Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Cataracts
Glaucoma
Refractive Errors
AMD
Diabetic Retinopathy
Dry Eye
How Eye Disease is Diagnosed
Self-Care
There are many types of eye diseases, all of which can cause symptoms that affect vision. Healthcare providers can treat some types of common eye disorders and manage symptoms you can see better.
People with risk factors such as diabetes, a family history of eye disease, or advanced age should be proactive about their eye health to prevent eye diseases. Despite available treatments, restoring lost eyesight is not usually possible.
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Cataractscause cloudiness of the eye’s lens and become more common with age. Symptoms of cataracts include blurry vision, light sensitivity, seeing double, seeing faded colors, or problems seeing well at night.
Risk factors for cataracts include aging, a family history of cataracts, diabetes, smoking, and a previous eye injury. The treatment for cataracts is cataract removal, which helps 90% of patients who have the surgery see better.
Glaucomacauses damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve connects the eye to the brain. Glaucoma often has no symptoms until you start to notice a loss of vision—often peripheral or side vision. One type of glaucoma, called angle-closure glaucoma, can cause an attack with decreased vision, eye redness, and strong eye or head pain.
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Refractive errors include:
Symptoms of refractive errors include needing to squint or strain your eyes to look at certain things. Headaches can also be a symptom of refractive error.
Risk factors for refractive errors include having an eyeball that is too long or short or problems with the shape of your cornea. Aging can also contribute to certain refractive errors, though many begin in childhood.
Glasses, contact lenses, and sometimes surgery can help with refractive errors. However, you may find that even with treatment, new or different refractive errors develop as you get older.
4. Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration,or age-related macular degeneration (AMD), is a problem that affects central (middle) vision. It occurs more commonly in older people.
In its early stages, macular degeneration typically does not have any symptoms. Over time, you may lose your ability to see things right in front of you. You also might see blurry or wavy areas in your vision.
Risk factors for macular degeneration include a family history of the disease, aging, smoking, and overweight or obesity. Treatments for macular degeneration include medication injections into the eye and the use of specially formulated vitamins to reduce the risk for a form of macular degeneration called dry AMD.
Although eye injections—the most common treatment for AMD—are more than 90% effective in research studies, people with AMD require injections at regular intervals, and they may not get them as often as they should, dropping the actual effectiveness rate to about 50%.
Diabetic retinopathyis a disease that changes the blood vessels in the retina. It affects people with diabetes. If it becomes advanced enough, it can lead to vision loss and blindness.
Diabetic retinopathy can also cause diabetic macular edema (DME). With DME, fluid from the retina’s blood vessels leaks into the macula (the central part of the retina), causing blurry vision. It could also lead to neovascular glaucoma (a type of glaucoma) or retinal detachment.
Diabetic retinopathy may not have any symptoms until it becomes more advanced. If symptoms occur, they may include difficulty seeing objects or reading. Streaks or floating spots in your vision may occur in the later stages of diabetic retinopathy. You may not have these symptoms all the time.
Laser treatment, medications injected into the eye, and surgery can help manage diabetic retinopathy, improve, and—in some cases—restore vision. It’s essential to get regular eye exams, especially if you have diabetes.
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Dry eyeoccurs when the eyes don’t produce enough tears or the tears they make are of poor quality. Symptoms of dry eye include stinging and burning in the eyes, blurred vision, a gritty feeling in the eyes, and eye irritation.
Dry eye is very common, especially with the increased use of screens in recent times. It also has many potential underlying causes, like exposure to a windy or smoky environment, using certain medications, and having rheumatoid arthritis or Sjögren’s syndrome.
Treatments for dry eye include artificial tears, lowering exposure to environmental triggers, adding moisture to your environment, blocking your tear ducts, and medications to help improve the quality of your tears.
Eye doctors—optometrists or ophthalmologists—can help diagnose and treat common eye diseases. Often, these providers work together in the same office.
Both specialists can perform regular exams to detect eye diseases and prescribe contact lenses or glasses. If your condition is more advanced or you need surgery, you may need to see an ophthalmologist.
If you have medical or vision insurance, check with them to see which providers in your area may be covered. You can also call the provider’s office to find out what type of insurance they accept. If you don’t have insurance, you can still call to find out the cost of an exam.
Self-Care and Lifestyle With Eye Disease
No matter what type of eye disease you may have, there are steps you can take to manage it and lower how it affects your daily life. Here are some self-care tips:
Summary
The symptoms of the most common eye diseases may differ, but they can include blurred vision or seeing faded colors. Some eye diseases may have no symptoms at all. Treatments include surgery, medications, and glasses or contact lenses. If you’re living with a chronic eye disease, make sure to keep up with your regular eye exams, use medications as prescribed, and try to follow an overall healthy lifestyle.
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What are cataracts?
National Eye Institute.At a glance: cataracts.
National Eye Institute.Who needs cataract surgery?
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is glaucoma?
Glaucoma Research Foundation.Glaucoma risks.
National Eye Institute.At a glance: refractive errors.
National Eye Institute.Age-related macular degeneration.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.New treatments for age-related macular degeneration.
National Eye Institute.Diabetic retinopathy.
American Academy of Ophthalmology.What is dry eye? Symptoms, causes, and treatment.
Bright Focus Foundation.Healthy living and macular degeneration: tips to protect your sight.
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