Condition Lookup
Sub-Category:
Vision Disorders
Number of Conditions: 4
Cataracts
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Sensory Disorders
Sub-category: Vision Disorders
Symptoms:
blurry vision; difficulty seeing at night; sensitivity to light; double vision; faded colors
Root Cause:
Clouding of the natural lens of the eye, leading to decreased vision.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Eye examination, including a slit-lamp exam, visual acuity test, and dilated eye exam to assess the extent of cloudiness in the lens.
Treatment:
Surgical removal of the clouded lens and replacement with an artificial intraocular lens (IOL).
Medications:
No specific medications for treatment; however, eye drops may be prescribed for post-surgical care to prevent infection or inflammation (e.g., corticosteroid drops or antibiotic drops).
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Cataracts are extremely common in older adults, affecting more than half of people over the age of 65.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Age, family history, prolonged exposure to UV light, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, prolonged use of corticosteroids.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Surgery is highly effective in restoring vision, and most patients experience significant improvement post-surgery.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Risk of infection, bleeding, retinal detachment, or secondary cataract formation (after surgery).
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Sensory Disorders
Sub-category: Vision Disorders
Symptoms:
central vision loss; distorted vision; difficulty reading or recognizing faces; blurred or darkened central vision
Root Cause:
Deterioration of the macula, the central part of the retina, leading to loss of central vision.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Comprehensive eye exam, including fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiography.
Treatment:
For dry AMD, no cure exists, but vitamin supplements may slow progression. For wet AMD, anti-VEGF injections (such as Avastin, Lucentis, or Eylea) are used to reduce abnormal blood vessel growth.
Medications:
Anti-VEGF injections, such as Avastin (bevacizumab ), Lucentis (ranibizumab ), or Eylea (aflibercept ), are used for wet AMD to inhibit abnormal blood vessel growth.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects around 10-15% of people over the age of 65, with increasing rates as the population ages.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Age, family history, smoking, high blood pressure, obesity, light-colored eyes, and excessive sun exposure.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
Can lead to permanent central vision loss, but treatments can slow progression, especially in wet AMD.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Severe vision impairment or blindness in severe cases, difficulty with tasks requiring central vision (reading, driving).
Glaucoma
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Sensory Disorders
Sub-category: Vision Disorders
Symptoms:
loss of peripheral vision; halo around lights; eye pain; nausea (in acute angle-closure glaucoma); blurry vision
Root Cause:
Increased intraocular pressure that damages the optic nerve, leading to vision loss.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Comprehensive eye examination, including tonometry (to measure intraocular pressure), optic nerve imaging, visual field testing, and dilated eye exam.
Treatment:
Medications (usually eye drops), laser treatment, and surgery to reduce intraocular pressure.
Medications:
Prostaglandin analogs (e.g., latanoprost ), beta-blockers (e.g., timolol ), alpha agonists (e.g., brimonidine ), and carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (e.g., dorzolamide ) are commonly prescribed to lower intraocular pressure.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects about 2-3% of people over the age of 40, with the risk increasing with age.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Family history, age, African or Hispanic ethnicity, high intraocular pressure, previous eye injuries.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
If untreated, glaucoma can lead to permanent blindness. With treatment, the progression can be controlled, preserving vision.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Permanent vision loss, optic nerve damage, and blindness in severe cases.
Diabetic retinopathy
Specialty: Senior Health and Geriatrics
Category: Sensory Disorders
Sub-category: Vision Disorders
Symptoms:
blurry vision; floaters; dark or empty areas in vision; difficulty seeing at night; sudden vision loss
Root Cause:
Damage to the blood vessels of the retina caused by prolonged high blood sugar levels, leading to leakage or blockage of blood vessels.
How it's Diagnosed: videos
Comprehensive eye exam, including fundus photography, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and fluorescein angiography.
Treatment:
Laser therapy (laser photocoagulation), anti-VEGF injections, corticosteroid injections, and vitrectomy surgery for severe cases.
Medications:
Anti-VEGF injections (e.g., ranibizumab , aflibercept ), corticosteroid injections, and laser treatments.
Prevalence:
How common the health condition is within a specific population.
Affects 28.5% of people with diabetes, with the prevalence increasing as the duration of diabetes increases.
Risk Factors:
Factors or behaviors that increase the likelihood of developing the condition.
Diabetes (type 1 or type 2), poor blood sugar control, hypertension, high cholesterol, smoking.
Prognosis:
The expected outcome or course of the condition over time.
With early diagnosis and effective blood sugar control, vision loss can be prevented. Advanced stages may lead to permanent vision impairment.
Complications:
Additional problems or conditions that may arise as a result of the original condition.
Retinal detachment, macular edema, blindness, and difficulty with daily activities such as reading and driving.