When It’s Time to Call Your Optometrist: The Most Common Eye-Related Issues
Experiencing problems with the eyes can merely be an annoyance, like itchiness from allergies or strain from staring at the computer screen all day. Eye problems like these aren’t all that serious and don’t require a call to your local optometrist.
But knowing the difference between an eye annoyance and a potentially serious issue of the eyes is important. Here you can read about the most common eye-related issues, and whether or not seeing an eye doctor is necessary.
Eye Strain
These days, eye strain is an extremely common problem. A major cause of it is the fact that our eyes are glued to some sort of screen for the majority of the day. Phones, TVs, tablets… these all have an affect on the eyes, and staring at them for too long can cause some serious strain. Even reading a book for hours on end can lead to strain, as can driving in the car on a long road trip.
Eye strain simply means that you are overusing your eyes, and this overuse is causing them to strain. It isn’t a serious problem, and not one that needs an optometrist’s attention. Just try to give your eyes some rest every now and then. Another tip is to avoid using any devices an hour prior to bedtime.
Eye Redness
Eyes have a tendency to appear bloodshot every now and again, but why? The surface of the eyes is covered in tiny blood vessels, and these can become irritated due to the eye strain we just discussed. There are other reasons for redness of the eyes as well, including lack of sleep or chronic allergies.
If you’re able to pinpoint the reason for your red eyes, seeing a doctor isn’t necessary. Most of the time it is simply a symptom of overtiredness or seasonal allergies. However, if the redness is a symptom of an injury or persists for a while, think about getting your eyes checked out.
Night Blindness
It’s completely normal to have some vision problems as soon as night falls, especially while driving since headlights in the dark can be hard to handle. If you suffer from this problem, you could have night blindness. This is not actually a disease, but rather a symptom of other eye issues like nearsightedness or the formation of cataracts. Anyone experiencing difficulty seeing in the dark should see a doctor to rule out the risk of degenerative retina diseases.
Color Blindness
According to WebMD, “when you can’t see certain colors, or can’t tell the difference between them (usually reds and greens), you may be colorblind. It happens when the color cells in your eye (the doctor will call them cone cells) are absent or don’t work.” People who are color blind are born this way. It’s not a serious issue by any means, but you can still see an eye doctor about getting corrective lenses to help differentiate one color from another.
