COMMON EYE CONDITIONS

Minor eye disorders are very common. Over half the Australian population uses vision correction and nearly everyone will require some sort of vision correction at some stage of their life. The most common eye problems are refractive errors such as shortsightedness and long-sightedness.

Refractive errors  

The most common eye disorders are refractive errors, where the image of the object a person is looking at is not focused properly onto the retina (the light-sensitive tissue in the back of the eye).

For perfectly clear vision, the image of a viewed object needs to be focused onto the retina, just as a camera has to be focused properly in order to take a clear picture.

If the image is not focused exactly on the retina, then the image will be blurred, just like an out-of-focus photograph. In this case, the person is said to have a refractive error.

There are four main types of refractive errors: Myopia (shortsightedness), Hyperopia (long-sightedness), Astigmatism and Presbyopia. These can all be helped with the use of spectacles which operate by focussing the image properly.

Binocular Vision Problems

Binocular vision is the way the eyes work together. The most common binocular vision problems are accommodation (focussing) and vergence (eye-teaming) dysfunctions. These problems can occur in the absence of having a refractive errror. The most common symptoms of a binocular vision dysfunction would be blurry vision, sore eyes and headaches. Binocular vision problems are rarely serious but can cause discomfort especially for those who need to reading or on a computer everyday. They can occur in both adults and children and can be treated with glasses or vision therapy or often a combination or both. For more information, please see our Vision Therapy page. 

Eye diseases

Eye diseases are relatively rare, although they become more common as we get older. All eye diseases should be regarded as serious - even diseases that appear to be mild can have the potential to cause serious damage if they are not treated appropriately. If you suspect that you have any eye disease, you should seek immediate care from a qualified professional.

Many serious eye diseases do not have any dramatic symptoms. Indeed, some people with serious eye diseases do not even realise that there is anything wrong until their eyes have suffered irreversible damage. Everyone should have a checkup from an optometrist or ophthalmologist every two years in order to detect any eye disease before it has a chance to cause serious damage. Your optometrist may recommend more frequent checks if you are at higher risk of eye disease.

* The above information was provided by the Optometrists Association Australia