Taking care of your eyes is very important.  No one is exempt from the possibility of becoming blind or visually impaired in their lifetime.  Make it a habit to go for yearly eye exams and to familiarize yourself with the many causes of blindness.

Glaucoma

One in eight blind people are effected by glaucoma.  Glaucoma occurs when fluid builds up in the eye.  If this problem is not managed, vision issues will occur.  Early signs of glaucoma include seeing halos around objects and blurred vision.  If a doctor catches glaucoma early it is treatable and the patients can take medication to prevent blindness.

Diabetes

Many diabetics may develop blindness. Diabetes can causes changes in the eye’s blood vessels.  This can cause retina damage that if caught too late can be irreversible.  It is important for diabetics to call their eye doctor immediately at the first signs of any vision problems.

Degeneration

As the body ages, some people will experience degeneration or malfunction of the retina.  Many older individuals retinas slowly degenerate over the years and the vision loss may not be great enough at first for them to seek help.  Laser treatments are available to help repair the retina if the issue is caught early enough.

Retinitis Pigmentosa

More commonly know as night blindness, this disorder is inherited.  People effected by this condition normally begin to show signs around the age of 10.  Children may complain about not being able  to see at night or in poorly lit classrooms.   Many people with this disorder can develop tunnel vision which later grows into vision so poor that they are considered legally blind by the time they are 18.  Since there is currently no cure for this condition, some people inflected with this illness will have to live their life using an immense amount of light to see.  Others people may go completely blind at some point in their life.