Posted by Bonnie Joffee on 3/28/2018 to For the Caregiver

The world becomes black without eye site. As one ages, eye care becomes even more important than ever before. And because March is ‘Save Your Vision’ month, what a great time to address proper eye care and how to preserve it!

There are several eye conditions/diseases, some minor, others more serious that can affect ones’ vision:

Refractive Errors: Refractive errors occur when the light one receives into the eye is unable to focus properly, ultimately causing blurry vision. These conditions include:

  • Myopia (nearsightedness): far-away objects look blurry
  • Hyperopia (farsightedness): close-up objects look blurry
  • Astigmatism: ones’ vision is blurry vision because the cornea is not perfectly shaped to direct light into the eye.
  • Presbyopia: Due to the aging process—eye lens loses its elasticity, causing farsightedness.
  • Dry Eye Syndrome: The lack of tears being produced from the tear duct or eyelids that results in blurry vision and pain. Artificial tears can help to alleviate this problem, as well as taking frequent breaks from the computer.

Other more serious conditions requiring a doctor’s attention include:

  • Glaucoma: Fluid builds up inside the eye, causing pressure, nerve damage and often results in either severely impaired vision or blindness.
  • Cataracts: The lens of the eye gets cloudy causing colors to be distorted and vision to become blurry. Lack of treatment can cause blindness.
  • Age Related Macular Degeneration (AMD): Gradual damage occurs in the cells of the ‘Macula’ and is often the leading cause of blindness particularly people over the age of 55. As ones’ sight begins to diminish, it is more difficult to focus on smaller print and images.
  • Diabetic Retinopathy: Caused by diabetes, this condition damages the blood vessels of the retina and creates dark spots in the eye and becomes difficult to see, making eating or other average daily activities more difficult.
  • Retina Detachment: This happens when there is a tear in the eye and surgery is needed. Eyesight can become blurry and permanently damaged if not properly cared for.

Fortunately, the more minor conditions can be corrected with glasses, contacts or laser surgery. However, the more serious disease can cause greater disabilities which means it is critical to visit your eye doctor or specialist on a yearly basis to have your eyes dilated and examined for any changes in your eye health.

Sources: Healthline.com, allaboutvision.com

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