Did you know that by 2030 3.7 million Americans will be blind? This number is shocking considering many types of ocular disease, but if caught on time, they can be treated.
You might be wondering what types of vision problems can become a long-term threat and even lead to permanent blindness.
In this article, we’ll show you how to spot common vision problems and how to take care of them.
1. Eye Strain
If you spend too long working on a computer, reading, or driving, your eyesight might be compromised. This is called eye strain and it happens as you overuse your eyes.
Your eyes might feel sore, tired, you might notice they’re more watery or dry than usual, and you might experience double or blurred vision.
When you begin to feel sensitivity to light, headaches, and tired eyes, you should take a break and relax your eyes. Stopping eye strain is easy and you can do it in a few steps. Use artificial tears, take more breaks, get a good night sleep, and even limit the time spent on the screen.
2. Glaucoma
When your eyes develop increase pressure within, you will likely develop glaucoma.
Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve and it can lead to vision loss in those who have it.
There are two types of glaucoma open-angle and angle-closure glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma is more common and is typically painless, while angle-closure glaucoma tends to be more painful and make your eye red.
Unfortunately, glaucoma is not as easy to spot until is too late. If you know there’s a history of glaucoma in your family you should get your eye checked out.
Go to a place like NW Cornea Institute to get your eyes checked annually.
3. Allergies
Eye allergies are more dangerous than you might think. Allergies cause chronic inflammation of your cornea and cause permanent damage.
There’s not a specific cause of eye allergies. Anything can cause them such as seasonal allergies, reaction to cosmetics, medications, dust, pet dandruff and more.
You can treat allergies with over the counter medications whenever you begin to feel the symptoms. If over the counter medications don’t work, talk to your doctor.
4. Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
You’ve probably heard about the pesky pink eye infection. Pink eye causes redness and inflammation of the clear tissue that covers your eye. Bacteria, infections, chemicals, and pollutants can cause pink eye.
Most of the time pink eye goes away without needing medical diagnosis. Try using over the counter drops, and if the problem persists, you can visit your doctor.
5. Cataracts
Cataracts cause a film to develop over your eye, therefore, blurring your vision. This problem tends to happen as we age, although, sometimes cataracts can happen due to trauma, diabetes, UV light, and even medications.
You can spot cataracts by attending your yearly eye exam.
Spot These Common Vision Problems Soon
Vision problems are more common than you think. Now that you know about these common vision problems you’ll be able to spot them before it’s too late.
If you enjoyed these tips and would like to learn more useful healthy living tips, explore our blog.