Cataracts
A cataract is a clouding of part of your eye called the lens. Your vision becomes blurred or dim because light cannot pass through the clouded lens to the back of the eye
The lens is a transparent body behind the iris, the coloured part of the eye. The lens bends light rays so that they give a clear image to the back of the eye – the retina.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye condition that causes damage to the optic nerve, which transmits images to the brain. The eye needs a certain amount of pressure to maintain shape and size. However, increased fluid can put pressure on the optic nerve and cause damage.
If glaucoma is not treated, damage can progress, causing a loss of peripheral (or ‘side’) vision and may eventually lead to complete sight loss.
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is a serious eye disease, which is usually associated with long-term diabetes and, if left untreated, can lead to blindness. There are three distinct forms of the disease:
- Background retinopathy
- Maculopathy
- Proliferate retinopathy.
The very best way to treat retinopathy is to prevent it, and with good long-term management of diabetes, it should be possible to reduce the number of cases of retinopathy in this country.