How to prevent some of the most common eye problems

What are 5 of the most common eye problems?

A couple of weeks ago, we covered some of the most common eye problems, including how to identify them and how they can be treated. We discussed cataracts, keratoconus, blepharitis, age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma, which you can read about here. Today, we’re looking at 5 more common eye conditions affecting huge numbers of people both in the UK and around the world.

Refractive errors

Simply put, a refractive error is the name for when you require glasses or contact lenses in order to be able to see well. It occurs when your eye and cornea shape mean that your retina cannot focus light accurately, resulting in blurred, out of focus vision. Refractive errors include myopia (short-sightedness), hyperopia (long-sightedness) and astigmatism (where the eye is curved abnormally, distorting light). Refractive errors are a very common visual complaint; in fact, 74% of people in the UK either wear glasses or contact lenses, or have had laser eye surgery to improve their vision.

Preventing refractive errors

Refractive errors are often hereditary and you can’t prevent the onset of them. Thankfully, your vision can be improved with glasses or contact lenses or, if you want to avoid the hassle that comes with these, you can opt for laser eye surgery. Although you can’t make lifestyle changes to improve your vision and to correct refractive errors, there are things you can do to keep your eyes healthy, such as eating a balanced diet and exercising regularly.

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is an eye condition which develops as a complication of diabetes. Tiny blood vessels in the eye deliver blood to your retina, but these blood vessels can become damaged as a result of diabetes. This can result in the blood vessels leaking and the retina swelling which can, if left untreated, result in blindness. Symptoms of diabetic retinopathy include blurry vision, floaters or blind spots (caused by leaking blood) appearing in your visual field. If you’re diabetic and experience these changes to your vision, you should seek medical advice as soon as possible.

Preventing diabetic retinopathy

Preventing diabetic retinopathy starts with preventing diabetes which, for type 2 diabetes, often relies on lifestyle and dietary changes. If there have already been changes to your vision as a result of diabetic retinopathy, you might find that injections, specialist laser treatment (different to the laser treatment offered at Optimax), or operations to remove the leaking blood can help. Treating diabetic retinopathy as soon as possible is crucial when it comes to saving your vision.

Dry eyes

It’s estimated that around 7% of the population suffer from dry eye, but that number is based on people who visited their doctors for it, and it is thought that the real figure is much higher. The symptoms of dry eyes are signs irritation like red eyes, light sensitivity, foreign body sensation, watery eyes, and scratchy or itchy feelings of discomfort. Dry eyes occur when the tear glands in your eyes cannot make enough tears to lubricate and hydrate your eyes properly. Tears also wash away dust and dirt from your eyes to help maintain overall eye health, so dry eyes are not only uncomfortable, but can have negative effects on your eye health.

Preventing dry eyes

It might sound obvious but one of the best ways to prevent dry eyes is to blink more. In this day and age dictated by digital screens, we actually blink a lot less when we focus on screens. This leads to our eyes becoming less hydrated, so minimising screen time is another effective way to help dry eyes. Other tips include using a humidifier to ensure the air in your home isn’t quite so dry, and quitting smoking and alcohol consumption, as these are also known to lead to dry eyes.

Allergic conjunctivitis

This is a condition which occurs when the outer part of your eye becomes irritated and swells up due to an allergic reaction to substances like dust, pollen or mould. Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis include burning, sore eyes, itchiness, swollen eyelids, excess discharge, and red eyes. These are all the typical symptoms you would expect when suffering with a condition like hay fever, which is one of the most common examples of allergic conjunctivitis.

Preventing allergic conjunctivitis

One of the most effective methods of preventing allergic conjunctivitis is to avoid known triggers such as pollen, or dusty environments. However, this isn’t always practical and you can’t always change your routine around in order to accommodate potential conjunctivitis triggers. You might find that taking antihistamines helps your symptoms, as well as soothing eye drops to hydrate your eyes further.

Night blindness

Night blindness, also known as nyctalopia, is a condition where your eyes struggle to adapt to low-light environments. This results in everyday activities like driving at night or moving round your home in dim lighting becoming a lot more difficult. This happens when your retina, which is made up of rod and cone cells, has faulty rod cells. The cones help your vision in bright light, while the rods facilitate your night vision. Issues with the rods mean that you may experience trouble adapting to different light levels, hence the term ‘night blindness’.

Preventing night blindness

The main symptoms of night blindness include headaches, eye pain, blurry vision, light sensitivity and difficulty focusing in the distance. These are additional to the obvious main sign which is trouble seeing in dim environments. Night blindness can be caused by glaucoma, cataracts, or short-sightedness, so it often occurs as a secondary cause of a primary eye condition. Ensuring that you treat those primary eye conditions is a good starting point for preventing night blindness. You can read more about night blindness and ways to combat it here on our blog.

Visit our blog for further advice and to learn more about a range of common eye conditions. We also discuss the benefits of the various treatments on offer at Optimax, and cover advancements in the vision correction industry. If you have any questions at all, please send us an email to enquiry@optimax.co.uk, give us a call on 0800 093 1110, or book your free consultation online.