Today, the three most common eye conditions that older people face are : -

CATARACTS

A cataract is a cloudy or opaque area on the lens of the eye. A person with a

 cataract in the early stages rarely notices changes in vision, but as the cataract continues to change the lens of the eye, vision may be blurred, distorted or sensitive to light and glare.

Medicines won’t cure cataracts. The only treatment is surgery in which affected eye lens is removed and replaced with an implanted plastic lens. If the cataract develops after surgery, the affected eye can be treated with laser surgery.

Studies show that exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light - a component of sunlight ?can worsen the chance of developing cataracts, and managing the disease properly can help ward off cataracts.

GLAUCOMA

Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve that causes blind spots to develop. The damage occurs when the pressure in the eye builds up and decreases the flow of fluid in and out of the eye. In glaucoma’s early stages, vision is left virtually unchanged. But when glaucoma becomes more severe, small blind spots in the peripheral vision begin to occur. Other symptoms include blurred vision, severe eye pain, headaches, halos around lights, nausea and vomiting.

Glaucoma cannot be cured, but lowering the pressure inside the eye with medication or surgery can control it. Regular eye exams are necessary to help prevent further optic nerve damage.

Unavoidable factors such as age, hereditary and race contribute to glaucoma, so the only way to avoid glaucoma is to have regular eye exam, reduce your risk of eye injury and avoid medications that contain steroids unless a health care provider prescribes or recommends one.

 MACULAR DEGENERATION

The macular is a section in the centre of the retina that helps us see fine details in the centre of our field of vision. As we age, the macular tissues thinned, causing mild vision loss that usually results in problems when reading. But in 10% of macular degeneration cases - categorized as “wet? macular degeneration ?new blood vessels grow beneath the retina and cause blind spots in the centre of the field of vision . Other symptoms include blurry or fuzzy vision, straight lines that appear wavy and dark or empty areas in the centre of vision.

Only wet macular degeneration can be treated with laser surgery to help destroy abnormal blood vessels around the macula. For people with “dry?macular degeneration, low vision aids ?such as magnification and bright lights - can help them see better.