The eye is just as critical an organ like the heart or the liver is. Therefore, it is essential for you to learn how to take care of it. One way of taking care of your eyes is by learning all that you can about eye-related diseases, their early detection and how best to treat your eyes.
Once you’ve detected any symptoms that may point to the development of eye disease, your best bet is to visit your oculist as soon as you can. Learn more about these ailments and how to go about treating them. Below are the five most common eye diseases and their somewhat effect treatment strategies:
Cataracts
Described by many as ‘cloudy lenses’, cataracts are most common in the elderly though it can also be as a result of excessive smoking or those who’ve suffered trauma to the eye. Individuals who spend most of their time exposed to the sun can also suffer from cataracts if they don’t wear protective sunglasses.
- Treatment
Scheduling a treatment with a cataract surgeon would be your best bet in this case.
Age-Related Muscular Degeneration
Just like the name suggests, most patients who suffer from Age-Related Muscular Degeneration, or AMD, are usually well into the elderly bracket. The eye disease usually commences after the macula, which lies in the retina, starts disintegrating. If you experience this, you should schedule a visit with your oculist as soon as you start noticing blind spots in your vision. There are two forms of AMD namely: dry AMD and wet AMD.
- Treatment
While there is no treatment or cure for the dry AMD, your eye specialist can always find ways to treat the wet AMD. One way of treating it is through the effective anti-VEGF treatment to mention a few.
Retinal Detachment
Just as the name suggests, retinal detachment happens when the retina is displaced. As rare as this is, ignoring it can eventually lead to complete blindness.
- Treatment
A quick visit to the nearest ophthalmologist as soon as you notice flashes of light in your view is your best chance.
Conjunctivitis
Whenever you notice your eyes becoming pink, then the chances are that you have conjunctivitis. The ‘pink eye’ as its often referred to as is usually as a result of the clear tissue covering the white of the eye getting infected. The infection eventually results in inflammation which makes the eye look pink.
- Treatment
The treatment depends on the causative agent. For instance, you can treat conjunctivitis caused by pollen can be treated by washing your face or steroid eye drops, among other authorized treatments. If you have bacterial or viral conjunctivitis, your best bet would be visiting your doctor Asap.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is caused by mounting pressure inside your eye which results in blind spots in your vision. Ignoring the early stages can result to complete damage of the optic nerve.
- Treatment
Your doctor can recommend eye drops if the severity is not that bad. If the glaucoma is severe, then eye surgery can fix it. Laser or LASIK eye surgery can help you gain back your vision by correcting myopia, hyperopia and astigmatism and one can learn more about it in detail here.
Conclusion
Nobody is exempt when it comes to eye diseases. Therefore, learning how to not only care for your eyes but to also how to detect the early signs of eye infections can work to your advantage. The latter is so because any further delay may lead to irreversible damage which is an inconvenience that none of us is willing to live with at all.
Thanks to the internet, there is a lot you can learn about eye diseases, their early symptoms and how to take care of your eyes. Always remember to visit your optician for a thorough examination if you experienced any of signs of eye disease. Do so, and you’ll always be on the safe side.