Up to 75% of vision loss is preventable or treatable if detected early in life. This is the message that the Eye Surgeons' Foundation wants to send out to Australians and people in other parts of the globe through JulEye 2021, an annual eye health awareness month which it started in 2007 to support research into the causes and cures for vision impairment due to glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration and corneal diseases among other eye conditions.
JulEye is a month-long event that takes place in July each year. During which, the Australian community is encouraged to undergo eye exams whether or not they have problems with their sight, especially if they have a family history of eye disease or a medical condition that can cause loss of vision such as diabetes. The Foundation also asks everyone to donate $1 for every year of good sight to support funding for vision research projects and treatments for a wide range of eye diseases.
Causes and Symptoms of Common Eye Diseases
Vision loss or blindness is often associated with old age, but the reality is that it can develop at any age. There are eye health issues that are caused by bacteria or exposure to chemicals, others are caused by a medical condition, while some eye infections are congenital. Below are the common causes of visual field impairment and their symptoms, which will be discussed in great length in JulEye 2021:
Uveitis
Uveitis is characterised by the inflammation of the uvea, the middle layer of the eye located under the sclera. Anyone is at risk of developing this disease, regardless of age, but people with immune system diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, AIDS and type 2 diabetes are more susceptible. The symptoms of uveitis include blurred vision, red eyes, pain in the eye, sensitivity to light and dark spots floating across your field of vision.
Presbyopia
An age-related condition, presbyopia is the inability to focus your vision on objects that are within good distance due to refractive errors. People who experience it tend to hold a reading material farther from their eyes as they get a blurry vision when it's within normal reading distance. They also experience frequent headaches and eyestrain.
Dry Eyes
When the tear duct is blocked due to inflammation or an injury to the eye, the dry eyes syndrome occurs. The most common symptoms include red eyes, crusting of eyelashes, bacterial or allergic conjunctivitis and blurred vision.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a condition that damages the optic nerve due to increased pressure in the eye that blocks the blood vessels. Symptoms include eye pain, distorted vision, redness in the eye, gradual vision loss and vomiting in severe cases. People with a family history of glaucoma are at higher risk of developing this condition, which can lead to permanent blindness.
Diabetes
Diabetes can damage the retina in the eye, which is responsible for collecting and passing images to the brain. A diabetic eye disease may result in abnormal blood vessels in the retina, causing fluid leakage or bleeding, which often leads to blindness. Loss of central vision, tiny spots in your vision field and colour blindness are common symptoms of this condition.
Cataract
Cataract is the clouding of the eye lens, creating a blurry vision and the illusion of a halo around lights, especially when it's dark. Apart from clouded or blurred vision, other symptoms of cataracts include light sensitivity, fading of colours, frequent need to change glasses or corrective lenses and double vision.
Conjunctivitis
Conjunctivitis is characterised by the inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin layer of tissue that covers the back of the eyelids and eyeball. Allergies, exposure to chemicals and infections are the most common causes of acute conjunctivitis. It causes bloodshot or red eyes, itchy or burning eyes, irritation, fluid leakage and the feeling of having a foreign body in your eye. Some types of conjunctivitis are transmitted through sexual activities such as chlamydial conjunctivitis and gonococcal conjunctivitis. Women have a higher risk of acquiring the first. Although the second can also be acquired through sexual activities, neonatal transmission is often the reason why some babies are born with this birth defect.
Corneal Diseases
Herpes keratitis is a common type of corneal infection caused by the herpes simplex virus (HSV). The symptoms of this viral infection include eye pain and redness, blurry vision, light sensitivity and eye discharge.
Common Treatments for Common Eye Diseases
Most eye conditions can be treated with eye drops or prescription glasses. However, those that have reached the advanced stages may require laser treatment, oral antibiotics, topical steroids or eye surgery. If you or someone that you care about suffers from an eye problem, seeking the help of eye care professionals will help preserve their vision.
Be part of JulEye 2021 to learn effective ways to prevent blindness, as well as proper eye protection, diet, lifestyle and treatment approach.
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