Many eye conditions are common problems experienced by millions of people around the globe. When you visit the eye doctor, whether it’s for a specific reason or just for your checkup, you don’t have to feel alone if you have some of these common problems: dry eyes, cataracts, and retinal disorders.

Dry Eyes

Whether it’s from allergies or it’s simply a year-round issue, dry eyes affect more than 3 million people in the U.S. each year. They are treatable but oftentimes self-diagnosed because it’s truly only noticeable by the sole person. Dry eyes are simply just as it claims — an inadequate amount of moisture in the eyes and therefore can lead to inflammation. Dry eyes are also referred to as keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

With dry eyes, minor discomfort may occur and light sensitivity is common. To help with the discomfort, prescription and lubricating eye drops are available.

Cataracts

There are more than 200,000 cases of cataracts in the U.S. each year. This is a chronic condition that can last for years or even an entire lifetime, but can also be treatable by a specialist. This condition requires a medical diagnosis by an optometrist, as cataracts tend to develop slowly over time.

Everyone is susceptible to developing cataracts, especially those that spend a fair amount of time outside. Many times, the progression of cataracts can be slowed by wearing sunglasses when outdoors. Those who spend more time outdoors and do not wear sunglasses will require surgery much sooner than those who wear sunglasses or do not spend as much time outside.

Typically, the main symptoms are blurry vision and having trouble seeing in certain lighting — dim lighting, or seeing halos around lights. Surgery is available for cataract correction. When cataracts disturb someone’s day-to-day tasks, it is highly recommended that they undergo the replacement of the cloudy lens with a clear, artificial lens.

Retinal Disorders

Retinal is the chemical basis for vision. There are many different retinal disorders that people may be faced to cope with, all affecting visual clarity, including:

·Macular degeneration: this is a disease that destroys the sharp, clear, main focus of vision.

·Diabetic eye disease: this disease is found in those who suffer from diabetes. Due to the fluctuation in blood sugar, there is damage done to the blood vessels in the back of the eye where the retina is.

·Retinal detachment: this is considered a medical emergency, and it’s when the retina is pulled away from the back of the eye.

·Retinoblastoma: this is cancer of the retina.

These are just a few of the common, and sometimes severe, cases of retinal disorders. All are diagnosed by a specialist and can be cared for on a case-by-case basis. Visit your optometrist to learn more about your eyes and have your vision assessed today.