Webster's New World Medical Dictionary

bleb
See 
blister.
bleeding
Hemorrhaging. Losing blood, typically
because of injury to blood vessels. With simple
bleeding, cleaning the site of injury and applying
mild pressure or a bandage is sufficient treatment. If
bleeding is caused by injury to a major blood vessel,
emergency care is necessary. Spontaneous bleeding
in the skin can represent a serious underlying illness
and requires medical evaluation. Menstrual bleeding
involves the normal expulsion of uterine tissue. See
also 
hemorrhage; menstruation.
blepharitis
Inflammation of the eyelids.
Blepharitis occurs in two forms, anterior and poste-
rior. Anterior blepharitis affects the outside front of
the eyelid, where the eyelashes are attached. The
two most common causes of anterior blepharitis are
bacteria (Staphylococcus) and scalp dandruff.
Posterior blepharitis affects the inner eyelid (the
moist part that makes contact with the eye) and is
caused by problems with the oil (meibomian)
glands in this part of the eyelid. Two skin disorders
can cause this form of blepharitis: rosacea and seb-
orrheic dermatitis.
49
blepharitis
03_189283 ch02.qxp 4/18/08 10:13 PM Page 49
http://www.rashidislamiccenter.com
http://www.allofislam.com/

---

blepharospasm
The involuntary, forcible clo-
sure of the eyelids. The first symptoms may be
uncontrollable blinking. Only one eye may be
affected initially, but eventually both eyes are usually
involved. The spasms may leave the eyelids com-
pletely closed, causing functional blindness even
though the eyes and vision are normal.
Blepharospasm is a form of focal dystonia.
blighted ovum
A fertilized ovum (egg) that did
not develop or whose development ceased at an
early stage, before 6 or 7 weeks of gestation. On the
ultrasound examination of a blighted ovum, only the
gestational sac that normally surrounds the embryo
can be seen. There is usually no embryo inside the
gestational sac. A blighted ovum is a form of early
spontaneous abortion (miscarriage).