The most common eye diseases manifest through a series of symptoms such as blurred vision, spots, glare at night, eye fatigue, dry eyes, etc. Each symptom can be a harmless ailment or an early sign of some more delicate condition.
However, since it is not easy to identify the difference, you should immediately go to an ophthalmological consultation if you notice any change in your vision.
What are eye diseases?
Any problem that affects sight and can go unnoticed, cause minor discomfort, or even trigger severe complications such as vision loss, is called an eye disease.
Likewise, in some systemic diseases, the eyes are the first organ to be affected, so an eye exam can detect not only eye diseases but also systemic pathologies such as diabetes, and hypertension, among others.
Most common eye diseases
God Service Eye Clinic has prepared a guide with the most common visual defects and eye diseases that you should know about, so you can have an idea of what could be affecting your vision and not feel so disoriented when talking with the doctor at the general ophthalmology consultation.
1. Colour blindness or dyschromatopsia
With this vision problem, people have difficulty distinguishing certain colours, such as blue, red, and green. Manifestations range from total colour blindness to altered colour perception in which some shades cannot be differentiated.
Colour blindness ( or, more precisely, colour vision deficiency) is a hereditary disorder that is transmitted predominantly in males, so the condition occurs in 8% of men. Of all eye diseases, it is very rare in women (less than 1%).
2. Myopia
The cause is a refractive error produced because the eyeball is too long, although it can also be the result of a typically shaped cornea. Light rays are focused just in front of the retina, instead of directly on it.
The characteristic of this disease is that the patient sees poorly from a distance, but very well up close. It is considered a progressive defect in childhood, so in children and adolescents of school age, it is necessary to frequently change the size of the lenses. Around the age of 20, it normally stabilises.
Laser surgery can successfully treat myopia, a visual impairment, in the majority of instances. For those patients who are not candidates for laser surgery, there is another surgical option called a phakic lens implant (ICL lens).
3. Farsightedness
This problem is the result of an eyeball that is too short or a typically shaped lens or cornea. Light rays are focused behind the retina and nearby objects appear blurry. Distance vision may also be poor.
Children with severe farsightedness often suffer from crossed eyes (strabismus) or lazy eyes (amblyopia) and may have trouble reading. Ophthalmologists recommend some early vision evaluation exams, ideally between 2 and 3 years of age to start using correctors and avoid lazy eyes.
The majority of people develop mild farsightedness as children and lose it as adults. When it persists, they can see distant objects well, but books, computers, and other nearby objects are blurred or cause headaches and eyestrain.
It is advised to wear glasses or contact lenses. Refractive surgery can correct farsightedness, but it is common for the defect to return, so its application must be carefully evaluated.
4. Presbyopia
The gradual impairment of the eyes’ capacity to focus on surrounding objects is known as presbyopia. It is a natural and often uncomfortable process of ageing. Typically, the presbyopia begins to show between the ages of 40 and 45, worsening until around age 60. However, some patients suffer from early presbyopia and require the use of glasses only for near vision before the age of 40.
The solution for this eye disease is to use glasses to see up close and, if you have distance measurement, there are options for bifocal and progressive lenses that correct near and far vision. If you wear contact lenses, ask your eye doctor about contact lenses for people with presbyopia.
5. Astigmatism
Your vision could be blurry at any distance in the case of astigmatism in one or both of your eyes. This happens when the cornea, the clear “window” that covers the front part of the eye, is not in the correct shape.
Shadow vision results from a retinal defect that prevents light rays from focusing on a single point. It is the most frequent refractive error and is one of the main causes of headaches and eye fatigue since the patient sees out of focus from far and near.
Unlike myopia, the variations in the size of the lenses to treat astigmatism are small, and may even decrease in some patients. The correction is performed with glasses and, with respect to contact lenses, soft toric or rigid gas permeable lenses are used. In such circumstances, laser surgery is a viable alternative.
6. Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is one of the most common eye diseases, both in children and adults, and is characterised by inflammation of the conjunctiva. The surface of the eye and the interior of the eyelids are lined with this mucous membrane.
The lacrimal gland guards the conjunctiva and aids in the removal of external contaminants. Conjunctivitis develops when this defence is insufficient. Inflammation can be caused by a virus, fungi, bacteria, allergens, contact lens wear, or even chemicals.
Conjunctivitis can occur in one or both eyes, and usually manifests acutely and with discharge. Although it does not represent a serious threat to your visual health, if it is not treated properly it can affect the cornea and leave sequelae in your vision.
7. Glaucoma
This condition damages your optic nerve and generally does not present any symptoms, the person who suffers from it perceives a decrease in vision in the final stages of the disease. In the initial stage of this disease, only side vision is affected, so the person with glaucoma does not perceive any vision loss.
Because glaucoma is an asymptomatic condition, leading to irreversible blindness, people need to see an ophthalmologist annually for eye exams, especially if they have a family history of glaucoma or after the age of 40. Early diagnosis allows doctors to stop the disease through treatment with drugs, lasers, or surgery.
8. Cataract
An opacity in the eye’s lens that prevents it from displaying light clearly is known as a cataract. People who have cataracts experience a sensation similar to looking through a foggy or frosted window.
Signs and symptoms of cataracts include dull, fuzzy, or dim vision; increased difficulty seeing at night; sensitivity to light and glare; need for brighter light for reading and other activities; a vision of “halos” around lights; Frequent changes in your prescription for glasses or contact lenses; loss of ability to recognise colours or seeing everything in a yellowish tone; and double vision in one eye.
Cataract treatment is surgical, surgery is very simple and the vast majority of patients only require topical anaesthesia (drops) and comply with the indications in the recovery process. In addition, when operating the cataract, the measure can be corrected to see far away (only myopia or hyperopia) with spherical intraocular lenses. If the patient had astigmatism, the lens that would be used is called a toric intraocular lens.
Likewise, in some patients a multifocal intraocular lens can be placed that corrects the distance, intermediate and near measurements. Remember that for this type of surgery, the treating physician must define whether or not the patient is a candidate to use this type of intraocular lens.
9. Dry eye
Dry eye syndrome or dry eyes is caused by poor tear production or excessive evaporation. This condition is usually progressive, causing eye discomfort, eye problems, and in some cases, ocular surface lesions.
As it is a multifactorial and chronic condition, it is important that it be addressed in a personalised way in each patient, depending on its cause and severity. If you schedule an appointment with an ophthalmologist in advance, it can typically be successfully treated.
10. Macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a progressive condition that has become the leading cause of irreversible vision loss in older adults.
This pathology can progress slowly in some people, so with proper monitoring it can be detected early; but there are also cases in which it can occur unexpectedly.
Therefore, the best way to prevent visual diseases is to go frequently for all your eye check-ups and follow the advice to keep your eyes healthy.