Common Eye Ailments & Diseases

Maintaining healthy eyes is critical to retaining optimal vision. There are vision conditions such as astigmatisms, farsightedness and myopia that affect many people globally. However there are common ailments and diseases that affect the health of your eyes, and some of them may diminish your vision over time.

Cataracts

• Cataracts are an eye ailment that typically occurs during the senior years of life. With cataracts the eye's lens clouds over, causing vision to be blurred or cloudy.

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)

• Pink eye can be caused by an irritant or bacterial or viral infection that causes eye redness, itchiness, tearing, a gritty feeling in the eye and sometimes a mucus discharge. Pink eye caused from an external irritant such as allergies is not contagious; however bacterial and viral infections resulting in pink eye are; these require the use of antibiotic drops to cure the infection.

Glaucoma

• Glaucoma is a disease that damages the optic nerve due to a rise in fluid pressure within the eyes. According to MedlinePlus, glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in the United States. People at risk for glaucoma are those with a family history of the disease, those over the age of 60 and African Americans over 40.

Macular Degeneration

• MedlinePlus lists macular degeneration, a disease that diminishes the eye's central vision, as a leading cause of diminished vision in Americans age 60 and older. This disease destroys the cells of macula, which allow the eye to see fine details, and affects simple tasks such as seeing clearly while reading and driving.

Precautions

• Early detection of eye disease and other problems is essential to eye health. Schedule regular eye doctor visits every two years to have a comprehensive eye exam that includes testing for glaucoma.