Shannon Medical Center | Health Beat | Summer 2018

Eye health The eyes have it 5 common eye problems Focus on your risk factors and know what symptoms to look for. Good habits and prompt treatment can help keep your eyes healthy and bright. You should get immediate medical help if you have a sudden increase in floaters, especially if you also see flashes of light or you lose some side vision. Those symptoms could signal a retinal detachment, which is an emergency. Need an eye exam? Call the Shannon Clinic Ophthalmology Department at 325-481-2286 . Eye problems can impact anyone. Some com- mon issues are just minor annoyances. But others can lead to blindness. E F D P PINK EYE What it is: Tissue inside the eyelid and cov- ering the eye gets inflamed. Blood vessels become more visible, so eyes look pink.The condition is most often cause by a bacterial or viral infection. Who’s at risk: Children and adults. About 3 million cases of pink eye occur in the U.S. each year. Symptoms: Eyes may be painful or itchy. A discharge can make eyes stick shut. It can feel like there’s something in your eye too. Treatment: Mild pink eye can clear up with artificial tears and cold compresses. See your doc- tor if you have pain, vision problems or intense redness. C G CATARACTS What it is: A cataract clouds the lens, which is the part of the eye that helps focus light. Who’s at risk: The chance of develop- ing cataracts increases as we age. Smokers and people with diabetes have a higher risk. Symptoms: Vision may be blurry, and colors can fade. Glare from sunlight or lamps and poor night vision can be symptoms too. Treatment: Early signs of cataracts can be improved with new glasses, brighter lighting and anti-glare sunglasses. If these don’t help, surgery may be needed to replace the lens with an artifi- cial one. GLAUCOMA What it is: This is a group of diseases that cause pressure to build inside the eyeball, which damages the optic nerve. Glaucoma can trigger vision loss or blindness. Who’s at risk: The risk is highest for Afri- can Americans over age 40, anyone over 60 and people with a family history of glaucoma. Symptoms: Glaucoma usually doesn’t have early symptoms. But it slowly destroys side vision. Eventually, all vision can disappear. Treatment: There’s no cure, and once vision is gone, it can’t be restored. However, medications, laser treatments and surgery may save the vision that remains. Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology; National Eye Institute DRY EYE What it is: Dry eyes happen when eyes don’t produce enough tears or the right kind of tears. Who’s at risk: The condition is more common in women and in people 50 or older. Symptoms: Eyes may feel scratchy or gritty. Stinging, redness, dis- charge and excess tearing up can all happen too. Treatment: Talk to your doctor. Since some medications can lead to dry eye, switching medicines may help. Lifestyle changes—such as cut- ting back on screen time—or eye drops can help too. FLOATERS What they are: These cobwebs or specks float around in your field of vision. Floaters develop when the vitreous—a substance that fills about 80 percent of the eye—starts to shrink. Who’s at risk: Floaters are more common as we age. Folks who are nearsighted, have diabetes or have had cataract surgery have a higher risk. Symptoms: These tiny shadows are most noticeable when you look at something plain, like a blank piece of paper. Treatment: Floaters are usually just annoying, so no treatment is needed. But you should get immediate medical help if you have a sudden increase in floaters, especially if you also see flashes of light or you lose some side vision.Those symptoms could signal a retinal detachment, which is an emergency. 6 HEALTH BEAT