Low vision generally means impaired vision, and it can happen whether you are young or old. Many people have low vision (meaning they can’t see well) due to hereditary conditions, eye diseases or eye injuries. Some people don’t see well at sunset with changing light and others have vision that deteriorates slowly as they age.

At some point in our lives, most of us will experience some form of vision loss. Educating yourself on the most common conditions will help you recognize signs and symptoms. Acting early on the onset of some symptoms is crucial for reversible conditions. Educate yourself on these six most common eye problems to prolong your good eye health: refractive errors, cataracts, keratoconus, macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and glaucoma.

Glaucoma is the name given to a group of eye conditions where the optic nerve is damaged at the point where it leaves the eye. Chronic glaucoma often has no symptoms and the eye may seem normal. It also isn’t painful and at first; your vision may seem normal. However, you will start to notice changes in your vision, especially your peripheral (side) vision.

Blurry vision can occur without warning, or it can happen gradually with certain chronic conditions. If this is the case, your vision may be misty or blurry so that you cannot see details at a distance, or your glasses can seem scratched and dirty when they’re not. Some problems can be resolved with the right vision treatment or appliance such as glasses or contact lenses. Other problems may need close care and treatment throughout the years.

You may have heard of nearsightedness and farsightedness before, but what are they really? Both are some of the most common forms of visual problems we encounter in our office and are very common among patients. Nearsightedness means that people can see objects clearly up close, but objects farther away are blurry. Farsightedness is its opposite as objects farther away will be clear, while those close are blurry.