Ophthalmologist & LASIK Surgeon Serving Chicago, Lombard & Naperville Areas Of Illinois
Posted: October 20, 2017
You depend on your eyesight to read, drive and accomplish nearly any task. It’s natural to lose your near vision as you get older, but when your perception becomes cloudy or severely blurry, it could be a sign of a degenerative eye disease. October is Blindness Awareness Month, and our eye surgeon in Chicago wants you to know how important regular eye exams are to catch vision loss early and prevent partial or total blindness.
These are two of the most prevalent eye diseases plaguing men and women across the globe and causing blindness:
Cataracts
The most common culprit of severe vision loss and blindness is cataracts. A cataract occurs when your natural eye lens becomes cloudy. Luckily, this eye disease can be reversed through traditional or laser cataract surgery. However, many men and women across the world don’t have access to essential eye care and surgical options to restore their vision. According to a 2010 study, 33.4 percent of blindness worldwide is caused by cataracts.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma can happen at any age and is the second leading eye disease that causes blindness. An estimated 6 million people are blind in both eyes because of glaucoma, and up to 60.4 million are affected worldwide. There’s no cure, but treatments have gotten progressively better. Glaucoma happens when the fluid inside your eyes creates an increasing pressure that damages your retina and optic nerve, which impacts your side vision. Vision loss caused by glaucoma is irreversible. However, the eye disease is manageable through prescription eye drops or eye surgery.
There are other eye diseases such as macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy that cause many adults and sometimes children to lose part of or all their vision.
The best way to take care of your vision is to stick to annual eye exams, and these appointments should increase in frequency as you get older.
Schedule your eye exam with Dr. Foulkes in Chicago or Lombard today at 630-724-1400. Foulkes Vision welcomes patients from Chicago, Lombard, Downers Grove and surrounding areas of Illinois.