Cataracts: Symptoms, Causes, and Surgery for Treatment
A cataract is when part of the eye called the lens, which is normally clear, becomes cloudy and affects your vision. It tends to affect older people – up to half of people in the US will have been affected by cataracts by the time they are 80. There are other rarer types of cataracts, such as congenital cataracts, that develop from birth, and this is checked at your baby's regular screenings with your doctor. People with a cataract usually complain of blurred vision. As the condition progresses over the years, vision can worsen, colors look less vibrant, spots appear in their vision, halos appear around lights, lights seem too bright, and they have difficulty seeing in poor light or at night. Pain isn't usually a symptom. Cataract symptoms usually develop slowly over a few years, so people may not notice at first, but it will be picked up at a routine eye test.
Reviewed: 25.03.2025 | 2 min read
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Xailin Night: Eye Ointment for Dryness and Relief
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Glaucoma: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment Options
Glaucoma is a condition where there is damage to the optic nerve. This nerve sits at the back of your eye and transports the images your eyes see to your brain for processing. Glaucoma can threaten your vision, either by direct damage to the optic nerve, or by an increase in pressure in the fluid filling the eye, and thereby squeezing the optic nerve. It can ultimately lead to a loss of vision, so it's important it's detected and treated early. There are two usual types of glaucoma, based on whether pressure increases slowly or quickly. Chronic open-angle glaucoma - the most common type - is where pressure inside the eye builds slowly, so the loss of vision occurs gradually. You might not even notice changes early on, but you're most likely to lose vision in the outer edges of your vision (the periphery) first. It's often picked up on a routine check-up with your optician, where they check eye pressure by blowing a puff of air on your eyeball. This type of glaucoma usually affects both eyes and is painless. About 3 million people in the US have chronic open-angle glaucoma. Acute angle glaucoma is much less common. Pressure builds rapidly inside the eye and threatens vision if not treated urgently. You might feel severe pain in or around your eye or in the head, the eye may feel tight or full, lights may appear to have halos around them and you might complain of blurred vision. You may even feel unwell and be vomiting. This is an emergency and you should seek medical attention urgently. Other possible types of glaucoma include secondary glaucoma – caused by an eye injury or inflammation of the middle layer of the eye – and congenital glaucoma which is rare but present at birth.
How to Correctly Instill Eye Drops: Guide
There are many different types of eye drops available both over the counter and via prescription. Eye drops are used to treat a myriad of eye conditions, including hay fever, dry eyes, infections, glaucoma, and more. While they cover a variety of treatments, they all are instilled using the same technique. Below we have a step-by-step guide to help you instill your eye drops effectively!
Hay Fever: What Will Soothe My Eye Symptoms?
You know when the pollen season has arrived if you suffer from itchy, streaming eyes that look red and puffy. It can be uncomfortable, and you feel desperate for some relief. Our pharmacist has put together some remedies to help soothe your eyes and heal your eye symptoms.
