Spot the Signs of Eye Disease & Take Action

Over 36.5 million Americans have eye diseases that potentially threaten their vision. Total Vision Tierrasanta is ready to help you uncover eye health problems and help you take steps to treat or control them.

Eye exams can warn you about ocular diseases before they affect your vision permanently, giving you and your eye doctor time to respond. You may not be able to reverse vision loss, but you can usually do something to prevent it.

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Common Eye Diseases & Conditions

Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD)

People over 50 are particularly at risk for AMD, which is caused by the gradual erosion of the macula. Since the macula plays a key role in central vision, AMD can affect your ability to perform everyday visual tasks like reading and recognizing friends. AMD can also make it unsafe to drive.

If AMD is left untreated, it can severely and permanently impair vision. However, your eye doctor can spot the early signs of AMD during an eye exam and present you with options for slowing down its progress.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease that damages the optic nerve. This damage is usually (but not always) the result of elevated pressure within the eye. As the world’s second most common cause of blindness, glaucoma eventually causes total vision loss when left unmanaged.

Glaucoma generally does not present symptoms until vision loss occurs. The best way to assess your risk for glaucoma is with regular eye exams. During an eye exam, your optometrist will perform specific tests to look for key indicators of this disease.

Cataracts

As people age, their lenses often become cloudy with opaque patches called cataracts. A person’s risk of developing cataracts can also be raised by exposure to radiation, diabetes, and several other factors.

Fortunately, surgery can often restore vision affected by cataracts. If you’re worried that you might be developing cataracts, contact us and let our eye doctors help.

Conjunctivitis

“Pink eye” is the common name for conjunctivitis, which often makes the eye’s whites appear pink or red. It’s caused by inflammation of the conjunctiva, the normally transparent membrane that protects and lubricates the eye.

There are several common types of conjunctivitis:

Bacterial: This type of conjunctivitis is caused by a bacterial infection, and is extremely contagious. Bacterial conjunctivitis can make your eyes produce yellow or green discharge during sleep, which can make the lids stick together when you wake up.
Viral: This type of conjunctivitis causes watery discharge and higher-than-average sensitivity to light. Viral conjunctivitis is often caused by the same viruses that cause the common cold, so it can spread easily through coughing, sneezing, or hand-to-eye contact.
Allergic: This type of conjunctivitis happens when you’re exposed to allergens like pollen or mold. While allergic conjunctivitis isn’t contagious, it can cause itchy, watery eyes or a burning sensation.
Chemical: this type of conjunctivitis isn’t contagious, but it is a potential eye emergency that should be immediately treated by an eye doctor. Chemical conjunctivitis is caused by eye contact with chemicals, including smoke, fumes, and toxic substances.

Different forms of conjunctivitis require different treatments, making accurate diagnosis vital. Contact us if you think you have conjunctivitis so we can determine what kind it is and provide appropriate solutions.

Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetes increases the risk of many eye diseases for millions of people in the United States, including glaucoma and cataracts. It can also make you susceptible to complications like diabetic retinopathy and diabetic macular edema.

One effective way to detect diabetic eye diseases (or diabetes itself) is to schedule routine eye exams. Contact us today so your optometrist can examine your eyes for signs of these problems.