Common Eye Disorders and Diseases
- The
leading causes of blindness and low vision are
primarily age-related eye diseases such as age-related macular
degeneration, cataract, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. Other common
eye disorders include amblyopia and strabismus.
Refractive Errors
Refractive errors are the most
frequent eye problems in the United States. Refractive errors include myopia
(near-sightedness), hyperopia (farsightedness), astigmatism (distorted vision
at all distances), and presbyopia that occurs between age 40–50 years (loss of
the ability to focus up close, inability to read letters of the phone book,
need to hold newspaper farther away to see clearly) can be corrected by
eyeglasses, contact lenses, or in some cases surgery.
Learn more about: Refractive Errors
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| Refractive Errors |
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration, often
called age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is an eye disorder associated
with aging and results in damaging sharp and central vision. Central vision is
needed for seeing objects clearly and for common daily tasks such as reading
and driving. AMD affects the macula, the central part the retina that allows
the eye to see fine details. There are two forms of AMD—wet and dry.
Learn more about: AMD
Wet AMD is when abnormal blood vessel behind the retina start to
grow under the macula, ultimately leading to blood and fluid leakage. Bleeding,
leaking, and scarring from these blood vessels cause damage and lead to rapid
central vision loss. An early symptom of wet AMD is that straight lines appear
wavy.
Dry AMD is when the macula thins overtime as part of aging
process, gradually blurring central vision. The dry form is more common and
accounts for 70–90% of cases of AMD and it progresses more slowly than the wet
form. Over time, as less of the macula functions, central vision is gradually
lost in the affected eye. Dry AMD generally affects both eyes. One of the most
common early signs of dry AMD is drusen.
Drusen are tiny yellow or white deposits under the retina. They
often are found in people aged 60 years and older. The presence of small drusen
is normal and does not cause vision loss. However, the presence of large and
more numerous drusen raises the risk of developing advanced dry AMD or wet AMD.
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| Age-related Macular Degeneration |
Cataract
Cataract is a clouding of
the eye’s lens and is the leading cause of blindness worldwide, and the leading
cause of vision loss in the United States. Cataracts can occur at any age
because of a variety of causes, and can be present at birth. Although treatment
for the removal of cataract is widely available, access barriers such as
insurance coverage, treatment costs, patient choice, or lack of awareness
prevent many people from receiving the proper treatment.
Learn more about: Cataract
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| Cataract an eye disorder |
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a
common complication of diabetes. It is the leading cause of blindness in
American adults. It is characterized by progressive damage to the blood vessels
of the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye that is
necessary for good vision. DR progresses through four stages, mild
nonproliferative retinopathy (microaneurysms), moderate nonproliferative
retinopathy (blockage in some retinal vessels), severe nonproliferative
retinopathy (more vessels are blocked leading to deprived retina from blood
supply leading to growing new blood vessels), and proliferative retinopathy
(most advanced stage). Diabetic retinopathy usually affects both eyes.
Learn more about: Diabetic retinopathy
The risks of DR are reduced through disease management that
includes good control of blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipid abnormalities.
Early diagnosis of DR and timely treatment reduce the risk of vision loss;
however, as many as 50% of patients are not getting their eyes examined or are
diagnosed too late for treatment to be effective.
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| Diabetic retinopathy |
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of
diseases that can damage the eye’s optic nerve and result in vision loss and
blindness. Glaucoma occurs when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes
slowly rises. However, recent findings now show that glaucoma can occur with
normal eye pressure. With early treatment, you can often protect your eyes
against serious vision loss.
There are two major categories “open angle” and “closed angle”
glaucoma. Open angle, is a chronic condition that progress slowly over long
period of time without the person noticing vision loss until the disease is
very advanced, that is why it is called “sneak thief of sight.” Angle closure
can appear suddenly and is painful. Visual loss can progress quickly; however,
the pain and discomfort lead patients to seek medical attention before
permanent damage occurs.
Learn more about: Glaucoma
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| Glaucoma |
Amblyopia
Amblyopia, also referred to as
“lazy eye,” is the most common cause of vision impairment in children.
Amblyopia is the medical term used when the vision in one of the eyes is
reduced because the eye and the brain are not working together properly. The eye
itself looks normal, but it is not being used normally because the brain is
favoring the other eye. Conditions leading to amblyopia include strabismus, an
imbalance in the positioning of the two eyes; more nearsighted, farsighted, or
astigmatic in one eye than the other eye, and rarely other eye conditions such
as cataract.
Learn more about: Amblyopia
Unless it is successfully treated in early childhood amblyopia
usually persists into adulthood, and is the most common cause of permanent
one-eye vision impairment among children and young and middle-aged adults. An
estimated 2%–3% of the population suffers from amblyopia.
Strabismus
Strabismus involves an imbalance in the positioning of the two
eyes. Strabismus can cause the eyes to cross in (esotropia) or turn out
(exotropia). Strabismus is caused by a lack of coordination between the eyes.
As a result, the eyes look in different directions and do not focus
simultaneously on a single point. In most cases of strabismus in children, the
cause is unknown. In more than half of these cases, the problem is present at
or shortly after birth (congenital strabismus). When the two eyes fail to focus
on the same image, there is reduced or absent depth perception and the brain
may learn to ignore the input from one eye, causing permanent vision loss in
that eye (one type of amblyopia).
Learn more about: Strabismus (Crossed eyes)
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