Eyes Vision Diseases

The earliest evidence of beauty was what we saw. Such is the importance of vision and the eyes that we often take for granted until and unless something happens to make us realize what a blessing it was to see. Hopefully for most people the epiphany doesn't bring any permanent damages.

Some eye vision diseases develop over a period of time. These are either the result of neglecting eye care, some unforeseen accident or they may also be inherited. This is seen mostly with those who have short sightedness; children tend to inherit the condition from their parents.

Here is a brief description of a number of eye vision diseases and what symptoms each has. These symptoms serve to provide a guide as to how to go ahead with your eye health and eye care. Still, you should perform a self diagnosis or self-medicate based simply on how your conditions match the ones stated here.

1. Cataracts: The most common symptom is a painless blurring of the vision. Everything becomes dimmer, as if seeing through glasses that need cleaning. Most often both eyes are affected, although vision is usually more compromised in one eye than the other.

2. Glaucoma: The vision loss that characterizes glaucoma is caused by pressure on the optic nerve, commonly a result of a buildup of "aqueous humor." This clear fluid brings nutrients to the lens and cornea and carries waste products away, the problem occurs when it doesn't drain away completely.

3. Macular Degeneration: this is a gradual loss of vision over the years as a result of age. Macular degeneration is usually not diagnosed until it reaches the later advanced stages of life. At the advanced stages, vision becomes prominently blurred, wavy and the ability to distinguish between colors fades away.

4. Red Eye: this is a more common eye disorder that may be caused by infection, inflammation, trauma, allergy, broken blood vessels, etc. This results in reddening of the white part of the eye, known as sclera. A pink shade to the sclera is also classified as the reddening of the eye. This mostly happens to children but sometimes adults get it too. The pinkness of the eye is paired with irritation, infection, watering, swelling, etc. If the pink is the result of an allergic reaction, it's not contagious, but if it's a viral breakout then you should be careful as it will spread. Allergies also cause reddening of the eye. Allergies may be seasonal, some people develop allergy to the spring season when the pollen count is extremely high. For others the allergic reaction may be to dust, mites in the air, pollution etc. Allergic redness comes about suddenly and makes the eyes watery and puffy. Since it will be due to some environmental stimulus, you may feel better when you in the house and it may become quite severe when you go outside. You can also have a reddened eye if a blood vessel in your sclera bursts. This may happen as a result of strain on the eye (excessive computer usage), rubbing of the eye, or for no reason at all. In all the above conditions you should see a doctor promptly and get proper treatment.

• John Palsson
• 17/12/2008, 6:59 PM
• 0 Comments