Top Causes of Eye Problems Most people have eye problems at one time or another. Some are minor and will go away on their own, or are easy to treat at home. Others need a specialist’s care.
Whether your vision isn’t what it used to be, or never was that great, there are things you can do to get your eye health back on track.
See if any of these common
problems sound familiar. And
always check with a doctor if
your symptoms are really bad or
don’t clear up within a few days.
Eyestrain
Anyone who reads for hours,
works at a computer, or drives
long distances knows about this
one. It happens when you
overuse your
eyes. They get
tired and need to rest, just like
any other part of your body.
If your eyes feel strained, give
them some time off. If they’re
still weary after a few days,
check with your doctor to make
sure it isn’t another problem.
Red Eyes
Your eyes look bloodshot. Why?
Their surface is covered in blood
vessels that expand when
they’re irritated or infected. That
gives your eyes the red look.
Eyestrain can do it, and so can a
late night, a lack of
sleep, or
allergies. If an injury is the cause,
get it checked by your doctor.
Red eyes could be a symptom of
another eye condition, like
conjunctivitis (pinkeye) or sun
damage from not wearing shades
over the years. If over-the-
counter eye drops and rest don’t
clear it up, see your doctor.
Night Blindness
Is it hard to see at night,
especially while driving? Is it
tough to find your way around in
dark places, such as movie
theaters?
That sounds like night blindness.
It’s a symptom, not a problem in
its own right.
Nearsightedness,
cataracts, keratoconus, and a lack
of vitamin A all cause a type of
night blindness that doctors can
fix.
Some people are born with this
problem, or it might develop from
a degenerative disease involving
the retina, and that usually can’t
be treated. If you have it, you’ll
need to be extra careful in areas
of low light.
Lazy Eye
Lazy eye, or amblyopia, happens
when one eye doesn’t develop
properly. Vision is weaker in that
eye, and it tends to move “lazily”
around while the other eye stays
put. It’s found in infants, children,
and adults, and rarely affects
both eyes. Treatment needs to
be sought immediately for infants
and children.
Lifelong vision problems can be
avoided if a lazy eye is detected
and treated during early
childhood. Treatment includes
corrective glasses or contact
lenses and using a patch or other
strategies to make a child use
the lazy eye.
Cross Eyes (Strabismus) and
Nystagmus
If your eyes aren’t lined up with
each other when you look at
something, you could have
strabismus. You might also hear it
called crossed eyes or walleye.
This problem won’t go away on
its own. Sometimes you can go to
vision therapy with an eye doctor
to help strengthen the weak eye
muscles. Often, you’ll likely need
to get an
ophthalmologist, or eye
surgeon, to correct it
surgically.You’ll need to get an
ophthalmologist, or eye specialist,
to correct it.
With nystagmus, the eye moves
or "jiggles" all the time on its
own.
There are many treatments,
including vision therapy to make
your eyes stronger. Surgery is
also an option. Your doctor will
examine your eyes to see which
treatment might work best for
you.
Colorblindness
When you can’t see certain colors,
or can’t tell the difference
between them (usually reds and
greens), you may be
colorblind. It
happens when the color cells in
your eye (the doctor will call them
cone cells) are absent or don’t
work.
When it’s most severe, you can
only see in shades of gray, but
this is rare. Most people who
have it are born with it, but you
can get it later in life from certain
drugs and diseases. Your doctor
can tell you what’s to blame. Men
are much more likely to be born
with it than women.
Your eye doctor can diagnose it
with a simple test. There’s no
treatment if you’re born with it,
but special contacts and glasses
can help some people tell the
difference between certain colors.
Uveitis
This is the name for a group of
diseases that cause inflammation
of the uvea. That’s the middle
layer of the eye that contains
most of the blood vessels.
These diseases can destroy eye
tissue, and even cause eye loss.
People of all ages can have it.
Symptoms may go away quickly
or last for a long time.
People with immune system
conditions like AIDS, rheumatoid
arthritis, or ulcerative colitis may
be more likely to have uveitis.
Symptoms may include:
Blurred vision
Eye pain
Eye redness
Light sensitivity
See your doctor if you have
these symptoms and they don’t
go away within a few days. There
are different kinds of treatment
for uveitis, depending on the
type you have.
Presbyopia
This happens when you lose the
ability, despite good distance
vision, to clearly see close objects
and small print.
After age 40 or so, you may have
to hold a book or other reading
material farther away from your
eyes to make it easier to read.
Sort of like your arms are too
short.
Reading glasses, contact lenses,
and other procedures can be used
to restore good reading vision.
Floaters
These are tiny spots or specks
that float across your field of
vision. Most people notice them in
well-lit rooms or outdoors on a
bright day.
Floaters are usually normal, but
they sometimes can be a sign of
a more serious eye problem, like
retinal detachment. That’s when
the retina at the back of your
eye separates from the layer
underneath. When this happens,
you might also see light flashes
along with the
floaters or a dark
shadow come across the edge of
your sight.
