The human body is full of surprises. Same goes for the conditions that affect it.

The human body is full of surprises. Same goes for the conditions that affect it. While you may know about many common eye disorders, like cataracts or conjunctivitis, here are some rare eye diseases that are both breathtaking and scary.

5 rare eye conditions you didn't know existed — Sunshine Optometry

Table of Contents

Haemolacria

People suffering from this rare eye condition literally cry blood. Probably the most unsettling entry on this list, it is completely harmless. However, the bleeding can start and stop anytime, even when the person is not actually crying. This can prove very spooky and disturbing for any onlooker.

It is usually caused by blood disorders like haemophilia, high blood pressure or tumors in the eye.

Anopthalmia and Micropthalmia

Both these conditions are rare genetic eye diseases and are present at birth in the affected individuals.

In anopthalmia, the subject lacks one or both eyes completely, while a person suffering from micropthalmia has abnormally small eyes.

It has been suggested that these conditions are caused by chemicals, pesticides, drugs or radiation that can harm the genes. However further research is needed to properly learn the cause of these rare eye diseases.

Retinitis Pigmentosa

This is another rare genetic eye disease where the affected person loses their eyesight with age.

The retina is the part of our eye that receives visual information. Two types of light receptor cells, called rods and cones are present on the retina. These rods and cones allow us to see the world.

In retinitis pigmentosa, a mutation causes these rods and cones to slowly die off. As a result, with time, symptoms like loss of visibility at night, slow loss of color perception and blurring of central vision appear.

Cat-Eye Syndrome

Yes, this is what it sounds like, the eyes of the person look like a cat’s eye. A black notch develops on the side of the pupil, the black color area in the center of the eye. This gives the appearance of a split eye akin to the feline animals.

This is a congenital disorder that occurs due to the presence of extra genetic material in our cells.

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

This is a fascinating yet sad genetic disease affecting those who lost most or all of their eyesight. People suffering from Charles Bonnet Syndrome see things that aren’t there, like people or animals or trees; in other words, they hallucinate.

This happens because our brain has a tendency to fill in the gaps in our vision: that is why we can read a word without spelling it out, among other things. As the brain gets less and less visual information due to progressing blindness, it creates images to make up for the deficit. This leads to such hallucinations.

People having such hallucinations often think they are going mad, but that is not the case. While there is no cure, the hallucinations usually subside in one or two years.