Why do some people have blue eyes? Is this anomaly a disease? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. The whites of the eyes are called so because they are normally white. Blue sclera is the result of thinning of the white layer of the eye, which is made up of collagen. In view of this, the vessels placed under it shine through, giving a blue tint to the sclera. What does it mean when the whites of the eyes are blue, find out below.
Reasons
Blue whites of the eyes are not an independent disease, but sometimes act as a symptom of the disease. What does it mean when the sclera of the eye becomes blue-blue, gray-blue or blue? It is sometimes seen in newborns and is often caused by gene disorders. This identity can also be inherited. It is also called "transparent sclera". But this does not always mean that the child has serious ailments.
Thisa symptom of congenital pathology is detected immediately after the birth of the baby. If there are no severe pathologies, this syndrome, as a rule, recedes by the age of six months.
If it is a sign of some disease, then it does not disappear by this age. In this case, the parameters of the eyes usually remain unchanged. The blue white of the eye is often associated with other visual anomalies, including corneal opacity, glaucoma, iris hypoplasia, cataracts, anterior embryotoxon, color blindness, and so on.
The underlying cause of this syndrome is the translucence of the choroid through the thin sclera, which becomes transparent.
Transformations
Not many people know why there are blue sclera. This phenomenon is accompanied by the following transformations:
- Reducing the number of elastic and collagen fibers.
- Directly thinning the sclera.
- Metachromatic coloration of the eye substance, indicating an increase in the number of mucopolysaccharides. This, in turn, indicates that the fibrous tissue is immature.
Symptoms
So what makes the whites of the eyes blue? This phenomenon occurs due to such ailments as:
- eye diseases that have nothing to do with the condition of the connective tissue (congenital glaucoma, scleromalacia, myopia);
- connective tissue pathology (pseudoxanthoma elastica, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, Marfan or Koolen-da-Vries sign, Lobstein-Vrolik disease);
- ailmentsbone system and blood (iron deficiency anemia, lack of acid phosphatase, Diamond-Blackfan anemia, osteitis deformans).
Approximately 65% of people who have this syndrome have a very weak ligament-articular system. Depending on at what point it makes itself felt, there are three types of such damage that can be called signs of blue sclera:
- Severe stage of defeat. Fractures with it appear shortly after the birth of the baby or during intrauterine development of the fetus.
- Fractures occurring at an early age.
- Fractures occurring at 2-3 years of age.
In case of connective tissue ailments (mainly with Lobstein-Vrolik disease), the following signs are determined:
- increased bone fragility;
- whites of both eyes turn blue-blue;
- hearing loss.
If a person suffers from blood disorders, such as iron deficiency anemia, the symptoms may be as follows:
- hyperactivity;
- thin tooth enamel;
- frequent colds;
- deceleration of mental and physical development;
- violation of tissue trophism.
It must be taken into account that the blue whites of the eyes of a child born into the world are not always regarded as a symptom of an illness. Very often they are the norm, due to incomplete pigmentation. As the child develops, the sclera acquires the appropriate color, as the pigment appears in the required amount.
In the elderlyprotein color transformation is often associated with age-related changes. Sometimes it is accompanied by other problems with the mesodermal tissue. Very often sick from birth has syndactyly, heart disease and other pathologies.
Myopia
Let's consider myopia separately. According to the ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases), this disease has the code H52.1. It includes several types of flow, develops slowly or rapidly. Leads to serious complications and can cause total blindness.
Myopia is associated with elderly grandparents, older people, but in fact it is a disease of the young. According to statistics, about 60% of school graduates suffer from it.
Did you memorize the code for myopia in ICD-10? With it, it will be easier for you to study this disease. Myopia is corrected with the help of lenses and glasses, they are advised to be worn continuously or used from time to time (depending on the type of ailment). But such a correction does not cure myopia, it only helps to correct the patient's condition. Possible complications of myopia are:
- A sharp decrease in visual acuity.
- Retinal detachment.
- Dystrophic transformation of retinal vessels.
- Corneal detachment.
Often myopia progresses slowly, its sharp development can be provoked by such factors:
- disturbance of blood flow to the brain;
- long-term stress on the organs of vision;
- long stay at the PC (it's about harmful radiation).
Diagnosis
Depending on thesigns, diagnostic technologies are selected, thanks to which it is possible to determine the cause of the transformation of the color of the sclera. It also depends on them which doctor will supervise the examination and treatment.
No need to be scared if the baby has blue sclera. Also, do not panic if an adult is overtaken by this phenomenon. Contact a therapist or pediatrician who will establish an algorithm for your actions based on the collected history. Perhaps this phenomenon is not associated with the development of severe pathologies and does not pose any danger to he alth.
Healing
There is no single scheme for the treatment of blue sclera, since the transformation of the color of the eyeballs is not an ailment. As a therapy, the doctor may recommend:
- electrophoresis with calcium s alts;
- massage course;
- therapeutic gymnastics;
- painkillers to help relieve pain in bones and joints;
- correction of the diet;
- application of the course of chondroprotectors;
- buy a hearing aid (if the patient has a hearing loss);
- bisphosphonates to prevent bone loss;
- surgical correction (for otosclerosis, fractures, deformation of the bone structure);
- use of medicines containing calcium and other multivitamins;
- antibacterial drugs, if the disease is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the joints;
- women inmenopause stages are prescribed hormonal agents containing estrogen.
