Eye Disorder

Eye disorders affect millions of people worldwide, with over 2.2 billion experiencing some form of vision impairment or blindness, making them among the most common health conditions globally.

Table of contents

• What Are Eye Disorders?
• How Common Are Eye Disorders?
• Most Common Types of Eye Disorders
• Symptoms of Eye Disorders
• Who Is More Likely to Develop Eye Disorders?
• How Eye Disorders Are Diagnosed
• Treatment Options
• Prevention and Eye Health

What Are Eye Disorders

Eye disorders are conditions that affect any part of your eye, including the structures immediately around your eyes. These conditions can develop quickly, which doctors call acute, or they can develop more slowly and last a long time, which doctors call chronic^[2].

Your eyeball itself is where most eye disorders happen, but it isn’t the only place. Eye disorders also include conditions that can affect your eye muscles, eye socket, eyelids, or the skin and muscles immediately around your eyes^[2].

One important reason that eye disorders are so common is that your eyes don’t exist in isolation from the rest of your body. Many conditions that affect your eyes happen because of or in connection with conditions affecting other body systems. That’s why there are hundreds of different conditions that can affect your eyes^[2].

How Common Are Eye Disorders?

Eye disorders and vision problems are extremely common around the world. The World Health Organization estimates that over 2.2 billion people have some form of vision impairment or blindness^[2]. In the United States alone, over 150 million people wear corrective lenses^[2].

Despite being so widespread, many eye disorders are treatable, especially when caught early^[2]. Even if your eyes feel healthy, you could have a problem and not know it. That’s why regular eye exams are so important^[5].

Most Common Types of Eye Disorders

The most common eye disorders worldwide include^[2]:

• Cataracts, which happen when the clear lens in the front of your eye becomes cloudy. Cataracts are common as you get older and can lead to vision loss^[5].
• Refractive errors like astigmatism, farsightedness (also called hyperopia), nearsightedness (also called myopia), and age-related loss of up-close focusing called presbyopia. These are the most frequent eye problems in the United States^[3].
• Glaucoma, which usually happens when the fluid pressure inside your eyes slowly rises. Glaucoma includes optic nerve disorders that can damage the nerve that sends information from your eyes to your brain^[5].
• Age-related macular degeneration, which is a disease that destroys your sharp, central vision. It affects the macula, the central part of the retina that allows the eye to see fine details^[3].
• Diabetic retinopathy, which is diabetes-related damage to the blood vessels in the back of your eye. This is the leading cause of blindness in American adults of working age^[3].

Eye injuries are also a leading cause of vision loss and blindness. Experts track and research them like diseases to find better ways to prevent and treat eye injuries^[2].

Symptoms of Eye Disorders

Some eye conditions and diseases do not always have symptoms. Early detection through a comprehensive dilated eye exam could help your eye care provider detect diseases in the early stages. Proper treatment could help slow or prevent vision loss^[5].

There are many possible symptoms of eye disorders. Those symptoms usually happen in a few key ways^[2]:

• Symptoms you can feel, such as pain, irritation, or eye tiredness or strain
• Changes in eye functions, such as watery eyes or trouble controlling how you blink

Get regular eye exams and call your eye care professional right away if you notice any of these symptoms^[5]:

• A sudden change in vision
• Everything looks dim
• Flashes of light
• Eye pain
• Double vision
• Fluid coming from your eye
• Inflammation (swelling)

Who Is More Likely to Develop Eye Disorders?

Getting older increases your risk of some eye disorders. Other things that may put you at a higher risk of some eye disorders can include if you^[5]:

• Are overweight or obese
• Have a family history of eye disease
• Are African American, Hispanic, or Native American
• Have certain health conditions such as diabetic eye problems or high blood pressure

If you have diabetes or high blood pressure, these conditions can increase your risk for some eye diseases. Diabetes and high blood pressure can increase your risk for eye problems like glaucoma^[5].

How Eye Disorders Are Diagnosed

A comprehensive eye exam by an eye care professional is the single best thing you can do for your eye health. It’s the only way to find eye diseases early, when they’re easier to treat — and before they cause vision loss^[17].

During a comprehensive dilated eye exam, an eye care professional will use drops to widen the pupils to check for common vision problems and eye diseases^[19]. You should have at least one eye exam every 1 to 2 years if you are over age 60, are African American and over age 40, or have a family history of glaucoma^[19].

Many eye disorders don’t have any early symptoms, so you could have a problem and not know it. The good news is that an eye care professional can help you stay on top of your eye health^[17].

Treatment Options

Treatment may depend on the eye condition or disease but can include^[5]:

• A new prescription for eyeglasses or contacts
• Use of bright lights or magnifying lenses for reading and other activities
• Medicines
• Prescription eye drops or ointments
• Laser treatment
• Surgery

Depending on your eye condition or disease, treatment may slow vision loss but may not restore vision. Talk to your provider about what treatment is best for you^[5].

For refractive errors, which are the most common type of vision problem, treatment usually involves corrective lenses. Over 150 million Americans could see better if they used corrective lenses or eye surgery if appropriate^[3]. In some cases, surgery can be performed to treat conditions like nearsightedness^[2].

Many eye disorders are treatable, especially when caught early. Enormous progress in eye surgery has been made over the past few decades, and many people with eye problems previously felt to be untreatable now enjoy improved eyesight and an improved quality of life^[2].

Prevention and Eye Health

Your best defense against eye disorders is to have regular checkups. Be sure to tell your provider if any eye diseases run in your family. You can also help take care of your vision by making lifestyle changes to lower your risk of health conditions that can cause vision problems^[5].

Here are some things you can do right now to protect your vision^[17]:

• Protect your eyes from the sun by wearing sunglasses that block 99 to 100 percent of both UVA and UVB radiation, even on cloudy days
• Wear protective eyewear while using tools or playing certain sports
• Get regular physical activity to lower your risk for health conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure
• Stay at a healthy weight
• Quit smoking (or don’t start). Smoking increases blood pressure and inflammation in the eye, which leads to increased chance of cataracts and diabetes
• Eat a healthy diet. Try dark, leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens, and pick up some fish high in omega-3 fatty acids like halibut, salmon, and tuna

If you smoke, make a quit plan. Quitting smoking is good for almost every part of your body, including your eyes. Kicking the habit will help lower your risk for eye diseases like macular degeneration and cataracts^[17].

Exercise can help lower eye pressure and helps blood flow to the retina and optic nerve. Aim for 20 to 30 minutes of aerobic activity, such as walking, swimming, or even yard work^[16].

If you spend a lot of time looking at screens, give your eyes a break. Consider the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds^[6].