The eyes are considered as one of the most important organs of your body because vision helps you to get around, identify danger and such. Hence, it is crucial that you maintain good vision health because this organ is exposed to the outside environment, unlike other vital organs that are protected by your body. You might experience certain types of eye disorders from a young age or could only start having these problems when you grow older where this condition is actually very common throughout your life.
Prevalence
Anyone at any age will experience some form of eye disorder at one time or another. The mild conditions include allergies which can cause itch, swelling and teary eyes while you could experience ‘lazy eye’ or amblyopia which commonly occurs among children and infants. When you have inflammation of the eyelids, you could be having Blepharitis. Meanwhile, cataracts are very common among people who are older where you could start noticing cloudy vision. Other conditions include the Dry Eye Syndrom while some might have Photophobia which is where you become very sensitive to light. If you have problem reading words from a distance, you could have Myopia while Presbyopia is when people above 40 years of age have problems seeing up close. Glaucoma is very common among adults.
Prevention
To ensure optimal vision health, the best way is to watch your diet and practice good eating habits. This is to ensure that your body has enough minerals like Vitamin A and calcium which can prevent eye diseases. You should have an eye exam every 2 years if you are below 50 years old while those older should have them checked more frequently, even if you are wearing corrective glasses. To protect your eyes from traumatic risk, always wear eye protection when you play sports. As you might be spending long hours facing the computer screen, it is crucial to wear preventive glasses to shade out the blue-light that can be straining your eyes. Blink as often as you can to keep your eyes moist.
Diagnosis
If you feel a constant itch or teary in your eyes, you should see your doctor for the first level of diagnosis. If this situation leads to headache, blurred vision or even nausea, then it could be due to a more serious condition. Your doctor might then refer you to an eye specialist for further examination. This will then require you to go through a slit-lamp exam in which a bright light is used to check your eye structure. The doctor might use drops to expand the pupil for closer examination or a tonometer might be used as well
Symptoms
The symptoms of any form of eye disorder are very straightforward and easy to identify because it usually starts from a certain pain or itch in the eyes. If you start experiencing teary eyes and some form of swelling, you could be having conjunctivitis and you will need to see the doctor as soon as possible. This is an infectious condition which means you will need to stay at home and minimize contact with other people. If you are above 50 and have cloudy or blurry vision and a nearsightedness which has been happening for some time, then it could be early signs of cataracts.
Specialists
In most cases, you family physician will be able to treat you if you have common eye problems like swelling or conjunctivitis. The doctor can prescribe antihistamines if needed and eye drops. However, if you have a problem like myopia and such, then you might have to see an Optician or an Optometrist. The latter is a specialist who is trained in vision and health problems which will then advise you on what corrective measures to take. If your condition is more serious, then you might have to consult an Ophthalmologist who can treat diseases like glaucoma and cataracts.
Medication
Medication for the eyes can usually be applied externally. Eye drops can be purchased at over-the-counter outlets and can be applied as and when necessary. If you have been diagnosed with conjunctivitis, you might be given antibacterial eye drops which are used to combat the bacterial infection. Eye drops are commonly used to treat patients with glaucoma while steroid and antibiotics are used to treat patients with iritis. If you have optic neuritis, the doctor might prescribe intravenous corticosteroids while antihistamines are given to reduce itch and redness in the eyes.
Home Remedies
The most ideal way to maintain good vision health is to watch your regular diet. Ensure that your daily diet consists of a lot of calcium and magnesium because these are minerals that have been found to protect your eyes and strengthen them. Vitamin D is very important to ensure good absorption of these minerals. Besides that, you should ensure high contents of Vitamin A which is found in carrots. Green and leafy vegetables like spinach and coriander and fish, liver and eggs are known to have a lot of Vitamin A as well. Ultimately, you should practice good lifestyle habits like resting your eyes occasionally and keeping them moist as often as possible.
Your eyes are extremely important organs. Some conditions are self-inflicted while there are many which are caused gradually.
Types of Eye diseases
Malaysia is very much like most countries in the region where the people experience similar eye conditions like myopia and cataract. Below is a list of the most common ones.
Conjunctivitis
In most cases, conjunctivitis is only redness of the eyes. This happens when the conjunctiva is swollen or inflamed. In most cases, conjunctivitis can be contagious although it is not always the case. Eye drops would be able to solve the problem but patients might experience acute conjunctivas which might require further treatment.
Dry Eye
The eyes need constant lubrication and there are times when the patient suffers from the lack of it. This is a condition where the eye is not able to produce sufficient to keep the eyes moist and lubricated. This will then lead to more serious problems.
Acute Red Eye
Red eye problems are very common. However, some patients tend to develop this condition for long periods of time. In most cases, it could be acute conjunctivitis but there might be other reasons as well. When a patient has acute red eye, it could be due to an allergy or some form of defence mechanism and a thorough check will be necessary.
Cataracts
Cataracts is actually a natural sign of aging. It is definitely curable and then the patient continues to lead the life he used to. What happens is that there is a gradual clouding symptom around the clear lens of the eye which then creates blurry vision. For a person with cataracts:
- You need to consult an ophthalmic surgeon
- the damaged lens is removed and replaced with an artificial lens
- a brief surgery is required
Glaucoma
This is one of the major contributors to blindness in Malaysia. If not treated early, it would naturally lead to loss of vision and the problem here is that a person with Glaucoma is usually not aware that he has this problem. Among those with high risk of getting Glaucoma are:
- A member in the family has it
- if you are in the late 40s or 50s
As such, regular check-ups is advised.
Graves Disease
This is a condition where the eye muscles become enlarged. When it happens, the eyes start to protrude and the patient will experience a lot of discomfort especially when closing the eyes. After that, it will lead to swelling and inflammation as well as dryness. This is a condition that must be treated as soon as possible.
Low Vision
Low vision is a condition which is very hard to treat. It is most common among those in the later ages although it can occur with anyone. There are many types of treatment available that adopts state-of-the-art technology while specialists have used different methods possible. However, if a patient has this type of condition, it would take time to get used to it and adjust to the changes.
Macular Degeneration
When this occurs, it would potentially lead to blindness. The eyes, like any other organs will deteriorate as person grows older. This is why taking supplements that aid eye health is very crucial. When this happens, the macula’s ability to send images to the brain becomes less efficient. You could experience blurred visions, loss of detail and even colour blindness with this condition.
Optic Neuropathy
Unlike many other eye conditions, optic neuritis or retrobulbar neuritis is most likely to occur among the young adults. When this condition happens, the patient will suffer vision loss but has been known to be able to recover naturally. The optic nerve suffers acute inflammation which would heal over a course a few weeks.
References
http://www.thehealthsite.com/diseases-conditions/natural-remedies-for-better-eyesight/
http://www.bausch.com/your-eye-concerns/diseases-and-disorders#.VPkAPvmUfuI
http://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/