How Vision Problems can Affect your Family Life

Many of us take our eyes for granted, not appreciating how much we rely on them until we begin to have problems. When you are a parent, you not only have to consider your own eye health but that of your children, because if you fail to take your child regularly to an optometrist, vision problems can soon begin to affect your family life.

Looking after your family’s eyes

There are several problems that can develop with eyes. Some are unavoidable, such as being shortsighted or longsighted, and are extremely common. There are others, however, where steps can be taken to prevent problems or at least minimize their impact. A common vision problem is an eye infection, such as conjunctivitis. This is where the eye’s surface becomes inflamed and infected, and this manifests itself in the sufferer having red or pink eyes. Often, the eyes are itchy and may even be sticky if the infection is severe. While ordinary conjunctivitis does not cause problems with vision, viral conjunctivitis can if it spreads to the cornea, and can cause permanent scarring. Conjunctivitis can often be caused by improper use of contact lenses, where lenses are not cleaned effectively or where fingers are dirty. Teaching good hygiene habits in regard to the putting in and taking out of contact lenses should prevent conjunctivitis becoming a problem for your family.

Glaucoma is a vision problem that most often affects adults rather than children. Glaucoma is a condition whereby the pressure inside the eye increases because the normal fluid present cannot drain away properly. Usually both eyes are affected but may be so at different rates. Glaucoma can develop at a relatively slow rate, which means that it often goes undetected for some time, with symptoms that include loss of peripheral vision and physical pain. Because of this, it is essential that you and your family, especially the adult members, have regular eye checks, as catching it early can mean the difference between retaining your vision and losing it. Treatments to prevent glaucoma worsening include eye drops and laser eye surgery by Denver Eye Surgeons, although any damage caused cannot be reversed.

For the more mature members of your family, the chief vision problems may be cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Cataracts are where the lenses of the eyes become milky, so that vision becomes cloudy and blurred. These can be treated with surgery, when the cataracts are removed if they are causing major visual impairment, but if the symptoms are only minor they are acknowledged as a sign of ageing and often left. Sufferers of age-related macular degeneration are able to see quite clearly objects to their side, but have difficulty seeing something that is right in front of them. At present, there is no treatment for AMD, but understanding how an aged parent’s sight is impaired in this way can help to prevent accidents.

Regular checkups with qualified optometrists are vital to keep your family’s eyes in good health, and often are the only way of spotting a vision problem before it becomes irreversible.