Common Eye Diseases And Conditions

Human Eye Diseases

Common eye diseases and conditions are not necessarily the same thing as vision problems. The human eye diseases listed in this article describe medical problems related to the eye. They may cause difficulties with eyesight and vision acuity, but in and of themselves, they would not be classified as illnesses or diseases. 

A vision problem, of course, can be something like astigmatism or myopia. Then there are certain problems that afflict the eye like pink eye (conjunctivitis) which may be temporary, or a detached retina, which can be extremely serious. Eye and vision problems may also be caused by something that's not part of the eye at all. Double vision, for instance, can be caused by high blood pressure or a concussion.

These types of eye problems are covered elsewhere on this website. This article is dedicated to eye diseases - illnesses that threaten eye health and originate in the eye or relate to the anatomy of the eye itself.

List of common human eye diseases 

Here's a list of the most common types of eye diseases.

Macular degeneration is also known as AMD. This eye disease can threaten your vision and should be taken very seriously. The macula is a layer of tissue that is part of the retina. As you age, it sometimes deteriorates. Symptoms include a blind or blurry spot in the center of your eyesight. Sometimes gray or black colored sports appear. Road signs become hard to read, as does print on a page when the light is dim.

Macular degeneration is more serious that presbyopia, which affects people as they age and can't read newspapers and magazines without "reading glasses." It is also not the same as eye floaters, which are gray or dark spots that appear in your field of vision (usually after age 40).

Regular eye check ups will help your optometrist or ophthalmologist spot macular degeneration. For more detail, click on macular degeneration.

Glaucoma is another eye disease that affects people as they age. This eye disease damages the optic nerve and narrows your field of vision. To learn more, click on glaucoma.

Cataracts A cataract is one of the most common types of eye disease. A cataract produces a clouding effect in the lens of the eye. This eye problem is very common in the elderly. Cataracts can be removed painlessly in an outpatient procedure which removes the obstruction.

Pink eye is exactly what the name says: one or both eyes turn a deep shade of pink or red. There's also swelling, tearing and itchiness. Pink eye is an eye infection that causes inflammation of the conjunctiva (the clear membrane that covers the white part of the eye). The medical name for pink eye is conjunctivities. 

Retinitis pigmentosa is characterized by night blindness and tunnel vision. Retinitis pigmentosa is a genetic condition that leads to chronic retinal degeneration.

Diabetic retinopathy is a vision-threatening eye disease. It results from a complication of diabetes. Blood vessels in the retina become damaged. There may be no symptoms or only mild symptoms in the beginning, but may eventually lead to blindness.

Eye herpes, also known as ocular herpes, is unfamiliar to most people. It's a recurrent viral infection that causes inflammation and can eventually lead to serious vision loss. It can also result in scarring of the cornea (sometimes called a cold sore on the eye). Ocular herpes is be transmitted through close contact with an infected person.

Ocular hypertension is similar to high blood pressure, but is caused by abnormal pressure inside the eye. There are no symptoms, but it can be easily detected during your eye exam. While ocular hypertension is not considered a disease, we mention it here because it is often a precursor for the onset of glaucoma.

Stargardt's disease is often abbreviated STGD. This eye disease is more likely to strike children and young people. It is the most common form of inherited juvenile macular degeneration, and affects one child in 10,000.

CMV Retinitis is caused by the cytomegalovirus, which is completely unfamiliar to most people. Many individuals have no symptoms, but those who do might experience blind spots, blurring, eye floaters and loss of peripheral vision. Even though most adults have been exposed to CMV, it mainly affects people with poor immune systems, such as AIDS patients.