Albinism is a comparatively rare genetically inherited group of conditions which results in a reduction or complete lack of pigment (colour) in the skin, hair and eyes of people with the condition. This can result in pale skin which burns easily in the sun, virtually white hair, very severe short-sight and photophobia (a severe sensitivity to light).
Alstrom Syndrome is an ultra rare recessively inherited genetic disorder, which means that both parents will carry the gene although probably be unaffected themselves. ASUK know of around 80 families in the UK who are affected, this figure could be higher due to delayed diagnosis and the rarity of the condition, many may still be undiagnosed. The condition is characterised by retinal degeration, hearing loss, obesity & insulin resistance.
Aniridia is a rare congenital eye condition causing incomplete formation of the iris. This can cause loss of vision, usually affecting both eyes.
Anophthalmia is a
medical term that is used to describe the absence of the globe and ocular (eye) tissue from the orbit.
BBS is a multi-system disorder that has a significant impact on the quality of life and may be life-limiting. Features include rod-cone dystrophy, a progressive eye disorder that leads to blindness, characterised by tunnel vision and night blindness; obesity; renal abnormalities; developmental
delay; speech and language difficulties; extra fingers and/or toes and learning difficulties.
A chronic condition caused by disturbances in the body's immune system and around 70% of patients will experience inflamation of the eye.
Best disease is a genetic condition you are born with, although it does not usually start to affect your vision until later in life.
A form of
uveitis where oval spots can be seen on the retina.
An inflamation of the eyelids which can make the eyes feel irritated or itchy, but rarely causes serious eye damage.
A
cataract is a clouding of the lens inside your eye which causes your sight to become cloudy and misty. Cataracts are treated by surgery, during which the cloudy lens is removed and replaced by an artificial lens.
Central retinal vein
occlusion (CRVO) is an eye condition that affects the retina — the light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye. It happens when a blood clot blocks the main vein where blood flows out of the retina. It usually only affects 1 eye.
Cerebrovascular diseases are conditions caused by problems that affect the blood supply to the brain. One of the most common types is stroke, which can cause loss of vision in one eye or on one side of the field of vision
A condition where people who have lost their sight experience hallucinations.
A form of
uveitis where the inflamation affects the back of the eye.
Mentioned on CVI, but no reliable definition found.
Coats disease, also known as exudative retinitis, is a very rare eye condition that affects the smaller blood vessels (capillaries) found in the retina.
Coloboma means that part of one or more structures inside an unborn baby’s eye does not fully develop during pregnancy.
Effects can vary: there are extremely rare cases where people are unable to see any colour at all, but most can see as clearly as other people but are unable to fully see red, green or blue.
Cataracts which are present at birth (rather than as part of the ageing process).
Corneal dystrophies are a rare group of genetic conditions which cause changes to the cornea without any inflammation, infection, or other eye disease.
A treatment rather than condition??
A person is
deafblind if they have a combined sight and hearing impairment that causes difficulties with communication, access to information and mobility.
The spontaneous occurrence in the ageing vitreous of opacities (
floaters) that substantially interfere with
activities of daily living. See source for more information on the vitreous and floaters.
Diabetes can affect the eye in several ways, the most common being problems with blood vessels in the eye.
Vision loss occurs when the fluid reaches the macula (the centre of the retina that provides sharp vision) and builds up, causing swelling. At first, you may not notice changes to your vision. Over time,
macular-oedema">diabetic macular oedema can cause your central vision to become blurred. A healthy macula is essential for good vision.
Caused by a problem with the tears which leaves eyes feeling dry, scratchy and uncomfortable.
Fuchs’ endothelial
corneal dystrophy (FECD) is an eye condition that affects your cornea, the clear front "window" of your eye.
A condition affecting the arteries which can cause serious sight loss if untreated.
Glaucoma is the name of a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. The optic nerve transfers visual information from the eye to the brain and if it’s damaged, it can result in sight loss and even blindness. There are three main types of glaucoma: primary, secondary, and developmental (glaucoma in babies and
children).
Hemianopsia, or
hemianopia, is a loss of vision or blindness (anopsia) in half the visual field, usually on one side of the vertical midline. The most common causes of this damage are stroke, brain tumour, and trauma.
Keratitis is a condition in which the eye's cornea, the clear dome on the front surface of the eye, becomes inflamed.
Keratoconus (KC) is a disorder of the eye that results in progressive thinning of the cornea. This may result in blurry vision, double vision, nearsightedness, irregular astigmatism, and
light sensitivity leading to poor quality-of-life.
Light sensitivity also known as photophobia, often affects people who have an underlying eye condition.
Loss of central vision due to damage to the
macular. Most common in
older people (AMD) but can occur in younger people.
A
macular hole is a small defect in the retinal layer that develops at the centre of the macula. If the macula is damaged it is difficult to drive, watch TV, read or recognise faces.
Marfan syndrome is an inherited disorder of the body’s connective tissue that leads to
medical problems affecting the heart, eyes and skeleton, requiring treatment to prevent life-threatening complications.
Microphthalmia literally means small eye.
Children may be born with one or both eyes, small and underdeveloped. Some children may be blind, but others may have some residual sight or light perception.
Blinding or removal of one eye due to accident, injury or disease.
Myopia, also known as “being short sighted”, causes your vision to be blurry in the distance but clearer when looking at things up close.
Norrie disease is a rare X-linked genetic condition which causes boys to be born blind or with severe
sight impairment. Secondary symptoms can include progressive hearing loss, cognitive impairment, autism and delayed development.
Nystagmus is a complex eye condition, characterised by involuntary eye movements, from side to side, up and down or round and round. This affects the ability to focus, see the world in three dimensions and recognise faces. There are two main types of nystagmus, one which appears in the first weeks or months of life and is called Congenital or Infantile Nystagmus and another which develops later in life which is called Acquired Nystagmus. There are many possible causes of both kinds of nystagmus.
Mucous Membrane Pemphigoid (MMP) is a rare autoimmune disease (a group of diseases caused by the reaction of the person’s immune system producing antibodies - known as autoantibodies - which damage normally healthy body substances). When the eyes are affected it is called Ocular MMP (OMMP).
Optic neuropathy is damage to the optic nerve from any cause. The optic nerve is a bundle of millions of fibers in the retina that sends visual signals to the brain.
Condition affecting the
macular in one or both eyes, causing problems with central vision.
Punctate inner choroidopathy (PIC) is a rare condition caused by inflammation at the back of the eye. It is more common in women, and in short-sighted people.
Retinal detachment is an eye problem that happens when your retina (a light-sensitive layer of tissue in the back of your eye) is pulled away from its normal position at the back of your eye.
Retinitis pigmentosa is the term used for a group of closely related inherited eye conditions that affect the retina, the specialised light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye. A person’s sight loss usually happens gradually, over many years – and sometimes eventually leads to registered blindness. Retinitis pigmentosa is the most common inherited eye condition, affecting around one in 4,000 people in the UK.
Retinoblastoma (Rb) is a type of eye cancer that affects young
children, mainly under the age of six. It develops in the cells of the retina, the
light sensitive lining of the eye. Around 40-50 cases are diagnosed in the UK every year – approximately one child a week. Retinoblastoma can either affect one or both eyes.
Retinopathy of prematurity is a condition that can affect babies who are born early, before the blood vessels that supply the light-sensitive layer of the eye (the retina) have finished growing.
Causes some of the cells on the macula to stop working leading to problems with central vision, detailed vision and sometimes with colour perception.
Stickler Syndrome is a genetic condition affecting connective tissue (essentially collagen), with variable symptoms. There are now known to be at least 11 distinct sub-groups of Stickler Syndrome, but the effect in each are typically in four main areas, including the eyes.
Strabismus, often referred to as a squint and sometimes as a "turn" in the eye is an eye condition where the eyes do not look in the same direction as each other.
Strokes occur when a part of your brain is starved of oxygen and nutrients. A stroke can result in visual field loss, blurry vision, double vision and moving images.
Thyroid eye disease (TED) is an eye condition that usually occurs when you have a problem with your thyroid gland. It causes the eye muscles, eyelids, tear glands and soft tissues in and around your eye socket to become inflamed.
An inflamation of the middle layer of the eye (the uvea)
Mentioned on CVI, but no reliable definition found.
Wolfram Syndrome is a rare genetic disorder which is also known as DIDMOAD syndrome after its 4 most common features (
Diabetes Insipidus, Diabetes Mellitus, Optic Atrophy and
Deafness). Everyone with Wolfram Syndrome will have optic atrophy at some stage, which means that the optic nerve wastes away and causes
colour blindness and gradual loss of vision. Wolfram Syndrome is very rare and affects around 1 in 770,000 of the total UK population.
