8 Common Eye Problems and Their Causes, Symptoms, & Treatments

8 Common Eye Problems to Watch Out For

The symptoms, causes, and treatments of the 8 most common eye problems are mentioned here. Check them out and see if you identify with any of them.

1. Blurry Vision

Cause: Fatigue, farsightedness, near-sightedness, astigmatism, and eye-related or other health issues.

Symptoms: Blurry vision symptoms are inability to focus and blurry or hazy vision. We all lose some focus with age. But it can be a serious eye health issue when you experience sudden blurry vision up to a significant extent.

Treatment: The treatment for blurry vision range from eye drops to medication to surgery if required. Some home remedies such as resting and taking vitamins can help recover from blurry vision.

2. Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

Cause: Age-related macular degeneration is often the result of damaged sharp and central vision due to aging. There are 2 forms of AMD – wet AMD and dry AMD. Wet AMD happens due to abnormal vessels starting to grow under the macula. And macula thins with aging in case of dry AMD.

Symptoms: Blurred Vision is its key symptom.

Treatment: Medication, especially vitamin supplements and surgery in some cases, are its treatment options.

3. Cataracts

Cause: Cataracts affect the quality of your eye lens and form unclear clouds in your vision. It generally happens because of age and underlying health conditions such as diabetes and obesity.

Symptoms: cloudy and blurry vision.

Treatment: The natural lens, which turned cloudy and hazy, is replaced with a clear artificial lens.

4. Eye Strain

Cause: Eye strain is also known as digital eye strain. This name will give you fare idea about its cause. It’s the result of the overuse of screens.

Symptoms: Soreness, itching, tiredness in the eyes, headache, and sensitivity to light are some of the signs of digital eye strain.

Treatment: Taking proper rest, wearing glasses to cut UV rays, and giving your eyes a break from the screen should do the trick. If it doesn’t get better soon, visit your doctor. They can also diagnose your condition for any underlying health issue.

5. Lazy Eye

Cause: An imbalance in the muscle that positions the eyes leads to lazy eyes, also known as amblyopia. Your eyes cross and turn out with lazy eye syndrome.

Symptom: The eyes may not seem to work together with amblyopia. The depth perception also decreases. One or both eyes can be affected at the same time.

Treatment: Your doctor may prescribe eye patches, eye drops, contact lenses, or glasses, depending on your condition.

6. Spots and Floaters

Cause: Spots and floaters appear due to wear and tear in your eyes. With age, the vitreous inside your eyes becomes liquid, which is initially of a gel-like consistency. It may happen early in the digital age due to increased eye strain.

Symptoms: Floating material, strings, and spots in your vision are the primary symptom of this common eye problem.

Treatment: Your eye doctor may suggest a vitrectomy to remove the vitreous if it's causing you grave inconvenience.

7. Strabismus

Cause: Eyes don’t look in the same direction with strabismus due to either dysfunction of the muscles or a nerve injury.

Symptom: The primary sign of strabismus is the inability of both eyes to look in the same direction simultaneously.

Treatment: Special eyewear and eye patches are usually recommended for strabismus. Doctors may also suggest surgery.

8. Glaucoma

Cause: Glaucoma is one of the most complicated and common age-related eye problems. It is a group of eye conditions that cause blindness. It happens because the nerve connecting the eye to the brain gets damaged.

Symptoms: The general symptoms are distorted and blurry vision and sometimes vision loss.

Treatment: The possible treatment options are eye drops, medication, and surgery. It all depends on your condition.

Visit Your Eye Doctor

The symptoms mentioned here are the same for many common eye problems. Therefore, they can give you an initial idea about what can be wrong with your vision. But only your eye doctor can accurately diagnose that you have a digital eye strain or any other common eye problem.

Therefore don’t delay visiting your eye doctor as soon as you feel there’s some problem with your eyes. Your vision is a gift of God that is not available to everyone. Don’t take it for granted!