Eye Disease Assistance | Niagara Falls, ON

Cataracts

What Are Cataracts?

Cataracts are an extremely common eye condition that will happen to almost everyone over time. Cataracts develop with age and are essentially the slow clouding of your vision as a result of protein clumping in the lens of your eye over time.

Are You At Risk?

While anyone can develop cataracts, and most people will as they age, individuals with certain risk factors may be more likely to develop cataracts sooner:

Genetic or physical factors, such as individuals who have diabetes or people whose family has a history of developing early cataracts.
Lifestyle choices, such as individuals who smoke cigarettes or have more prolonged exposure to the sun over time.

Diabetic Eye Disease

Diabetic eye disease is an umbrella term for the various eye diseases that can result as a complication of diabetes. These include diseases such as diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema, glaucoma, and cataracts.

Individuals with diabetes should have their eyes examined comprehensively at a minimum of once a year – more often if deemed necessary by their medical professional team. Diabetic people who properly manage their illness are less likely to encounter these eye issues, but are at risk regardless.

Many eye diseases, including diabetic eye disease, may not present symptoms until vision loss has already begun to occur. Usually, this vision loss is irreversible, but may be preventable or at the least, manageable, with the correct care.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of vision loss and blindness in the world today. There are several different types of glaucoma and the exact cause of each type may vary.

Generally, glaucoma is associated with high pressure inside the eye (ocular hypertension) but can also occur when intraocular pressure is normal. Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve, which is responsible for carrying information from the eye to the brain. Usually, people suffering from glaucoma experience a gradual loss of peripheral vision which can eventually progress into blindness.

In its early stages, glaucoma does not generally present any symptoms. This is why it is such a dangerous disease: without symptoms, we are not alerted that something is wrong. As such, it is extremely important to have regular comprehensive eye examinations so that your optometrist can detect problems like glaucoma before vision loss occurs.

Age-related Macular Degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of vision loss among individuals over the age of 50. AMD occurs when the macula, the part of the eye that is responsible for central vision, becomes damaged.

There are 2 types of AMD: “dry” and “wet”, with the dry type being far more common out of the two. There are many different risk factors associated with AMD, which can vary from lifestyle to genetics. The most common risk factor in cases of AMD is age.