COMMON EYE DISEASES

Human Eye OBADworkz

The impact of diseases on the eyes can be wide-ranging in their severity, with blindness a very real side effect in a number of cases. If you’re having problems with your vision, therefore, it’s best to know exactly what’s happening. With this in mind, we’ve put together this comprehensive guide to the most common eye diseases.

Cataracts

Cataracts are perhaps one of the most common eye diseases, with over 40 per cent of Nigeria population who are 60 and over, having some cataract development in either one or both of their eyes

The lens is a transparent structure in the front of the eye, which is normally clear, allowing light to permeate to the back of the eye. Cataracts are the name given to cloudy patches in the lens, which can develop and cause a person’s vision to become blurry or hazy, as they inhibit the lens’ ability to allow light to pass to the back of the eye.

Cataracts can begin as a relatively minor inconvenience, with glasses, brighter lighting and anti-glare sunglasses helping to improve vision. Over long periods however, cataracts can increase in size and number, decreasing the quality of a person’s vision drastically, with near-blindness a very real possibility.

Cataracts were once something that older people simply had to manage, but recent breakthroughs in medical science mean that the cost of laser eye surgery is increasingly affordable for the average person, making the restoration of high quality vision a very real possibility.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is the name given to a group of diseases which contrive to damage the eye’s optic nerve. On a worldwide scale, it is the second leading cause of blindness, after cataracts.

Glaucoma usually occurs as a result of the gradual increase in fluid pressure inside the eyes, which over the long term, damages the optic nerve. Comprehensive eye exams are capable of diagnosing glaucoma with ease, but the symptoms are often non-existent in the early stages.

If left untreated, those with glaucoma will begin to slowly lose their peripheral vision, developing what is called “tunnel vision”. As a patient’s condition worsens, their vision will gradually diminish, until they become blind.

Those with a family history of glaucoma, as well as those over 60, are especially susceptible to the condition and should consider undertaking regular eye tests every couple of years. Although no cure exists, the symptoms of glaucoma can be managed effectively through the administration of eye drops or through surgery, assuming that the disease is caught in its early stages.

Conjunctivitis

This is popularly known as Apollo (Red eye) in Nigeria.

Unlike some of the eye diseases that we’ve already discussed, conjunctivitis generally has little impact on a person’s vision, but it can be an extremely painful condition, causing swelling, redness, itching, burning and the discharge of fluid.

Caused by bacteria or viral infections, allergies or eye-irritating substances, conjunctivitis often clears up without any need for medical attention, although prescribed eye drops from your pharmacist will help to speed up the recovery process with bacterial infections.

Catch it early

When it comes to protecting your eyes, there is no such thing as being overly cautious. While many of the conditions that we’ve discussed (as well as a number of other common eye diseases) exhibit symptoms in their latter stages, many are symptom-free, initially.

If you wish to avoid some of the pain and potentially detrimental long-term impacts associated with the most common eye diseases, it’s certainly best to ensure that you get your eyes checked regularly. Catching any potential eye disease early is, after all, your best defence.