Did you know that only 35% of the population has 20/20 vision? This means your vision is healthy. You can see the things you should be able to see when they are 20 feet away.
The rest of the population will need to wear glasses, contacts, or have corrective surgery in order to enjoy this level of vision. While some are born with weaker eyesight, others have developed common eye disorders over time that weaken their vision.
What are the eye disorders you should be aware of, that can impact your vision? Keep reading to learn about the most common eye problems, and how can you correct or prevent them.
What are the Most Common Eye Conditions?
Eye strain is the most common issue today. Most people experience this due to much time spent looking at screens for work, entertainment, or hobbies like video games or digital photography.
Red eyes or bloodshot eyes are also common eye problems, particularly for those who don’t get enough sleep or who have allergies.
Night blindness is when you have trouble seeing at night time, making driving dangerous. This can be the result of cataracts. Luckily, this can be cured with cataract surgery, giving you back your vision, and allowing you to function well day and night. A lazy eye occurs often in infants and children. One eye is weaker than the other, causing it to move slowly and not respond well. If caught early on in life, the eye can be trained to work normally.
Cross eyes occur when you’re eyes don’t line up. They aren’t in sync and can cause vision problems. Oftentimes, surgery is needed to correct this issue.
Colorblindness is an issue that many people are born with. Those who have it can’t tell the difference between certain colors. There’s no official treatment for this.
Pink eye occurs when you experience inflammation in the eyelids. Your eyes get itchy, red, and often release discharge. They are usually caused by infection.
Preventing Common Eye Disorders
The best thing you can do, of course, is to take steps to prevent eye diseases before they ever begin. They are much more common today since we spent so much time looking at screens every day.
Computer, TV, and phone screens emit blue light, which is harmful to our eyes and can cause vision problems over time. Not only eye conditions, but headaches, poor sleep, and other conditions as well.
The simple solution is adding a blue light blocking screen to all of your devices, such as your phone or laptop computer. Doing so can block almost all of the UV light coming from the screen, lessening the negative effects.
You can also break up screen sessions with a quick walk outside. Better yet, try to disconnect from all devices for one entire day per week, to give your eyes a break.
Don’t Take your Vision for Granted
Most Americans struggle with these common eye disorders and a handful of others that are a little less common. They are largely avoidable.
And even once they develop, most can be corrected if you visit your eye doctor on a regular basis. Most people take their vision for granted until they lose it.