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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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