Ophthalmology

Chronic glaucoma is a very progressive damage to the optic nerve, and the patient usually experiences no discomfort. It is most often caused by excessive intraocular pressure and therefore requires medical treatment (eye drops).

When eye drop treatment is insufficient, surgery may be offered, which can lower intraocular pressure but cannot repair damaged optic nerve fibers. Other procedures, such as SLT or diode laser ablation, can also be performed at the Caen University Hospital.

The eyelids can be misaligned congenitally (ptosis) or acquired, and most often related to aging.

The eyelids can be the site of benign or malignant tumors, trauma, inflammation, infection, and allergies.

After a thorough examination, you may be offered medical or surgical treatment.

This essentially involves the obstruction of the tear ducts, which is responsible for more or less abundant tearing and eye infections.

Treatment can be medical or surgical.

This is a very common reason for seeking medical advice.

It can cause eye pain, a gritty sensation, or sometimes watery eyes.

An ophthalmological consultation is necessary to characterize the dryness and to look for a possible treatable cause

The cornea can be affected by various pathologies: trauma (grinding stone, ARC blow),ulcerations, abscesses, dystrophies.

Pain, light sensitivity, tearing, and decreased visual acuity are almost always present. An ophthalmological consultation is always recommended.

Contact lens fitting is offered in our service in cases of corneal pathology or eye trauma requiring investigation.

Prescribing contact lenses for simple refractive errors (myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism or presbyopia) is done in our department.

They include a large number of pathologies: retinal detachment, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, central artery occlusion, retinal vein occlusion, vasculitis.

An ophthalmological consultation is always necessary.

The retina is a membrane lining the back of the eye. This membrane contains the visual cells that transmit images to the brain (via the optic nerve). If the retina detaches, vision deteriorates. Retinal detachment is most often caused by one or more retinal tears.

The most frequent signs are:

• the perception of brief and intense flashes of light, the perception of floaters, a visual veil that may or may not affect central vision,
• The clinical examination by the ophthalmologist is supplemented by an ocular ultrasound examination.

It includes pathologies of the optic nerve (optic neuropathies), pupil abnormalities, cerebral pathologies affecting the visual pathways, but also abnormalities of eye movements: oculomotor paralysis (which can cause double vision), ocular myopathies, nystagmus.

The Caen Normandy University Hospital has the necessary technical platform (visual evoked potentials, MRI) and multidisciplinary staff which allow for optimal management of these pathologies.

Strabismus is an abnormality in the alignment of the eyes.

The treatment systematically consists of wearing appropriate optical correction; depending on the type of strabismus, surgical treatment or botulinum toxin injection may be offered.

If the eye shows signs of inflammation, there is uveitis. This inflammation can have various origins (infection, inflammatory diseases, vasculitis, etc.).

Anti-inflammatory eye drops are then prescribed, and other treatments may also be used depending on the suspected cause. Blood tests and/or X-rays may be ordered to investigate the cause of the condition, and complex cases are discussed in a multidisciplinary team meeting. Follow-up is essential to ensure a complete recovery.

A few appointments are available for prescriptions of corrective lenses. Consultations are conducted by an orthoptist. Medical opinion is provided based on examination results.