Common eye disorders are just that: common. It is estimated that up to 61 million Americans are in grave danger of developing a severe eye disorder. What’s more troubling is that only have of those 61 million have seen an eye doctor in the past year. Diseases of eye vary in severity, cause, and treatment. Disorders of the eye, however, all have one thing in common: they are very, very serious!
An optometrist is a doctor that is specially trained to treat eyes and eye diseases. Optometrists are medically-trained to serve common eye disorders and their complications. Eyes are extraordinarily-complex structures, and their disorders can be just as complicated. Common eye disorders include cataracts, corneal dystrophy, glaucoma, and conjunctivitis (otherwise known as “pink eye”). At their worst, they can be devastating. Some consequences of these common eye disorders include eye decay, weakness of vision, ocular pain, and even blindness! With this in mind, it is important to know about common eye disorders and how they can be spotted and treated.
Did you know, for example, that corneal dystrophy is when the cornea, the transparent film in front of every eye, loses clarity due to the abnormal accumulation cloudy material? A cornea is a similar clouding of the eye, except it can take place inside the eye’s lense as opposed to outside. Glaucoma is a disorder that affects the ocular nerve and not the lense itself. Conjunctivitis (aka “pink eye”) is the inflammation of the eyelid material due to viral, bacterial, or allergic agents. There are many other kinds of eye disorders but these are some of the more common ones.
It is recommended that people between the ages of 40 to 64 should seek an eye exam every two years. They are vital to health of your eyes, one of your most precious assets. Common eye disorders can be destructive and nasty but there are ways to treat them.
We thank you for reading this article. Please, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, let us know in our comments section. We look forward to your input. Thanks again! Read more blogs like this.