Eye-related issues are pretty common, whether it is the usual tiredness, redness, and irritation or something a little less common like near-sightedness and far-sightedness that require corrective lenses. Other times, the issue may be more serious and develops into a full-blown eye disorder that may require medication, special glasses, or surgery.

Let’s take a look at some of the most common eye disorders that people experience and talk about the various treatment options available. 

Macular Degeneration

Macular Degeneration, or Age-Related Macular Degeneration, is one of the most common eye disorders and happens as a result of a part of the retina called the macular wearing down as a person ages. 

Symptoms 

• Blurry vision
• Dark areas in the center of your vision
• Glare sensitivity
• Word distortion when reading
• Objects appearing smaller than they are in reality

Treatment

Macular Degeneration cannot be cured, but there are treatment options available to slow down vision loss. This includes laser therapy, medication, vision aids, submacular surgery, and nutrient supplements.

Risk factors

• Heredity
• High blood pressure
• Smoking
• High cholesterol
• Obesity
• Light eye color

Dry Eyes Syndrome 

Dry Eye Syndrome is a condition where the eyes are unable to produce sufficient tears to keep itself lubricated.

Symptoms

• Redness
• Sensitivity to light
• Burning, scratching or stinging sensation in eyes
• Mucous 
• Blurry eyes
• Eye fatigue
• Discomfort when wearing contact lenses

Treatment

Dry eye can usually be treated with over the counter eye drops or prescription medication from Eye Optical Store. For more serious cases, surgery may be required to insert plugs to reduce drainage from eyes. There are also devices on the market that stimulate the nerves and the eyes that produce tears. At home includes reducing screen time and wearing sunglasses.

Risk factors

• Aging
• Certain medication
• Certain medication such as thyroid disorders, diabetes, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis
• Tear gland damage from radiation treatment
• Eyelid problems
• Dry air
• Diet low in Vitamin A

Glaucoma

Glaucoma occurs as a result of abnormally high pressure which results in damage to the optic nerve. If untreated, this can lead to permanent blindness. 

Symptoms

Glaucoma does not usually show any symptoms in its early stages and generally, symptoms happen suddenly or all at once:

• Temporary vision loss
• Peripheral vision loss
• Tunnel vision
• Eye pain
• Hazy eyes
• Redness
• Halos around lights
• Nausea 

Treatment

Glaucoma is generally treated with oral medication or prescription eye drops. In later stages, laser surgery or microsurgery is more effective in lowering eye pressure. 

Risk factors

• African American, Hispanic, Irish, Inuit, Japanese, Russian or Scandinavian descent
• Heredity
• Diabetes
• Eye injury
• Thin corneas
• Sickle cell anaemia
• Cardiovascular disease
• Near-sighted or farsightedness

Cataracts

Cataracts is another widely popular eye disorder caused by proteins in the eye clumping together that prevents the lens from sending clear images to the retina. Over time, this will start to affect vision causing dense clouds in one or both eyes.

Symptoms:

• Blurry vision
• Faded colors
• Difficulty seeing at night
• Glare sensitivity
• Double vision
• Halo around the eyes

Treatment

Cataracts are generally treated in its early stages with strong eyeglasses, anti-glare sunglasses, and the use of magnifying glasses. During the late stages, surgery is used to remove the cloudy lens and to replace it with an artificial lens.

Risk factors

• Smoking
• Radiation therapy
• Long-term use of steroids and certain medication
• Diabetes
• Alcoholism
• Heredity
• Excess UV radiation
• Eye injury
• Hypertension

Astigmatism

Astigmatism is an eye disorder caused by an abnormally shaped cornea or lens . This interferes with the refraction of the light to the retina and affects vision.

Symptoms

• Eyestrain
• Headaches
• Blurry, distorted or fuzzy vision
• Squinting
• Eye irritation

Treatment

If your astigmatism is mild, you may not even need treatment. In more serious cases however, corrective lenses are used to correct vision or rigid contact lenses (orthokeratology). The worst cases require surgery.

Risk factors

• Heredity
• Scarred or thin corneas
• Near-sighted or farsightedness
• Eye surgery

The Next Step

If you experience any of these symptoms, you should schedule an appointment with an optometrist who will be able to detect any abnormalities and figure out the best treatment method. This will prevent your conditioning from worsening, or even worse, prevent you from going blind!