Ocular Health: 3 Most Common Types of Eye Conditions
The eyes are one of the most important organs in the human body. The sense of sight is unparalleled when it comes to its importance in everyday life. And because of this, it is not false to consider that the existence of human beings is majorly influenced by the sense of sight as it lets people perceive who they are and where they are.
With the growing use of technology and screens, eye problems are on the rise too. So Sydney Eye Clinics have to take care of eye diseases in the country’s capital. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, more than 13 million Australians suffered from one or more long-term eye diseases in 2017-2018.
This article aims to present the most common diseases which would require a person to visit an eye clinic for professional and medical help. By revealing the nature of these eye conditions, this article will explain why you should make an appointment with an ophthalmologist.
Types of Eye Conditions
May this article serves as a reminder for many to consult an eye specialist, but on the opposite side, a person should consult even if there is an absence of these symptoms listed below. Many recommend an annual eye check-up, and a doctor’s knowledge is far more precise than this article.
Below are some of the most commonly found eye conditions:
Refractive Errors
This is the most common and easy to catch condition that one can have. In simple terms, they are errors that cause the blurring of one’s vision. They occur when the shape of one’s eyes prevents the light from reaching the correct spot on their retina, the light-receiving layer on the back of the eye.
These errors happen because of malfunction in 3 different parts of the eye. The increase or decrease in the size and volume of the eyeball can cause an error, a change in cornea’s shape and the ageing of one’s eye lens. The cornea and lens are two outer layers that let the light pass through and focus on the retina, and this positively affects the clarity of the image. There are different types of these errors, which are:
- Myopia or nearsightedness: This is when one is unable to perceive faraway objects. This happens when the light from far away objects focuses on the area before the retina and not on it.
- Hyperopia or farsightedness: This causes a person to have blurry vision when looking at nearby objects. This happens for someone when the passing light focuses beyond their retina instead of on it.
- Astigmatism: This is when both of the errors mentioned above happen together.
- Presbyopia: This is when middle-aged or older adults have trouble seeing things up close.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
AMD is a disorder in the eye and is related to the ageing process. The primary symptom of this disorder is that it blurs the central part of the vision for older adults. This is called Macular Degeneration, and the macula is the central part of the retina that provides uninterrupted vision.
There are two types of AMD: Wet AMD and Dry AMD. Wet AMD is an unnecessary bulge in the blood vessel below the retina, and dry AMD is the thinning of this very blood vessel.
Cataract
A cataract occurs due to the clouding of the eye’s lens, at any given age, even since birth, with various reasons that cause it. It is one of the most common reasons for blindness around the world.
With a widely available cure for it, recognising this condition can happen at any of the Sydney Eye Clinics. This can be treated with easy methods at first, but if it gets worse, i.e. close to blinding, doctors perform laser surgery to get rid of it.People living with limited financial resources lose their vision to cataracts every year. Mr. Tej Kohli’s eye foundation helps society to fight against needless blindness by organizing free cataract surgery outreach camps.