Dr. Russell E. Swann

The best answer is an accurate diagnosis. Then treat accordingly. Starting with a good history including medications such as anti histamines, as well as environmental factors including sick building syndrome. A good slit lamp exam with Lissamine dye and evaluation of the meibomian glands. Followed by ancillary testing such as osmolarity evaluations and MMP-3 evaluation of inflammation will most likely allow formulation of the diagnosis and treatment. In the meantime, one could use a preservative-free artificial tear substitute.

If the definition of cataract is a clouded lens, then the answer is a guarded no. In today's state of the art cataract surgery, the lens capsule is left in the eye to support the plastic lens (IOL) and approximately 30% of the time the membrane clouds secondary to cellular growth. This results in blurry vision. The remedy is making a hole in the clouded capsule with a YAG laser. But, of course, there can be other causes, so an exam by an ophthalmologist is recommended.

This is a highly controversial area, but it is clear without surgery, the baby will develop severe amblyopia. I recommend an experienced surgeon/pediatric ophthalmologist. The main issue is the child is growing so it is very difficult to predict the IOL power AND the infant eye is very reactive, making secondary posterior pacification of the capsule very likely. This is a great challenge to the parents as well and at this age, silicon contact lenses are a reasonable solution if you have highly motivated parents.

Quick answer: dry eyes, or bilateral blocked tear ducts. Your mother needs to see an ophthalmologist interested in working up dry eyes to determine the etiology.

The 99% answer is no if you had them, but if they are new then a dilated retinal exam is Indicated especially if you had flashes of light or are a high myope or have other medical problems such as diabetes

This is basic: UV exposure in large quantities is associated with skin cancer (squamous cell carcinoma, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma as well as pre-cancer lesions such as actinic keratoses). Therefore, if you have pale skin, you should be even more vigilant: use sun screen, a hat and large sunglasses with UV-A and B filters to protect the eye as well as the peri-ocular skin. The evidence regarding ocular damage is there as well including Salzmans keratopathy, pterygium and exacerbation of dry eyes. Cataracts also seem more prevalent with extreme sun, such as farmers.

I am not a pediatric Ophthalmologist, however, there are some principles that are important: 1) make an appointment with a pediatric MD Ophthalmologist or a general Ophthalmologist with a strong interest in this area of Ophthalmology; 2) is there vision in the deviated eye? If so, this needs to be treated before surgery with amblyopia treatment, which can include patching and atropine; 3) surgery can be done, but can include both eyes with a 70% chance of winning on the first attempt. Success will be greater with greater vision. If no vision, the analogy would be a ship without an anchor, so strabismus surgery may work for a time and then drift.
Having said all of this, I am in agreement that cosmesis is important and that all future children should be evaluated earlier, including next generations.

You should go to a general or pediatric ophthalmologist and treat the chalazion or anterior stye. Without pictures I would try warm compresses for 4 minutes and local massage for 10 seconds 4Xdy and see the above recommended physicians

Tearing eyes (epiphora) can be secondary to many etiologies. Firstly, it is usually easy to rule out lacrimal drainage issues; assuming this has been ruled out, the more frequently seen cause is reflex tearing from dry eyes. This can be evaporative, decrease aqueous production, and even conjunctival chalasis. This is not always easy to sort out. It is recommended to find an ophthalmologist who has an interest and/or specialty in this area.

There is an article by Robert Jay Warren in second opinion February 2004 which suggests that DMSO WITH ANTIOXIDANTS MAY BE OF VALUE. A recent article by Melissa Merrel PharmD suggests that glutathione and DMSO SHOULD BE IN SEPARATE BOTTLES DUE TO INCOMPATIBILITY. I have no personal experience.

The issue is amblyopia vs developing.eye as implanting the predicted IOL power won't be accurate as the child develops. Need to know what kind of cataract and if dilation would improve his best corrected vision. If cataract surgery is the only option I would recommend a cataract surgeon who is comfortable with pediatric case, do a good anterior capsulotomy and on completion of the cataract removal do a posterior capsu lotomy with an optic capture in the posterior capsulorrhexis. This apparently decreases the need for vitrectomy and certainly precludes a YAG capsulotomy. Even when this is done well the child needs to be followed closely for amblyopia preferably by a pediatric ophthalmologist.