“Early detection of eye conditions such as glaucoma can avoid potential blindness.”
EYE CONDITIONS
ASTIGMATISM
- Astigmatism means that a corneal or lens surface is oval like a rugby ball instead of spherical like a basketball.
- This causes light to focus on more than one point in the eye, resulting in blurred vision at distance or near.
- Astigmatism often occurs along with nearsightedness or farsightedness.
Signs and Symptoms
- Blurred vision (near and distance).
- Eye strain (headaches).
- Poorer vision in dull lighting.
PRESBYOPIA
- Presbyopia is a term used to describe an eye which has lost it’s natural focusing power (accommodation).
- Accommodation is the eye’s way of changing its focusing distance: the lens inside the eye changes shape to allow us to focus on nearby objects.
- At about the age of 40, the lens becomes less flexible and accommodation is gradually lost.
- Presbyopia is a natural, universal and unavoidable ageing process that will affect everyone.
Signs and Symptoms
- Difficulty seeing small print at a close distance.
- Print seems to have less contrast and brighter, more direct light is required for reading.
- Reading material must be held further away to see.
- Slow focusing from a distant target to a nearby target.
- Fatigue and eyestrain when reading.
MYOPIA (SHORTSIGHTED)
- Occurs when light entering the eye focuses in front of the retina instead of directly on it.
- This is caused by a cornea that is steeper, or an eye that is longer, than a normal eye.
- Nearsighted people typically see well up close, but have difficulty seeing far away.
Signs and Symptoms
- Blurry distance vision.
- Vision seems clearer when squinting.
- Poor distance vision in dull lighting.
HYPEROPIA (FARSIGHTED)
- Occurs when light entering the eye focuses behind the retina, instead of directly on it.
- This is caused by a cornea that is flatter, or an eye that is shorter, than a normal eye.
- Farsighted people usually have trouble seeing up close, but may also have difficulty seeing far away as well.
Signs and Symptoms
- Difficulty seeing up close.
- Blurred distance vision.
- Eye fatigue when reading.
- Eye strain (headaches, pulling sensation, burning).
- Crossed eyes in children
CATARACT
A cataract occurs when there is progressive clouding of the normally clear lens within the eye.
This results in impaired or dimmed vision.
As the opacity develops it inhibits the passage of light distorting vision.
Since the clouding of the lens is gradual cataracts mainly affect people over 55 years old. It is one of the most common conditions related to aging.
Signs & Symptoms
- Blurry or filmy vision
- Increased sensitivity to light and glare
- Double vision or poor night vision
- Distorted colours.
GLAUCOMA
Glaucoma is a condition that causes damage to your eye’s optic nerve. It’s often associated with a buildup of fluid pressure inside the eye. Glaucoma tends to be inherited and may not show up until later in life.
The increased pressure, called intraocular pressure, can damage the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. If damage to the optic nerve from high eye pressure continues, glaucoma will cause permanent loss of vision. Without treatment, glaucoma can cause total permanent blindness within a few years.
Because most people with glaucoma have no early symptoms or pain from this increased pressure, it is important to see your optometrist regularly so that glaucoma can be diagnosed and treated before long-term visual loss occurs.
Signs and Symptoms
- There are NO telling symptoms with glaucoma. No Pain. No redness.
- There is slow loss of peripheral vision – most people do not notice this slow change from day to day
- More advanced sufferers may bump into objects as they lose peripheral vision
- An eye examination will usually reveal raised intra-ocular pressures
- Damage will be seen to the optic nerve.
Fortunately glaucoma can be easily treated with drops once it is detected.