10 Rare and Bizarre Eye Conditions

April 25th, 2021

As the body develops, sometimes rare deformities appear. The eye is no exception. What would you think if you saw someone with strange eyes? Would you think, how can that person see properly? Why didn’t they get it fixed? How do unusual eye conditions affect people’s social lives?

These bizarre eye conditions can be DNA-related, the result of a rare genetic condition. Some of them arise during cell division, where cells unrelated to the eye start dividing and becoming part of the eye. Brain and muscle control of the eye can be affected, too. Even when the pupil, iris, and sclera are all fairly normal, the eye’s motion may be poorly controlled and look bizarre. You may wonder where they are looking, or why the eye has a “twitch.” Tear ducts can affect eye function and appearance, too. While some of these conditions are lifelong, as top eye care specialists in Colorado we’re more familiar with them than most eye doctors. In many cases we have effective treatments or help living with them.

Imagine these conditions:

  • Hairy Eyeball — a very rare condition where non-eye tissue grows in the eyeball, producing hair.
  • Red Eyes — a symptom of albinism, where low pigmentation makes eye blood vessels show through the iris.
  • Different Colored Eyes — heterochromia, or irises of different colors, such as blue and green.
  • Two Pupils in One Eye — polycoria and pseudo polycoria, from two independent pupils or just multiple iris holes in one, rare.
  • Black Eyes — aniridia, a very thin iris that is not visible, making the eye have no color.
  • Cat Eye Syndrome — a rare genetic disease with retinal deformities that look like cat eyes.
  • Crying Blood — haemolacria, from a genetic tear duct malfunction that’s rare; this condition can also occur from other diseases.
  • Involuntary Eye Movements — nystagmus, eyes that “twitch” on their own.
  • Uncoordinated Eyes — strabismus, eyes that don’t move together.
  • Lazy Eye — amblyopia, often arising in childhood, where one eye has weaker movement and vision loss results.

At ICON Eyecare, our top eye care specialists in Colorado can provide diagnosis and treatment of many rare eye conditions. Our team of specialists can help patients learn to live with genetic conditions and sometimes find solutions to eye motion related challenges and other diseases, especially to avoid lifelong problems for children. We encourage you to talk with us and get help if these conditions affect you. We’re also providers of vision care for those affected by more common conditions such as nearsightedness, farsightedness, and simple aging. We’re your best resource for LASIK eye surgery in Colorado. For seniors and others affected by cloudy eye lenses and reduced vision, we offer highly experienced cataract surgery in Colorado with excellent replacement lens options. No matter what your eye concerns, call ICON Eyecare today.