Cataract is one of the most common eyesight-related problems that people suffer from. In fact, over 20 million people above the age of 40 have a cataract in one or both eyes. The best way to manage a case of cataract is to get a corrective surgery done at the right time. An early detection of the condition can help in preventing any permanent damage to your eyesight. Read on to know more about the five signs and symptoms that are linked to cataract:

Clouded vision
One of the most easily identifiable symptoms of cataract is a clouded or blurry vision. You will notice that a foggy layer is gradually developing on your lens and it is blurring your vision. It starts out small, and the blurry effect might worsen over a period. If left untreated, there is a possibility of completely losing vision.

Night vision problems
As the cataract advances, you will notice that the lenses start to appear yellow or brown. With passing time, your night vision might get affected, and you will have a problem carrying out simple activities like driving and crossing the road at night.

Light sensitivity
Many people who develop a cataract complain about irritation when their eyes are exposed to bright light. People who suffer from posterior subcapsular cataracts, wherein the cataract develops from the back of the lenses, are more prone to experiencing pain due to light sensitivity than patients who suffer from other types of cataract.

Rapid change in eyesight
If you see yourself getting a new pair of glasses with a higher number every few months, then this might be a warning for a bigger problem like a cataract.
So, in such cases, instead of getting a new pair of glasses, getting a thorough eye checkup done for cataract is the best solution.

Seeing halos
If your cataract has reached an advanced stage, then along with sensitivity to light, you might also start seeing a halo around bright light sources. It happens due to clouded vision, causing diffraction of the light that enters your eyes.
The worst thing about this symptom is that it makes driving at night almost impossible owing to streetlights everywhere and vehicle headlights.

If you experience any of these early signs and symptoms of cataract, you should see a doctor immediately and get your eyes examined.

Cataract is a common vision problem that many people suffer as they cross their 40s. In cataracts, your otherwise clear eye lenses develop a foggy layer on them, and everything appears to be blurry. Although cataract is not a major eye condition, it cannot be ignored for long as it starts affecting your daily routine and makes it difficult for you to perform simple tasks like reading and driving.
So, how can you prevent developing a case of cataract? There is no proof about the prevention of cataract, but there are some preventive measures that doctors believe help in reducing your chances of developing a cataract. Here are 5 tactical ways in which you can bring down your chances of developing a cataract:

Go for regular eye checkups
Once you have crossed the age of 40, it is best to have a routine eye checkup done. In fact, there is no harm in getting a routine eye checkup done in your early years as that will help in early detection of cataract or any other eyesight related problems. It is advisable to ask your doctor about how often you should get an eye examination done.

Avoid smoking
Smoking is said to be a common risk factor that might lead to the development of cataract at an early age. Although this is not proved, it is best to quit smoking as a preventive measure. If you are a chain smoker, then now is the best time to give a serious thought to quitting smoking. You can consider seeking the help of medications, counseling, yoga, and other alternative therapies in smoking cessation.

Limit your alcohol consumption
It is said that excessive intake of alcohol might lead to you developing cataract at a premature age. So, make sure that you limit your alcohol intake to a minimum. Remember that the less you drink, the lower your chances of developing a cataract.

Always wear sunglasses
The harsh ultraviolet sunrays are one of the most common risk factors that are associated with a cataract development. The best way to tackle the harmful rays is by avoiding overexposure to sunlight. If you cannot help it and you must go outdoors, then you should wear a good pair of sunglasses that will protect your eyes. Remember that you should wear them every time you step out in the daytime, irrespective of whether it is sunny or cloudy.

Follow a well-balanced diet
Following a well-planned nutritious diet will considerably reduce your risks of developing a cataract. Antioxidants are great for the health of your eyes, so make sure that you add plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables in your daily diet.

By following these strategic tips, you can prevent or at least delay the development of a cataract.

A stye, also called as hordeolum is a small painful lump that forms inside or outside the eyelid. It is actually abscess that is filled with pus. Stye is caused due to bacterial infection called staphylococcus, which is a kind of bacterial infection. Stye are one of the common eye infection. Just like conjunctivitis, most people experience it one or two times at some stages in their life.

Causes of stye

• Most of the stye cases are seen in the age bracket of 20 to 50. It is specially seen in people who suffer from diabetes, or have high lipid levels. Stye might occur on upper eyelids, lower eyelids or on both.
• As mentioned above, stye is caused due to staphylococcal bacteria that lives right under the surface of the skin. Since our bodies are coated with a huge number of friendly bacteria, some bacteria tend to feast on the dead cells and debris in our body that results in the tender pimple.
• Some people develop stye frequently. This could be basically due to poor eye hygiene. In some cases inflammation of eyelids also leads to stye.
• Chalazion, which is a type of stye is caused due to blockage of tiny eyelid glands. They normally transport an oily substance that helps keep the eye lubricated. This material enters the tear film of the eye and prevents from tear evaporation. Chalazia develops in a span of weeks or moth when the immune system is stimulated by trapped or misplaced oil to clean up the mess.
• Internal hordeolum or stye is caused due to infection of Meibomian glands that are present at the edge of the eyelids.

Symptoms of stye

Based on the causes of stye, following are the symptoms

• A stye usually looks like an acne pimple that appears anywhere in the body. It is acutely small localized swelling on the eyelid. Appearing somewhat like a pimple, the surrounding skin is reddish. It also results in swollen eyelids if the infection spreads beyond the affected gland.
• In some cases, eyelid swelling might appear first and localized lesions might appear later.
• In most of the cases, treatment might not be needed, but in case of severe inflammation, the area around the whole eyelid and even the tissues around the eyeball might get affected, causing pain. If the swelling is assisted with itching of eyes, then there are chances that there might be an underlying causative ocular condition.
• There might be formation of purulent material around the infected area of the eyelids. In severe cases of stye, the person might experience enlarged lymph nodes present in front of the ears.

If you are suffering from any of the above mentioned symptoms of stye, consult an optometrist who will diagnose the severity and provide treatment accordingly.

Watery eyes are most common in infants and small children. While one of the most common causes of watery eyes in children could be blocked tear ducts, in adults this could be caused due to the eyelids getting sagged from the eyeballs and causing the tears to accumulate and release. Sometimes watery eyes may also be a result of excess tear production.

Watery eyes can also be caused due to a whole lot of factors including cold, allergies, chemotherapy drugs, eyelid inflammation, trachoma, dry eyes, ingrown eyelash, foreign objects, and more. While the treatment to stop watery eyes depends on each individual’s case and symptoms, here’s how to stop watery eyes naturally.

Try cold milk
This is the simplest and most traditional remedies that you can find on how to stop watery eyes. Find a clean, neatly knit fine cloth and dip it in cold raw milk and place this cloth over the affected/ infected eye. After a few minutes, you will experience the discomfort reducing.

Cucumber slices work wonders
Cucumber is the coolest and most common home remedies to soothe eyes. Slices of cucumber, when applied over affected eyes, can successfully stop watery eyes. Many experts recommend leaving the cucumber slices for 5-10 minutes for best results.

Apply a combination of warm milk and honey
Warm milk and honey is an excellent home remedy to stop watery eyes. Several studies reveal the antibacterial properties of honey and the sheer goodness of milk. A combination of these ingredients can treat watery eyes efficiently and provide instant relief. A concoction of milk and honey can be an excellent eyewash to treat infections like conjunctivitis that may lead to watery eyes. This combination can be prepared with part milk and equal amounts of honey and must be applied with an eyedropper onto the affected eyes a couple of times through the day.

Give turmeric paste a try!
Turmeric is popular across the globe for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory properties and is an equally effective solution to stop watery eyes. Boil water with about a 5gmms of turmeric and let the paste liquid. Once the solution cools down, you can apply it over your eyes with the help of a soft cotton cloth. This paste can also be used to wash the eyes. Apart from its incredible healing properties, turmeric will also help your skin to glow and remove dark circles and puffiness naturally.

Epiphora is a term given to the condition when there is an involuntary overflow of tears without any possible reason. This medical condition is typically referred to as watery eyes and it usually occurs in infants, children under two years of age, and seniors over the age of 60. However, it may happen at any age and may be triggered by infections, allergies, and the like.

While this condition does not have any harmful consequences, a severe case of watery eyes may cause a lot of inconvenience to the sufferer. The treatment for watery eyes depends on the severity of the condition and the underlying causes, therefore, may vary with every individual. Some of the common ways of how to cure watery eyes have been listed below.

Natural remedies
Often the cause of watery eyes in many people may stem from dry eye syndrome. In such instances, it is recommended that you avoid straining your eyes and stop reading, watching TV, and using a computer to prevent the condition from worsening. Often applying cucumber, milk and other cooling agents over the eyes may help stop watery eyes. Placing a cold compress over the eyes is another great way to stoop watery eyes.

OTC eye drops
Many over the counter eye drops are known to relieve watery eyes that are caused by the underlying dry eye syndrome. Eye drops provide necessary lubrication to the eyes that in turn help comfort dry eyes.

Medication
Often bacterial infections like conjunctivitis cause eyes to water. In these cases, it is wise to go to your healthcare expert who may prescribe you with the relevant antibiotic. If watery eyes is a result of an allergic reaction, you may get a prescription of some antihistamine that would help lessen inflammation. It is, however, important to get a prescription from a certified doctor and stick to the dosage religiously.

Minor surgery
Often the presence of a foreign object or an ingrown eyelash may cause the eyes to water. This can be corrected by a minor procedure of removing the grit, object or eyelash by an eye expert. Depending on the cause and intensity of the problem, your doctor may recommend suitable surgery, if required.

Here’s how to stop watery eyes in babies
While many young parents wonder how to stop watery eyes in children, the truth is that improving the condition in babies is the easiest of treatments. You can simply cure watery eyes in babies by massaging the tear ducts and dislodging tears collected in the upper part of the tear duct. To massage the tear duct, it is important you apply light pressure with your index fingers.

Causes of double vision and type of diplopia are two important factors that affect the treatment for double vision. While for people with monocular diplopia, wearing an eye patch may serve as the best treatment for double vision, people with a severe condition may have to resort to eye surgeries.

The first step in the treatment for double vision includes identifying the exact causes of double vision and targeting the underlying causes first. If double vision is caused by a squint, doctors may recommend eyelid surgeries or Botox injections. People whose causes of double vision includes cataract may be required to undergo a cataract surgery to manage the condition. Similarly, people with the tendency of dry eyes may have to seek dry eye treatment for double vision.

Often diseases like diabetes, weak muscles, and other issues may be the main causes of double vision. In each of these cases, the condition can be corrected with medications. Often, people with incurable diplopia may seek treatment for double vision to manage and live with the condition. People with monocular diplopia often are prescribed prism glasses, and eye patches to align two images into one. Other possible treatments for double vision have been listed below.

Try corrective glasses
Wearing prescribed glasses for double vision may also help treat and manage the issue. This usually works well if the causes of double vision include astigmatism.

Eye exercises may help some
Since one of the main causes of double vision includes weak nerves, eye muscles, and the like, many doctors recommend special eye exercises to strengthen weak muscles.

Prism glasses
Updating prescription glasses by fixing prisms on the glasses can help you manage the condition. These prism lenses can be worn for several months to adjust the vision.

Opaque intraocular lens
Opaque contact lens in an eye may help correct diplopia. This is a surgical process that can be used when other treatments become unsuccessful. This treatment for double vision is for people with binocular diplopia.

Botox
Botulinum toxin injections into the eye muscles can help too. These helps control the movement of the eyes and blocks chemical signals from being sent to the brain. The weak muscles get relaxed and other muscles come into play and help straighten the eye.

Surgery
Surgery of the eye muscles is the next best treatment for double vision depending on specific cases, type of double vision, success rates, and the like. Adjustable stitches may help position the eyes in a way that double vision may get corrected.

Double vision is a condition that can occur due to problems associated with eye muscles. The condition can cause a person to view two separate images of a single object. Double vision is of two types. Monocular diplopia is the name for the condition when it occurs in one eye, and double binocular vision is when it takes place in both the eyes. The treatment for double vision depends on its type and causes.

There are many causes of double vision, and these may depend on the type of double vision that you may have. While monocular double vision is rare, the causes of double vision of this kind may be due to astigmatism or cataract. Astigmatism is a reflective error that is caused due to an irregularly shaped cornea. Other causes of monocular double vision include dry eye (a condition when you cannot produce enough tears), abnormalities associated with the cornea, issues of the lens like cataracts, abnormalities of the retina that may cause muscular degeneration, and the like. The effects of monocular double vision are not felt when you shut the affected eye.

When both the eyes fail to reflect images correctly, the condition is called double binocular vision that makes your brain to create double images in both the eyes. In some cases, the causes of double vision could stem out of realigning squint eyes. Recurring squint in the childhood can be a common cause of double vision in both the eyes. However, if double vision in adults occurs suddenly, it may be due to any of the conditions listed below.

• When the thyroid muscle that produces thyroxine affects the free movement of the external eye muscles, you may experience double vision.
• One of the causes of double vision can also stem from a condition that affects the blood vessels supplying blood to the brain. A stroke or a transient ischaemic attack may also be one of the causes.
• When a severe case of diabetes damages the blood vessels from supplying blood to the nerves of the eye muscles, it may lead to double vision.
• When eye muscles become weak due to conditions like myasthenia gravis, people may experience double vision.
• Multiple sclerosis may affect the nerves of the eye muscles and cause double vision.
• An aneurysm is a condition that is characterized by a bulge in the blood vessel as a result of weak blood vessel wall. This condition may further press on the nerve of the eye muscle causing double vision.
• Other causes of double vision may include a brain tumor, cancer behind the eye, head injury, and the like.