Key ophthalmology information for college students interested in completing the training

Firstly, you need to have a clear understanding of exactly what ophthalmology entails and the different conditions it involves. Only be researching this specialist information will you know whether ophthalmology is the right career path to follow. Remembering this, here is some expert info about the occupation and the most common eye conditions found in ophthalmology:Plenty of locations have different clinics or surgeries. Most surgeries are based in major cities such as Manchester, Edinburgh or London. It makes sense to look at London for any treatment centres close by for eye surgery. Most surgeries are well-established, which means that they will have long waiting lists. The positive side from this is that the staff have the necessary experience required. In some cases, they can even be affiliated with licensed opticians hence it may be a good idea to ask your personal optician for their recommendations prior to speaking to an eye surgeon.Even though you may believe that cataracts only affects older people, younger people can be affected by the condition too. They are better known as congenital cataracts and they develop just before or just after birth. This condition is a clouding of the eye, varying in intensity from mild severity to complete opacity. Symptoms include near-sightedness (myopia) due to increased focus of the lens, difficulty in perceiving the colour blue and a progressive yellowing of the lens. A cataract operation or surgery are two treatment options. Loss of vision and in some cases blindness can occur if left untreated. In the elderly the condition leads to shrinkage of the lens and swelling.Lasik eye surgery, a form of refractive surgery, is used for correcting myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism. As a result, this surgery is a viable alternative to wearing corrective lenses or glasses, which the majority of people don't enjoy wearing. The procedure is similar in certain aspects to other surgical corrective procedures such as photo-refractive keratectomy and refractive surgery and is therefore a common solution to bad eye sight. The cornea is remodelled and its curvature is reshaped during the procedure. There are chances that the eye will reject the surgery and progressively revert back to its old condition but other side effects are minimal.Macular degeneration is an age-related eye condition which results in a loss of vision in the macula (the centre of the visual field) due to damage to the retina. As the disease progresses you'll find that vision can become impaired, particularly when trying to read or recognise faces. Macular degeneration can take two forms; dry (nonexudative) or wet (exudative). The former is caused when the cells in the macula degenerate and accumulate behind the retina. Alternatively, wet macular degeneration is classed as the more serious of the two and is caused by an abnormal growth of blood vessels in the choriocapillaris which leads to leakage below the macula. As the effects can be prevented using vitamins and mineral supplements eye surgery is usually not necessary.Corneal transplantation or grafting occurs when a cornea becomes damaged and is replaced by donated corneal tissue. For instance, if someone is stricken with Fuchs dystrophy (a corneal diseases which affects patients who are aged 50+) or Keratoconus (a degenerative disorder that affects the shape of the cornea, making it more conical than curved) then a cornea transplant is normally needed. This is where healthy donated corneal tissue is grafted onto the damaged/diseased cornea to restore the damage caused by the disease - the graft coming from the cornea of a deceased donor. Keratoconus surgery or cornea transplants or are the last resort for cornea diseases - in 9 out of 10 cases, conditions can easily be treated simply by wearing corrective lenses.After reading through the points above you should now have a better understanding of whether becoming an eye surgeon really is the best career option for you.