Common Eye Conditions

• Myopia or “I didn’t recognise you from that far away”
• Hyperopia or “I like to read my book at arm’s length.”
• Astigmatism or “My eye is shaped like a footy?”
• Presbyopia or “Get my reading glasses please, dear.”
• Some other eye conditions you should know about

Myopia or “I didn’t recognise you from that far away”

If you can see near objects clearly but objects in the distance are blurry, chances are you are short sighted. It’s actually very common. In fact, many people don’t even realise they are short sighted until they come in for a test. If this sounds like you, don’t hesitate. Drop into OPSM eye hub today.

Hyperopia or “I like to read my book at arm’s length.”

It’s the exact opposite of myopia. If things in the distance are clear but objects up close are blurry, it usually means you’re long sighted. You could even have difficulty concentrating and maintaining focus on close objects. Other telltale signs are blurred distance vision, eye fatigue, headaches after reading or working and aching or burning eyes. If this sounds familiar, see an OPSM eye hub optometrist for a check up.

Astigmatism or “My eye is shaped like a footy?”

The front side of your eye is called a cornea. If it has an irregular curvature, meaning its shaped more like a football than a basketball, then you have astigmatism. This is also very common. Most people have astigmatism, even if it’s a slight one. So relax, it just means your eye is shaped differently. If you have astigmatism great enough to distort your general vision, you’ll require prescription glasses. Drop into OPSM eye hub and have an eye test.

Presbyopia or “Get my reading glasses please, dear.”

When you can’t bring close objects into focus you could have presbyopia. It’s is a fancy way of saying you need reading glasses. To focus on objects up close, a muscle in your eye changes the shape of the lens. But as you get older the lens of your eye loses its flexibility. It’s a natural part of ageing, very common but incurable. Glasses or contacts will help you see a lot clearer, so if you’re finding you have to stretch your arms out to read, or you’re suffering from headaches and eyestrain, come on into OPSM eye hub and see one of our optometrists.

Some other eye conditions you should know about

Dry eye

Not the crying type? If your eye isn’t producing enough tears, or the chemical composition of your tears isn’t right and your eye isn’t well lubricated, you could be suffering from dry eye. Usually the symptoms involve your eye being constantly irritated, scratchy, itchy, dry or uncomfortable. You might even have red eyes, ‘burning’ or sore eyes, or the feeling of something being stuck in your eyes. You could also have watery eyes and blurred vision.

Spots or floaters

Seeing spots? These semi transparent specks or particles within the fluid of your eye (vitreous) become noticeable when they move in the line of your sight. They’re really noticeable when you look at bright backgrounds because they form a shadow on the back of the eye. Most people will see a few spots at some point in their life, but they’re more common as you get older. You’ll notice gradual changes in numbers and sizes, but if a sudden change occurs, contact your OPSM eye hub optometrist immediately.

Pterygium

The name sounds a lot worse than it is. Pterygium is raised spots of tissue that grow from the white part of your eye closest to your nose, and will often appear on both eyes. They’re not dangerous. Wearing sunglasses and lenses with UV protection should slow down any further growth.

Cataract

Cataracts are when the lens in your eye becomes cloudy. Over time they will impact your vision. The symptoms to look out for are haziness, blurred or distorted vision, colours appearing yellowed, the appearance of dark spots or shadows that move when you move your eye, and the need for more light to see clearly. Cataracts are a natural part of ageing and are quite common.

Glaucoma

This is a more serious eye condition that occurs when the nerve fibers at the back of your eye slowly die. Over time it can lead to vision loss and blindness. Glaucoma has been linked to a build-up of pressure inside your eye. This pressure can increase if the fluid flowing out of your eye is not balanced with that flowing in. Symptoms are minimal but, in most cases, peripheral vision is slowly lost and may not become noticeable until the disease is quite advanced, which is why an eye test every two years at OPSM eye hub is recommended.

Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARMD)

ARMD is the leading cause of blindness and occurs as a result of ageing. It can occur two ways: dry macular degeneration and wet macular degeneration. Most people with ARMD have dry ARMD, which is where waste accumulates at the back of your eye causing central vision to gradually decrease. Wet ARMD is more severe, where new blood vessels grow at the back of the eye. These newly formed vessels are fragile and often leak blood into the retina. The blood causes scarring, which can block out your central vision. There are also some other forms of macular degeneration that are inherited and not associated with ageing.