If you are able to see well, you may not feel like it’s necessary to get your eyes checked. However, there are several diseases when allowed to go unchecked, can lead to potential blindness. An optometrist can identify these conditions during a routine dilated eye exam.
Age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are the most common eye disorders, affecting nearly three million Americans over the age of 40.
- Cataracts is the clouding of the eye’s lens. The lens is usually transparent but due to UV exposure, trauma or medication a cataract forms and blocks light from entering the eye. It can occur at any age. This causes vision to be blurred, hazy or even for light to have halos or glare. An estimated 20.5 million Americans aged 40 years and older have a cataract in one or both eyes.
- Age-related macular degeneration or AMD affects the part of the eye that is responsible for sharp 20/20 central vision. When central vision starts to deteriorate, we lose the ability to make proper distance judgments and the ability to see fine details clearly. The disorder is associated with aging and has a genetic component. There are two forms, dry and wet AMD. One of the early symptoms of dry AMD is the development of tiny deposits in the retina called drusen. Currently, 8 million Americans over the age of 40 are suffering from AMD with an additional seven million at substantial risk. AMD is the leading cause of permanent impairment of reading and fine or close-up vision among people aged 65 years and older.
- America’s leading cause of blindness, diabetic retinopathy, occurs when a person’s blood glucose levels are high, causing the blood vessels in the retina to swell. Diabetic retinopathy affects those with diabetes, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed. Symptoms of DR include eye pain, double vision, blurred vision, or eye floaters, and become noticeable in the advanced stages of the disease. If you have diabetes, it is important to manage your blood glucose levels and visit your eye doctor for a dilated eye exam annually as a good preventative measure to reduce your risk of diabetic retinopathy.
- Glaucoma is a disease that damages the eye’s optic nerve. Most cases of glaucoma show little to no symptoms in its beginning stages, and if gone untreated, can cause irreversible vision loss. The damage is progressive with loss of peripheral vision first, followed by reductions in central vision and, potentially, blindness. Coined “the silent thief of sight,” over half of US Americans with glaucoma are unaware they even have it. Glaucoma occurs when there is more internal (intraocular) fluid produced then drained away. During your routine eye exam, be sure to have your doctor measure your intraocular pressure, as this is the best preventative measure for the disease.
It’s estimated that 50% of all blindness is preventable. Because most major blinding eye diseases don’t have symptoms early on, interventions would be useless before the disease even starts. Essentially, although you think your vision might be fine, a comprehensive eye exam is vital.