One of the worries that many folks have when they’re considering vision correction procedures such as Lasik eye surgery is the risk that something will go wrong and, rather than being able to see better, they’ll wind up blind. The good news is that Lasik eye surgery is extremely safe, and the odds that you’ll go blind from getting the procedure are almost zero.
There are plenty of other things to worry about that can make you go blind. According to the National Federation of the Blind, around 50,000 people go blind each year in the United States. Around half of those are over the age of 65, and have to do with age-related causes.
Here, then, are some of the most common causes of blindness (you’ll notice that Lasik eye surgery doesn’t even make the list):
- Cataracts. This is the leading cause of blindness in the world. A cataract forms when proteins from your eye create a layer on your lens, making it cloudy. It isn’t known for sure, but it’s believed that cataracts are connected to aging. Other elements, such as exposure to UV radiation and diabetes, can contribute to the risk of cataracts.
- Glaucoma. When you go to the optometrist to get your eyes checked, you always start with that little machine that blows air into your eyes. This is a check for glaucoma. Glaucoma happens when the fluid that normally circulates in the eye doesn’t drain the right way, causing a pressure build-up. Glaucoma can be managed via medications in most cases.
- Macular Degeneration. This is when the cells in one part of the retina (known as the “macula”), experiences cell death. This is the part of the eye that sees fine details, and macular degeneration can lead to blindness. This is one of the top causes of blindness for folks over 60 years old.
- Accidents. If Lasik eye surgery causes blindness for someone, it’s because an accident occurred. However, most of the time that a person becomes blind due to an accident is from an object striking the eye or from blunt trauma hitting the optic nerves.
