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Declining eye health is all fun and games until you find yourself mistakenly feeding a trash panda raccoon thinking it’s the family dog, so listen up! If this ever happens - it may be time for an eye exam! Eyesight doesn’t (usually) deteriorate overnight, so it’s important to regularly visit the eye doctor for annual eye examinations and keep track of any changes in your vision. Are you seeing double or experiencing sudden sensitivity to light? Do you have chronic dry eye, or are you just an emotionless void who hasn’t cried for years? Don’t worry, we’ve got a handy-dandy guide to help you figure it out (you’re welcome).
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10 Signs of Bad Eye Health |
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1 |
Struggling to See |
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2 |
Abrupt Eye Pain |
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3 |
Flashes of Light |
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4 |
Sudden Onset of Floaters |
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5 |
Light Sensitivity |
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6 |
Headaches |
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7 |
Dry Eye |
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8 |
Red, Swollen Eyes |
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9 |
Grey Shadow |
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10 |
White Spots in Pupil |
If you’re riding the struggle bus every time you have to read or work at a computer, you might have some bad eye health going on (shocking, I know). Do you find yourself squinting like a Grandma every time you need to focus on an object, whether it’s close or far away? You might need glasses.According to the Vision Council of America, approximately 75% of adults use some sort of vision correction, so you should probably schedule that appointment before you let that raccoon in the house.
Persistent pain of any kind is never good, particularly when it’s sharp and sudden. Eye pain can usually be attributed to debris in the eye, which in some cases can result in corneal abrasions (yep, time to head to the eye doctor). In other cases, the source of your eye pain might be more serious. Optic neuritis, the inflammation of the optic nerve, can cause sharp pain upon eye movement and may be caused by a number of serious medical conditions.
If you’re seeing flashes of light when you’re not out clubbing, it’s probably not something that should be ignored. Flashes in the eye usually happen quickly, whereas ongoing bright spots or lines in your vision might be attributed to migraines. Occasional eye flashes aren’t uncommon as people age, but repeated flashes of light could indicate a serious problem, particularly if paired with other changes in vision.
If you’ve never experienced tiny spots or flecks that seem to dance or drift across your field of vision, then consider yourself one of the lucky ones. Although floaters are very common and aren’t generally a cause for alarm, a sudden onset of them, particularly when paired with flashes of light, can be a symptom of posterior vitreous detachment- a condition in which the vitreous gel in your eye begins to pull away from your retina. In this case, treatment must happen immediately to prevent permanent loss of vision. Yikes.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 20 million Americans over the age of 40 have cataracts, and light sensitivity is one of the most common symptoms (oh, and good luck driving at night). If the glare of bright lights becomes painful or you notice halos around light sources, a trip to the eye doctor might be in order (or you might be a vampire, who knows).
A bad headache might be caused by nothing more than your annoying kids sweet little blessings from God, but frequent headaches can also be caused by the small muscles in the eye having to work harder to focus on things. The result is called eye strain, a condition that might be caused by reading, devices, or going blind as a bat. So which is it? Only an eye care professional can tell you what’s really going on.
Chronic dry eye occurs when your eyes can’t squeeze out enough tears, so unless you’re dead inside, it actually might be something to worry about. Dry eyes can cause stinging, burning,itching, eye redness, eye fatigue, or mucus in and around the eye. Ew. Although dry eye can often be treated with over-the-counter eye drops, it’s important to schedule an appointment with an eye doctor if at-home treatment doesn’t work and symptoms continue.
I once had an eye allergy that made me look like a truck ran over my face, so if that happens to you, throw a bag over your head get to the eye doctor asap. Red, swollen eyes are mostly caused by infection, injury, or allergies, but occasionally swelling of the eyelids can indicate a more serious problem (think orbital cellulitis, Graves’ disease, and other things you should never, ever google).
Gray curtains might look good in your living room, but if you see one moving across your field of vision it’s NO BUENO. A “gray shadow” is usually a sign of retinal detachment, a condition caused by nearsightedness, eye disease or injury that’s often paired with an onset of flashing lights or floaters. If not treated immediately, a detachment of the retina can lead to blindness.
Unless you’re really bad at flash photography, the pupil of your eye should always be black. If any part of your pupil appears white, something in the water ain’t clean and it’s time to hightail it to a professional and figure that mess out. A white pupil can have many different causes, including Coats disease, congenital cataracts, retinoblastoma, uveitis, etc. I don’t know what any of those are either, but that’s what an eye professional is for.
If you’re worried about your eye health, Tradewinds Eye Care can totally help with that. Book an eye appointment today (like a boss) and look after your eyeballs, because they’re the only ones you’re going to get (hey, this isn’tThe Terminator). While you’re at it, check out these 10 easy ways to improve your overall eye health.
