Types of Eye Diseases and their Symptoms
Everyone might have experienced an eye problem once. Some may be so minor that you won’t see any change in the physical appearance or in your vision. At times, it will fade away on its own, but there are some problems that need a specialist’s care. Following are some of the common eye diseases that you may experience.
Cataract
This degenerative eye disease is commonly found in the older adults. Over 90% of the people above the age of 65 are affected by cataract. Doctors see this as a natural part of aging. Even though there is no particular cause for cataract, it is commonly seen in people with diabetes.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Age-related macular degeneration is also an eye disease that affects the older adults. This is a condition in with the waste deposits under the retina stop the nutrients from flowing to the cells. Thus, a person with AMD’s middle part of the retina, that is the macula which helps in detailed vision, breaks down. AMD is more associated with poor lifestyle choices rather than an aging process. People who smoke, have a poor diet or are obese usually show eye disease symptoms of AMD, which include blurred vision, color distortion, poor vision while involved in detailed activities such as reading etc.
Glaucoma
A range of conditions that are associated with the damage to the optic nerve is called glaucoma. These are caused mostly by an increase in the intraocular pressure. This can even lead to permanent blindness if it is left untreated. Therefore, it is better to consult an eye-specialist as soon as you see this eye disease’s symptoms such as blurred vision, sickness or vomiting, headaches, pain in the eyes, and formation of multi-colored halos in the vision.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is the most common diabetes-related eye disease and it is also the most common cause of blindness in American adults. The diabetic retinopathy damages the retina, which is necessary to see clearly. It destroys the tiny blood vessels in the retina. Blurry or double vision, halo, flashing lights, blank spots, trouble seeing through the corner of the eyes, and pain or pressure in your eyes are some of the eye disease symptoms that you might not even notice in the early stage, but it may result in diabetic retinopathy.
Whatever be the eye disease you suffer from, make sure you have a regular checkup. This is because an early detection can prevent complete vision loss.