While some of us are born with 20/20 vision, others need to wear glasses or contacts to correct their sight. Some of the reasons that people have less than perfect vision are that their eyes are misshaped, they have an optical nerve defect or they suffered an accident. Still others have vision problems because they have contracted a disease with symptoms that damage vision.

Although people suffer from eye problems, some of them are preventable or can be corrected by taking medication, wearing glasses or having surgery. To keep your eyes in top condition, it’s important to get eye exams regularly. The frequency of these exams depends on the nature of your vision, as well as whether or not you are genetically predisposed to certain eye conditions.

Along with getting eye exams, there are certain steps you can take to prevent damage to your eyes, such as wearing sunglasses that protect you from UV rays.

In this section, we will outline and explain some of the most common eye problems. Not only will we describe the conditions, but we will also relate the causes, symptoms and treatment options for each pathology of the eye.

Myopia

Commonly known as nearsightedness, myopia is a vision problem in which a person has blurry vision when trying to focus on objects that are far away. In technical terms, myopia is a refractive optical disorder. Those who suffer from myopia generally wear contacts or glasses that correct this blurriness, helping them see clearly at a distance.

In some cases, people suffering from myopia can get LASIK (Laser-Assisted in Situ Keratomileusis) surgery that effectively reshapes eyes so they can accurately focus on far away objects. However, if you suffer from myopia and are considering getting LASIK surgery to treat it, keep in mind that LASIK does have some side effects. Keep reading for more information on the causes of and treatments for myopia.

Color Blindness

Known in the medical world as dyschromatopsia, color blindness is an eye defect that impairs people from distinguishing between different colors. While a genetic defect on the Y chromosome is the cause of most cases of color blindness, this condition may also arise due to damage to any part of the optical system (i.e. the eye, the optic nerve or the visual sensory area of the brain).

Because most people who suffer from color blindness are those who have a genetic defect on the Y chromosome (the chromosome unique to men), men are far more likely to suffer from this eye problem. Keep reading for more information on how to live with color blindness.

Diplopia

This eye impairment, commonly known as double vision, causes sufferers to perceive two images (on either a vertical, horizontal or diagonal level) of one object. In general, diplopia arises because a person’s eyes can’t accurately focus on the same object because they are not aligned. While misalignment can occur because of a lazy eye muscle or crossed eyes, it can also happen when the eyes don’t sit on the same level.

Misalignment causes each eye to transmit a different message to the brain. As a result, a person with diplopia will have two different perceptions of a single situation.

Because we rely on our vision to understand depth and movement, getting an accurate read of situations with our vision is important. Consequently, those who suffer from diplopia need immediate treatment, which usually includes vision therapy and the use of prism lenses. Keep reading for more on diplopia.