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Causes For Blindness
There are so many reasons that someone can become blind or visually impaired, that is why no visually impaired person can see the same as any other visually impaired person. Just like everyone's personality is different and unique, so is everyone's sight. Some of the more common causes of sight impairment are:
Inherited or Congenital Blindness
Congenital or Inherited Blindness is blindness that is evident at birth, and was cause by being inherited or complications at birth, or during pregnancy. One congenital blindness diseases is Albinism which causes some or part of a person's body or a whole body to possess a lack of pigment.
Age Related Macular Degeneration (ARM)
Macular Degeneration is the leading cause for loss of sight among older people. It is caused my changes in the macula, which is a part of the retina that is in charge of sharp vision. This disease however only damages central vision and leaves peripheral vision as it was. There are different kinds of Macular Degeneration; wet, dry, and age-related. Wet Macular Degeneration is when fluids from new blood vessels leak into the retinal tissue and result in vision loss. The dry version is when the macula is unable to work properly because it is not being supplied with enough fluids from the blood vessels. The wet version is when fluids forming new blood vessels leak into the macula and cause sight damage. The wet version of ARM, if detected early enough, can be treated with laser eye surgery; but so far there is no cure or treatment for the dry form of ARM.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye condition where the optic nerve is damaged by additional raised pressure within the eye. This occurs when there is an imbalance when the eye fluids are unable to escape or drain due to closing or blockage of the channels in the eye vessels. The pressure occurs when the fluids cause too much pressure on the eye. The additional pressure can gradually damage the optic nerve that sends the visual messages to he brain, and eventually result in sight loss. People who have this disease may be unaware of their condition because one eye can cover for another and they would not realize their loss of sight until most of the sight in the effected eye is lost. If treatment is procrastinated the defects can be permanent, but if diagnosed and treated you can keep damage and pain to a minimal. In some cases, the pressure rises so quickly that the victim may experience extreme pain and sight loss. Some treatments for Glaucoma are eye drops, or other forms of medication.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetes is a disease that effects the ability to store and use sugar. It can, over time, cause damage to the eye and even cause blindness. It can cause changes in the blood vessels that nourish the retina. Some changes are leaking of blood, development of extra vessels, and vessel enlargement. If you have diabetes it is extremely important that you have your eyes checked regularly to prevent any eye damage from occurring. Some symptoms for Diabetic Retinopathy are:
Not all people however with diabetes will over time develop Retinopathy, by taking some precautions you can greatly reduce your chances of getting this disease, Some of these precautions are: