Twinkle, twinkle healthy eyes By Jeff Schnaufer CTW Features When it comes to eye care, seeing doesn't always mean believing. "People tend to think if they can see OK and they have no pain or redness, all must be fine with their eyes," says Dr. Kerry L.Beebe, chair of the Clinical Care Executive Committee for the American Optometric Association, St. Louis."This simply is not true for many conditions such as glaucoma, complications from diabetes, lazy eye (amblyopia), age-related macular degeneration, etc." The American Optometric Association recommends a comprehensive eye examination at age 6 months, age 3, before starting school and then every two years.Adults should have an examination every two years and every year after age 60. If risk factors are present, more frequent examinations are recommended. Getting your eyes checked can also reveal other problems with your health, a fact many Americans fail to see. According to the AOA's 2008 "American Eye-Q" survey,Americans were not aware that health conditions such as diabetes (38 percent), hypertension (29 percent), brain tumors (25 percent) and cancer (22 percent) can be detected during a comprehensive eye exam. A summary of information on several eye issues from the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., is listed below. If you are experiencing problems with your eyes,make an appointment to see an eye care professional immediately: Eye Problem: conjunctivitis/pink eye What It Is: A contagious disease affecting the protective membrane that lines the eyelids and covers the white of the eye.May be caused by allergy, infection, environmental irritants and even eye products, including contact lenses and eyedrops. Symptoms: Usually painless at first, followed by redness, itching and/or burning of the eye. Treatments: Infection may go away in some cases, but treatment may be needed, including eye drops, creams or antibiotics. Eye Problem: Stye What It Is: A red bump on the eyelid caused when bacteria from the skin infects an oil gland. Symptoms: Tenderness, pain and itching. Treatments: May include com- presses and ointments. Eye Problem: Glaucoma What It Is: One of the leading causes of blindness among Americans, glaucoma is often caused by rising fluid pressure in the eye, damaging the optic nerve.Those most at risk are those with a family history of glaucoma,African Americans over the age of 40 and people over the age of 60,particularly Mexican Americans. Symptoms: Usually no symptoms at first. Side vision may gradually fail as the disease progresses. Treatments: Ranges from eyedrops to surgery that drains fluid from the eye. Eye Problem: Contact Lens Pain What It Is: If experiencing eye irritation or infection while wearing your contact lenses, remove your lenses immediately and contact your eye care professional.Although rare, severe cases of eye irritation may indicate a corneal infection, perhaps from bacteria from a contaminated contact lens passing into the cornea.This may lead to damage to the cornea. Symptoms: Corneal infections may cause painful inflammation, reduce visual clarity and produce discharge from the cornea. Treatments: Anti-bacterial eye drops are often used to treat corneal infections. Eye Problem: Blurry Vision (Refractive Errors) What It Is: The most common vision problem in the U.S., called refractive errors, causes about 120 million Americans to wear corrective glasses or contact lenses as a result of blurry vision from nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism. Caused by an irregularly shaped cornea. Symptoms: For farsighted people, close-up objects appear blurry. For nearsighted people, faraway objects appear blurry.And those with astigmatism experience a blurring of both near and far objects. Treatments: Usually corrected by eyeglasses, contact lenses or surgery. © CTW Features