When was the last time you had a comprehensive eye exam? Contrary to popular belief, your eye doctor isn’t only there for when you are experiencing a problem with your eyes. In fact, regular eye exams are an essential part of your preventative care and without them, your eye health could deteriorate rapidly.
Glaucoma is a collection of eye illnesses that affect your optic nerves. These nerves connect your eyes to the brain. The progression of this disease may lead to blindness if you do not seek treatment. Glaucoma commonly affects people above the age of 40. In special cases, it may appear before this age. For this reason, it is best to be vigilant for early signs of the disease.
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD for short) is the leading cause of vision loss in people over the age of 50 in the United States and is estimated to affect more than 10 million Americans. This extremely common eye disease is caused by the deterioration of a part of the eye called the macula, which is round in the center of the retina and is responsible for our central vision.
Did you know that one in 2,000 people in the United States is affected by keratoconus? It’s the most common corneal dystrophy among Americans, according to the National Eye Institute. It’s a condition that occurs when your cornea progressively thins out and bulges in a cone shape. Keratoconus doesn’t lead to total blindness, but it can cause significant vision impairment if not treated.
A cataract develops when the eye lens becomes cloudy. The cloudy lenses block light from passing through the eyes, leading to blurred or cloudy vision. It is common in older people, usually over 60. The condition takes a while before the signs are visible, which means it can affect your vision for years before you realize you have this problem.
Routine eye exams are an important part of your child’s preventative care, yet many parents don’t realize that they should be taking their kids for regular pediatric eye exams. Exactly how often these should be will depend on your child, but most parents are advised to bring their children in for routine eye exams at least once every two years – more often if they wear glasses or contact lenses. Why are pediatric exams so important? Let’s find out.
Fortunately, there are a number of treatments that can help to combat the symptoms of dry eyes. Some of the most popular include the following.
Diabetic eye disease is the name given to a group of ocular problems that can affect patients who have the metabolic condition, diabetes. Diabetes occurs when a patient is no longer able to control their blood sugar levels naturally, causing them to become too high or low.
While most people are familiar with the conventional design, which makes contact with the entire front surface of the eye and is fairly small in diameter, this style isn’t necessarily suitable for all patients. In fact, there are some patients who cannot wear this type of contact lens whatsoever. Fortunately, this doesn’t exclude them from experiencing the benefits associated with wearing contact lenses. Specialty contact lenses are recommended for patients in which standard style contacts are not a fit.