Have you ever seen small dark spots floating along in your vision? What you’re seeing could be eye floaters. Like Mona Lisa’s eyes, eye floaters seem to follow your eye movements. However, these small dots dart away when you try to look directly at them. What causes eye floaters? While the cause can be harmless, like the natural aging process, in some instances the situation is more serious. Keep reading to learn more about the common causes of eye floaters, and be sure to contact your eye doctor if you’re experiencing this vision problem.
Visual Symptoms of Eye Problems
Visual symptoms of eye problems may sneak up on you. If the issue forms gradually, it can be hard to notice that there is anything wrong with your vision at all. From blurry and foggy vision to seeing faded colors, you might continue for several months with an eye issue before realizing you even have a problem.
On the other end of the spectrum, certain visual eye changes can occur seemingly overnight. One evening you could close your eyes and sleep soundly, and the next morning you might wake up with red, swollen, or jaundiced eyes. It’s important to familiarize yourself with the appearance of common eye issues so that you know when to contact your eye doctor for help.
Why Sunglasses Are Important
How often do you wear sunglasses? According to the Vision Council, one in four Americans rarely or never wears sunglasses. If you’re shrugging at that statistic, you clearly don’t understand why sunglasses are important for the health of our eyes. Although they’re often categorized as fashion accessories, sunglasses play an important role in protecting our eyes from dangerous UV rays. Whether you’re driving, sunbathing, picnicking, or going for a walk, you should be wearing sunglasses if you’re out during daylight hours.
Scratched Cornea Symptoms
We’ve all been there: You’re walking down the street, and a gust of wind sends debris flying straight into your eye. Sure, it’s uncomfortable – but is it something that could impact your long-term eye health? Yes and no. There’s a chance that you have experienced a corneal abrasion, otherwise known as a scratched cornea. Corneal abrasions are extremely common eye injuries, and they’re usually treatable. Resulting from damage to the top layer of the cornea, corneal abrasions can cause significant discomfort and disrupted vision. When left untreated, a corneal abrasion can lead to prolonged vision problems, which is why it’s essential to recognize scratched cornea symptoms and treat them immediately.
What to Do When Your Eyes Hurt
We tend to take our vision for granted, but one bout of serious eye pain is enough to realize how important your eye health really is. Eye pain can be caused by anything from conjunctivitis to a corneal abrasion, and no matter the cause, it’s always annoying. Dealing with frustrating eye pain? Find out what to do when your eyes hurt so you can get back to living your life.
Fireworks Eye Injuries
Let freedom ring: The USA turns 243 this year. You’re hopefully gearing up for an exciting holiday weekend full of picnics, barbecues – and, of course, spectacular fireworks shows. We know, we know – practicing good eye care may be the last thing on your mind this weekend. However, fireworks eye injuries are a serious concern this time of year. Avoiding fireworks eye injuries will help you celebrate the holiday safely and ensure you’re able to enjoy many holidays to come.
What Causes Astigmatism?
If you’ve been diagnosed with astigmatism, you’re not alone. According to the American Optometric Association, most people have some degree of astigmatism. Astigmatism is an irregular curvature of the eye’s cornea or lens that disrupts the refraction of light rays. A healthy eye should have a round shape similar to a basketball, while an eye with astigmatism has a shape more like a football. Slight astigmatism usually doesn’t affect your vision, but in more severe cases you might experience blurred or distorted vision and need corrective lenses or surgery. So what causes astigmatism?
Chances are, it’s nothing you’ve done, so be wary of anyone who tries to convince you that it’s because you sit too close to the TV or read in dim light for too long. We’ve broken down two of the common causes of astigmatism so you can better understand the condition.
Symptoms of a Cataract
Although it’s true that you might not see as well at age 70 as you did at age 7, you shouldn’t write off vision problems as just a normal part of aging. According to the National Eye Institute, cataracts affect more than half of American adults over 80 years old. Keep scrolling to learn about the symptoms of a cataract, and contact your optometrist today if you have trouble seeing.
Eye Emergencies
Your eyes play such a vital role in your everyday life, so experiencing issues with your vision can be nerve-wracking. Whether you’ve accidentally scratched your eye during a DIY bang trim or you’re seeing flashes, seek medical attention immediately. Read up on the most common types of eye emergencies, so you can recognize the symptoms and receive help.
Sudden Vision Loss in One Eye
Vision loss isn’t anything to mess around with. If you are experiencing sudden vision loss in one eye, it’s important to stop what you’re doing, call your eye doctor, and head to the emergency room ASAP. While you’re passing time in the waiting room, you might want to familiarize yourself with some of the common causes behind this eye emergency.
