1. Cataracts

A cataract is a cloudy condition of the natural lens inside of an eye that affects vision, normally clear lens that becomes clouded over time and causes light rays to scatter, blurring vision. Cataracts affect everyone as they age, with risk factors including smoking, trauma injuries, long-term cortisone medication use, diabetes and exposure to harmful UV rays being major risk factors for cataract formation. Early cataracts may improve with new eyeglasses, brighter lighting or antiglare sunglasses but if these do not help then surgery will need to remove and replace with an artificial lens made up from scratch by surgeon.

Symptoms of cataracts include blurry vision, difficulty driving at night due to glare and color changes. People living with cataracts describe their vision as like looking through fogged windows. Although cataracts typically are painless conditions, they can interfere with daily activities and interfere with daily life activities.

2. Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease in which fluid pressure in the eye becomes too high, leading to damage of the optic nerve and ultimately blindness if left untreated. Primary open-angle glaucoma is one of the most prevalent types, typically manifesting slowly due to blockages in drainage canals of eyes gradually developing over time.

Open-angle glaucoma may go undetected until it’s too late, yet can still be prevented by having regular eye exams (every two years for those over 40) and treating any risk factors, including using eye drops that decrease fluid production or encourage drainage outflow, SLT laser treatment of affected angles or surgery to create new drainage channels or alter your iris size to allow more fluid to drain off more quickly.

3. Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a disease in which the central part of your retina (known as the macula) deteriorates or breaks down, diminishing or losing function over time. The macula provides fine detail vision necessary for threading needles or reading, but over time may become clouded with age and cause blurry or distorted straight-ahead vision or lines which were once straight becoming wavy or even dark spots may form at its center in more advanced cases. It usually does not cause pain but symptoms may include blurry or distorted straight-ahead vision as well as dark spots or lines appearing wavy in more advanced cases or straight lines may appear wavy over time.

Macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness among adults over 50, often begins gradually and affects both eyes. Although the exact cause remains unknown, smoking, poor diet and lack of physical exercise are all known risk factors that increase one’s likelihood of macular degeneration. Treatment options available to you may include vitamins or photodynamic therapy – an eye laser procedure which uses light energy to target abnormal leaking blood vessels to destroy them.

4. Keratoconus

Keratoconus is an eye disease that results in the cornea assuming a cone-like shape, leading to blurry and distorted vision and uncorrected astigmatism. While usually both eyes are affected, one usually develops it more than the other; at times you may need special contact lenses such as rigid gas permeable (RGP) or hybrid ones in order to wear contact lenses for vision correction.

Experts remain uncertain as to the exact cause of keratoconus; however, it tends to run in families and is linked with conditions like hay fever, asthma, excessive eye rubbing and connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Regular eye exams can detect keratoconus early and lead to treatments which could stop its progress; be sure to seek medical advice immediately if any vision changes arise or you experience symptoms like glares, halos or streaking lights.

5. Retinal Detachment

Retinal detachment occurs when part or all of the retina detaches from its back wall of the eye, resulting in vision becoming blurry or shadowy and medical attention is needed immediately as this could result in permanent blindness if left untreated. Retinal tears allow watery fluid from vitreous space to pass through and collect under retina, isolating it from oxygen and nutrients provided to its layers under it, leading to retinal detachments; three main types are: rhegmatogenous, tractional and exudative.

Signs of retinal detachment include an opaque curtain-like shadow that begins in the center of your vision and may progress outward, eventually covering all fields of view. Sometimes accompanied by sudden appearance of floaters – although normal for ageing processes; their sudden presence can be an indicator of detached retinas.

6. Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy occurs when high blood sugar levels compromise the small blood vessels that nourish the retina (an inner layer at the back of the eye). It is the leading cause of blindness in America.

At first, in what’s known as non-proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR), retinal blood vessels either leak fluid or close entirely, creating microaneurysms or localized sac-like swellings in the retina. Over time, due to decreased oxygen and blood supply, they begin growing fragile new blood vessels that bleed into the clear gel-like vitreous humour filling the center of your eyeball.

Macular edema occurs when blood vessels leak fluid into your macular region and form fluid-filled cysts, known as macular edema. This condition can blur central vision and form dark spots known as “floaters,” making vision blurry and disorienting. Only an extensive dilated eye exam can detect macular edema; treatment options for it include medication injections or laser surgery to stop fluid leakage or bleeding.

7. Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetic eye disease (retinopathy) is a condition in which tiny blood vessels supplying the retina – the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye – become damaged, swelling and leaking fluid may cloud vision and eventually lead to vitreous hemorrhage (bleeding in the vitreous jelly filling most of the eye).

Early on in diabetic retinopathy, you may not notice any symptoms; but as it progresses further, symptoms could include blurriness in your vision, loss of sharpness and floating cells/material that move across your field of vision (floaters).

Proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR), the advanced stage of diabetic retinopathy, occurs when abnormal and fragile blood vessels proliferate on the retina, bleeding into vitreous and leading to vision loss or blindness.

8. Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration is a condition in which the central area of retina called macula deteriorates, leading to significant central vision loss. The loss may range from minimal symptoms such as difficulty reading or seeing faces and straight lines to severe symptoms requiring impairment for driving and other activities requiring clear central vision.

Age-related macular degeneration affects the central portion of your retina known as the macula and can be divided into two distinct types – Dry Macular Degeneration and Wet Macular Degeneration. With dry AMD, drusen develop under the retina and may leak blood and fluid into your macula, impairing its effectiveness and leading to visual loss. With wet AMD, however, blood and fluid may enter through small channels beneath it which drain into it instead.

Drusen are metabolic waste deposits found beneath the retina that may range in size from small to large and have fuzzy borders or sharp edges, increasing the risk of wet macular degeneration.

9. Diabetic Retinopathy with Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) occurs when small blood vessels that nourished the retina at the back of an eye begin to leak or close off, leading to macular edema (swelling) and eventually leading to severe vision loss or blindness – it is one of the leading causes of blindness among American adults.

Diabetic Retinopathy symptoms tend not to surface until later stages are met, where people may notice their vision has become cloudy or blurry; spots or floaters may also appear. Prevention or delay of diabetic Retinopathy can be achieved with regular eye exams, controlling sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as quitting smoking.

Every diabetic should schedule at least one comprehensive dilated eye exam annually, in order to detect and treat retinal problems early. People with more severe diabetic retinopathy (DR) may require laser treatments or even surgery.

10. Age-Related Macular Degeneration with Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Macular degeneration occurs when the central part of your eye called the macula begins to wear away, leading to blurry central vision that makes reading or driving difficult. This condition affects people over 50. Foods rich in beta-carotene and vitamins C and E may help protect against macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration often shows no symptoms until detected during a routine dilated eye exam, usually through distortion of straight lines or dark spots appearing at the center of your visual field.

A dilated retinal exam also includes taking pictures of your retina with a special camera to diagnose conditions and assess your risk for wet macular degeneration, the more serious form of AMD that accounts for 90% of legal blindness cases.