Confused Cataract, Eye infection, Colour Blindness, Glaucoma: Get yourself Tested




According to World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, approximately 285 million people worldwide suffer from low vision and blindness. Of these, 39 million are blind and 246 million have moderate or severe visual impairment. The major causes of visual impairment are uncorrected refractive errors (43%) and cataract (33%).
Some common eye conditions:

Eyestrain:
             Eyestrain is discomfort due to an uncorrected refractive problem.
             Eyestrain quickly goes away due to refractive problems
             Prolonged focusing can lead to eyestrain, such as working at the computer for hours.
             Prescription glasses maybe required
             Eye exercises or resting the eyes every 30 minutes helps relieve eyestrain, especially                 when working with computers.

             This condition develops when there is too much fluid pressure inside the eye.
             Glaucoma occurs when the normal flow of the watery fluid cannot drain properly. If                not treated early, this can lead to permanent vision loss and blindness.
             Glaucoma is less commonly caused by other factors such as injury to the eye, severe                eye infection, blockage of blood vessels or inflammatory disorders of the eye.
             Treatment may include prescription eye drops, oral medications or surgery.
             The increased pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve,           which transmits images to your brain. If the damage continues, glaucoma can lead to      permanent vision loss.

Risk Factors Associated with Glaucoma:
             Are over 40
             Have a family history of glaucoma
             Have poor vision
             Have diabetes
             Take certain steroid medications, like prednisone
             Have had trauma to the eye or eyes

Signs and Symptoms of Glaucoma:
Loss of peripheral, or side, vision, sudden eye pain, headache, blurred vision, or the appearance of halos around lights.

Because the symptoms usually do not appear in people under 55 years of age, the disorder is often referred to as age-related macular degeneration. Over 65, macular degeneration may already affect your central vision the vision you need for reading and close work like sewing. The disorder occurs in two forms, dry and wet. The Any delay in treatment may result in loss of your central vision.

Night blindness occurs when you have difficulty seeing in dim light. There are many different forms of night blindness, but it may be linked to liver disorder, vitamin A deficiency, inherited disease of the retina, such as retinitis pigmentosa.

The retina is a thin lining on the back of the eye made up of cells that collect visual images and pass them on to the brain.
 Retinal disorders interrupt this transfer of images. They include age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and retinal detachment.
 Early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions is important to maintain vision.

A cataract is a clouding of the normally clear lens of your eye.
Most cataracts develop slowly and don't disturb eyesight early on. But with time, cataracts will eventually interfere with your vision.

Signs and symptoms of cataracts include:
             Clouded, blurred or dim vision
             Increasing difficulty with vision at night
             Sensitivity to light and glare
             Need for brighter light for reading and other activities
             Seeing "halos" around lights
             Frequent changes in eyeglass or contact lens prescription
             Fading or yellowing of colours
             Double vision in a single eye
             Eyeglasses can help you deal with cataracts. But if impaired vision interferes with usual activities cataract surgery may be treatment of choice. Fortunately, cataract surgery is generally a safe, effective procedure.

Refractive errors occur when the shape of the eye prevents light from focusing directly on the retina.

The most common types of refractive errors are myopia, hyperopia, presbyopia, and astigmatism.
             Myopia (near-sightedness) is a condition where objects up close appear clearly,                        while objects far away appear blurry.
             Hyperopia (farsightedness) is a common type of refractive error where distant                          objects may be seen more clearly than objects that are near.
             Astigmatism is a condition in which the eye does not focus light evenly onto the                        retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye
             Presbyopia is an age-related condition in which the ability to focus up close becomes  more difficult.

Eyeglasses or contact lenses are the simplest and safest way to correct refractive errors. Your eye care professional can prescribe appropriate lenses to correct your refractive error and give you optimal vision. Refractive Surgery aims to change the shape of the cornea permanently.

Colour blindness, also known as colour vision deficiency, is the decreased ability to see colour or differences in colour. The most common cause of colour blindness is an inherited fault in the development of one or more of the three sets of colour sensing cones in the eye.
Diagnosis is done by the test consists of a number of coloured plates, called Ishihara plates, each of which contains a circle of dots appearing randomized in colour and size. 

Eye infections occur when harmful microorganism’s bacteria, fungi and viruses that  invade any part of the eyeball or surrounding area. This includes the clear front surface of the eye (cornea) and the thin, moist membrane lining the outer eye and inner eyelids (conjunctiva).
Other infection can include a stye or chalazion. When infection invades the eye's tear glands, inflammatory conditions such as dacryostenosis and uveitis can result.

             Pain, itching, or sensation of a foreign body in the eye.
             Photosensitivity (aversion to bright light)
             Redness or small red lines in the white of the eye.
             Discharge of yellow pus that may be crusty on waking up - a possible sign of                               bacterial infection.
             Tearing

             Eat Healthy foods to prevent nutritional decencies
             Quit Smoking
             Wear Sunglasses
             Use Safety Eyewear
             Look Away From the Computer Screen to prevent eye strain

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