An eye doctor is a health care professional who takes care of issues surrounding our eyes and sense of sight. This sense is a primary and important one, and its loss would pose profound difficulty. Our eyes provide us with much information, as well as enjoyment. Reading, deciphering information, recognizing people, places and things visually and more are all accomplished by the use of our eyesight. We may take our vision for granted until something hampers it. Here are some ailments and conditions of the eye that these important medical specialists can help you with:
Allergic reactions: When an individual is allergic to something, they may have a reaction such as swelling, tearing and itching. This can be so severe that the lids even swell shut.
Pinkeye: Another name for this condition is conjunctivitis. This is an infection which needs antibiotic drops to clear it up. It causes the whiteness of the eyeball to become itchy, inflamed and pink, thus the name. The ailment also causes yellow oozing and crustiness to form around the tear ducts. It is highly contagious and a reason to keep children home from school.
Cataracts: Cataracts often form on older individuals’ lenses. They cause cloudy, obscured vision. There is surgery available to correct this which entails replacement of the defective lens with an artificial one.
Detached retina: This is a serious condition which may happen suddenly and end up in blindness. Warning signs include flashing lights or floating dots in a person’s field of vision. This is an emergency situation which requires the attention of a doctor immediately.
Occlusions or strokes: Blood clots can occur in the eye region and cause blindness.
Twitching lids: Twitching eyelids may occur if a person is tired or under strain. It’s helpful to get a good night sleep or cut down one’s workload. If this doesn’t help, one should consult their optometrist.
Dryness: Sometimes due to poor nutrition, a dry climate or aging, the tear ducts don’t produce enough lubrication. This can be irritating and painful. There are products on the market to remedy this problem.
Nearsighted vision: An individual who is nearsighted is only able to see items that are up close within a certain range. Glasses or contact lenses must be worn in order to see clearly enough to drive, read street signs, see oncoming traffic or recognize a person on the street.
Farsightedness: A person who is farsighted is one that can only see far away. This often happens as a person ages. Individuals that are forty years of age or older usually have to wear reading glasses in order to see the fine print on a page or the computer screen.
Bifocals: Bifocals are glasses to correct the vision of patients who are both nearsighted and farsighted. Eyeglasses with a split lens can correct this problem. Sometimes the eyewear can be made so that the split line isn’t noticeable by blending the glass or plastic into smoothness.
There is more than one kind of vision practitioner. There are opticians who dispense glasses, optometrist who perform screenings and ophthalmologists who are medical doctors and surgeons.
Your sense of sight is a wonderful gift. Protect it by seeing an eye doctor for checkups and problems.