Warning Signs of Eye Trouble
Blurry vision, spots, glare at night -- these are common eye complaints. Each could be a harmless annoyance or an early sign of disease. It isn’t always easy to tell the difference. Visit Laser Vision Centre promptly if you notice any changes in your vision.
Color Blindness Test
Which number do you see on the far left? If it's "3," you probably have normal color vision. If it's a "5," you may be color blind. The center panel shows a mild lack of color vision. Complete color blindness, which is rare, appears at right. No number is visible. Tinted glasses may help you see better.
Nearsightedness (Myopia)
When you're nearsighted, things in the distance look blurry. Doctors call it myopia. You're more likely to have it if:
One or both of your parents have it
You do lots of close-up reading
Nearsightedness can make it harder to drive, play sports, or see a blackboard or TV. Symptoms include blurred vision, squinting, and fatigue. To correct it, you can wear glasses, contacts, or get surgery in some cases.
Farsightedness (Hyperopia)
Most people are born with mild farsightedness and outgrow it in childhood. When it persists, you may see distant objects well, but books, knitting, and other close objects are a blur.
This problem runs in families. Symptoms include trouble with reading, blurry vision at night, eyestrain, and headaches. To treat it, you may wear glasses or contacts. Some people get surgery for it.
Presbyopia
Trouble reading fine print is a sign of aging. It's called presbyopia, which means "old eye" in Greek.Most people start to notice it in their 40s The eyes' lenses become less flexible and can't change shape to focus on objects at reading distance. The solution: Wear reading glasses or bifocals, which correct both near and distance vision. If you wear contacts, ask your eye doctor at Laser Vision Centre about contacts made for people with presbyopia.
Nearsightedness: What Happens
The cause is usually an eyeball that's too long. . Or it can result from an oddly-shaped cornea or lens. Light rays focus just in front of the retina, instead of directly on it. This sensitive membrane lines the back of the eye (seen in yellow) and sends signals to the brain through the optic nerve. Nearsightedness often develops in school-age children and teens, so they may need to change glasses or contacts frequently as they grow. It usually stabilizes by the early 20s.
Farsightedness: What Happens
This problem results from an eyeball that’s too short or an oddly-shapped lens or cornea. Light rays focus behind your retina and close objects look blurry. Your distance vision might be fuzzy, too. Severely farsighted children often have crossed eyes (strabismus) or lazy eye (amblyopia) and may have trouble reading. That’s one reason eye doctors recommend vision exams for young children at Laser Vision Centre.
Astigmatism
If you have astigmatism in one or both eyes, your vision may be out of focus at any distance. It happens when the cornea, the clear “window” that covers the front of the eye, isn’t shaped right. Light rays can’t focus on a single point on your retina. Instead they scatter to many places. Glasses or contact lenses correct it. Surgery may be an option. Symptoms include blurred vision, headaches, fatigue, and eye strain.
Refractive Eye Surgery
Do you dream of seeing clearly without glasses? Surgery to reshape your cornea can correct nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism with a success rate of better than 90%. Surgery may not be right for you if you have severe dry eye, thin or oddly shaped corneas, or severe vision problems. Side effects include glare or sensitivity to light. Learn more here.
"What Eye Problems Look Like" originally appeared on WebMD.com