All You Need to Know About the Important Eye Disorders

The eyes are among the most important part of our body. Every one of us often faces eye-related issues or disorders that can have an adverse effect on our eye vision. Besides, it is quite common for senior citizens due to the natural ageing of their eyes. Despite the age, all eye disorders should be taken into consideration in order to take proper precautions. Most importantly, some eye diseases do not have early symptoms which makes it hard to identify these disorders until the pain and after-effects are severe. But with frequent eye checkups or consultation from the best eye care professionals, you can protect your eye vision. With that being said, it is also important to choose among the best clinics to go to for an eye checkup. For instance, if you are a resident of Qatar, you can look for the best clinic in Qatar by just typing the same in any search engine. Now, here are some important eye disorders and their symptoms to help you understand them at the early stage.

1. Cataracts

A cataract is a condition of clouding of your eye’s lens making it hard to transmit light. It is the main cause of blindness and usually occurs during ageing. Due to ageing, the flexibility of the eye lens decreases leading to improper focus. Additionally, there are treatments available today for the removal of cataracts. However, by protecting your eyes from direct sunlight you may slow the process of cataract formation.

Symptoms:
Sensitivity to light
Cloudy vision
Double vision within a single eye
Poor night vision
Colour vision changes

2. Glaucoma

Glaucoma refers to a group of diseases affecting the optic nerve resulting in vision loss and mainly occurs when fluid and pressure build up in the eye. There are mainly two categories of glaucoma namely, open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma. Open-angle glaucoma progresses slowly over time and the person may fail to notice it until the condition becomes severe. On the other hand, closed-angle glaucoma is painful and occurs suddenly while vision loss progress quickly. With early identification and treatment, you can reduce the chance of sight loss.

Symptoms:
Headache
Eye pain
Blurry vision
Nausea & vomiting
Rainbow coloured halos

3. Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a disorder in the retina due to the damage to blood vessels caused by diabetes. The retina is a thin lining made up of cells in the back of your eye that performs the function of collecting images and transmitting them to your brain. But when retinal disorders occur, it blocks this transfer resulting in blurred vision. All in all, the risks of this disorder can be reduced by maintaining a normal blood sugar level and through regular checkups.

Symptoms:
Distorted vision
Trouble in night vision
Dark spots in your vision
Seeing faded colours
Failure to read or view distant objects

4. Crossed Eyes

Strabismus or commonly known as crossed eyes occurs when the positioning of eyes is imbalanced. Besides, the lack of coordination between the eyes makes it hard for them to focus on a single point at the same time. It may also lead to permanent vision loss if not treated properly. Developed mostly in babies, makes it easy for early diagnosis. In some cases, good vision therapy with your eye doctor may help in strengthening weak muscles in the eye.

Symptoms:
Head tilting to one side
Eyes that cannot move together
Misaligned eyes
Frequent blinking of eyes upon sunlight
Inability to measure the depth

5. Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis or pink eye is a condition of inflammation in the conjunctiva, the tissue membrane that surrounds the sclera. It is usually caused by viruses or bacteria often making it easy for transmission or infectious. They are also originated from substances that cause allergic reactions like pollen, smoke or dust and thus the treatment also depends on the cause. Most importantly, conjunctivitis is common in people of all ages and hence make sure to wash your hands regularly to lower the risk of getting it.

Symptoms:
Red-eye
Itching & burning in the eyes
Eye pain
Increased eye tearing
Eye discharge

6. Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration or simply, macular degeneration is a condition mostly seen in people aged over 60 and affects the centre of their retina. The central region of the retina, the macula is required for a clear vision of objects. But when damage occurs to the central part of the retina it leads to vision loss. There are mainly two kinds of macular degeneration- wet or dry. However dry macular generation is the most common one among the two.

Symptoms:
Central vision becomes blurry
Dark spots in the central part of your vision
Distortion happening to straight lines
Difficulty in low light adaption
Worse colour perception

7. Colour Blindness

Colour blindness is a condition where the person cannot see the colours in a regular way and it often occurs when the retina fails to respond to certain colours. To elaborate, the light-sensitive cells in the retina help in distinguishing between colours and the difference in sensitivity of these cells can make a person colourblind. With that being said, there is no diagnosis for colour blindness. However, there are filter-integrated contact lenses and glasses to help you with colour deficiencies.

Symptoms:
Decrease in attention during colouring
Sensitivity to bright lights
Enhanced sense of smell
Headache and eye pain while looking at red or green colours
Unable to see shades of the same colour

Conclusion

In short, when you look into it, you can see many kinds of eye disorders across the world. But identifying the important ones and taking precautions to avoid the risk factors is necessary. Consult with your eye care professional once in a while even if there are no notable symptoms or changes to your vision. You can consult any ophthalmologist in Doha, Al Rayyan, Al Wakrah, or Lusail and they would help you with your eye-related issues. Most importantly, choose some healthy food habits to keep your eyes healthy and improve your eyesight.