Though seemingly small in scope, the eye is large in responsibility. These delicate, sight-enabling organs are composed of numerous intricate components. When any of these parts become diseased or fail, significant, potentially permanent problems might arise.
In a number of instances, eye problems do not necessarily become symptomatic until the condition has progressed to a discernible stage. Therefore, catching possible early signs of eye disease often proves crucial to preventing lasting complications like vision loss. Notable eye issues range in severity from minor and fixable to significant and vision-threatening. That said, even simple, non-serious and correctable ocular issues could result in bothersome and possibly debilitating concerns.
Commonly diagnosed eye maladies, include easily remediable issues, such as farsightedness, nearsightedness, astigmatism, eye allergies, conjunctivitis, and sties to potentially more serious ailments, like age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, corneal ulcers, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma. It is important to reiterate that many serious and non-serious eye problems do not display any appreciable symptoms until the problem is advanced. However, vigilance to specific signs, associated problems might be limited or avoided altogether. Such issues include:
Dry Eyes
Many people have experienced the uncomfortable sensation of dry eyes at one point. Sometimes, this phenomenon can be attributed to the normal aging process and allergies or other minor upper respiratory issues. However, on other occasions, the problem could be the early sign of more notable trouble.
Eye Pain
Pain is never a good sign. Occasionally, ocular discomfort might be related to a fixable issue like sinusitis. However, in many instances, pain indicates a major underlying problem necessitating immediate evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment.
Vision Disturbances
At some point, most eye problems will precipitate some type of vision issue. Occasionally, sight concerns may only present themselves under specific circumstances such as while driving at night or reading or focusing the eyes in a darker setting. That said, more serious vision issues will often eventually progress to where sight issues frequently occur and worsen with time.
Miscellaneous Issues
In addition to the preceding concerns, serious eye ailments might be indicated by manifestations, such as the development of bumps or lumps inside the eye or eyelid, crossed eyes, excessive tearing or discharge, unusual light sensitivities, and redness or inflammation in or surrounding the eye.
Treatment will depend upon the specific precipitating condition and said ailment’s severity. Commonly employed efforts might include eye drops, ocular steroids, prescription medications, and surgical intervention.
That said, if any of the preceding issues occur and linger for more than a few days, are accompanied by other alarming symptoms, or cause the slightest degree of debilitation, prompt medical consultation should be sought.
