Introduction
There are many vision disorders, vision impairment and blindness diseases that effect the human population. According to studies, over 45% of blindness diseases are due to cataracts disease, whereas 12% are due to glaucoma. Blindness is caused by the lack of neurological and/or physiological factors that effect the visual perception in human beings.
History
The leading cause of blindness is cataracts disease. Cataracts disease, if left untreated for a long period of time can cause complete blindness in an individual. A cataract will slowly grow in the lens of the eye, making vision very blurry or cloudy. There are three main types of cataracts, including: nuclear cataract, cortical cataract and sub capsular cataract. Mostly elderly people suffer from cataracts but it is known to effect people of all ages, especially those who have been diagnosed with diabetes.
The second leading cause of blindness is a blindness disease called glaucoma. Glaucoma puts everyone at risk, regardless of age. Infants to seniors can suffer from glaucoma and 10% of the time, even if treated, it can still lead to complete blindness. Glaucoma effects the optic nerve within the eye, causing it to increase in fluid pressure. Glaucoma almost always leaves permanent damage to the eye, even if treated properly. Open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma are the two main types of glaucoma.
Another leading blindness disease is called age-related macular degeneration. Age-related macular degeneration usually occurs with those who are over the age of 60. Age-related macular degeneration effects the central vision, causing inability to see objects clearly or to perform simple tasks like driving or reading. This blindness disease solely effects the macula of the eye, which is the part of the eye that allows us to see detail.
Corneal opacity is a blindness disease that effects approximately 5.1% of people with serious vision impairments. Corneal opacity effects the cornea of the eye. People with corneal opacity will often appear to have a completely white cornea or cloudy looking cornea. Serious injury or infections can cause corneal opacity. Most of the time, corneal opacity can be treated by having the damaged scar tissue removed from the cornea.
Features
Unfortunately, blindness diseases and vision impairment issues are more common than we think. Many people carry these diseases without even knowing it, which is why it is important to get to your eye doctor or optometrists at least once annually. Some common symptoms and signs that you may have a vision impairment are: difficulty seeing, pain in the eyes or around the eyes, yellow discharge from the eyes, a completely white cornea, discomfort of the eyes and foreign body sensations. Blindness diseases are diagnosed by testing the visual acuity in each eye. They are also tested by measuring your visual field and peripheral vision.
Tips and comments
Blindness diseases can usually be treated if caught in a decent amount of time. However, people with long term nerve damage and long-standing retinal detachment will not improve with surgery or any other sort of restoration. Blindness diseases can usually be prevented by living a healthy life style, including: eating right, exercising, controlling blood sugar levels, avoidance of obesity and the avoidance of smoking. Our vision is one of our important five senses and allows us to see the beautiful world in which we live in.
