Eye Health: Types, Complications, Diagnosis & Prevention

Last Updated on May 5, 2023 by Shabnam Sengupta

Eyes are vital to overall health. People use their eyes to view and understand the world around them. The most common eye disorders can result in vision loss and other symptoms. It is therefore important to detect and treat eye problems as soon as feasible. If your doctor suggests it, or if you notice any visual difficulties, you should have your eyes tested. Maintaining the health of your eyes is as important as maintaining the health of your body.

Types of Eye Diseases

Almost everyone suffers from vision difficulties at some point in their lives. Some symptoms are minor and go away on their own while others need the attention of an eye specialist.

1. Eye Diseases and their causes: Common causes of eye disorders include infection, allergies, vitamin inadequacy, chemical irritants, heredity, and smoking.
2. Cataract: Causes include ageing, inherited factors, UV rays, diabetes.
3. Glaucoma: Glaucoma is a result pf a rise in intraocular pressure (IOP) caused by excessive aqueous production or restriction of its outflow from the eye. High eye pressure can lead to irreparable nerve damage and vision loss over time.
4. Xerophthalmia: The most prevalent cause of blindness in youngsters is xerophthalmia. It results due to deficiency of vitamin A.

Complications

These are all symptoms that necessitate emergency medical attention:

1. Severe eye discomfort 
2. Changes in vision  
3. Sudden loss of vision.
4. Floaters
5. Distorted eyesight
6. Red and watery eyes

Diagnosis of Eye Diseases

Some tests are performed to diagnose the eye problems

1. Angiography: Angiography is a procedure in which a dye is injected into arteries to make view them on imaging tests. This test can be performed to view the blood vessels of the eye.
2. Electroretinography (ERG): By detecting the retina’s response to light flashes, electroretinography allows a doctor to check the function of the light-sensing cells (photoreceptors) in the retina. The eye is numbed, and the pupil is dilated with eye drops for this test.
3. Ultrasonography: Ultrasonography can be used to examine the eye. A probe is softly placed on the closed eyelid. 
4. Pachymetry: In some refractive eye surgery like LASIK, you may require pachymetry (measuring the thickness of the cornea).
5. Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT): Optical coherence tomography (OCT) produces high-resolution images of the optic nerve, retina, choroid, and vitreous humor at the back of the eye. OCT procedure is same as ultrasonography but uses light instead of sound.

Prevention

1. The first line of defense against visual disorders is preventive eye care. Early identification of vision impairments can lead to more successful treatment.
2. Get regular eye exams (every 2-3 years for healthy patients under 50, yearly for patients over 50 or those with known health risk factors).
3. Be aware of your family’s ocular history
4. Maintain a healthy way of living.
5. Eat a well-balanced diet to keep your eyes healthy.
6. Stay away from fireworks, strong chemicals such as drain cleaners, and jumping automobile batteries without eye protection.
7. Getting enough vitamins and eating a balanced diet are also important for maintaining good eyesight.

Maintaining eye health

1. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet: You should consume fruits and vegetables, especially yellow and green leafy vegetables adequately. Salmon fish and tuna which are good sources of omega-3 fatty acids, can also improve eyes health.
2. Keep a healthy weight: Obesity or being overweight raises your chances of developing diabetes. With diabetes, there are more chances of developing diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.
3. Exercise on a regular basis: Exercising can aid in the prevention or management of diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. These diseases can cause eyes problems and eye difficulties. Exercising on a regular basis, can reduce chances of developing these vision and eye disorders.
4. Don’t smoke: Smoking raises the risk of age-related eye illnesses such as macular degeneration and cataracts, as well as causing optic nerve damage.
5. Be familiar with your family’s medical history: Since you may inherit some eye disorders, it’s crucial to see if anyone in your family has had them. This will be helpful in understanding whether you’re at a higher risk for eye problems.
6. As you become older, you’re more likely to acquire age-related eye illnesses including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration.

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