by Dan Roberts
Why do so many of us neglect to protect our vision, when all it takes is an eye exam? We’re vigilant about safeguarding our material things, our reputations, cars, credit cards. So why would we trust our precious peepers to the whims of fate?
Maybe some of us ignore our eyes simply because we can see just fine, but appearances can be deceiving. Most eye diseases are subtle in their early stages, with no visible symptoms until they get a strong grip on us. They have an extraordinary number of devious ways to sneak up on us, so we must be vigilant. Here, for example, are categories of eye (ocular) disease that stand a good chance of destroying vision:
- Dystrophies of the cornea, retina, choroid, or optic nerve
- Infections
- Inflammation
- Cataracts
- Trauma
- Eye or brain tumors
- Congenital defects
- Functional disorders
- Detached retinas
- Vitreous detachments
- Vascular blockage
A check-up can stop a developing problem in its tracks.