Eye Care
Introduction
Your eyes are an important part of your health. Most people rely on their eyes to see and make sense of
the world around them. But some eye diseases can lead to vision loss, so it is important to identify and
treat eye diseases as early as possible. You should get your eyes checked as often as your health care
provider recommends it, or if you have any new vision problems. And just as it is important to keep your
body healthy, you also need to keep your eyes healthy.
Types Of Eye Problems
Glaucoma
Cataracts
Retinal Detachment
Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)
Uveitis
Eye Allergies
Sty (Stye)
Keratoconus
Blepharitis
Chalazion (Eyelid Cyst)
Corneal Ulcer
Diabetic Retinopathy
Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
Nearsightedness (Myopia)
Astigmatism
Color Blindness
Symptoms Of Eye Problems
Severe, sudden eye pain
Recurrent pain in or around the eye
Hazy, blurred, or double vision
Seeing flashes of light or sudden bright floating spots
Seeing rainbows or halos around lights
Seeing floating "spider webs"
Seeing a "curtain coming down" over one eye
Sensing a "cup filling up with ink" in one eye
Unusual, even painful, sensitivity to light or glare
Swollen, red eyes
Changes in the color of the iris
White areas in the pupil of the eye
Sudden development of persistent floaters
Itching, burning, or a heavy discharge in the eyes
Any sudden change in vision
Color Blindness
Causes Of Eye Problems
Inflammation of the eye and surrounding eye
structures caused by
bacterial, viral, parasitic, or fungal infections
Injuries to the eye and surrounding eye
structures either as a result
of trauma or an object in the eye
Genetically inherited eye diseases, many of
which may only manifest
later in life (although some children are born with these conditions). Many of these affect the
structures and the functioning of the eye and therefore can impair visual abilities.
Diseases or conditions, such as diabetes or
migraine, can affect
other organ systems of the body, such as the eyes
External causes, such as allergies, and eye
strain, owing to
over-use, or as a side effect of medication.
Prevention of eye problems
Have periodic eye exams (every 2-3 years for healthy patients
under
50, yearly for patients over 50 or those with known health risk factors).
Know your family's history of any eye problems.
Follow a healthy lifestyle. Do you buy eye care products
online, if
you are not sure of their effects on your body? However, if you are a regular user, you can get
them
from an online pharmacy or drugstore.
Eat a nutritious diet for eyesight.
Wear durable eye protection when involved in activities that
could
cause traumatic risk to your vision, such as sports, dealing with firearms, playing paintball.
Occupations where hammering, cutting, sawing, drilling, or working overhead are other
examples.
Avoid hazards such as fireworks.
Common Medications
Bimatoprost ophthalmic solution
Cyclosporin
Dorzolamide
Latanoprost
Chloramphenicol
Myths/Facts
Myth: Reading in dim light is harmful to your eyes.
Fact:Although reading in dim light can make your eyes feel tired, it is not
harmful.
Myth: Using a computer screen is harmful to the eyes.
Fact:Although using a computer screen is associated with eye strain or fatigue, it is
not harmful to the eyes.
Myth: You do not need to have your eyes checked until you are in your 40s or 50s.
Fact:everal asymptomatic yet treatable eye diseases (most notably glaucoma and
diabetic
retinopathy) can begin prior to your 40s.
Myth: It is okay to swim while wearing soft contact lenses..
Fact:Potentially blinding eye infections can result from swimming or using a hot tub
while
wearing contact lenses.
Myth: Children will outgrow “crossed” eyes.
Fact:Children do not outgrow truly crossed eyes. A child whose eyes are misaligned
has strabismus
and can develop poor vision in one eye (a condition known as amblyopia), because the brain
“turns off”
the misaligned or “lazy” eye. The sooner crossed or misaligned eyes are treated, the less
likely the
child will have permanently impaired vision.
Myth: Cataracts can be removed with lasers.
Fact:Cataracts cannot be removed with a laser. The cloudy lens must be removed
through a surgical
incision. However, after cataract surgery, a membrane within the eye may become cloudy. This
membrane
can be opened with laser surgery.
Myth: Eyes can be transplanted.
Fact:The eye cannot be transplanted. It is connected to the brain by the optic nerve,
which
cannot be reconnected once it has been severed. However, the cornea can be
transplanted.
