Glaucoma

 

Glaucoma is a disease that damages the nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve. The optic nerve is responsible for sending the signals to your brain that enable you to see. If left untreated, glaucoma will cause a slow but steady loss of vision.

Glaucoma is typically caused by an increase in pressure inside your eye. This increased pressure
happens because of a decrease in the outflow of the fluid of the eye, called aqueous, through its normal pathway. This blockage results in an increase in pressure, which damages the optic nerve.

 

Glaucoma has no early warning signs. Most patients do not know they have it until they visit their eye doctor. Untreated glaucoma can cause a gradual, sometimes undetectable, loss of vision starting in your peripheral vision.

While glaucoma is not curable, there are several treatments that will help control the disease, including medication and/or surgery.

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Cataracts

 

A cataract occurs when the lens of your eye becomes cloudy. For people who have cataracts, seeing through cloudy lenses is a bit like looking through frost or fogged up windows. This can cause difficulty driving at night because of the increased glare and reduction of vision in dim light.

Most cataracts develop slowly while aging. Some can also be caused by other eye conditions or medical conditions such as diabetes. Long-term use of steroid medications can also cause cataracts to develop. If you think cataracts are interfering with reading, watching TV, driving a car, seeing in dim light or performing usual daily activities it might be time to consider cataract surgery.