Eye Disease
The eyes are the organs of sight that are essential for life. That is why you need to maintain their health so that you do not get eye pain or eye disease.
Some eye diseases may be temporary and will heal on their own without complications.
However, eye problems that come on suddenly and are serious often have sudden symptoms as well.
Symptoms of Eye Disease
Symptoms of eye pain cause various conditions that cause discomfort. Eye pain often hinders the sufferer’s activities.
The common symptoms of eye pain are:
- Red eye.
- It hurts.
- Itching.
- Dry.
- Juicy.
- Blurred or shadowy vision.
- Head feels dizzy when focusing the point of vision on one object.
Risk Factors for Eye Disease
Risk factors for eye disease can be divided into several conditions, namely:
- Excessive use of gadgets. Blue light from excessive use of gadgets can cause eye fatigue or dry eyes. This habit will have a worse impact on children under 18 years of age.
- Unhealthy lifestyle. For example, not consuming enough healthy and nutritious food. For example, carrots, green vegetables, fruits, and fish that contain high omega-3.
- Contact lens use. If used for too long and not kept clean, contact lens use can increase the risk of eye disease, especially red eyes.
- Age. The older a person gets, the lower the quality of eye function.
- Genetics. Some eye diseases can be inherited.
- Certain diseases. Diseases such as diabetes or tumors have complications that affect vision.
Causes of Eye Disease
The cause of eye disease is not yet known for certain. However, this condition can be triggered by a number of factors.
The following are a number of factors that cause eye pain, including:
1. Cataracts
Cataracts cause the lens of the eye to become cloudy, so vision appears blurry at first.
Cataract sufferers usually have difficulty seeing at night, are sensitive to light, and cannot distinguish colors clearly.
2. Glaucoma
Glaucoma erodes and damages the optic nerve that supports the eye’s vision.
Optic nerve damage can occur due to fluid buildup in the eye which increases pressure inside the eyeball.
There are two types of glaucoma, primary open-angle glaucoma and closed-angle glaucoma.
Both can be caused by age factors, heredity, complications of hypertension in the eyes, complications of diabetes, and certain eye diseases such as retinal detachment and retinitis (inflammation of the retina).
3. Eye Refraction Problems
Refractive eye problems are visual disturbances that cause incoming light not to be focused directly on the retina.
Refractive disorders cause 9.5 percent of blindness in Indonesia.
Some refractive disorders of the eye, namely nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, and presbyopia.
4. Conjunctivitis (Red Eye)
Conjunctivitis or pink eye is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane (conjunctiva) that lines the eyelids and covers the white part of the eyeball.
When the small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become inflamed, the red color becomes more visible and covers the white part of the eyeball.
In addition to disturbing vision, eye pain also causes discomfort. You can contact this specialist doctor who can help overcome eye pain.
5. Pterygium
Pterygium is an eye disorder caused by the presence of a mucous membrane that covers the white part of the eye.
This eye disease often occurs due to frequent exposure to sunlight radiation.
The presence of the mucous membrane also makes the eyes feel like a foreign object is in them. Symptoms include red eyes, blurred vision, and itchy or burning eyes.
6. Amblyopia (Lazy Eye)
Amblyopia, or lazy eye, is common in children. This eye condition occurs when vision in one eye is reduced because the eye and brain are not working together properly.
There are many things that can cause lazy eye or amblyopia.
Examples include strabismus, imbalance in the position of the two eyes, nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism in one eye.
7. Strabismus
Strabismus is a term used to describe an imbalance in the position of the two eyes, causing the eyes to appear crossed.
This eye disease occurs due to a lack of coordination between the eyes, so that the eyes look in different directions and do not focus simultaneously on one point.
8. Color Blindness
When a person cannot see certain colors, or cannot distinguish between some colors, he or she is likely color blind.
This eye disease occurs when the color cells in the eye (cone cells) are absent or not functioning properly.
At its worst, a person can only see in shades of gray, but this condition is rare.
Most people who have this condition have it since birth.
9. Presbyopia
This eye disease occurs when a person loses the ability to see close objects or small writing.
Once a person is 40 years old or older, it is usually necessary to look at reading material further away from the eyes to make it easier to read.
10. Dry Eyes
Dry eyes occur when the eyes are unable to produce sufficient and good-quality tears.
A person may feel like there is something in the eye or experience a burning sensation.
In severe cases, extreme dryness can lead to vision loss. However, this is rare.
11. Allergies
Eye allergies can also be a cause of general eye pain. This condition occurs due to an overreaction of the immune system to substances or allergens (allergy-triggering substances) that enter the eye.
There are a number of factors that can be allergens that cause eye allergies. Starting from certain foods, pollution, smoke, and dust to the use of makeup on the eye area.
12. Eye Injuries
Eye injuries can occur due to several conditions, including:
- Entry of foreign objects or particles into the eye.
- Exposure to chemicals, for example, exposure to soap when bathing.
- Blunt force trauma, puncture wounds to the eye, or injuries from falls.
Eye injuries can be mild or severe. In mild cases, eye injuries generally only cause pain and redness in the eyes, as well as watery eyes.
However, serious eye injuries require treatment from a doctor.
Eye Disease Diagnosis
Eye pain requires examination and treatment from an eye specialist.
In diagnosing eye disease, the doctor will trace the medical history and eye complaints experienced to determine the factors of eye disease and how severe the symptoms are.
The following are examination options for diagnosing eye disease:
1. Eye examination
The doctor will perform a thorough eye examination using various instruments.
For example, an ophthalmoscope to see the inside of the eye such as the retina and a tonometer to measure eye pressure.
The doctor may also use a slit lamp to examine the various structures of the eye in detail.
2. Vision test
An examination to evaluate the extent to which the eye is able to see clearly and focus at various distances.
This test includes a test with an optotype board to read letters or numbers at a certain distance.
3. Visual field test
Next, there is a visual field test to measure the eye’s ability to see objects in various directions without having to move.
This examination is important to detect peripheral vision problems.
4. Color test
The color test aims to evaluate the extent to which the eye is able to distinguish colors. This can help detect color problems in the eyes.
5. Refraction test
Meanwhile, the refraction test functions to measure refractive errors of the eye, such as myopia, hypermetropia, or astigmatism.
This helps the doctor determine whether the patient needs glasses or contact lenses for vision correction.
6. Additional tests
Sometimes, the doctor may perform additional tests as needed, such as a contrast visual acuity test, gonioscopy (to diagnose glaucoma), or a keratometry test (to measure the curvature of the cornea).
After all the examinations are done, the doctor will evaluate the results and make a diagnosis based on the findings.
If diagnosed with an eye disease, the doctor will formulate an appropriate treatment plan.
Eye Disease Treatment
Treatment for sore eyes varies, depending on the cause. Some sore eyes can heal on their own.
But there are also eye diseases that require medical attention. If the cause of the eye disease is a bacterial infection, the doctor can prescribe antibiotic eye drops or ointment.
However, if the cause of eye pain is glaucoma, the doctor will prescribe medication to lower the pressure in the sufferer’s eyeballs.
In addition, doctors can also recommend surgery if drug treatment does not produce results.
In addition to medical treatment from a doctor, eye pain sufferers can also relieve the symptoms of this condition with natural methods and ingredients, such as:
1. Using saline solution
The first way to treat eye pain with natural ingredients is to use a salt or saline solution.
This is because salt has antibacterial properties that can eliminate germs that cause eye infections.
Interestingly, salt is also effective in overcoming dry eyes and cleaning the organ.
Therefore, try to drip saline solution into the infected eye.
For intensity, you can drip the saline solution three to four times a day and dry it carefully using tissue.
Be sure to avoid rubbing your eyes with dirty hands. This can worsen symptoms.
2. Using a Cold Compress
Using a cold compress can also help relieve symptoms of eye pain, especially bruised and swollen eyelids.
To do this, you need to soak the towel in cold water for some time.
Afterward, you can compress the bruised eyelid for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Compressing the Eyes with Tea Bags
You can also use green, black or chamomile tea bags to compress sore eyes.
The reason is, tea has antioxidant content that is quite effective in relieving symptoms of eye pain. For example, such as red, dry and swollen eyes.
To do this, you can cool the wet tea bags for a while.
Then, compress the sore eye area two to three times a day for 20-30 minutes.
4. Warm Compress
Like cold compresses, warm compresses can also help relieve symptoms of eye pain. Examples include dry, red or swollen eyes.
However, compressing the eyes with a warm compress can also help reduce pain and make the eye muscles more relaxed.
Eye Disease Complications
There are several complications of this condition that need to be watched out for.
The complications that arise can vary depending on the underlying disease, for example:
- Cataracts: If not treated promptly, cataracts can become “hyper-mature”, a condition that makes them more difficult to remove. The worst condition that can occur is total blindness.
- Glaucoma: Glaucoma condition causes permanent vision loss or blindness.
- Amblyopia: complications that can be experienced with amblyopia are blindness, misaligned eyes, and central vision.
- Conjunctivitis: a complication in the form of inflammation of the cornea that affects vision.
- Color blindness: complications are felt during learning or viewing experiences that are not optimal.
- Dry eyes: complications can include eye infections, damage to the surface of the eye, and decreased quality of life.
The thing you need to remember is that eye diseases that are not treated immediately or do not receive treatment can cause blindness or permanent damage.
Eye Disease Prevention
Eye health needs to be maintained to minimize the risk of eye disease. Here are some things you can do to maintain eye health:
- Have your eyes checked regularly, at least once every six months.
- Eat a balanced diet. Green leafy vegetables, salmon, tuna, eggs, nuts, blueberries, blackberries, and oranges when consumed regularly can help maintain eye health.
- Don’t stare at gadgets for too long, including cell phones, televisions, and laptops.
- Quit smoking. If you are a smoker and want to quit, read more about how to do it at.
- Clean your face makeup before going to bed.
- Exercise regularly, at least 10-30 minutes every day.
- Know the risk factors for eye disease. Including age, family history of eye disease, and background of other health conditions (such as high blood pressure or diabetes).
- Protect your eyes. Wear sunglasses, even on cloudy days, to protect your eyes from UVA and UVB rays. Wear proper eye protection when playing sports or doing work that involves risk.
One way to maintain eye health is to not ignore various eye problems.
If it feels like there are grains of sand in your eyes, rinse with clean water.
If your eyes feel itchy or turn red, treat them with eye drops or a cold compress.
See an eye doctor immediately if you experience the above symptoms, or when your eyes feel sore, swollen, sensitive to light, dark spots floating when looking, or whenever you cannot see normally.