Eye conditions can be incredibly frustrating, whether they impair your vision or just cause discomfort and pain. However, you might not be able to identify the early warning signs of many different kinds of eye problems. To help you get a better idea of when you should see an eye doctor, here are some common eye problems, their early warning signs, and their treatments:

Cataracts

First of all, there are cataracts, which are fairly common. As you get older, cloudy areas can slowly develop in parts of your lens. As these areas grow, they can increasingly reduce your vision. Unfortunately, they develop so slowly that it is often difficult to identify a change in your vision, since the deterioration is so gradual.

Therefore, if you feel that your vision is simply worse than it used to be, you should talk to your eye doctor. It's very easy to detect cataracts and they can be removed if they are big enough to drastically limit your vision.

The removal itself is quite simple. A small slit is cut in your eye and a small instrument is inserted into the slit. The lens is then removed and replaced with a synthetic lens. It's not a long procedure and your vision will be back to normal before you know it.

Glaucoma

Next, you have glaucoma, which is basically a buildup of excessive pressure within the eye. While this can be quite uncomfortable, it can also be dangerous to your eye. If there is too much pressure, then certain sensitive components of your eye can be permanently damaged.

If you feel such pressure in your eye, then you should consult your doctor immediately. However, you might not feel the glaucoma until it is too late. This is one of the main reasons that you need to have regular appointments with your eye doctor. Frequent inspections of the eye can drastically reduce the the chances of glaucoma damage.

Treatment also depends greatly on the severity of the glaucoma. In mild situations, eye drops are often enough to return your eye to normal. In some cases, drugs may be enough to fully heal your eye and return the pressure to normal. However, surgery might be required if your situation is dire. As you might expect, the surgery involves releasing the pressure in the eye. This is done by opening up certain parts of the eye to allow fluid to drain freely. For more information about eye conditions, contact an eye doctor such as Jo Johnson, M.D.