Recognizing Common Eye Problems

Your eyes are often described as the "window to the soul" where it allows you to fully see and enjoy beauty around. But when it is bogged down by disease or injury, it becomes hard and uncomfortable to live with. To avoid these complications, it's important to recognize the signs of common eye problems. 

Here is a list of eye problems commonly reported among individuals of all ages: 

1. Red eyes. Also known as bloodshot eyes, this condition causes the eye's surface to become red thanks to the expansion of blood vessels due to infection or irritation. Red eyes may also point to other eye infections such as conjunctivitis or sun damage (overexposure to ultraviolet rays). 

2. Night blindness. Do you find it hard to maneuver your way through traffic while driving at night? Or do you struggle feeling your way out of a darkly-lit place? If so, you may be having a case of night blindness. This may be caused by an existing eye condition (e.g. cataracts, myopia) or a lack of Vitamin A. There are cases in which some may be born with a defective retina, something that unfortunately cannot be treated. 

3. Lazy eye. As the name suggests, lazy eye is a condition where one eye stays put while the other "lazes" around, thus resulting in poor vision. If not treated promptly (especially among children), it can lead to permanent vision problems. 

4. Color blindness. Remember the time where you had to determine what number it was through a pattern of colored dots before getting your driving license? This is to evaluate whether one is able to distinguish the three colors of the traffic lights. Color blindness happens when the cone cells are missing or malfunction. Usually most people are born with it, but it may also be caused by certain drugs or diseases. 

5. Dry eyes. One of the most common eye-related complaints, dry eyes occur when not enough tears are produced to moisturize it, leading to a painful, burning sensation. In rare, severe cases, dry eye may also result in vision loss. 

6. Cataracts. Your eye lens act as a camera, allowing light to pass through it and come in contact with the retina, enabling it to process the image and send signals to the brain. However, when it becomes cloudy, less light goes through and it will lead to blurriness or seeing halos forming around lights during nighttime. Cataracts are often undetected as they develop without any symptoms. 

7. Glaucoma. When too much pressure is placed on the eyes, the optic nerves will be damaged over time. Like cataracts, glaucoma develops silently and gradually until vision loss becomes apparent. While it doesn't happen often, glaucoma can be triggered by eye injuries, inflammatory disorder, or blocked blood vessels.   

In the next article, we will discover what natural foods and supplements help keep the eyes healthy!