If you’re a romantic or a poet, the eye is the window to the soul. If you’re more practical, your eyes and eyesight are incredibly important to your day to day life and any injuries or problems that might put your eyesight at risk or affect it should be taken very seriously. Almost all common eye injuries can be repaired so that no loss of vision is experienced if they’re treated. There are some common eye injuries that you should be aware of, so you can keep an eye out for their symptoms.
Physical Eye Injury
A physical eye injury can take many shapes and can be caused by a good number of things. It can be caused by things like exposure to chemicals or a burn from exposure to a chemical or acid, or a physical scratch or injury caused by a foreign object hitting or damaging the eye. Usually, you’ll know about this happening, of course, but signs to look out for that might indicate it being more serious are pain and light sensitivity as well as double vision and consistent blurred vision. Seeing an ophthalmologist if you suspect you have badly physically injured your eye is strongly recommended.
Cataracts
Your eye works in very much the same way as a camera does. Your eye collects light from the pupil. This is then passed through a lens, which focuses this light onto your retina, allowing you to see. A cataract is when this lens becomes cloudy and obscures your vision. Initially, you might feel like you’re looking through a frosted glass – or a foggy car windscreen.
Cataracts are a leading worldwide cause of vision impairment and blindness. Cataracts slowly get worse, impairing your ability to read or drive until eventually some of these activities become impossible. You might be able to offset the early symptoms with a stronger pair of glasses or by increasing light levels, but eventually, you’ll need to get your cataract surgically repaired as it’s the only effective treatment.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma isn’t just one single condition, but several different eye conditions. It’s one of the conditions that you’ll be checked for when your optician examines your eyes during your periodic eye exams, so don’t skip them. Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve in your eye. Usually, this is caused by abnormally high pressure in your eye and becomes more common as you age. It’s accountable for a leading cause of blindness in people above the age of 60. You’ll first notice signs of glaucoma because of patchy vision or tunnel vision in the case of open angle glaucoma or severe headaches, pain and even nausea and vomiting along with blurred vision and eye redness for acute angle glaucoma. If left untreated, glaucoma leads to blindness, so seeking medical attention is imperative.
These are just three of many different medical conditions that the eye is susceptible to. Awareness and proper response to these conditions are critical to ensure you don’t suffer long-term from a partial or total loss of vision.
*collaborative post
