You definitely do not want to fool around with the chance of developing certain eye diseases. This goes far beyond simple vision problems, such as not being able to see close up or not being able to see far away. An eye disease can creep up on you. There is no accurate way you can diagnose yourself but a simple eye examination can. That is why it is important to get checked yearly.

There are a variety of diseases that affect the eye. These range from ocular herpes to macular degeneration. Ocular herpes occurs when the herpes virus makes its way to the surface of the eye. This condition could lead to clouded and scarred lenses or severe eye discomfort. It is generally treated by oral and topical, antiviral medications. Macular degeneration is another disease that affects eyesight. It is where the center of the eye thins, suffers atrophy or bleeding. This disease is treated with injections.

Eye examinations may also show whether or not you have glaucoma, cataracts, retinal detachment or diabetic retinopathy. If you have glaucoma, then the pressure of the inner eye increases and can lead to blindness. The only way to correct this problem is through surgery to eliminate the pressure. Cataracts develop when the lens becomes cloudy and you can no longer distinguish shapes from backgrounds. It can lead to blindness as well. The treatment for this disease involves an eye care professional removing the clouded lens and replacing it with a plastic lens.

Retinal detachment and diabetic retinopathy are diseases discovered through an in-depth eye examination. Retinal detachment occurs when the retina has detached from the rest of the eye. This condition is corrected by making a bridge so that the retina can heal. Diabetic retinopathy occurs when blood vessels are present in large numbers on the surface of the eye. Treatment by an eye care professional involves shrinking the blood vessels to help improve vision.

Eye diseases are nothing to laugh about. They are very serious conditions that can endanger your vision. Try to imagine life through a cloudy lens from having cataracts. Your quality of life would never be the same. You would no longer be able to drive or see clearly. That is why eye professionals eagerly advocate a yearly checkup to see if there are any problems developing. A simple eye examination can mean the difference between a life filled with color and clear objects or one that lurks in cloudy disarray.

It is easy to forget about your eye care needs. Even if you wear prescription lenses, it is easy to forget to schedule a yearly visit to an optometrist. Most people cannot afford to go to the eye doctor every year. The economy is forcing a lot of cutbacks in how people spend their hard earned money. If you wear contacts then you know how expensive they can be but have you tried shopping for your contacts online?

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When a person has an allergic reaction, the eyes frequently become affected. Eyes turn red, become itchy and irritated, and they can also become watery. Rubbing the eyes seems to offer comfort, but the reality is that rubbing eyes that are responding to an allergic reaction often compounds the discomfort.

What are Eye Allergies?

Most often, eye allergies accompany nasal allergies, but they can occur without involving the nose. Eye allergies are triggered when an allergen makes contact with the eyes. The mast cells, which are cells inside the eyes, release histamines and other chemicals and their release triggers symptoms including irritation and inflammation.

Conjunctivitis allergies are a specific category of allergies that affect the eyes. Conjunctivitis is generally triggered by an outdoor seasonal allergen such as ragweed or grass. Conjunctivitis allergies are also known as Hay Fever conjunctivitis.

Vernal Keratoconjunctivitis is seasonal in nature and primarily impacts children. With this form of eye allergy, the edges around the outside of the cornea are affected. Atopic Keratoconjunctivitis is similar with the difference being that it affects adults. It is a chronic condition and it’s one that can cause the eyes to become scarred if not treated.

Symptoms of Allergies

When exposure to an allergen occurs, the body reacts by releasing histamines. Histamine release causes fluids to build up in the nasal cavity, sinuses and also on the surface of the eye as well as the insides of the eyelids. This release is also a source of significant irritation. In addition to irritation, the eyes may become red and watery, and the eyes and eyelids can become swollen. In addition to the visible symptoms, eye allergies may cause a feeling that something is stuck inside the eye or a feeling that the eye is being scratched. Vision can also become blurry or hazy or otherwise unclear.

Who is at risk?

Any person regardless of age can develop eye allergies.

Early detection/treatment of this eye problem

The most effective treatment for allergies is to stay away from those items that trigger allergic reactions. Many everyday cosmetics including mascara, eye liners and eye brow pencils and face creams can all trigger an allergic reaction. In some individuals, eye allergies can be caused by wearing contact lenses. Dust mites, mold and pet dander can also cause eye allergies.

When allergies are suspected, detection is the key to effective treatment. It’s important to note what a person had been exposed to immediately before the allergic reaction occurred. Over time, patterns will become apparent. Once the culprit has been identified, steps should be taken to restrict exposure to the allergen.

Changing the brand of cosmetics and other personal care products can help as can discussing the possibility of obtaining a different contact lens prescription with your eye care professional.

In addition to these changes, over-the-counter antihistamines, decongestants and eye drops can all help alleviate the symptoms of eye allergies. If allergies are troublesome and/or persistent, it may be time to see an allergist who can recommend prescription medications and eye drops to treat the symptoms of eye allergies.

The human visual system is both simple and complex. Complex, because there are so many parts that have to work together to make sight possible. Simple, because those parts and the process can really be explained without in-depth knowledge of anatomy and biology.

An ordinary glass lens, such as a magnifying glass, focuses the light that moves through it by bending the rays toward a focal point. That’s the bright spot you see when you hold one over a newspaper, for example. Something similar happens when light enters the eye through an opening called the pupil, behind a clear protective portion called the cornea.

The pupil is surrounded by the iris, the colored portion of the eye. The pupil can narrow or widen to regulate the amount of light admitted, from as small as about 2mm to as much as approximately 8mm. The iris contains the muscles that change the diameter of the opening. Just behind the pupil is the lens, the part that focuses the light rays similar to the magnifying glass.

But there’s an important difference between a magnifying glass and the eye. The magnifying glass’s focal point is fixed. The eye, by contrast, contains muscles that help shape the lens and that shaping process performs a number of important tasks. Most importantly, it makes it possible for the focal point to change.

A camera lens is a good analogy. Because the camera lens contains multiple pieces of glass that can be moved by turning the barrel, objects at different distances can be brought into focus on the film. The muscles attached to the lens perform a similar function in order to focus light onto the retina, which is like the film.

Focused light rays strike the cells of the retina, the cones and rods. The names come from the shapes of the cells. The cones – 7 million cells in the central part of the retina, called the macula – are responsible for sharp, detailed vision and color vision. The approximately 100 million rods around them help us see in dim light and provide peripheral vision.

When those focused light rays hit the cells chemical reactions occur that stimulate the optic nerve attached to the back of the retina to produce electrical impulses. Those impulses are then transmitted to the visual cortex, the part of the brain that organizes them. Many parts of the brain cooperate to cause the mind to conclude: ‘Ah, a car.’ But the visual cortex does the initial heavy lifting.

When the parts and process of vision work correctly, you see sharp, colored entities out in the world. When things go wrong, the need for contact lenses or eye glasses arises.