Our eyes are some of the most sensitiveof all the organs we have in our body. Therefore, we must be carefulnot to expose them to factors which might lead to eye healthproblems, since these situations may easily lead to blindness orsevere vision impairment.
Therefore, the following lines arededicated to describing illnesses which commonly lead to blindnessand eye health problems, helping you notice the symptoms on time andseek adequate medical assistance, avoiding any debilitating outcome.
Dangerous Eye Diseases
Conjunctivitis is one of the mostcommon eye infections, leading to redness and swelling of the mucousmembrane which is located between the eyelid and the surface of theeye. This part of the eye is usually transparent and clear. However,when a person suffers from conjunctivitis, it becomes swollen andred, demanding medical diagnosis and treatment in order not toescalate into an even more serious condition, jeopardizing one'svision.
Pinkeye is yet another dangerouscondition, affecting the eyes for about 10 days, commonlydisappearing on its own, without any special medical intervention. Itresults in redness in the eyes, swelling of the eyelids, increasedamount of tears produced, sensations of the presence of a foreign body inthe eye, itching and burning as well as a mild case ofphotosensitivity. Also, in some cases, pinkeye may result in eyedrainage.
Pinkeye is caused by many differentfactors, some of which are viral and bacterial infections, dry eyesdue to climatic conditions, chemical and fume exposure, allergies ordirt and bugs reaching the eye area. Keep in mind that, if viruses orbacteria are causing pinkeye, the infection can be transferred from oneperson to another through towel sharing or similar contact.
Either way, if your immune system isalready compromised, this condition may be more dangerous for yourhealth. Also, people who wear contact lenses and individuals who havetheir vision reduced to a single eye are considered at risk fordeveloping other, more serious conditions due to pinkeye exposure.
Red eye is also a condition which may bedangerous for the health of your eyes. Interestingly, pinkeye canlead to this condition. However, some other causes may be responsibletoo, including foreign bodies, glaucoma, infections or injuries tothe eye.
Moving on to some more serious causesof blindness, we have to mention diabetic retinopathy. This conditionmanifests through blood vessel and capillary breaks in the eye. Thisis the main cause of blindness in the US and diabetics are consideredto be the risk group due to the fact that they are prone to bloodvessel damage, especially if they have been suffering from diabetesfor more than 15 years. Additionally, being a smoker, being pregnantor suffering from hypertension are all contributing factors which can makematters worse, when it comes to diabetic retinopathy.
As far as adults older than 45 areconcerned, the main cause of blindness is a conditioncalled cataract. Cataracts manifest through clouding of the lens ofthe eye, leading to vision impairment and in cases where thiscondition is left untreated, blindness. Before blindness appears,however, people with cataracts usually see the world as blurry, foggyor cloudy, due to the fact that light cannot pass through the retinaadequately.
Cataracts are mysterious conditions, asfar as their underlying causes are concerned. Nevertheless, thesecommonly appear with old age, even though they have also beenconnected to genetics, exposure to radiation or certain healthconditions such as diabetes.
Cataracts are usually removedsurgically, by getting cut out of the eye or getting extractedthrough the process of suction.
Preventing Blindness of the Eye
In order to prevent many of the abovementioned eye problems, you are advised to pay attention to your eyehygiene. Basically, if you wear contacts, remove them if you noticeany signs of eye infections or problems and wear glasses until thesituation becomes less severe. Usually, if allergies or mildirritation are causing your eye problems, applying cold or warmcompresses is a method which can provide you relief. Try both of theseapproaches and choose the one which has a better effect. Yet, usedifferent compresses for each eye since, if an infection is behindyour eye problems, it might be transferred to the other eye as wellvia the compress you use.
Whenever you touch your eyes, make surethat your hands are clean. In fact, you should always ensure that allthe items you use for touching the eye surface are clean.
Diabetic retinopathy can be treatedthrough laser surgery and other forms of surgical intervention. Also,surgery is the best possible method for helping you deal withcataracts.
To sum up, numerous eye problems maylead to blindness if you decide to ignore them or if you do not paysufficient attention to your personal hygiene. Therefore, stay awayfrom all potential causes of infections and react timely whenever younotice any signs of any of the above mentioned horrible eye diseases.
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