Eye diseases can affect all components of the visual organ and have various causes such as environmental stimuli, age, or disease. Symptoms can include itchy, reddened and swollen eyes. The responsible specialist, the ophthalmologist, can intervene surgically or replace the lens and meninges with artificial implants in serious cases. Some eye diseases may be prevented with vitamin D.
What are eye diseases?
Eye diseases are diseases of the visual organ, which is composed of the eyeball, the visual pathway, and appendages, i.e., the lacrimal apparatus, muscles, eyelids, and conjunctiva. Diseases of the eyes are diagnosed by a specialist, the ophthalmologist. The most common diseases of the visual organ are glaucoma, cataract, keratitis and conjunctivitis. A disease of the eyelids is rather rare. Farsightedness and nearsightedness are not defined as diseases of the eyes. Some of the above diseases have a painless course, such as cataract, and others are painful, such as corneal inflammation. Some eye diseases are congenital, others develop in response to stimuli from the environment. Of course, there are also age-related eye diseases.
Causes
The eye is a particularly sensitive organ. Some eye diseases are caused by environmental stimuli that eventually lead to inflammation. The origins of some diseases of the visual organ are unknown, such as cataracts. Eye symptoms are painful in some diseases and painless in others. Symptoms of eye disease can vary, depending on the type of disease. Possible symptoms of eye disease include itching, redness, swelling, blurred vision, and bleeding. Most often, eye disease affects visual acuity, so there are visual disturbances. The eye doctor (ophthalmologist) makes the diagnosis of an eye disease. His most important examination device is the slit lamp. Slit lamp examination allows the doctor to see inside the eye and is completely painless.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Eye disease manifests itself through a variety of symptoms. In an inflammatory condition such as conjunctivitis, which is common, the eyes are red, itchy, burning and watery. The eyelids are swollen, and there is often a foreign body sensation in the eye. In the advanced stage, the eyelids may be stuck together in the morning due to purulent secretion. A small abscess on the eyelid called a stye can cause severe pain in addition to swelling of the eyelid. If there is an inflammation of the cornea (keratitis), in addition to the aforementioned complaints, vision is massively limited. In the case of age-related eye diseases, the decrease in vision is in the foreground; pain rarely occurs. Indications of a cataract can be seeing double images, increasing myopia, a reduction in visual acuity and haze in front of the eyes. As the disease progresses, the lens of the eye becomes visibly cloudy. Blurred and fuzzy vision in combination with visual field loss may be signs of age-related macular degeneration. Lines are seen distorted in waves, contrasts in the environment can be perceived increasingly worse. Glaucoma causes no symptoms for a long time, occasionally colored rings are seen around light sources. Visual field defects only occur as the disease progresses. A red, pressure-sensitive eye with a fixed pupil and severe eye and head pain indicate an acute glaucoma attack.
Diagnosis and course
Depending on the eye disease, the attending physician may prescribe topical medications (eye drops, ointment, gel, or injection) to help heal it. In addition, he or she may perform surgery for more serious eye diseases. Surgery is considered when the lens, cornea, retina or vitreous body must be intervened to restore clear vision. The eye muscles, eyelids and lacrimal apparatus can also be operated on. Surgical treatment is also performed to remove foreign bodies and diseased tissues. Thanks to modern technology, it is possible to remove the lens in case of disease and replace it with an artificial lens.This happens, for example, during cataract surgery. Similar to the transplantation of an artificial lens, the doctor can insert a cornea. A surgical procedure is performed with the help of laser equipment, and it is also inevitable that the attending physician opens the organ of vision with an incision.
Complications
As a rule, the further course and complications that occur in eye diseases depend very much on the disease itself and the previous course of the patient’s disease. Therefore, it is not possible to make universal predictions regarding these diseases. In the worst cases, eye diseases lead to loss of vision or weaker vision, making it necessary for the patient to wear visual aids. Eye diseases can be treated relatively well, but do not lead to a return to normal visual acuity, as these diseases are not reversible. Inflammations in the eye can be treated well with eye drops and medication and do not lead to further complications. More and more eye diseases occur, especially in older age. These can negatively affect the visual acuity and thus make the patient’s everyday life more difficult. Complete loss of vision is rare and often congenital. However, it cannot be treated. Complications occur mainly when the eye diseases are not treated in time by an ophthalmologist. Here, the symptoms can intensify and inflammations can develop, which are difficult to treat. In young people, eye diseases occur relatively rarely.
When should you go to the doctor?
Eye diseases do not always need to be treated by a doctor. Many conditions occur only temporarily and should go away on their own after a few days. However, if an eye disease persists for more than a week, it should be taken to a family doctor. Severe symptoms such as eye pain, swelling and impaired vision are best clarified directly. Especially older people and people with a previous eye disease should talk to a doctor quickly if they experience unusual symptoms. The physician will diagnose the causative condition and can then suggest a suitable treatment. However, if an eye condition remains untreated, further complications can occur. If vision deteriorates severely, eczema develops, or accompanying symptoms such as headaches and dizziness occur, it is necessary to see a doctor at the latest. People who are professionally dependent on their vision should consult a specialist at the first signs of eye disease. If there is an increased risk of an accident, there should be no more waiting for a diagnosis for insurance coverage reasons alone.
Treatment and therapy
Especially age-related eye diseases are related to other serious diseases of the organism, such as diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and obesity. High blood pressure can affect the small veins of the retina. High blood sugar level causes the lens to lose fluid. Fatty foods promote age-related macular degeneration. Fungi, viruses, bacteria, chemical substances and radiation also affect the conjunctiva. The eyes react to these stimuli with swelling, redness, itching, sticky eyelids and impaired vision, but these are usually not severe. Smoking and prolonged staring at a screen are also among the risk factors for eye disease.
Outlook and prognosis
Eye diseases can be very diverse, making an explicit prognosis and outlook very difficult to predict. The most common eye disease is inflammation in the eye. Inflammation is caused by bacteria and viruses and may involve the formation of pus. If purulent inflammation in the eye remains untreated, the prospect and prognosis for a quick recovery is not very good. In such a case, increased production of pus fluid is to be expected. Pain in and around the eye will also increase significantly, making a visit to the doctor unavoidable. If a doctor is consulted at an early stage, a quick and prompt improvement can be expected. With appropriate medication, the existing inflammation can be quickly alleviated and combated. Thus, the prospect and prognosis for a quick and uncomplicated recovery looks very good. If there is a foreign body in the eye, a doctor should also be consulted.Those who do not do so must expect a negative outlook and prognosis. In such a case, the eye can retain permanent damage. Thus, if you want to positively influence your own outlook and prognosis for recovery from eye diseases, you should not do without a visit to the doctor.
Prevention
For years, it was said that vitamin A is the vital substance for healthy eyes. Today, scientists find vitamin D much more effective in preventing age-related eye diseases. This means that sunlight, and thus frequent exposure to fresh air, can prevent age-related eye diseases, among other things. In addition, animal omega-3 fatty acids protect the cornea. Since many eye diseases are related to other diseases, especially diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure and obesity, a healthy lifestyle is also a reliable prevention method for eye diseases. Avoidance of cigarettes and prolonged television and computer use also helps to prevent eye diseases. The aftercare of eye diseases depends on the type and severity of the disease. As a rule, it is the ophthalmologist who gives the patient the specific recommendations for action and also specifies the duration of their application. The success of the measures or the previous therapy may be checked again in several follow-up visits. There are some behavioral measures that are often particularly important for the patient in the context of follow-up care for eye diseases. These are described in compact form below.
Follow-up care
The exact nature of follow-up care for eye diseases depends on the type and severity of the disease. As a rule, it is the ophthalmologist who gives the patient the specific recommendations for action and also specifies the duration of their application. The success of the measures or the previous therapy may be checked again in several follow-up visits. There are some behavioral measures that are often particularly important for the patient in the context of follow-up care for eye diseases. These are described in compact form below. Irritation of the eyes is to be avoided after every eye disease and thus not only aftercare, but often also precaution with regard to a possible relapse. For the patient, this means, for example, protecting the eyes from bright sunlight by wearing suitable glasses, refraining from wearing contact lenses, and carrying out measures to moisten the eyes if these are recommended by the doctor. Everyday care may also change during the follow-up period. Harsh cleaners for the face, especially those containing alcohol, are not appropriate. The same applies to makeup around the eyes. When shampooing hair, care should be taken to prevent surfactants from running into the eye. Caution should also be exercised when using a solarium, as it involves the combination of light and drying of the eyes due to the blower.
What you can do yourself
Eye diseases often lead to severe limitations in everyday life and at work. With complaints of any kind, the first step is to take care of the eyes. To do this, activities that require a high level of concentration for the eyes should be reduced as much as possible. In addition to reading, this also includes working at a computer screen or using tablets and smartphones for long periods of time. Once the eyes are irritated by the condition, additional irritants such as bright light exposure and other environmental influences such as smoke and dust should be avoided. The urge to rub the eyes should not be given in, as this can cause the disease to spread further. Provided only one eye is affected, repeated rubbing of the eyes increases the likelihood that the infection will spread to the healthy eye. Therefore, even with watery eyes, paper tissues should be used only once and then discarded. Regardless of the nature of the symptoms, eye diseases should always be clarified by a doctor as soon as possible. If the symptoms do not improve in the course of a day, a doctor should be consulted. Until then, a trip to the pharmacy can also help initially. However, self-treatment of the disease with the help of home remedies and drugstore products is expressly not advisable if the cause is unknown.
