impairment: Al-Mutab and Al-Suhaibani

Visual impairment is one of the most common diseases, and it is among the most important diseases that can affect people at different stages of life and has several causes, including, for example, white water, a disease that affects the eye and threatens many with blindness, according to the reports of the World Health Organization in addition to other diseases that will be the focus of our dialogue In the following symposium, which we are pleased to participate in, Dr. Muhammad Al-Mutaib, consultant ophthalmologist, cornea and cataract, and Dr. Adel Al-Suhaibani, consultant ophthalmologist and white water diseases, where the following dialogue took place:

We start talking with Dr. Muhammad al-Mutaib, to get acquainted with him about the most important causes of vision impairment .. where he said: There are many causes that lead to poor vision, but among the most important and internationally known causes can be identified in four causes, including white water, glaucoma, and retinal diseases resulting About diabetes, corneal diseases.

White water

Dr. Adel Al-Suhaibani introduces us to cataract and says: Cataract, opacity of the eye, or cataract, as it is known internationally, is one of the most important causes of blindness in the world, and among the most important causes of cataract is aging and aging, in addition to many other causes, including diabetes However, whoever decides to perform the operation is the patient and not the doctor, when the patient notices a delay in vision, or his vision is no longer clear as it was before, but is covered by a cloud like fog and negatively affects his work performance, career and daily life, although it is possible that his vision is 6-6 Because visual acuity is a quantitative measure, not a qualitative measure, so the patient''s delay in making the decision to perform the operation will notice a number of changes that will occur in his life.

Blue water is not blue

We go back to Dr. Muhammad al-Mutaib to ask him about glaucoma, about which he said: glaucoma, as you know, is a disease that affects the optic nerve, the part responsible for carrying the images that we see in the brain, and the reason for that is high eye pressure, which leads to eye injury With damage to the tissues of the optic nerve, and before continuing to answer the question, I would like to clarify that naming glaucoma with blue water is a common mistake, and it is an incorrect name because there is no blue water inside the eye, but the reason for the name goes back to the Greek language, so the word glaucoma means blue waterfalls because the patient sometimes watches Blue halos around the light source, giving the impression that inside the eyes are blue water.

Prime reason

And we stop our guest to find out from him the main cause of glaucoma? Which he said about: The cause of glaucoma or high intraocular pressure is due to the lack of any balance between the amount of fluid secreted by the eye and the ability of the eye channels to drain this fluid, resulting in the accumulation of this fluid inside the eye and pressure on the inner eye tissues, including the optic nerve.

for all ages

We turn to Dr. Adel to ask: Is glaucoma a disease that affects specific age groups? He says: Glaucoma is a disease that affects all ages alike, but there are people who are more susceptible than others to infection, and we mention, for example, members of families with a genetic history of glaucoma, and individuals who suffer from some other eye diseases in addition to the presence of previous eye injuries.

Types of glaucoma

Is glaucoma one type or multiple types? Dr. Muhammad Al-Mutaib says: There are five types of glaucoma, which we briefly and quickly summarize: chronic open angle glaucoma, acute closed angle glaucoma, chronic closed angle glaucoma, congenital glaucoma, secondary glaucoma.

Retina and diabetes

And we talk about another cause of visual impairment with our guest, Dr. Adel Al-Suhaibani, which is retinal disease caused by diabetes, which our guest says about: The numbers indicate that about 120 million people around the world suffer from diabetes and it is a major cause of blindness and visual impairment in The elderly, especially in economically developed countries, studies confirm that after 15 years of developing diabetes, complications develop in about 10% of patients, causing visual impairment, while 2% of them become blind, and it is known that diabetes is a chronic disease, but it can be obtained Good results if its complications are detected early, and they can be treated, God willing, especially if the treatment is done in the golden time before the disease develops, and in contrast, the delay in the periodic examination procedure leads to complications that lead to vision loss.

Processing means

On the most prominent methods of treatment for retinal problems resulting from diabetes, Dr. Muhammad Al-Mutaib says: There are several ways to treat retinopathy caused by diabetes, including the use of lasers of various types to treat the effects of the edges of the retina or the vision center or both, depending on the situation, and during the past few years Scientists have discovered a new treatment used to treat diabetes and other diseases affecting the retina, with a substance known as "Avastin", which is an anti-formation of abnormal blood vessels and reduce leakage in the retina, and in cases of advanced infection in which the corneal injury is accompanied by chronic bleeding in the vitreous body or detachment Reticulocyte due to diabetes, it needs surgery in addition to laser at the same time.

Corneal diseases

In our conversation, we deal with another cause of visual impairment, which is corneal diseases, which Dr. Adel Al-Suhaibani says: It is also known that the cornea is the part through which light passes to the inner part of the eye, which allows us to see that diseases of the cornea, and there are diseases of the cornea that lead to the feeling of pain Very severe, including corneal infections, whether they are bacteria, fungi or viral, and they are among the common causes that lead to infection or ulceration of the cornea.

Other diseases

We ask Dr. Muhammad al-Mutaib, are there other diseases that affect the cornea? He says: Among the most prevalent diseases are keratoconus, which is known as abnormal curvature of the cornea, and corneal degeneration that may occur after white water surgery (swelling of the cornea), and some changes resulting from aging may affect the transparency of the cornea, and among some corneal diseases there are some for some reason It is hereditary and leads to corneal opacity and loss of vision, so if the cornea becomes completely opaque, the only way to restore vision to the patient is by replacing or transplanting the cornea, and here I would like to emphasize that corneal transplantation is the most successful tissue transplant procedure.

Corneal ulcers

We conclude our seminar by talking to Dr. Adel Al-Suhaibani about corneal ulcers, who said about it: A corneal ulcer is defined as an erosion or an open sore in the outer layer of the cornea, and the most prominent symptoms are pain and redness, and among the most important causes of infection is the infection, as most of the ulcers that affect the cornea It occurs as a result of an infection, including bacterial infection, and spreads among contact lens users, and there is a viral infection, including the herpes virus and chicken pox, and there is a fungal infection that occurs as a result of lack of care for contact lens hygiene or excessive use of eye s that contain cortisone, and among the causes of infection also entering the body Strange to the cornea or corneal scratches, which causes injury to the surface of the cornea, which makes it vulnerable to penetrating the cornea and causing an ulcer to the cornea, and there is also injury and chronic dryness of the eye, which occurs as a result of the absence of the thin tear layer on the surface of the eye that works to continuously clean the eye and protect it from any infection Or a foreign body, such as small grains of sand, or exposure to chemicals inside the eye.

The most prominent symptoms

Dr. Muhammad al-Mutaib highlights the most prominent symptoms of corneal ulcers and says: The symptoms of a corneal ulcer are the following: severe redness of the eye, eye pain, a feeling of a foreign body in the eye, constant teariness, pus or sticky and thick secretions in the eye, blurring of vision, increased sensitivity to light, Eyelid swelling, the presence of small round white or gray spots that can be seen with the naked eye in the cornea if the size of the cornea is large, and the disease is diagnosed through an ophthalmologist, and sometimes it is diagnosed using a fluorescein test, which is a type of dye to show the sore and easy to see.

Methods for prevention

Dr. Adel Al-Suhaibani sets out a set of important guidelines for preventing corneal ulcers and says: If the patient wears contact lenses, they must be removed immediately, and the use of cold compresses on the affected eye, and the patient must rub or touch the eye by hand, and pay attention to frequent washing of the hands and drying them constantly with a clean towel. And an eye protector must be worn if there is a possibility of exposure to small particles that can enter the eye, and if a person has dry eyes, artificial tears must be used, careful care when cleaning the lenses, and when any eye irritation is felt, contact lenses should be removed and not placed in the eye until after improvement .