Common Signs of Keratoconus
Vision changes — blurry, cloudy, or other vision issues — can stop you in your tracks. This month, learn the signs of keratoconus, an eye disorder that can impair your vision if left untreated.
It Seems Like I'm Looking Through Clouds. What's Wrong With My Eyesight?
You’ve noticed a troubling change in your eyesight. It seems as if you’re looking through a haze lately, yet you’re not around wildfires that could have caused everything to look cloudy. You’ve tried squinting to see if things look clearer, but that hasn’t helped.
Board-certified ophthalmologist Stephen Khachikian, MD, asks you to describe your symptoms when you come in for your appointment at his office in Rapid City, South Dakota. He provides a thorough eye exam, performing a variety of tests on your eyes.
Cloudy vision can spring from a number of sources. Sometimes it can be from a minor irritation, dry eyes, or leaving contacts in too long. We can clear up those problems quickly. If you learn that you have an eye disease, early treatment is critical to help prevent vision loss.
If you’re experiencing persistent cloudy vision, it’s important to get to the root of your vision problem. Cloudy vision can signal eye disease. Moreover, it can cause accidents. Following are just some of the conditions that could be behind your cloudy vision.
Cataracts
One of the most common reasons for cloudy vision is cataracts. Cataracts are normally an age-related condition, although you’re at greater risk if you have diabetes or chronic high blood pressure. The tissues in the lens of your eyes break down, causing your cloudy vision.
Cataract surgery is routine today, and Dr. Khachikian has years of experience. Recovery time is minimal, and you’ll feel like you have a new set of eyes once you heal.
Fuch’s dystrophy
You have special cells called endothelial cells on your cornea that are necessary to healthy vision. If they become faulty, you experience fluid buildup in your cornea which makes it swell and become abnormally thick. Now you have cloudy or blurred vision. You may have eye pain or see halos around lights.
This could indicate a condition called Fuch’s dystrophy. It has a genetic component and can begin in your 30s or 40s. Dr. Khachikian can detect abnormalities in your cornea before you experience symptoms when performing an eye exam.
Like other eye diseases, Fuch’s dystrophy worsens over time and causes vision loss. Dr. Khachikian performs a procedure called Descemet’s stripping endothelial keratoplasty (DSEK) to save your sight.
Macular degeneration
Sometimes age-related macular degeneration (AMD) can cause hazy, cloudy vision. It can cause central vision loss, so you can’t see things directly in front of you clearly.
Prescription medications are the first line of treatment for AMD. If you have wet AMD that can cause rapid vision loss, you may be eligible for a laser eye surgery called photocoagulation.
Diabetic retinopathy
If you develop diabetic retinopathy, high sugar levels cut off blood supply to the blood vessels that interface with your retina. Now your retina is damaged, and you may develop cloudy vision as a result.
In addition to medication, several surgical options are available. Dr. Khachikian lets you know which procedure would yield the best results for you if you need surgery.
Call Dr. Stephen Khachikian or book an appointment online today if you have cloudy vision. He’s dedicated to helping you see clearly.
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