Curious about common eye conditions and disease? Read quick synopses below:

Myopia (Nearsightedness)

Nearsightedness, medically known as myopia, refers to vision that is good at close range but not at a distance.  Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball is longer than normal, as measured from front to back.  This increases the distance between the cornea and retina, causing light to converge in front of the retina, rather than on it.

Possible treatments include eyeglasses, contacts, acrylic corneal implants, LASIK, radial keratotomy (RK), and photorefractive keratotomy (PRK).

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Hyperopia (Farsightedness)

Farsightedness, medically known as hyperopia, refers to vision that is good at a distance but not at close range.  Farsightedness occurs when the eyeball is shorter than normal, as measured from front to back, or when the cornea has too little curvature.  This reduces the distance between the cornea and retina, causing light to converge behind the retina, rather than on it.

Possible treatment options include eyeglasses, contacts, LASIK, and photorefractive keratectomy (PRK).

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Astigmatism

Astigmatism is an uneven or irregular curvature of the cornea or lens, which results in blurred or distorted vision.

Most people have some degree of astigmatism, which is usually present at birth and is believed to be hereditary.  In minor cases, treatment may not be required but is certainly beneficial. Moderate to severe astigmatism can be treated with corrective eyewear or LASIK surgery.

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Presbyopia (Aging Eyes)

Presbyopia is a condition in which the lens of the eye gradually loses its flexibility, making it harder to focus clearly on close objects such as printed words.  Distance vision, on the other hand, is usually not affected.

Unfortunately, presbyopia is an inevitable part of aging, however, it is treatable with several types of corrective lenses, including progressives, bifocals and trifocals, single-vision reading glasses, multifocal contact lenses and monovision therapy.

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Amblyopia (“Lazy Eye”)

Lazy eye, medically known as amblyopia, is a loss or lack of development of vision, usually in one eye.  This degenerative process usually begins with an inherited condition and appears during infancy or early childhood.  Lazy eye needs to be diagnosed between birth and early school age since it is during this period that the brain “chooses” its visual pathway and may ignore the weaker eye permanently.

Lazy eye is not always easy to recognize since a child with worse vision in one eye does not necessarily have lazy eye.  Because of this, it is recommended that all children, including those with no symptoms, have a comprehensive eye examination by the age of three and sooner if there is a family history of any eye condition or disease.

Amblyopia can usually be treated with patching, vision therapy, corrective lenses, or surgery.

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Strabismus (Cross-Eyed”)

Cross-eyed, medically known as strabismus, refers to a condition in which eyes are misaligned.  It commonly occurs when the muscles that control eye movement are not properly working together.  The result is one or both eyes turning inward, outward, upward or downward, or one or both eyes moving irregularly.

Strabismus is usually diagnosed during childhood and affects about 4% of children, afflicting boys and girls equally.  Though it cannot be prevented, its complications can be avoided with early intervention.

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Cataracts

Inside your eye, there is a natural lens that is normally clear.  Over the years, changes in the eyes lead to the breakdown of the lens’ proteins, causing them to become cloudy.  This film is what we refer to as cataracts.

Symptoms of cataracts include:

• Hazy, blurry vision
• Greater sensitivity to glare and light
• Yellowing of colors
• Dim vision
• Double vision that’s in just one eye
• Needing more or brighter light for reading and similar activities
• Difficulty with driving, especially at night
• Seeing rings or halos around lights

While cataracts are a common condition associated with aging, there are other risk factors that could increase your chances of developing them or having them appear earlier in your life.  Risk factors include:

• Excessive sunlight exposure
• Past eye surgery
• Excessive alcohol use
• High blood pressure
• Diabetes
• Extended use of corticosteroid medications
• Previous eye inflammation and/or injury
• Obesity
• Genetics

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Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes damage to your optic nerve.  It typically results from a build-up of fluid in the front part of the eye.  The pressure caused by this extra fluid damages the optic nerve, leading to blindness.  If left untreated, glaucoma can result in permanent blindness in just a few years.

There are two primary types of glaucoma:

• Open-angle glaucoma (a.k.a. wide-angle glaucoma) is the most common.  With this type of glaucoma, your eye’s drainage system looks normal but the fluid doesn’t leave the eye as it’s designed to do.
• Angle-closure glaucoma is more common in Asia than in Western countries.  It is also sometimes called chronic angle-closure glaucoma or narrow-angle glaucoma.  This type of glaucoma is marked by the drain space between your cornea and iris narrowing.  This can cause your intraocular pressure to suddenly buildup.  Farsightedness and cataracts are also associated with this type of glaucoma.

Glaucoma doesn’t usually display any symptoms in the early stages, which is why early detection during yearly eye exams is essential.  The following are some common symptoms of glaucoma:

• Halos surrounding lights
• Redness in your eyes
• Vomiting and/or nausea
• Eye pain
• Loss of peripheral vision
• Narrowed, or tunnel, vision

Anyone can develop glaucoma, but in most cases, it affects adults age 40 and older. Other risk factors include:

• Diabetes
• Trauma to the eye
• Taking certain medications such as prednisone
• Family history of glaucoma

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Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is a serious complication of diabetes that affects your eyes.  It is the number one cause of vision loss in diabetic patients.  Diabetic retinopathy is caused by damage to the blood vessels of the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye (retina).  This causes bleeding, swelling, and abnormal blood vessel growth.  The longer you have diabetes and the less controlled your blood sugar is, the more likely you are to develop this eye condition.

Symptoms of severe diabetic retinopathy include:

• Empty or dark areas within your line of vision
• Fluctuating vision
• Dark strings and/or spots (i.e. floaters) in your vision
• Loss of vision
• Reduction in color vision

Management of your diabetes under the care of a medical professional — with a treatment plan that includes regular visits to the eye doctor — is the best way to prevent loss of vision.

If left untreated, complications can include:

• Vitreous hemorrhage: The centers of your eyes are filled with a jelly-like substance that’s clear.  Blood vessels formed by diabetic retinopathy could leak into this vitreous jelly and cause floaters or even block your vision completely.
• Retinal detachment: The presence of abnormal blood vessels encourages the growth of scar tissue in the retina.  This could pull the retina away from its position at the back of your eye.  Common symptoms of a retinal detachment include flashes of light, severe loss of vision and/or spots floating in your vision.
• Glaucoma: If the abnormal blood vessels that mark the presence of diabetic retinopathy grow into your eye’s front area, they could block the normal flow of fluid from your eye.  The result could be glaucoma which is an increase in the eye’s pressure.  You might experience damage to the optic nerve if it’s left untreated.
• Blindness

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Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Age-related macular degeneration — abbreviated as AMD — is a disease of the retina, the light-sensitive portion of your eye.  The retina is located at the back of the eye, and the macula is a small area near the very center. Your macula is responsible for your central vision.

In AMD, the macula loses its ability to detect light, resulting in a partial or total loss of central vision.  People with late-stage AMD are unable to see objects straight in front of them, making it difficult to perform many activities, like using a computer, reading, driving, or recognizing faces.  AMD typically causes no symptoms until vision begins to fade. Having routine eye exams, especially over age 50, is important for catching AMD as early as possible.  There is no cure for AMD.  Instead, people who have AMD require treatments that help slow the progression of the disease, which is why early detection is very important.

Age is the biggest risk factor for AMD, followed by having a family history of AMD. You’re also at greater risk of developing AMD if you are:

• Caucasian (white)
• Female
• Have had prolonged sun exposure
• A smoker or past smoker
• Genetic predisposition

There are two types of AMD: dry and wet.  The dry type is much more common, but the wet type is more severe and also develops more quickly. If you have the wet form of AMD, medications or laser therapy may help slow your vision loss.  Otherwise, treatment focuses on monitoring the progression of the disease, along with taking nutritional supplements and incorporating the lifestyle changes listed above.