The more you know about common eye conditions, the easier they are to spot
Unfortunately, the majority of common eye conditions don’t have any obvious early symptoms. Therefore, the best way to ensure your eyes and vision are healthy is to visit an optician once a year.
However, the more you know about common eye conditions, the easier they are to spot. And typically, the sooner a problem is detected, the easier it is to treat.
Common eye conditions we see at Freemans Opticians include:
Blepharitis
Blepharitis is caused by a bacterial infection or a complication of a skin condition (for example: rosacea or dermatitis). When bacteria enter the hair follicles on the eyelids, they can become inflamed, red and swollen. And while the problem is most commonly seen in adults over the age of 50, it can develop at any age.
The most common symptoms of blepharitis include itchy and crusty eyelids, as well as burning, sore and stinging eyes.
Dry Eye Syndrome
Dy eye is a common condition that may be caused because your eyes do not produce enough tears, or because the tears that you have evaporate too quickly or do not spread evenly across the front of your eye. The symptoms are usually in both eyes.
Dry eye can make you feel scratchy or irritated. In severe cases it may temporarily make your vision blurry. It can be uncomfortable, but rarely causes serious eye damage.
Cataracts
Cataracts are formed when the clear lens inside your eye becomes cloudy or misty. This is a gradual process that usually happens as we get older. It does not hurt.
The early stages of a cataract do not necessarily affect your sight.
The only proven treatment for a cataract is surgery. If the cataract gets to the stage where it affects your sight, your optometrist will refer you to a hospital to have this done. The surgery is carried our under a local unaesthetic and has a very high success rate.
Macular Degeneration
The macula is an area at the back of your eye that you use for seeing fine detail such as reading a book.
Macular degeneration (MD) covers a number of conditions which affect the macula. The conditions affect your ability to do certain tasks such as reading and watching television, but do not affect your ability to walk around as your side vision is not affected.
One of the most common symptoms of MD is noticing that straight lines appear wavy or that there are patches missing from your vision. You may not notice this if it happens in one eye as your other eye will compensate, so it is important to regularly check your vision in each eye separately. You can do this by looking with each eye separately at the straight lines on a door frame or Venetian blind. If you noticed the lines are distorted or there are missing patches, you should see your optometrist straight away.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases in which the optic nerve, which connects your eye to your brain, is damaged by the pressure of the fluid inside your eye.
This may be because the pressure is higher than normal, or because the nerve is more susceptible to damage from pressure. This may affect one or both of your eyes. There are two main types of glaucoma: chronic glaucoma which happens slowly; and acute glaucoma which happens quickly. Chronic glaucoma is much more common than acute glaucoma.
Keratoconus
Keratoconus occurs when the cornea (which is usually round) begins to thin and become cone-shaped. This leads to light being deflected as it enters the eye, and causes distorted vision.
Keratoconus is progressive and in most cases, sufferers do not know they have the condition until they visit their optician.
Flashes & Floaters
Floaters look like small, dark spots or strands that appear to float in front of your eyes. Floaters are very common and are normally harmless. They are more common if you are short-sighted or as you get older. Some people notice they see flashes of light. These can be due to movement of the gel inside the eye. Very occasionally, flashes or an increase in floaters can be a sign of a retinal detachment, which needs treating as soon as possible. This is more common as you get older, or in people who are short-sighted or have had eye surgery.
If you get any of the following symptoms and you cannot contact your optometrist, you should seek urgent attention ideally from an eye casualty department at the hospital. It is important that you seek advice promptly if you have:
- a sudden increase in floaters, particularly if you also notice flashing light
- a new, large floater
- a change in floaters or flashing lights after you have had a direct blow to your eye
- a shadow spreading across the vision of one of your eyes
