed by surgery, but this has risks and is seldom necessary. Flashes can look like flashing lights or lightning streaks in your field of vision. Some people compare them to seeing “stars” after being hit on the head. You might see flashes on and off for weeks, or even months. Flashes happen when the vitreous rubs or pulls on your retina. As people age, it is common to see flashes occasionally.  Dr. Bhandarkar can rule out a retinal tear or detachment with a complete dilated eye exam.  

 Glaucoma is a disease that damages your eye’s optic nerve. It usually happens when fluid builds up in the front part of your eye. That extra fluid increases the pressure in your eye, damaging the optic nerve. Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness for people over 60 years old. But blindness from glaucoma can often be prevented with early treatment. This is the most common type of glaucoma. With open-angle glaucoma, there are no warning signs or obvious symptoms in the early stages. As the disease progresses, blind spots develop in your peripheral (side) vision. Most people with open-angle glaucoma do not notice any change in their vision until the damage is quite severe. This is why glaucoma is called the “silent thief of sight.” Having regular eye exams can help your ophthalmologist find this disease before you lose vision. Your ophthalmologist can tell you how often you should be examined. Some people have no signs of damage but have higher than normal eye pressure (called ocular hypertension). These patients are considered "glaucoma suspects" and have a higher risk of eventually developing glaucoma. Some people are considered glaucoma suspects even if their eye pressure is normal. For instance, their ophthalmologist may notice something different about their optic nerve. Anyone who is considered a glaucoma suspect should be carefully monitored by their ophthalmologist. Dr. Bhandarkar can conduct a complete glaucoma evaluation in our clinic and advise you if you are at risk for glaucoma with a complete exam.

 

 

 

Subconjunctival hemorrhage is when one or more blood spots appear on the white of your eye. The eye’s conjunctiva contains a lot of tiny blood vessels that can break. If they break, blood leaks between the conjunctiva and sclera. This bleeding is the bright red spot that you see on the white of your eye. These blood spots can look scary. But a subconjunctival hemorrhage is usually harmless and often heals on its own. Coughing, sneezing, straining, or elevate blood pressure can commonly cause subconjunctival hemorrhages. This is because they briefly raise blood pressure in your veins. That quick pressure rise can cause capillaries to break. Trauma to the eye can also cause subconjunctival hemorrhage. Even rubbing your eyes too hard might cause capillaries to break. Dr. Bhandarkar can confirm the diagnosis during your eye exam and make sure your eye is healthy otherwise. 

A blockage can occur at any point in the tear drainage system. When that happens, your tears don't drain properly, giving you watery eyes and increasing your risk of eye infections and inflammation. Symptoms of a blocked tear duct may include watery eyes or tears running out of the eyes. The symptoms of a blocked tear duct may get worse after a cold or sinus infection. Also, symptoms may be more noticeable after exposure to cold, wind or sunlight. When tear ducts are blocked, trapped bacteria in the nasolacrimal sac can lead to infection (called dacryocystitis). Symptoms of infection include: inflammation (swelling), tenderness and redness of the inside corner of the eye or around the eye and nose, recurrent eye infections, eye mucus discharge, and crusty eyelashes.  Dr. Bhandarkar can evaluate you for a clogged tear duct at your eye exam and recommend antibiotic pills or drops.