Eye diseases are increasing day after day due to various factors and people are still unaware of them. So, What are the most common eye diseases in humans?
Well, this is what this article is all about. In this article, we will take an in-depth look at different eye diseases and see some facts about them. Now, if that sounds interesting to you then let us begin.
What are the most common eye diseases in humans?
Common Eye Disorders and Diseases
There are more than 4.2 million Americans over the age of 40 who are either legally blind (having a best-corrected visual acuity of 6/60 or worse (=20/200) in the better-seeing eye) or have poor vision (less than a 6/12 best-corrected visual acuity in the better-seeing eye (20/40).
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Age-related eye illnesses include age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma are the most common causes of blindness and impaired vision in the United States. Amblyopia and strabismus are two more conditions that affect the eyes.
Refractive Errors
The most common eye ailment in the United States is a refractive error.
Myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia are all examples of refractive mistakes that may be corrected with eyeglasses, contact lenses, or even surgery. If you have refractive errors, you can have glasses, contact lenses, or even surgery to correct your visual distortions at all distances.
More than 150 million Americans might benefit from effective refractive correction, according to the National Eye Institute (NEI).
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Often referred as as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), macular degeneration robs patients of their ability to see sharply in the centre of their vision.
Seeing properly and doing everyday activities such as reading and driving need central vision. This condition damages the macula, which is responsible for allowing us to perceive minute details. Wet and dry AMD are the two types of AMD.
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Wet AMD occurs when aberrant blood vessels form underneath the macula, causing blood and fluid to leak.
These blood vessels leak, bleed, and scar, causing damage and accelerating central vision loss. Wavy straight lines are an early indicator of wet AMD.
As we become older, the macula progressively thins, making central vision less clear. This is known as dry AMD. Approximately 70% to 90% of AMD cases are dry, and the disease advances more slowly than in the wet variety.
Central vision in the diseased eye diminishes over time as the macula loses function. In the majority of cases, dry AMD affects both eyes. In the early stages of dry AMD, drusen is a typical early symptom.
Cataract
There is a cloudiness in the eye’s lens, which is the major cause of blindness in both the United States and the rest of the globe.
It is possible to be born with cataracts, which may arise at any age for a number of reasons.
Access constraints, such as lack of information or insurance coverage, treatment costs, patient choice, or patient choice, prohibit many patients from accessing the right cataract removal therapy.
20.5 million Americans aged 40 and older have cataracts in one or both eyes, and 6.1 million have had the lens removed surgically. Cataract sufferers will number 30.1 million by 2020, according to current projections.
Diabetic Retinopathy
DR, or diabetic retinopathy, is a frequent diabetic condition. Among the United States, it is the primary cause of blindness in the elderly.. In this condition, blood vessels in the retina, which is the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye, are gradually damaged.
There are four phases of disease progression: mild nonproliferative retinopathy, moderate nonproliferative retinopathy, severe nonproliferative retinopathy, and proliferative retinopathy (new blood vessels are formed in the absence of blood supply) (most advanced stage). Most patients with diabetic retinopathy have one eye affected.
The risk of developing diabetic retinopathy (DR) may be lowered by maintaining a healthy blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipid profile.
More than half of DR patients aren’t having their eyes checked or are detected too late for therapy to be successful, which increases the risk of vision loss.
