Two Common Eye Problems You Need to Know About
Posted on: 29 March 2018
Everyone knows the importance of routine physical examinations with your doctor every year. Along with checking your general health, you also need to visit the eye doctor annually, even if you have good vision. The examinations check for common eye illnesses that you may not realize you have or are at risk for. As you get older, that risk can get even higher depending on the disease. This guide goes over some of the common eye illnesses you may experience, their symptoms, causes, and treatments associated with them.
1. Cataracts
Cataracts usually affect people over the age of sixty. The symptoms of the disease include:
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Blurry vision
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Cloudy vision
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Halos around lights
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Double vision
The causes of cataracts can vary, but age is the number one factor. Other factors include traumatic damage to the eye or another disease in the body like diabetes. The disease can be diagnosed by an eye doctor with a few tests. Once it is confirmed, the treatment plan can be set up. Sometimes cataracts can be treated with glasses if they aren't severe. When it is severe, surgery is required to treat it. The surgery is outpatient, which means you leave the same day as the surgery, unless there are complications.
2. Glaucoma
Sometimes there is a build-up of pressure in the eye, which can lead to glaucoma. The symptoms are:
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Side vision problems
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Halos around lights
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Headaches
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Eye pain
Most of the symptoms of glaucoma aren't noticed or are not even present in some cases. The disease tends to sneak up on people until it is too late and they have suffered damage to the optic nerve due to the disease. Because of this, eye doctors perform a glaucoma test at every annual physical. If you are diagnosed with it, the treatment plan consists of special eye drops that will lower the pressure and inflammation in the eyes.
Conclusion
It is important that you are knowledgeable about eye health and the common issues that can affect your eyes. Some of the diseases cause damage to the eyes and leave you with poor vision or even blindness if they are not caught in time. Pay attention to eye pain, headaches, blurry vision, or other symptoms that do not go away. Make an eye care appointment with your ophthalmologist and discuss any strange symptoms related to your eyes or vision so they can run the proper tests to detect any issues.
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