In all honesty, we don’t, on a societal level, pay enough attention to the health of our eyes, and that’s down to an approach that tends to feel that what happens to our vision is unavoidable and just something we must ‘deal with.’ The truth is somewhat different from this way of thinking.
There are many issues that plague our eyes; some are environmental, others hereditary, and on all fronts, there are things we can do to help prevent damage to our eyes, be that in the long or short term.
To help you understand more about what your eyes are telling you, we have put together a list of common eye related health issues along with symptoms that tend to be related to them and, most importantly, a selection of ideas and ways to both prevent and mitigate the resultant issues that they bring.
Eye Strain
This is a condition that we all suffer in some form and relates to your eyes being used too intensely. Sometimes due to not wearing the proper prescription or not wearing glasses at all (when you really should). You can also suffer from eye strain if you spend far too much time focused on an object, such as a screen or your smartphone, and if you take time away from doing so, you will probably see the benefits of doing so immediately.
You might also benefit from wearing progressive lenses to help balance the out need for glasses for different distances, and we’d recommend checking out the range of options at GlassesUSA.com, which provides a variety of styles and types and as such, finding a pair that works perfectly for aesthetic and medical needs is far more likely than at your local opticians.
AMD (Age-Related Macular Degeneration)
As the name suggests, this is a disorder and an issue that will most likely affect us all as we age. Effectively it involves the macular, the center of the retina, becoming weaker and leading to weaker, less focused vision. This comes in wet and dry forms, and it affects millions of Americans every year and is pronounced in those over the age of 60 but can present in those of around 40.
You can delay the signs of AMD and mitigate its effect by maintaining a healthy diet and a regimen of exercise. Also, if you smoke, you are far more likely to suffer the harsher effects of AMD.
Cataracts
This is another very common condition and affects the clouding of your eye’s lens and can lead, in extreme cases, to blindness. The cause of this can be societal and environmental but also based on your ancestry. As many as 20 million Americans have cataracts in either one or both eyes; that’s how common the issue is. It’s an issue that is easily remedied by treatment, but the coverage on your insurance can sometimes lead to patients choosing not to follow through with the surgery.
Symptoms that could mean you have cataracts include colors looking less bright, poor eyesight at night, and very cloudy vision. It’s more common with those who smoke or have diabetes. As stated before, it’s also something that tends to run in your family. You can choose to better your chances of developing cataracts with a good diet, and it’s a good idea to get a regular eye exam, especially if you are over the age of 60.
Glaucoma
This medical term covers many issues related to the eye’s optic nerve and happens when the fluid pressure around your eyes rises. It comes in two types, open-angle and closed-angle, the first is chronic in nature, and the second can appear without warning and be incredibly painful.
Prescription eye drops are commonly used to treat Glaucoma, and you can look to use laser treatment to help drain the fluid from your eyes and surgery is the last option that speeds the process of removing that fluid and is sometimes a path that your doctor could insist on.
Diabetic Retinopathy
As the name suggests, this eye disorder hits those who have diabetes and can lead to blindness. It typically involves light-sensitivity issues that come from the blood vessels around the retina becoming damaged. A change in lifestyle can negate the worst effects of diabetic retinopathy, and therefore the same way you manage your diabetes (control of your blood sugar and blood pressure) applies here.
With this eye disease, early detection is vital to help avoid severe vision issues and even blindness.
Amblyopia
This disease is common in children and sometimes termed as ‘lazy eye.’ It can tend to involve a child using one eye more than the other, which causes strabismus and is a condition that should be dealt with as early as possible to avoid it becoming an issue later into adult life.
The treatment for this is very benign. A child may be required to wear an eye patch on the more dominant eye for an hour or two a day until the issue balances itself out. Eye drops also cause the stronger eye to blur and train the less dominant eye to take on the heavy lifting.
These are just a sample of the most common eye diseases and some basic information on each, and if you have any concerns about your eye health or those of a family member, you should always consult a physician before approaching the problem.