4 common eye conditions and their symptoms

Here is an important reminder for people across the country to guard their eye health. According to the 2016 National Health Interview Survey, 25.5 million Americans age 18 and older report experiencing some form of vision loss.

Over the course of a lifetime, vision changes dramatically. Early detection is critical to prevent problems from getting worse. Here are the warning signs of four common eye conditions that can cause vision impairment.

1. Astigmatism occurs when the front surface of the eye (the cornea) is slightly irregular in shape and therefore causes a refractive error in your vision. It can be present at birth or occur due to disease or injury. Common symptoms of astigmatism include blurriness and double vision.

2. Glaucoma is the name of a group of eye diseases that damage the optic nerve. Symptoms include headaches, blurred vision, seeing rainbow halos around lights, red eyes, throbbing eye pain and nausea. Some forms of glaucoma show no symptoms, so it’s important to visit your optometrist regularly.

3. Macular degeneration involves the deterioration of your retina and could severely impair your capacity to see. Your vision may become fuzzy, straight lines could appear crooked and you may start to notice blind spots in your field of vision.

4. Retinal detachment happens when your retina becomes disconnected from the tissue around it. You may notice floaters in your eye, flashes of light and darkened or blurred peripheral vision.

Left untreated, these diseases can worsen and lead to blindness. They may also indicate other underlying health conditions. Make sure to have your eyes examined by an optometrist every one to two years and to contact your doctor if you start experiencing eye pain or notice redness, irritation or discharge.