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Glaucoma is caused by too much pressure in the eye. Because there is usually no pain and the condition gets worse gradually, you probably won’t realise you have glaucoma until it is well developed. Glaucoma mainly affects people over the age of 40. You are also more at risk if you have a close relative who has glaucoma or if you suffer from diabetes. Glaucoma can be detected by an eye test at our practice. It can usually be successfully treated by eye drops, although sometimes laser surgery may be required.
This is a clouding of the lens inside your eye, mainly as a result of the ageing process. The symptoms of cataracts are deteriorating sight, sometimes blurred or double vision, and a yellowish tinge to everything you see. Cataracts develop slowly and are not painful, but in about 10% of cases your vision will be badly affected. A simple operation can usually solve the problem by removing the cloudy lens and replacing it with a plastic one, enabling you to see again.
This is the most common cause of poor sight in the over 60s. Although it does not cause total blindness, it does block out your central vision which can make it very difficult for you to carry out many everyday activities. Macular degeneration can develop either quite quickly or gradually. The warning signs are blurred or distorted central vision, sometimes with a blank patch in the middle of your vision. Some forms of this disease can be treated by laser, but only in the early stages of their development.
Diabetes can cause problems such as bleeding in the back of the eye leading to potential loss of sight. Screening is essential as early detection usually allows successful treatment and management using lasers.
An eye test does much more than check if you need new glasses. It also monitors the health of your eye for possible conditions such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, plus other problems like high blood pressure and diabetes. Early detection increases the chances of successful treatment.
Contact us to arrange a consultation or for more information.
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