Ocular Health
Did you know that regular eye checks can help diagnose other underlying problems?
Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness in the developed world.
The majority of people diagnosed with glaucoma can be successfully treated using certain eye drops.
Ocular Health
The importance of regular eye checks is often overlooked by many people who feel they have normal vision. There are many conditions, not always associated with the eyes, that can be shown up on a routine eye examination.
General conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and high cholesterol can often be uncovered by your optometrist.
The eye examination also checks for any ocular conditions which, if caught in time, can be easily treated. Some of the more common conditions are explained below.
Cataracts
As a person ages the lens in the eye can become cloudy leading to a deterioration of the vision. This is what is known as a cataract.
As this cataract develops it can get to a stage where glasses can no longer improve the vision. At this stage, it might be advisable to have a very simple procedure carried out, usually under local anaesthetic, to remove the cloudy lens and replace it with an artificial one (called an intra ocular lens).
Once the cataract is removed, glasses can then be used to enhance the vision again.
Glaucoma
This is a condition where the pressure at the front of the eye exceeds the pressure at the back of the eye. This causes damage to the optic nerve and over time can cause a loss of vision.
This is generally not noticed at first as it affects a persons’ peripheral vision (i.e. vision out to the side).
There are no obvious symptoms with glaucoma and so only by getting regular eye checks, where the pressures of the eyes are checked, can you rest assured that any problems can be noted and treated as soon as possible.
Age-related macular degeneration (ARMD)
This is a progressive condition that can cause the deterioration of a persons’ central vision. It is normally age-related and can be hereditary. Diet is also implicated, along with as smoking. Although it can severely affect vision, it tends not to cause blindness but can affect a persons quality of life (reading can become very restricted).
A lot of recent studies have shown that taking certain vitamin supplements can reduce the risks of developing ARMD in later years.
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