Vision problems

There are many conditions that can affect the eye, causing visual disturbances and problems – most of us will experience temporary eye problems from time to time, including itching, blurriness or fatigue.

Many of these are short-lived and will probably go away on their own with no complications. However, if you do experience sudden eye problems, especially those that last for a few of days, contact us right away. Vision changes should never be ignored. They can get worse and significantly influence the quality of your life.

To ensure you are in great health we suggest an eye examination. This can detect many harmful conditions that can affect the body including diabetes, blood pressure, stroke and even tumours. For extra care, you might also want to include an OCT examination.

To find out what conditions can cause problems see below:

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is an eye disease in which the optic nerve becomes damaged which then results in blindness. Symptoms include increased pressure in the eye, causing poor night vision, blind spots, and loss of vision to either side.

Glaucoma can occur gradually or suddenly – if suddenly, it’s a medical emergency.

We can help detect Glaucoma by performing a test to examine the eye pressure, visual fields, and the back of the eye. We recommend upgrading to OCT, which will check the nerve fibre layers at the optic disc.

A Glaucoma test is free on the NHS for: those with glaucoma, and for patients over fourty with a parent, child, brother, or sister with glaucoma.

Diabetes and your vision

Diabetes causes sight-threatening retinal degradation. It can damage blood vessels around your body – when the small blood vessels inside your eye get damaged, it’s called Diabetic Retinopathy.

Bleeding and the growth of fragile, new blood vessels in the retina (inner eye) will destroy your eyesight.

Vision symptoms are usually rare in the early stages; however, an intermittent blur and seeing spots in the vision can be warning signs.

Most sight loss from diabetic retinopathy can be prevented – early diagnosis is the key. You may not realise that there is anything wrong with your eyesight, that’s why annual eye examinations are strongly recommended.

We offer free NHS sight tests for diabetics; however, we recommend you upgrade to OCT and use retinal photography to detect problems and to monitor changes.

Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the internal lens of the eye. As the lens becomes cloudier, vision becomes blurry and distorted.

Decreasing eye sight clarity, ghosting, and glare problems are common symptoms of a cataract condition.

Young people with diabetes can develop a special type of cataract, and although vision gets worse, it can be restored by surgery. Older people with diabetes are more prone to developing cataracts and these can be removed by surgery.

We can monitor cataracts and refer you once they develop.

Macular degeneration

A leading cause of blindness in the UK, this condition mainly affects central vision, causing blind spots directly ahead.

The macula is the centre portion of the retina and is called the 20/20 eyesight area. When this macula area becomes compromised, the vision becomes very distorted.

There are two forms of Macular degeneration. It is diagnosed as either dry or wet. The dry form is more common, whilst the wet form usually leads to more serious vision loss.

New research has shown that vitamins containing Lutein may lessen the risk of this disease, and sometimes, improve eyesight. Early diagnosis and continued observation is crucial – an OCT will help detect the disease.