Eye Disorders

By: Stephen Thiele

Break Studios Contributing Writer

Looking for information on eye disorders? Although there are many different types of eye disorders, this article will focus on the most popular ones. In the United States, age-related eye disorders are the leading cause of blindness. Many people do not realize just how common eye disorders are. In the United States alone, approximately 14 million individuals that are aged twelve and older suffer from an eye disorder that causes vision impairment.

  1. Strabismus. Strabismus is an eye disorder that involves a position imbalance in both eyes. If you have strabismus, it is likely that your eyes will either cross in, which is known as esotropia, or turn out, which is known as exotropia. A common cause of strabismus is a lack of coordination between both eyes.
  2. Amblyopia. One of the most common eye disorders is amblyopia, which is also known as lazy eye. People suffer from amblyopia because the affected eye and the brain are not correctly working together, which causes the eye to drift in either direction. There are many eye conditions that can lead to amblyopia, such as astigmatism and strabismus.
  3. Glaucoma. Glaucoma is an eye disorder that is actually a combination of several diseases. These diseases can cause damage to the optic nerve in the eye, which can lead to either vision loss or blindness. Glaucoma is the result of the fluid pressure in the eyes rising, although new studies have also found that glaucoma can occur under normal pressure conditions.
  4. Diabetic Retinopathy. Another common eye disorder is diabetic retinopathy, which is a complication of diabetes. In the United States, diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among adults. Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disorder that involves damage to the retina's blood vessels. There are four different stages of diabetic retinopathy and this eye disorder typically impacts both eyes.
  5. Cataract. Cataract occurs when the eye's lens become clouded. When looking at the worldwide picture, cataract is actually the leading cause of blindness. Cataract can affect people of all ages, but luckily, treatment options for removing cataract are widely available.
Posted on: Mar. 29, 2011