Out of Sight Trivia Quiz

Answer: Myopia

Myopia or short-sightedness (in the literal meaning) is one of the most common eye conditions. In a normal human eye the lens adjusts itself so that a clear image is formed exactly on the retina. Myopia is the condition in which the clear image is not projected onto the retina, but at some point before the retina (inside the vitreous humour). Causes may be genetic or environmental (lack of experience with outdoor tasks that require looking at objects far away during the early childhood), or a combination of these factors.

Treatment of myopia usually involves the use of glasses and/or contact lenses. In stable cases of mild myopia one can also use surgery to correct the condition.

Answer: Nyctalopia

Although it is not abnormal to experience diminished vision in dark surroundings, some people have extremely reduced sight in these circumstances. Nyctalopia can be congenital or acquired. In the case of congenital nyctalopia, the symptoms don't progress over time, but the acquired nyctalopia gets gradually worse, as more and more of the rods in the eye get afflicted.

Some possible causes of nyctalopia can be cured, for instance if the condition results from a deficiency in vitamin A or if it is a side effect of myopia. Cataracts can cause nyctalopia too, and they too can be treated. But many cases of nyctalopia in the western world are caused by a genetic problem and thus can't be cured.

Answer: Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis (also named "pink eye") is a painful inflammation of the outer part of the eye. Causes can be viral, bacterial, allergic or even chemical. The eye appears red or pink to the beholder, and the patient feels burning, itching or painful swelling sensations.

In most cases conjunctivitis is cured without treatment. For bacterial conjunctivitis, antibiotics may help, and (especially for the allergic variant) rinsing the eye with cool water and/or applying artificial tears alleviate the symptoms. Whatever you do, don't rub the eyes (particularly in case of allergic conjunctivitis) : it may scratch the cornea and cause very painful complications.

Answer: Cataract

Most cataracts are caused by ageing of the eye. As time progresses, the lens becomes more opaque, resulting in various vision defects including blurred vision or fading colours. Some diseases, such as diabetes or hypertension, may speed up this degeneration. Smoking is certainly a hazard, overindulging in alcohol may also increase the risk of developing cataracts.

When the symptoms are severe, only a surgical replacement of the lens may help. Patients whose cataract is diagnosed very early on, may benefit from a healthy diet (with many leafy vegetables that contain vitamin A), sheltering against bright light with sunglasses and a brimmed hat and corrective glasses.

Answer: Macular degeneration

Macular degeneration develops typically at ages over fifty, but there are other risk factors as well as merely age: a genetic predisposition, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, hypertension among them.

There are two types of macular degeneration: the "dry" type in which the cells within the macula are merely damaged (and for which there is no cure), and the "wet" type with damage to the macular cells and the growth of new blood vessels. For this latter type, that causes more complications, some medication may slow down the degenerative process.

Answer: Akinetopsia

Akinetopsia is not a disease of the eye, but a rare brain condition. The vision is normal, but the brain centres that have to process the information are not quite functioning. Mild forms of akinetopsia give the impression of a movie played in slow motion, while severe akinetopsia skips every movement. For instance, you would see a person on the other side of the road and next this person is on your side of the road, without you having seen them crossing the road. Or you could be pouring a cup of coffee and without any intermediate steps you see that the empty cup is now suddenly filled to the rim.

At the time of writing this quiz, in 2020, no cure was available.

Answer: Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a set of diseases mostly related to increased pressure inside the eye. The increased pressure can damage the optical nerve, with a gradual loss of peripheral vision. In the later stages only a small part of the central image can be perceived, as if one is looking through a small tube. Age and high blood pressure are risk factors, as well as family history: if one of the closely related family members has had glaucoma, the other family members have a higher risk.

Early diagnosis is important. That means an annual check-up starting at the age of 40. Glaucoma can be treated by medication and/or surgery.

Answer: Daltonism

Daltonism (also called colour blindness) is an inherited condition, so there is no cure available: one who is born with Daltonism, will have to cope with it. Fortunately the day-to-day problems arising from Daltonism are quite limited.

As the normal eye is equipped with cones that can distinguish long wavelengths (typically red), medium wavelengths (typically green) or short wavelengths (typically blue), Daltonism can manifest in several ways. Each of the three types of cones can be impaired or completely dysfunctional, resulting in other colour schemes one can observe.
One of the most common environments in which distinguishing colours can be of vital importance, is in traffic regulated by traffic lights. Fortunately traffic lights are almost everywhere presented in the same manner: red (stop) on top, green (go) on the bottom.

Answer: Strabismus

Strabismus (commonly known as "squinting") is the condition in which the eyes are not correctly aligned. While one eye focuses on the centre of an object, the other eye drifts away to the side of the object or even the background surrounding the object. This can frequently lead to the experience of double vision: a clear picture of the object via the one eye, and a blurred, distorted and/or displaced picture via the other eye. The non-clear image drifts aside, and thus the patient has difficulty assessing the distance to the object. Strabismus is typically detected at an early age, when it is still possible to cure it completely.

Eyeglasses and/or contact lenses may be the solution for strabismus. Sometimes surgery is necessary.

Answer: Amblyopia

Amblyopia is a condition that usually is detected in young children at the age of about five years. While both eyes seem to be healthy, the patient prefers using one eye over the other - which hampers stereoscopic sight. Because of this tendency to use only one eye, the condition is commonly named "a lazy eye" - the patient does not use his "weaker" eye as much as a normal person would.

The causes of amblyopia can vary: sometimes it comes from a major difference in strength between the two eyes, sometimes it is related to strabismus. In rare cases amblyopia is caused by congenital defects such as a rather opaque lens (cataract).

Amblyopia that stems from strabismus can be cured by "forcing" the child to use the "weaker" eye, by patching up the stronger eye. If the cause is a major difference between the two eyes, corrective glasses are part of the cure. The congenital defects that lead to rare forms of amblyopia should be corrected by a surgical procedure in order to cure amblyopia.