What is the difference between glaucoma and macular degeneration

There are simple things that can be done to reduce the affects of dry eye and can be discussed with your eye doctor. Keep reading to find out some of the signs and symptoms of dry eye syndrome. If your eyes are constantly itchy or dry, you may have dry eye syndrome, which affects almost 10 million Americans.

Dry eye syndrome is caused by a lack of, or poor quality of, tears. Tears lubricate the outer layer of the eye called the cornea. If the tears are not composed of a proper balance of mucous, water, and oil, the eye becomes irritated. Symptoms — Dry eye syndrome leads to a number of symptoms, including itching, irritation, burning, excessive tearing, redness, blurred vision that improves with blinking, and discomfort after long periods of watching television, driving, using a computer, or reading.

Risk Factors — There are many environmental factors that can contribute to dry eye syndrome. These include dry, hot, or windy climates, high altitudes, air-conditioned rooms, and cigarette smoke. Contact lens wearers, people with drier skin, and the elderly are more likely to develop dry eye syndrome. There are two types of blepharitis.

Seborrheic blepharitis is often part of an overall skin condition called seborrhea, which may also affect the scalp, chest, back and the area behind the ears. The second form of blepharitis — staph blepharitis — is a more common condition, caused by bacteria, that begins in childhood and may continue through adulthood.

Causes — Hormones, nutrition, general physical condition, and even stress may contribute to seborrheic blepharitis. Build-ups of naturally occurring bacteria contribute to staph blepharitis. Symptoms — Blepharitis could be described as dandruff of the eyelids. Seborrheic blepharitis causes redness of the eyelids, flaking and scaling of the eyelashes, and greasy, waxy scales.

Staph blepharitis also causes redness of the eyelid margins and flaking of the lashes, and can cause loss of eyelashes, eyelid scarring, and red eye. Treatment — Eyelid scrubs with baby shampoo or a specially formulated cleaner can reduce the symptoms of blepharitis. Application of hot packs to the eyes daily can also help. Staph blepharitis may also require antibiotic drops or ointments. Measure ad performance.

Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Vision impairment is a national health concern and has a negative impact on physical and mental health. In the United States, macular degeneration is the leading cause of vision loss in people aged 50 and older.

Glaucoma affects fewer people, but it also can lead to complete loss of vision and is the second leading cause of blindness worldwide. Both conditions are considered degenerative eye diseases, and it is possible for people to be affected by both diseases simultaneously.

In this article, we'll discuss the characteristics of both conditions and vision changes they can cause. There are two basic types of age-related macular degeneration AMD , wet and dry. In dry macular degeneration, parts of the macula, which is at the center of the eye's retina, get thinner and clumps of protein grow.

Dry macular degeneration often affects both eyes, and there is no treatment or cure at this time. Although less common, wet macular degeneration is considered more serious than dry macular degeneration. In wet macular degeneration, new, abnormal blood vessels grow under the retina , which projects light onto the back of your eye.

These vessels often leak blood or blood products, which scars the macula. Vision loss occurs faster than with dry macular degeneration. Treatment is available for wet macular degeneration, and it can slow or stop the growth of blood vessels, slowing down vision loss. Certain common risk factors cannot be changed, such as a family history of macular degeneration and being White.

However, lifestyle choices, such as cigarette smoking, consuming lots of high saturated fats, being overweight, and having high blood pressure, can be addressed. Managing these factors can help decrease your potential of developing dry AMD. The eye continually makes a fluid called aqueous humor, the clear liquid in the front part of the eye.

It nourishes your eye and keeps it inflated. As fluid drains out of the eye via the drainage angle, new fluid is made that replenishes the eye.

If the drainage angle gets blocked, aqueous humor remains in the eye and pressure increases. As the pressure in the eye rises, it compresses the optic nerve and damages it. This causes the condition known as glaucoma. Glaucoma is categorized as either open angle glaucoma, the most common type, or angle closure glaucoma. In open angle glaucoma, the aqueous humor drains slowly, which causes pressure to build up gradually. This type of glaucoma is typically painless, and people who have it don't experience vision changes initially.

However, people will eventually notice blind spots in their peripheral visual fields. Was this helpful? Yes No. Watch this video for tips and advice from glaucoma specialist Terri Pickering, MD. Read more ». Where the Money Goes. More information ». Like Us on Facebook. The central part of the retina , called the macula, is responsible for our central vision. It controls our ability to read, recognize faces and colors, drive a car, and see objects in fine detail.

In , an estimated million people worldwide are living with macular degeneration. People 55 and older are at the highest risk of developing AMD. Aside from age, risk factors for macular degeneration include:. Macular degeneration treatment options exist but they benefit only a small number of patients. However, new treatments, such as stem cell therapy, are in the works. Symptoms of both types of macular degeneration might not appear during the early stages of the disease.

Signs include shadowy areas in your central vision, unusually fuzzy or distorted vision, wavy or distorted words when reading, difficulty seeing details in poor lighting conditions, and sensitivity to glare.