Orbital meningiomas are growths that start from the thin covering layers around the brain and the optic nerve. These covering layers are called the meninges. ...
Dr. Mary A. Ahluwalia, MD - Ophthalmologist
Orbital melanoma is a cancer made from pigment-making cells called melanocytes that is found inside the eye socket (the orbit). The orbit is the bony space ...
An orbital medial wall fracture is a break in the thin bone on the inner side of the eye socket. The eye socket is the orbit. The inner wall sits next to the ...
An orbital mass is any abnormal lump, growth, or swelling inside the eye socket (the bony orbit). The orbit is a cone-shaped space in the skull that holds the ...
Orbital lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that grows in or around the eye. The “orbit” is the bony space that holds the eyeball, the muscles that move ...
An orbital lymphangioma is a mass made of abnormal lymphatic channels inside the eye socket (the orbit) and sometimes the eyelids. Doctors now prefer the term ...
An orbital lipodermoid (also called a dermolipoma) is a benign, non-cancerous lump made of normal fat and skin-type tissue that grew in the wrong place near ...
Orbital Infarction Syndrome means that almost everything inside the orbit (the “eye socket”) suddenly does not get enough blood and oxygen and starts to die. ...
An orbital granular cell tumor is a rare growth that starts from the support cells that wrap around nerves (called Schwann cells) and develops inside the eye ...
An orbital granular cell tumor is a rare growth that starts from the support cells that wrap around nerves (called Schwann cells) and develops inside the eye ...
An orbital foreign body means that a piece of material that does not belong to the body has entered and remained inside the orbit, which is the bony eye socket ...
An orbital floor fracture is a break in the thin bone that makes the “bottom” of the eye socket. Your eye sits in a bony cup called the orbit. The floor of ...
Orbital fat prolapse is a bulge of normal eye socket fat that slowly slips forward through a thin natural curtain in the eyelid called the orbital septum. The ...
Orbital emphysema means air gets trapped in the soft tissues around the eye (the “orbit”). The orbit is a bony cup that holds the eye, muscles, nerves, blood ...
Orbital decompression is an operation to make more room inside the eye socket. The eye socket is called the “orbit.” It is a cone-shaped space made of bone and ...
Orbital compartment syndrome is a true eye emergency. It happens when pressure inside the eye socket (the orbit) rises quickly and gets so high that blood can ...
Orbital chloroma is a solid tumor made of immature white blood cells (myeloid blasts) that grows inside the eye socket (the orbit). Doctors also call it ...
Orbital cellulitis is a serious infection that happens behind the eye, inside the bony eye socket called the orbit. The orbit is a tight space filled with eye ...
A cavernous hemangioma (also called a cavernous venous malformation in many body parts, and a cerebral cavernous malformation when it is in the brain or ...
An orbital cavernous venous malformation is a benign (non-cancerous) blood-vessel problem inside the bony eye socket (the orbit). It is made of smooth, ...
Orbital aspergillosis is a fungal infection around or inside the eye socket. The eye socket is also called the orbit. The orbit has the eyeball, the optic ...
Orbital Apex Syndrome is a problem that happens in a very tight space at the very back of the eye socket, called the orbital apex. This small area is like a ...
Orbital adipose tissue disease” isn’t a formal diagnosis. It’s a descriptive way to say “the fat inside the eye socket is part of the disease.” In real-world ...
Orbital actinomycosis is a long-standing bacterial infection that grows in and around the eye socket (the orbit). The orbit is the bony cup that holds the ...
The ora serrata is the serrated junction where the retina (the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye) transitions into the ciliary body. It marks the ...
Optociliary shunt vessels are special “detour” blood vessels that appear on the surface of the optic disc, which is the round, pink area where the optic nerve ...
An optic disc pit is a small, round or oval congenital hole or pocket in the optic nerve head. The optic nerve head is the spot where the nerve exits the eye. ...
An optic pit is a tiny, oval or round depression (a small “dimple”) on the surface of the optic nerve head—the place where the nerve exits the back of the eye. ...
Optic perineuritis (often shortened to OPN) is an inflammation that sits around the optic nerve, not inside the nerve itself. The optic nerve is the cable that ...
Craniofacial fibrous dysplasia is a bone problem that happens in the skull and face. In this condition, normal hard bone is slowly replaced by soft, rubbery, ...
McCune-Albright syndrome (MAS), some people develop fibrous dysplasia (FD) in the skull and face bones. FD is a bone problem where normal bone is replaced by ...
Optic neuropathy means there is damage or disease affecting the optic nerve, the cable that carries visual signals from the eye to the brain. When the optic ...
Optic neuritis means inflammation of the optic nerve, the “cable” that carries pictures from your eye to your brain. When this nerve gets inflamed, vision ...
Optic nerve sheath meningioma is a slow-growing, usually benign (non-cancerous) tumor that starts in the thin lining (the meninges) that wraps around the optic ...
Optic nerve sheath decompression is a delicate eye-orbit surgery that a specialist eye surgeon performs to protect vision when pressure inside the head is ...
Optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) is a birth difference of the eye–brain connection. The optic nerve is the “cable” that carries visual signals from the eye to the ...
Optic Nerve Head Drusen (ONHD) are tiny, rock-like (often calcified) deposits that sit inside the optic nerve head (the “disc” you see at the back of the eye). ...
Optic nerve head avulsion means the optic nerve fibers are torn away from the back of the eye right at the optic nerve head (the “optic disc,” the round, pink ...
An optic nerve glioma is a tumor that grows from the support cells of the optic pathway, which is the “wire” that carries visual signals from the eye to the ...
The optic nerve is the “cable” that carries visual signals from your eye to your brain. In some babies, a part of the tissue near the optic nerve does not ...
An optic disc melanocytoma (ODM) is a small, very dark brown or black growth made of pigment cells (melanocytes) that sits on the optic disc (the “entrance” of ...
An optic disc hemorrhage is a small spot of bleeding on or next to the optic disc. The optic disc is the place in the back of the eye where the optic nerve ...
Optic disc drusen are tiny, hard, pebble-like deposits that sit inside the “head” of the optic nerve where it enters the back of the eye (the optic disc). They ...
Optic atrophy means the optic nerve is damaged and has lost healthy fibers, so the nerve cannot carry visual messages from the eye to the brain as well as it ...
Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS)—also called opsoclonus-myoclonus-ataxia syndrome (OMAS) or Kinsbourne syndrome. Opsoclonus-Myoclonus Syndrome (OMS) is a ...
Recurrent Painful Ophthalmoplegic Neuropathy (RPON) is a rare condition in which a person has two or more attacks of a unilateral (one-sided) headache together ...
Ophthalmomyiasis means fly larvae (maggots) invade the eye or the tissues around the eye. It is uncommon, but it can harm vision if it is not treated quickly. ...
Rift Valley fever (RVF) is a viral disease that mainly affects animals (like sheep, goats, cattle, camels, and buffalo) but can also infect people. It is ...
Leptospirosis is an infection caused by spiral-shaped bacteria called Leptospira. These bacteria live in the kidneys of many animals and come out in their ...
Kyasanur Forest Disease (KFD) is a viral hemorrhagic fever that people get after a bite from an infected tick in or near forested areas. The virus belongs to ...
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) is a rare, life-threatening blood disorder. Tiny clots form inside many of the body’s smallest blood vessels. These ...
Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) is a large family of inherited brain disorders in which the cerebellum—the brain’s “coordination center”—and its connections ...
Obstructive sleep apnea is a sleep disorder where your throat repeatedly narrows or closes while you sleep. Air has trouble getting into your lungs. This ...
Facioscapulohumeral dystrophy (FSHD) is a genetic muscle disease. The name tells you which muscles are hit first: the face (facio-), the shoulder blades ...
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is a rare, fast-moving, and always fatal brain disorder. It happens when a normal body protein called prion protein changes ...
MELAS stands for Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like episodes. It is a rare genetic condition that affects how the tiny “power ...
Fatal Familial Insomnia (FFI) is an ultra-rare, inherited prion disease. A single change in the PRNP gene (classically D178N with methionine at codon 129) ...
Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic condition in which harmless-looking overgrowths of tissue (called hamartomas) can develop in many organs. The ...
Sinus pericranii (SP) is a rare problem with veins in the skull. In SP, there is an unusual “shortcut” vein that connects veins inside the skull (the dural ...
Ophthalmic Manifestations of SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) means there are too many bacteria in the small intestine. Those bacteria can ...
Kawasaki disease is an inflammatory illness that mainly affects young children. It causes inflammation in blood vessels all over the body. Doctors call this a ...
Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia (HIT) is a dangerous immune reaction to the blood thinner heparin. Your immune system makes antibodies that stick to a normal ...
DiGeorge syndrome is a genetic condition that a baby is born with. It happens when a tiny piece of DNA is missing from chromosome 22. Doctors often call it ...
Systemic capillary leak syndrome (SCLS) is a very rare condition where the tiniest blood vessels in the body (the capillaries) suddenly become “leaky.” When ...
Ophthalmic delusional parasitosis is a mental health condition where a person has a fixed, unshakable belief that parasites (like insects, worms, or mites) are ...
An ophthalmic artery pseudoaneurysm is a small, dangerous bulge that forms in the ophthalmic artery, the blood vessel that supplies the eye and the tissues ...
Ophthalmia nodosa is eye inflammation that happens when tiny hairs or spines from certain insects—most often caterpillars—or spiky plant fibers get into your ...
One-and-a-Half Syndrome is a special eye movement problem caused by a small injury in the brainstem (the “pons”). It knocks out almost all side-to-side eye ...
An oncocytoma is a tumor made of special cells called oncocytes. Oncocytes are cells that look pink and grainy under the microscope because they are packed ...
African River Blindness, also called onchocerciasis, is a long-lasting infection caused by a tiny worm named Onchocerca volvulus. People get it when blackflies ...
Onchocerciasis is a long-lasting infection caused by a tiny worm called Onchocerca volvulus. People get this worm when blackflies bite them many times over ...
Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy—usually shortened to OPMD—is a genetic muscle disease that mainly weakens the muscles of the eyelids (“oculo-”) and the ...
Oculopalatal tremor is a movement disorder where the eyes move back and forth in a smooth, slow, repetitive way, and the soft palate inside the mouth also ...
Oculomotor synkinesis is a problem where different eye and eyelid parts move together even when they should move separately. It happens because the third ...
Oculomotor apraxia (often shortened to OMA) is a problem with starting quick eye movements on purpose. These quick eye movements are called saccades. Saccades ...
Oculomotor apraxia (often shortened to OMA) is a problem with starting quick eye movements on purpose. These quick eye movements are called saccades. Saccades ...
Oculomasticatory myorhythmia is a very rare movement pattern where the eyes rock slowly back and forth while the jaw or facial chewing muscles contract in the ...
Oculogyric crisis is a sudden spell where both eyes pull up (most often) or to the side and seem “stuck” there for minutes to hours. It is a kind of ...
Oculodermal melanocytosis—also called Nevus of Ota—is a birth-related (congenital) pigment condition. Extra pigment cells sit deep in the skin and the white ...
Nevus of Ota is a birthmark made of extra pigment cells that sit deep inside the skin and sometimes inside the eye. The word “nevus” means a patch. “Ota” is ...
The trigeminovagal reflex—more commonly called the trigeminocardiac reflex (TCR)—is a sudden, strong “vagal” response that can slow the heart, lower blood ...
The oculocardiac reflex (OCR) is a body reflex that links the eye to the heart. When the eye or the tissues around the eye are pressed, pulled, or irritated, a ...
An air embolism means air bubbles have entered the bloodstream and are blocking blood flow the way a cork blocks a bottle. In OVAE, the air enters through ...
Ocular trauma means any injury to the eye or the tissues around the eye (eyelids, tear ducts, eye muscles, and the bony eye socket). The injury may be from a ...
Ocular torticollis means a person holds their head in an unusual position—a tilt, a face turn, a chin up, a chin down, or a mix of these—because of an eye ...
Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia (OSSN) is a group of growths that start from the skin-like cells on the front of the eye. These cells line the conjunctiva ...
Dysbiosis means the microbes that live on or inside your body are out of balance. In a healthy state, your gut, mouth, skin, and other body sites host a rich, ...
The ocular surface microbiome means the very small, carefully controlled group of microorganisms that live on the front of the eye — mainly the conjunctiva ...
The ocular surface is the front “skin” of your eye. It includes the cornea (the clear window you see through), the conjunctiva (the thin lining over the white ...
Ocular rosacea is a long-lasting eye problem linked to skin rosacea. It mainly affects the eyelids, the edge of the lids, and the surface of the eye. The tiny ...
A scleral shell is a very thin, custom-made artificial cover that sits over a small, shrunken, or scarred eye to restore a natural look. It is different from a ...
An ocular prosthesis is an artificial eye made to fill the eye socket and replace the look of a natural eye when an eye is missing or severely shrunken. It ...
Ocular pentastomiasis means a tongue-worm parasite has reached the eye. Tongue-worms are not true worms. They are arthropod-related parasites (order ...
An eye that has been pierced (penetrating injury) or pierced through-and-through (perforating injury) is a true emergency. If this is happening now, cover the ...
Ocular Ortner Syndrome (OOS) is a rare condition characterized by hoarseness (due to recurrent laryngeal nerve involvement) and visual loss, often associated ...
Ocular neuropathic pain means eye pain that mainly comes from a problem in the nerves that carry pain signals from the eye and around the eye to the brain. The ...
Ocular neuromyotonia (ONM) is a rare problem with the nerves that move the eyes. In ONM, one or more eye muscles suddenly “lock” or spasm for a short time. ...
Wyburn-Mason Syndrome (WMS) is a very rare condition present from birth in which some blood vessels grow in an unusual way. Instead of a normal tiny “net” of ...
Subclavian Steal Syndrome (SSS) is a blood-flow problem. It happens when one of the big arteries that supplies blood to your arm—the subclavian artery—becomes ...
Polychondritis—usually called relapsing polychondritis (RP)—is a rare disease where your immune system mistakenly attacks your own cartilage. Cartilage is the ...
A myeloma protein (often written as M-protein, monoclonal protein, paraprotein, or M-spike) is a single, abnormal antibody made in large amounts by a clone of ...
Endocrinopathy means any health problem that starts in the body’s hormone system. Your hormone system is called the endocrine system. It includes small but ...
Pancreatomegaly is a descriptive word, not a final diagnosis. It means the pancreas is bigger than usual. Doctors usually notice it on imaging tests such as ...
An enlarged ovary means one or both ovaries are bigger than usual. It is not a single disease—it is a sign that can happen for many reasons. The most common ...
Uteromegaly means the uterus is larger than normal. The uterus is a hollow, muscular organ in the pelvis that normally sits behind the bladder and in front of ...
Uterine megaly (also called uteromegaly or an enlarged uterus) means the uterus is bigger than expected for a person’s age, body size, and life stage. The ...
Prostatomegaly means the prostate gland is bigger than usual. Doctors also call it an “enlarged prostate.” The word comes from “prostate” (the male gland below ...
Thyromegaly means the thyroid gland is bigger than normal. The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland that sits in the front of your lower neck. It makes ...
Nephromegaly means the kidneys are bigger than normal for a person’s age and body size. Doctors usually judge kidney size with imaging, especially ultrasound. ...
Cardiomegaly means “an enlarged heart.” It is a finding, not a final diagnosis. In simple words, the heart looks bigger than normal, or one or more chambers of ...
Splenomegaly means the spleen is bigger than normal. The spleen sits high on the left side of your belly, just under the ribs. In healthy adults it is soft, ...
Hepatomegaly means the liver is larger than normal. The liver usually sits under the right rib cage and has a fairly consistent size and shape in healthy ...
