Your eye is one of the unique organs in your body because it allows you to appreciate nature. After all, it allows you to see while navigating in your environment. For this reason, you must care for your eyes by performing good eye hygiene to promote your eye health. However, despite practicing good eye hygiene, you might suffer from various eye conditions. If you begin experiencing vision loss or pain or note some swelling or redness in your eye, you can consult an ophthalmologist Jacksonville, FL, for an examination of your eyes to detect certain eye concerns and offer the best treatment. Below are common eye conditions that require you to consult an ophthalmologist.
Glaucoma
It is a serious eye condition involving damaging the optic nerve responsible for vision. The two types of glaucoma: open-angle and acute angle-closure glaucoma. Primary open-angle glaucoma is the most common, about ninety-five percent of all glaucoma cases. In most cases, it occurs due to excess fluid accumulation in your eye, especially the aqueous humor that supports and nourishes your eyes. When leakage of aqueous humor through the trabecular mesh, it might accumulate, resulting in high inner-eye pressure that damages your optic nerve.
Acute open-angle glaucoma
A rare form of glaucoma occurs when your iris is close to the trabecular drainage system, thus blocking free fluid flow. As a result, the fluid accumulates, causing damage to the optic nerve. Of importance to note is that this type of glaucoma usually occurs in attacks and during medical emergencies. You should consult your care provider, especially if you have glaucoma, because left untreated may result in permanent vision loss.
Dry eyes
Dry eye syndrome occurs when you have insufficient fluid in your eyes to keep your eyes moisturized. In most cases, when your eyes are moisturized or lubricated, you do not experience any discomfort. When your tear glands cannot make enough tears, that is when your eyes dry, and it can also occur when you have a tear imbalance where your tears contain too much water than mucus and oil. When you have dry eye syndrome, you experience red eyes, blurry vision, sandy-feeling eyes, hot eyes, light sensitivity, eye burning, and eye stinging.
Floaters
Generally, floaters are tiny particles that are seen moving in your visual field. Floaters are usually linked to squiggly lines, spots, cobwebs, or other shapes. Usually, floaters are visible when you are looking at a plain background, such as a clear sky or wall.
Red eyes
Red eyes occur when the sclera, which is always white, has overall or diffuse redness. It might also have dilated veins in other cases, commonly affecting adults. Common causes of red eyes include cellulitis, dry eyes, keratitis, blepharitis, allergies, corneal damage, or conjunctivitis.
You can schedule your appointment at Wolchok Eye Associates today, especially if you are experiencing some uncomfortable symptoms such as pain, swelling, redness, or eye discharge, and receive the best treatment for your condition. When you visit your ophthalmologist, they often examine your eye to help develop a diagnosis that determines which treatment works best for you. They also help determine your risks of developing certain conditions and educate you on healthy practices you can engage in to promote the health of your eyes and also avoid some risks.