Adequate lighting is also essential when doing such tasks as reading and hobby work which requires close work need more light so a lamp should be used in conjunction with a ceiling light to provide background light in the room.
Presbyopia:
Presbyopia is a common condition which causes a break down of
vision at normal reading distances. When working with close tasks you may
find that you have to move the newspaper further away from you in order to
adequately see the print. Also when working with close tasks you may find
that your eyes become sore or you experience headaches after long periods
of time.
Presbyopia is part of the normal ageing process and is as a result of the lens being unable to adjust to close work as it begins to become stiffer and is not as flexible it is a normal part of the ageing process and can be fixed by using glasses for the reading at close distances
Myopia:
Commonly known as shortsightedness it is a result of the light
entering the light to focus on a point which is too short to the back of the
eye and thus the image is blurry luke that of a camera.
People who suffer from shortsightedness have a tendancy to be unable to see into the distance clearly and as a result will not be able to make out people in the distance or seeing objects at a distance.
Common signs of
shortsightedness are:
- Screwing up your eyes at a distance
- Difficulty reading the blackboard at school
- Poor posture whilst reading
- Lack of interest at playing outdoor games
- Find it hard to read road signs
Myopia is a common problem and nearly 15 percent of the population had shortsightedness, however they do not relies that they have it only an examination by an optometrist will find the problem.
Hyperopia:
Commonly known as long-sightedness the point of focus for the
eye is behind the back of the eye and as a result like a camera out of focus
the image is blurred.
Hyperopia is a condition which can not be discovered with a simple letter chart and further testing must be done to diagnose the problem. Hyperopia tends to increase with age however this is not always the case and the problem may be solved with a pair of glasses for reading and sometimes also for distance vision.
Floaters and Spots:
Floaters or spots are usually a cloudy dust like opaque specs in the eye that
can be seen when they float into the field of vision. Because the eye is filled
with fluid to maintain the eyes shape the floaters inside move when you try
to look at them. These floaters in the eye are caused by protein or other
natural materials which are present in the eye before birth.
However although some floaters are natural if you begin to notice that there are a sudden increase in the amount of floaters or they are larger in size than normal you should get these checked by an optical professional as it may be a sign of a more serious problem within the eye such as retnal detachment.
Diabetes
and the eye:
Diabetes can cause the eye to experience changes such as a weakening
of the ability of the eye to focus or may lead to the focus of the eye to
fluctuate from day to day. If the blood sugar levels are correctly managed
by a doctor then these problems ease.
A few years after diabetes has been diagnosed changes may occur to the eye in the retina. There are two types of retinopathy present background retinopathy which rarely causes vision to be lost and therefore does not require treatment and proliferative retinopathy which is much more serious and requires early treatment to achieve the best results.
Diabetics are advised to have regular check-ups in order to prevent possible complications and for early detection of any retinopathy of the retina.
Diabetics may experience double vision which may last for a few months an optometrist can help solve the problem, glaucoma which is slightly more common with people who have diabetes which if remains untreated can cause blindness of the eye and the other condition which may occur as a result of the diabetes is cataracts which are more likely to occur at an earlier age in a diabetic than in a non diabetic.
Macular
Degeneration:
Age related maculopathy or macular degeneration
is as a result of the break down of the macular, which is a very small part
of the retina responsible for the central vision of the eye which produces
the finest vision. Degeneration of the macular causes a blind spot in the
middle of the eye which may become quite large. The main cause of ARM is age
and is caused by a build up of waste material on the retina which thickens
and distorts the retina. The distortion can cause damage to the other layers
of the retina. In 10-15 percent of the cases new blood vessels begin to grow
up into the macula these blood vessels are fragile and often leak blood causing
scar tissue to form this scarring causes a blocking in central vision.
An optometrist can diagnose the problem by performing examinations on the eye to view changes in the structure of the eye.
Macular Degeneration can only be treated if it is the wet form of macular degeneration where blood vesels grow into the macular of the eye and leak blood. If this is the case then laser surgery to seal these vessels can be done to prevent further growth of blood vessels and to seal up any leaks, this treatment is most effective in the early stages of macular degeneration.
Dry
Eyes:
Dry eyes commonly effects people of all ages, dry eyes is not necessarily
dry but an abnormality in the tear functions of the eye as often people with
dry eye will complain of their eyes being very watery.
The tears have several important functions in the eye that is they allow the front of the eye to stay moist allowing comfort for the eye, they wash away debris and waste products from the eye and they supply the eye with the essential nutrients for the eye to function normally.
Symptoms of dry eyes
include:
- Blurred vision
- Sore or stinging eyes
- Sandy gritty or scratchy eyes
- Foreign body sensations
- Red eyes persistently watery eyes
- Irritated eyes
Astigmatism:
Astigmatism is a focusing error, some directions of vision are
more blurred than others. Most astigmatism is caused by the shape of the cornea
of the eye, it can be caused by slightly tilting of the lens inside the eye.
Common aspects of astigmatism are that all objects in the distance
are blurred and may result in headaches, fatigue and a reduction in concentration
as a result of straining the eye to focus.
Astigmatism can be corrected by using glasses or contact lenses.
Amblyopia:
Amblyopia or 'lazy eye' is a condition which affects
the message the brain receives from the eye, because the message from one
of the eyes is poor or of low quality the brain blocks this message out causing
the brain to ignore the signal it is receiving from that eye as a result that
eye weakens and the other eye is favored.
Common symptoms of the condition of amblyopia is poor vision, turned eye and bumping into walls on one side of the body. To fix this problem a pair of glasses or contact lenses can be prescribed, however a patch may also be used to alieviate the problem by covering the strong eye causing the brain to begin to use the weak eye making it stronger and solving the problem.