Ask An Ophthalmologist: Why Is Glaucoma Called The Silent Thief of Sight?
Glaucoma is the second most common cause of blindness in the U.S, affecting an estimated 3 million Americans. Glaucoma causes damage to the optic nerve, which connects the eyeball to the brain. Over time, this optic nerve damage causes permanent vision loss or blindness.
Because the disease has no early signs or symptoms until vision loss begins, glaucoma is often referred to as the “silent thief of sight.” Once the disease has advanced to the point that your vision is impaired, it’s usually too late to prevent or reverse vision loss. Glaucoma can affect anyone at any age, but those at the highest risk are people over age 40, people with a family history of glaucoma, and those with high eye pressure.
Cataracts are caused by a clouding or hardening of the eye’s lens. Things look blurry, hazy or less colorful with a cataract, akin to looking through a dusty or foggy window. Other symptoms may include double vision in only one eye, needing brighter light when reading, worsening night vision, increased sensitivity to bright light, or seeing halos around lights. 
Your eyelids have the important job of keeping your eyes protected and lubricated. However, eyelids are fairly thin-skinned and are full of nerves and blood vessels, so the slightest irritation can cause extreme itching. If your eyes become infected or inflamed, your eyelids will itch even more. So how do you determine if your itchy eyelid is due to an eye infection, allergies, or something else?
Cataracts are common and affect almost 75% of the U.S. population aged 65 and older. Cataracts are a gradual clouding and hardening of the eye’s lens, which results in reduced vision as you age. The most common symptoms of cataracts are blurring and dimming of vision, which may appear as a persistent glare or filminess, especially when the eyes are exposed to bright lights. With most cataracts, visual impairment progressively worsens without treatment. 
With East Tennessee’s allergies kicking back into gear this spring, many people are wondering how to tell the difference between two of the most common eye related issues—ocular allergies and dry eye. If your eyes are red, itchy, burning, or gritty-feeling, it’s important to get to the root cause. 
Proper ergonomics have long been known to make a difference in how our backs and necks feel for those of us whose work requires sitting at desks all day long. But did you know that office ergonomics are also important for the health and comfort of your eyes? This is particularly true if your desk job involves looking at a computer screen all day. 