The eye, a complex opening to the world, consists of fluids, nerves and tissues that observe and communicate with the brain to produce vision. Damage to any part of the eye potentially leads to an eye disorder. Some eye disorders require only minimal treatment such as antibiotics, but other disorders lead to blindness.
Inflammation
Eye disorders include inflammation, the reaction to tissue injury. An inflammation of the blood vessels in the conjunctiva, along with a sticky discharge, presents as epidemic keratoconjunctivitistis, better known as pink eye. Bacteria or viruses cause conjunctivitis, making it highly contagious. Allergies or infections cause blepharitis, an inflammation of the glands and hair follicles around the edges of the eyelids. Iritis, inflammation of the iris or the uvea, caused by trauma or chemical burn, presents within about three days.
Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration, or ARMD, accounts for the greatest cause of irreversible central vision loss of all eye disorders. Of the two forms of ARMD, dry and wet, 90 percent have dry ARMD. Merck.com reports wet ARMD accounts for 90 percent of blindness caused by ARMD.
Cataract
Expect impaired vision when a cataract forms as clumps of protein in the eye and restricts the amount of light reaching the retina. Clouding of the lens causes painless, progressive vision loss. Cataracts generally affect older adults starting at about age 60. Types of cataracts not caused by aging include secondary cataracts resulting from other health issues, traumatic cataracts caused by eye injury, congenital cataracts that are present at birth, and radiation cataracts, the result of radiation exposure.
Glaucoma
The National Institutes of Health puts glaucoma as the leading cause of blindness in the United States. Glaucoma is damage to the optic nerve from pressure that builds up inside the eye. Types of glaucoma include open-angle, low-tension, angle-closure, childhood, congenital, primary and secondary glaucoma. Early treatment may slow the advancement of this eye disorder.
Dry Eyes
The National Eye Institute defines dry eyes as a disorder in which the eyes do not produce enough tears or the tears evaporate too quickly. Untreated dry eyes can cause inflammation, pain and ulcers of the cornea. Expect to treat dry eyes in association with eye protrusion related to thyroid disease.
Retinitis Pigmentosa
Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of hereditary eye disorders that involve the retina. Defects affecting the light-sensing ability of the retina cause symptoms such as difficulty seeing at night or reading and loss of peripheral vision. Other eye disorders, such as cataracts, may be present with retinitis pigmentosa.
