According to the World Health Organization, approximately 1.3 billion people suffer from a vision impairment. The majority of these impairments are caused by uncorrected refractive errors, and 80 percent of these cases could have been avoided with the right intervention. Visual function loss not only affects quality of life, mobility and independence, but researchers have found that it’s associated with
Driving when you’re in your 40’s and beyond isn’t like getting behind the wheel as a teenager. Aging has a tremendous effect on crucial safe driving requirements, like strong vision. Vision decline may happen gradually, and can produce dangerous consequences on the road. In 2017, the number of car crashes on Arizona roads increased for the fifth year in a
If you find yourself constantly reaching for your eye drops, it may be time to start looking into the bigger problem: Why do you need them so often? They’re a quick and gratifying fix to itchy or irritated eyes, but they don’t address what might be causing the irritation to begin with. Signs You’re Overusing Eye Drops The American College
Noticeable changes in your vision should always be taken seriously. If a clear field of vision is suddenly littered with spots or a variety of shapes, you should consult your eye doctor immediately. In some cases, the spots could be harmless and a symptom of age, but there are times when these are symptoms of more dangerous conditions and you
The stinging, ache and irritation of eyelid pain can distract you from enjoying your day, and from getting adequate rest at night – which adds to your discomfort. Researching the potential causes of eyelid pain and how it’s treated is a good place to start, but if irritation, pain, discharge, inflammation and spasms in one or more eyelids persist, it
Treating Astigmatism with Eyewear, Contacts and Surgery The American Optometric Association says that most people have some degree of astigmatism. This condition may be present from birth or develop later in life, and it can increase or decrease over time. Astigmatism is defined as unequal curvatures in the shape of the cornea or lens. The cornea and lens focus light
Dry eye syndrome, also simply known as dry eyes, is a chronic condition affecting 4.91 million Americans 50 years and older. Reports estimate that millions of younger people are also affected but have less severe symptoms that are mostly episodic. While exact numbers for the prevalence of chronic dry eye among the younger population are difficult to pinpoint, dry eye can
One of the leading causes of blindness is glaucoma, a condition defined as damage to the optic nerve cells. Because glaucoma has no noticeable symptoms, early diagnosis and successful treatment of glaucoma require regular exams and glaucoma test results. Glaucoma progresses gradually. It can cause irreversible damage to the optic nerve that could lead to vision loss or trouble doing
Light sensitivity, also called photophobia, is a common condition that leads people to experience discomfort or eye pain caused by light exposure. The fact that people experience light sensitivity at all is interesting, considering the role light plays in our ability to see: light is at the center of a multi-step process that involves many different parts of the eye.
Is your eyesight perfect? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. In fact, a recent study by medical journal The Lancet found that 36 million people in the world are blind, and 216 million people have moderate to severe visual impairment. Another 188 million people have mild visual impairment. The good news: You don’t have to live with a condition like nearsightedness