Should You Be Worried About Eye Disease?
Eye disease doesn't refer to one problem but any one of a number of diseases and conditions that affect the eyes. There are many such diseases and conditions.
Although some of these conditions are there from birth, many eye diseases start to develop after some time. There are certain factors that can also increase your likelihood of suffering from one or more of these diseases. If you face one or more risk factors, it's a good idea to have a regular eye exam.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition where the optic nerve is damaged due to an increase in pressure in the eye. Many factors can make you susceptible to glaucoma including:
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Aging
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Alcohol consumption
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Poor nutrition
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UV damage
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Eye infections
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Injuries
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Diabetes
Hereditary factors and genetic makeup can also increase your risk of contracting glaucoma.
Cataracts
This is a condition with the lens within the eye is overshadowed. This can prevent clear vision. Problems seeing at night, faded colors, and double vision are some of the signs of cataracts.
If there is a history of diabetes in your family, you could be at a high risk of developing cataracts. Other factors that can contribute to this include:
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Eye infections
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Injuries
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Ocular hypertension
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Aging
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Steroid medication
It is important to catch cataracts early and get cataract surgery to remove affected portions of the eye. If this is in your family history, it's important to monitor with an eye doctor.
Diabetic Retinopathy
This is a complication that can arise in individuals who have diabetes. It's characterized by progressive damage of the vascular cells in the retina. Although the loss of vision doesn't occur in the early stages of this disease, it's expected once the disease reaches the advanced stage. Straining of the eyes and unclear vision are some of the signs to look out for.
There are genetic and nutritional factors that can increase the risk of this disease. However, as the name suggests, the presence of diabetes is one of the factors that puts you most at risk.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Aging can result in macular degeneration, which damages your vital and sharp vision. You should have your eyes tested for this in case you experience unclear vision or when straight shapes start to appear curved or bent.
Some of the factors that increase the risk of this condition include:
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Heart diseases
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Use of tobacco
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A poor diet
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Hypertension
There are genetic and hereditary factors that can also put you at high risk of contracting this disease. This is one of the reasons why regular eye checkups are still important even for relatively healthy individuals. For more information, contact a medical office like Cornea Consultants of Nashville.
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