Why do some people have blue eyes? Is this anomaly an ailment? You will find answers to these and other questions in the article. The whites of the eyes are called so because normally they are white. Blue sclera is the result of thinning of the protein shell of the eye, which consists of collagen. In view of this, the vessels placed beneath 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.
Causes
Blue whites of the eyes are not an independent ailment, but sometimes they are a symptom of the disease. What does this mean when the sclera of the eye acquires a blue-blue, gray-blue or blue hue? This is sometimes observed in newborns, which is often caused by gene disorders. Such originality can also be inherited. It is also called "transparent sclera." But this does not always mean that the child has serious ailments.
This symptom with congenital pathology is detected immediately after the birth of the baby. If there are no severe pathologies, by the half-year of a child's life this syndrome, as a rule, recedes.
If he is a sign of any ailment, then he does not disappear by this age. In this case, the parameters of the eyes usually remain unchanged. Other abnormalities of the organs of vision are often associated with the blue protein of the eyes, including clouding of the cornea, glaucoma, iris hypoplasia, cataract, anterior embryotoxone, 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 ocular substance, indicating an increase in the number of mucopolysaccharides. This, in turn, suggests that the fibrous tissue is immature.
Symptoms
So why are the whites of the eyes blue? This phenomenon occurs due to such ailments as:
- eye diseases, which have nothing to do with the condition of connective tissue (congenital glaucoma, scleromalacia, myopia);
- pathology of connective tissue (elastic pseudoxanthoma, Ehlers-Danlo syndrome, Marfan or Culen da Vries sign, Lobstein-Wrolik disease);
- diseases of the skeletal system and blood (iron deficiency anemia, lack of acid phosphatase, Diamond-Blackfen anemia, osteitis deformans).
In about 65% of people who have this syndrome, the ligamentous-articular system is very weak. Depending on the moment at which it makes itself felt, there are three types of 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 fetal development.
- Fractures appearing at an early age.
- Fractures occurring in 2-3 years.
With ailments of connective tissue (mainly with Lobstein-Wrolik disease), the following symptoms are determined:
- increased fragility of bones;
- the whites of both eyes turn blue;
- hearing loss.
If a person suffers from blood ailments, for example, iron deficiency anemia, the symptoms may be as follows:
- hyperactivity
- fine tooth enamel;
- frequent colds;
- retardation of mental and physical development;
- violation of trophic tissue.
It must be borne in mind that the blue whites of the eyes of a child born into the world are not always regarded as a symptom of an ailment. Very often they are the norm, due to incomplete pigmentation. As the offspring of the sclera develops, it acquires the corresponding color, since the pigment appears in the required amount.
In older people, protein color transformation is often associated with age-related changes. Sometimes it is accompanied by other problems with mesoderm tissue. Very often, a sick person from birth has syndactyly, heart disease and other pathologies.
Myopia
Consider separately myopia. According to ICD-10 (international classification of diseases), this ailment has code H52.1. It includes several types of flow, develops slowly or rapidly. It leads to serious complications and can cause complete blindness.
Myopia is associated with elderly grandparents, older people, but in fact it is a disease of young people. According to statistics, approximately 60% of school graduates suffer from it.
Do you remember the myopia code in the ICD-10? With it, it will be easier for you to study this ailment. Myopia is corrected with lenses and glasses, they are advised to wear incessantly or apply from time to time (depending on the type of ailment). But such a correction does not treat myopia, it only helps to correct the patient's condition. Possible complications of myopia are:
- A sharp decrease in visual acuity.
- Retinal disinsertion.
- Dystrophic transformation of the retinal vessels.
- Corneal detachment.
Often, myopia progresses slowly, its sharp development can provoke such factors:
- upset blood flow to the brain;
- long-term stress on the organs of vision;
- long stay at the PC (it is a matter of harmful radiation).
Diagnostics
Depending on the signs revealed, diagnostic technologies are selected, thanks to which it is possible to determine the cause of the transformation of the color of the sclera. The doctor who will monitor the examination and treatment also depends on them.
No need to be scared if the baby has blue sclera. Also, do not panic if an adult has overtaken this phenomenon. Consult a physician or pediatrician who will establish an algorithm for your actions based on your medical history. Perhaps this phenomenon is not associated with the development of severe pathologies and does not pose any danger to health.
Healing
There is no single treatment regimen for blue sclera, since the transformation of the color of the eyeballs is not an ailment. As a therapy, a doctor may recommend:
- electrophoresis with calcium salts;
- massage course;
- occupational gymnastics;
- painkillers that can help relieve pain in bones and joints;
- diet correction;
- application of a course of chondroprotectors;
- buy a hearing aid (if the patient has hearing loss);
- bisphosphonates that prevent bone loss;
- surgical correction (with otosclerosis, fractures, deformation of the bone structure);
- the use of medicines containing calcium and other multivitamins;
- antibacterial drugs, if the disease is accompanied by an inflammatory process in the joints;
- women in menopause are prescribed hormones containing estrogen.