What makes vision bad

You can also adjust your screen settings to minimize brightness and glare. Glaucoma is a serious medial condition caused by increased pressure within the eye itself. This pressure eventually leads to vision becoming impaired. Open-Angle Glaucoma is a more prolonged but painless condition, while Closed-Angle Glaucoma can be more sudden in onset and causes acute pain in the eye. As previously mentioned, natural ageing is the primary cause of deteriorating eyesight in the UK. Although any part of the eye and vision can deteriorate over time, the most common cause of vision loss later in life is the lens of the eyeball becoming thicker and more rigid.

Cataracts is perhaps the most noticeable of all major eye issues. The condition causes a cloud or opaqueness to cover the eye, causing loss of vision as well as a glare intolerance. The most common causes of cataracts is the normal ageing process, although a sudden trauma and certain diseases cant trigger the clouding process. Luckily, cataracts can be treated in a couple of ways. You can find out more about cataracts and its treatment here. Diabetes is another major cause of visual problems in the UK.

Patients with diabetes often suffer from sight issues, as diabetes causes damage to the retina in the back of the eye. Fortunately, most diabetics will never suffer from Diabetic Eye Disease also known as DED , and it is usually only people who manage their condition poorly who are at risk of developing the condition.

For those that do develop DED, the loss of vision can be sudden, after a period of gradual decline. The best defence for diabetics against visual problems is to manage their condition properly, with the help of health care providers, and have their eyesight checked on a regular basis. There are a plethora of other reasons why your eyesight may be in decline, such as the growth of scar tissue called Pterygium or Age-related Macular Degeneration, a condition in which the cells of the macular in the eye degenerate due to abnormal blood vessels growing in the retina.

AMD is usually caused by the natural ageing process, and is the leading cause of blindness in Australia. A study found that vision loss was significantly associated with symptoms of anxiety among older adults. An earlier study found that older people with vision loss reported poorer levels of quality of life, like symptoms of depression and anxiety, when compared to the general older population.

Less field of vision, more falls. A study found that the loss of visual field function — meaning the total area in which objects can be seen using peripheral vision while the eyes are focused on a central object — raises the risk of fall in older adults.

Glaucoma raises risk of auto accidents. People with advanced glaucoma — an eye disease that affects peripheral vision — had twice as many car accidents, according to a study. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Health Topics. Health Tools. By Nancie George. Myopia short-sightedness People who have myopia short-sightedness do not see distant objects clearly. In a normal eye, the lens and cornea focus light into an image on the retina. In a myopic eye, the light is focused in front of the retina and so the image is blurred.

Myopia is a very common condition that affects about 15 per cent of the population. Usually, myopia begins to develop in teenage years, although it can happen any time from birth. Myopia may progressively increase over the following few years, slowing in the mid to late twenties in most people. Some clues that may lead you to suspect myopia in a child are: screwing up of eyes or squinting to see distant objects difficulty reading the blackboard at school sitting very close to the television poor posture while reading a lack of interest in playing outdoor games.

Treatment for myopia There is no cure for myopia. However, glasses or contact lenses can help you see clearly.

There are several techniques available to correct myopia by reshaping the cornea to reduce its power.

These include laser surgery, which removes tissue from the cornea, leaving it with a flatter surface. High levels of myopia can cause more serious problems, such as stretching and thinning of the retina, holes and tears, and the risk of retinal detachments. If you are myopic, you should have regular eye examinations and talk to your optometrist about the potential for problems. Hyperopia long-sightedness People who have hyperopia long-sightedness may experience blurred vision, particularly for close work.

A mildly hyperopic person can often see quite clearly because the eye compensates. The greater the hyperopia, the harder it is to focus. If there is a significant amount of hyperopia, the effort of focusing for long periods can cause tired eyes or headaches. Treatment for hyperopia Young people who are slightly hyperopic may not have problems.

Correcting hyperopia through wearing glasses or contact lenses can improve reading ability and concentration through increased comfort and clarity of vision. Distance vision may also be improved. Laser surgery can correct some cases of hyperopia.

Astigmatism Astigmatism is a focusing error that tends to distort vision at all distances. In astigmatism, some directions in an image are more out of focus than others.

For example, horizontal lines blur, while vertical lines are clear. Even a slight degree of astigmatism may lead to headaches, fatigue and reduced concentration. Most astigmatism is caused by the shape of the front surface of the eye the cornea or by slight tilting of the lens inside the eye. It may be inherited or a normal variation accompanying growth. Astigmatism is not an eye disease. Most people have at least a very slight amount of astigmatism. Treatment for astigmatism Glasses and contact lenses can correct astigmatism.

In most cases, adjusting to these side effects takes only a week or so. Laser surgery can also correct astigmatism. Presbyopia Presbyopia is a common condition that makes vision difficult at a normal reading distance. For instance, you may find that you are holding your newspaper further away from your eyes to make the print clearer, or that periods of close work give you sore eyes, headaches or tiredness. As we get older, the lens loses its flexibility and is less able to change its shape and its ability to focus.

This is a completely normal ageing change. Presbyopia is usually first noticed around the age of 40 to 45 years and increases between the ages of 45 and Treatment for presbyopia Presbyopia is corrected by a spectacle prescription designed especially for close distances.

Multifocals, bifocals or half-glasses allow you to do close work and see distant objects clearly. Contact lenses are also available in monovision or multifocal designs, specifically for presbyopia. New laser and cataract surgery techniques can also correct presbyopia. Between the ages of 45 and 65, your glasses or contact lens prescription is likely to change significantly.

Have your eyes examined every two to three years to review your correction and your general eye health. Most of these conditions can remedy themselves. If you have any problems that seem to be recurring or getting worse, see an optometrist.