EYE DOCTORS CAN FIND
OTHER HEALTH ISSUES
Can eye doctors tell if you have other health issues?
- In addition to diagnosing eye disease & conditions, doctors may be able to see signs of high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes & other medical conditions by examining your eyes
- Damage to the blood vessels at the back of the eye can be the first physical sign of a health problem
- At the end of your exam, your doctor will decide if further testing or follow up is necessary to protect your vision & overall health
What is computer vision syndrome?
- Eyestrain, red eyes, blurry vision & irritation can all be signs of computer vision syndrome,
which means your eyes are reacting to too much screen time - Take regular breaks to rest your eyes, install anti-glare filters, change the position of your computer monitor & make sure you have adequate lighting
- Lubricating eye drops & special computer glasses also might help
Does needing glasses run in families?
- If one or both of your parents is nearsighted or farsighted, there's an increased chance you
will be, too - Two of the most common eye problems, nearsightedness (myopia) & farsightedness (hyperopia) are usually inherited
- People who are nearsighted have difficulty seeing things that are far away, but can see
things up close clearly - People who are farsighted have trouble clearly seeing things that are near
At what age does it become difficult to read your newspaper?
- Most people start to have trouble reading menus & newspapers in their early to mid-40s
- As the eye ages, the lens can't change shape enough to allow the eye to focus on close
objects clearly, this is called Presbyopia - Presbyopia is a kind of refractive error, along with myopia, hyperopia & astigmatism, a
condition where the eye does not focus light evenly onto the retina
Is Double Vision a symptom of a serious problem?
- Double vision can be caused by eye problems such as a cataract or brain problems like
a stroke - Doctors treating double vision ask a patient to close one eye
- If a patient has double vision when looking with the left or right eye alone, the cause is an
eye problem - If a patient's double vision goes away when one eye is closed but returns when both eyes are open, there is a misalignment of the two eyes that can be caused by conditions affecting the nerves & muscles that move the eyes
What eye problems do children usually have?
- Being really farsighted can cause problems reading or seeing things up close because light rays coming into the eye focus past the retina instead of on it
- Most children are slightly farsighted but don't have blurry vision because their eyes can focus the light rays & put them on the retina
- Signs of being excessively farsighted include eye strain, fatigue, headaches & aching or
burning eyes
What is Amblyopia?
- People with Amblyopia or lazy eye typically have worse vision in one of their eyes because
that eye didn't develop normally during childhood - In kids, lazy eye can be treated by covering the stronger eye with a patch, forcing use of the weaker eye
- Over time, the weaker eye becomes stronger, allowing vision to develop normally
- Children with crossed eyes & Amblyopia should be treated with a patch to improve the
vision of the lazy eye before considering surgery - They may need corrective glasses, too
Why do people get a temporary blind spot?
- Ocular migraine, also called retinal migraine, is a type of migraine headache that can cause vision loss or a temporary blind spot, typically in one eye
- The vision problems are connected to the headache & typically last less than an hour
What does it mean to be Color Blind?
- Color blindness is caused by a problem with the cells, called cones, on your retina that sense color
- If you have color blindness, it doesn't mean you see the world in shades of gray.
- You only see the world in shades of gray if you have a severe & rare form of color blindness
- Most people with color blindness just have trouble telling reds & greens apart
What causes a risk of having cataracts?
- If things are blurry, cloudy, or dim, or not as bright as they used to be, you could have a cataract
- Cataract is a condition in which the lens of your eye turns cloudy
- Some people with cataracts say it's like looking through a dirty car windshield
- In the U.S., most people older than 60 have signs of cataracts
- Risk factors include advanced age, high blood pressure, diabetes & overexposure to sunlight
Why are people with Diabetes more likely to have eye problems?
- High blood pressure & high blood sugar can damage the eye's retina, lens & optic nerve
- People with diabetes are at higher risk for glaucoma, cataracts & diabetic retinopathy,
damage to the eye's retina caused by long-term diabetes - Diabetic retinopathy can cause blood vessels in the retina to swell & leak fluids into the eye
& can also cause abnormal new blood vessels to grow
What causes yellow eyes?
- Jaundice, yellowing of the skin & whites of the eyes, can be a sign that something is wrong
with your liver, gallbladder, or pancreas - Infections, cancer & blood disorders are among the conditions that can cause jaundice
- If your skin is yellow or orange, but the whites of your eyes are not, you might be eating too many foods high in an orange pigment called beta carotene, such as carrots
What is the leading cause of permanent vision loss in Americans over 50?
- More than 3.5 million people have early stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
- AMD is the leading cause of severe, permanent vision loss in Americans over 50
- AMD is a disease of the macula, the part of the retina that controls your central vision & allows you to thread a needle & read small print
- Older people can develop AMD as part of aging & can be left with only peripheral vision
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Coping With Dry Eyes | Health Directory | Take Good Care Of Your Eyes
Risks & Symptoms For Macular Degeneration
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