Common eye diseases-symptoms and prevention

2019-04-05

An eye is one of the most important part we humans have. It helps us see the beauties of life while relaying our messages to others. Our eyes help us realize how lucky we are to be alive every day. It makes us visualize great things, remind them when we need it and help us imagine dreams through which we gain the ability to move mountains.

But when it comes to caring for this precious organ, we tend to become careless. Unknowingly, our eyes can catch an infection and become prey to several common eye infections or diseases.

As with every syndrome, the first mode of action is to be aware of the causes and treatments. So, here is some relative information about your about various common eye diseases, treatment, and symptoms of eye infections.

Common eye disorders

Glaucoma

Unlike other eye syndromes, Glaucoma usually involves a range of conditions rather than a single eye infection. The conditions slowly cause damage to our optic nerve. The main cause of the condition is an increase in intraocular pressure. In some severe cases, Glaucoma also leads to blindness if the treatment is not done for a long period of time. Hence, it is always advisable to get your eyes examined and treated regularly.

Some of the most common eye disease symptoms with reference to Glaucoma include headaches, blurred vision, multi-colored halos, painting in the eyes, sickness, and vomiting and eye redness.

Since Glaucoma encompasses a range of conditions, there is no specific treatment for this disease. This means that every case is different and doctors usually start treatment after examining the damage to the optic nerve in different cases. Common choices of treatment include selective laser Trabeculoplasty, iStent, Trabeculectomy, and 12-month monitoring service. These are all intended to increase the vision of the patient.

Cataract

Cataracts are one of the most common eye conditions that are being treated in bulk at eye hospitals. Cataracts are one degenerative eye disease as they are found in people over 65 years. It is believed that 90% of people experience cataracts at some point of time in their life.

The commonness of cataracts also relates to the fact that the condition is regarded as a sign of aging. This also means that there is no definite cause known for this type of condition. Medical researchers believe that people having diabetes are more prone to cataracts. It is also regarded as a hereditary disease in some patients.

Common eye disease symptoms include cloudy vision, poor night vision, bright lights glare, cloudy film over the lens and double vision.

Cataracts eye infection treatment includes a refractive lens exchange in which the natural lens replacement occurs with an artificial intraocular lens. This is one of the most prompt and harmless treatments which is nowadays complete in less than 30 minutes. The procedure commences with the advancement in femtosecond laser technology. In this process, the patient can choose his eye lens power and can even select one with a better vision.

AMD or age-related macular degeneration

This is another eye infection due to aging that affects people over 65 years, age group. In AMD, the macula breaks down. The macula is the middle part of our retina that allows us to view visuals in detail. Though AMD is an age-related process, it can be exacerbated by bad lifestyle choices including habits like poor diet, being obese or smoking.

AMD is of two types known as wet and dry AMD. In both cases, the waste deposits are formed under retina blocking the nutrients passage into the cells. This can result in cell death and blurring of vision.

Common signs and symptoms of such eye infections include a reduction in vision, unable to see details of an object, color disorientation, and blur eye vision. Major possible treatment includes surgical implantation of a miniature telescope of our eye, lens replacement surgery and injection therapy.

Besides these categories of diseases, there are several common eye infection which can cause a nuisance in our day-to-day life. Let’s get to know them in brief.

Conjunctivitis

Also known as pink eye, every human being experiences this common eye infection in his or her lifetime. Being highly contagious, this is a common eye infection that spreads quickly among children. The origin or conjunctivitis is bacterial or viral. Even infants can get such infections such as gonococcal and chlamydial conjunctivitis occurring during birth. The chances increase if the pregnant mother is suffering from any type of sexually transmitted disease.

Viral and fungal keratitis-

Viral Keratitis involves ocular herpes which occurs as common eye infections due to exposure to Herpes simplex virus.

Fungal keratitis is the eye infection that came into existence through the news in which a contact lens solution used to cause an outbreak in contact lens wearers. This is a type of fungal infection which occurs due to Fusarium fungi present in organic matter. When the eye comes in contact with other fungi, the infection can invade in other ways such as through an injury by a tree branch,

Trachoma

This eye infection and its treatment is not common in many countries. However, this doesn’t mean that we should ignore this eye infection. The infection relates to Chlamydia trachomatis and is a leading cause of blindness in underdeveloped nations. The infection occurs through flies living in unsanitary environments. Reinfection is a common threat to this eye infection.

Trachoma infects our inner eyelid as it began to scar. This causes eyelashes to brush against each other while destroying cornea tissue, ultimately causing blindness. The treatment options including oral antibiotics and adopting good hygiene habits.

The complications

Eye infection is not an ordinary symptom. This is because the infection grows rapidly and starts affecting our interior portions of upper and lower eyelids which are very delicate. This can also lead to a stye or chalazion. When you don’t do eye infections treatment, they can invade our eye’s tear glands. This further cause inflammation conditions such as uveitis. In severe cases, infection also causes blockage of the drainage system of our eye which results in dacryocystitis.

In other cases, infections can act as an underlying reason for a corneal ulcer. Yes, our eyes are also prone to ulcers. No one is unaware of the harmful effects of ulcers on our body. The corneal ulcers resemble the abscess of our eye. It causes severe loss of vision if not treated on time.

Conclusion

We cannot simply overlook the health and condition of our eyes at any cost. These organs work 12 hours a day and require special attention, more than any other part of our body. Also, one should keep eyes clean and dirt free to prevent any sort of infection. Washing hands regularly and cleaning eyes with fresh water 3 or 4 times a day will keep them fresh and active all day. Always remember that rest is also important for our eyes which you can accomplish by getting sufficient amount of sleep during the day.