Eye diseases and disorders > The most common eye diseases

Eyesight is our most important sense thanks to which we perceive up to 80% of all information from the environment. The human eye as the organ of sight represents very complex system whose individual parts have to work in perfect harmony. In the case of occurrence of only a minor pathological damage to these individual parts of the eye - the consequences can be worsening of sharpness of vision or even blindness.

Pathological changes of the human eye can occur due to many causes. Common eye diseases can be caused for example by viruses, bacteria or moulds or also it can be a consequence of some other illness (for example diabetes). Furthermore, very common are the age conditioned degenerative changes or congenital handicaps and last but not least we must not forget on eye injuries and various impacts of outside environment.

The most common eye diseases are:

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a serious and eye disease caused by increased intraocular pressure, meaning the pressure of liquid inside the human eye. It is accompanied by changes of optic nerve. A damage of fibers of this nerve leads to visual field loss.

Cataract 

Cataract belongs to the group of very common eye diseases among elders. Approximately 50% of people older than sixty years suffer from cataract of some degree. It is the eye disease which manifests itself by turbidity of the lens.

Keratoconus 

Keratoconus is a degenerative non-inflammatory eye disease of the cornea when some part of the cornea becomes thinner and curved and thus it leads to worsening of vision. Gradually it results in so called irregular astigmatism and the consequence is worsening of vision.

Dry eye syndrome

It is a disease where the eye surface is dry a thus the human eye is unprotected by the tear film. It is a disorder of lubricating the eye surface by tears. The consequences can be worse vision, eye inflammation, unpleasant or even painful feeling in the eye, eye exhaustion, etc.

Conjunctivis ( “Pinkeye”)

This eye disease has a wide range of forms from the feeling of discomfort to the feeling of having a strange element in the human eye and even purulent, very unpleasant but short-termed conjunctivis to long-term chronic troublesome problems related to the disorder of tear production.

Diabetic retinopathy

Approximately five or six percent of population suffer from diabetes which is a cause of formation of diabetic retinopathy. It is actually a retina injury which is the result of overall handicap of vessels in diabetes. It results in the injury of blood vessels which nourish the retina and in more severe cases it leads to the hemorrhage into retina and vitreous body causing a serious sight disorder.

Strabismus (“crossed eyes”)

It is a eyesight disorder wherein a reciprocal cooperation of both eyes is disrupted. Each eye points at different direction. In most cases one eye gazes in straight direction whereas the second one is wandering in other direction.

There is a plenty of other causes and diseases which can have an influence on worsening or loss of eyesight. Therefore it is very important to undergo regular eye examinations and to visit your ophthalmologist even when only a minor indication of a problem is observed. The most of common eye diseases, when they are diagnosed soon enough, can be treated very successfully and thus eliminate the risks of permanent sight damage.