Eye conditions frequently affect the population and, whilst most are relatively harmless, some require medical attention to prevent permanent damage to your vision.
If your sight doesn’t seem quite right, it could be that you’re suffering from an eye condition. Throughout the course of this blog we will run through some of the most common eye conditions and what can be done to manage or cure them where possible.
Common Eye Conditions and How to Protect your Sight
Colour Blindness
Difficulty in distinguishing between colours is the main symptom of this eye deficiency. Colours like red and green can be easily confused, as light-sensitive cells in your eyes fail to respond to the light wavelengths that help us identify a colour. Developing colour blindness later in life can be an early symptom of problems such as cataracts, so it’s important to get your eyes checked if you’re experiencing it.
Lazy Eye
‘Lazy eyes’, also known as amblyopia, are the result of vision not developing properly in childhood. One eye is relied on for stronger vision, which can cause a squint as the weaker eye moves in a different direction than the stronger eye when looking forwards.
Find out more about Children’s Eye Health and why a Sight Test is important.
Cataracts
Clouding of the lens causes a loss of vision with cataracts, which can develop slowly in one or both eyes. Symptoms you may experience include blurring, difficulty with sight at night, halos around light sources, fading of colours and more. These are all symptoms that can affect your driving. Make sure you’re aware of the vision standards.
Find out more about cataract symptoms and appropriate treatments.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is the result of fluid pressure causing optic nerve damage within your eye. This can lead to blindness, so it’s vital to get checked at the opticians. Similar to Cataracts, symptoms include halos around light and blurred vision but also headaches, severe pain, nausea and loss of peripheral vision in some cases.
Retina Detachment
Retinal detachment is a serious condition that must be treated immediately or it can cause blindness. Characterised by floating spots across the vision, shadows in your peripheral vision or a grey curtain clouding part of your sight, retinal detachment should be treated within 24 hours for the best chance at reattachment.
Ocular Hypertension
When pressure within the eye rises above normal, ocular hypertension can occur. Similar to glaucoma but without damage to the optic nerve, the condition can make sufferers more susceptible to developing glaucoma. There are no visible signs of ocular hypertension, meaning it’s important to keep regular eye tests so that opticians can pick up the condition during the exam.
Discover 5 more reasons you should be scheduling regular eye tests.
Conjunctivitis
Also referred to as ‘pink eye’, conjunctivitis causes redness, swelling, itching and tears. The symptoms can last for up to several weeks and can be contagious. Some forms of the condition only go away when treated, so seek attention from a chemist or optician.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related Macular degeneration, also known as AMD, risk factors include age, family history and behavioural habits like smoking and obesity. Blurred vision, distortion of straight lines and dark areas in the centre of your vision are all symptoms as the macula becomes affected.
Eyelid Twitching
Although incredibly common, twitching eyelids can be extremely irritating to the sufferer. Caused by stress or fatigue, the twitches should usually go away by themselves but in some severe and rare cases facial injections or surgery can be used to relieve the spasms.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes is one of the leading causes of blindness in the UK. With up to 80% of people who have experienced diabetes for over 20 years being affected by diabetic retinopathy, it’s integral that if you’re a sufferer you have your eyes checked regularly for signs of the problem.
Book Your Eye Appointment Today
Do you think you could be suffering from an eye condition? Book an appointment with one of our highly-trained opticians and ensure the health of your eyes. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch. Our team looks forward to hearing from you.
Booking regular eye tests is important, but why should it cost you more money than it could? Why not check out the Reynolds Opticians Optiplan and find out how much you could be saving on your sight?
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