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Cataract is the world's leading cause of blindness, and surgery to fix it is one of the most successful operations in medicine.

Glaucoma usually has no symptoms until a lot of side vision is lost. Damage cannot be reversed, so early checks matter.

Warm compresses and gentle lid cleaning each day often help dry eye more than drops alone.

Screens do not permanently damage your eyes, but we blink much less when staring at them, so eyes get dry and tired.

Viral conjunctivitis spreads easily through hands and towels. Most cases get better on their own within 1 to 2 weeks.

Pterygium is linked to years of sun exposure. Sunglasses and a hat help prevent it and stop it coming back after surgery.

Never let tap water touch your contact lenses. It can carry a germ that causes a rare but very serious eye infection.

A painful red eye in a contact lens wearer is an emergency. Take the lenses out and see an eye doctor the same day.

Rubbing your eyes a lot is linked to keratoconus, where the cornea thins and bulges into a cone shape.

High blood pressure can damage the tiny blood vessels at the back of your eye, often with no symptoms at all.

Everyone with diabetes should have an eye check at least once a year, even if their vision seems fine.

Smoking is the biggest risk factor for macular degeneration that you can change. Stopping at any age helps.

A droopy eyelid that appears suddenly, with double vision or headache, needs urgent medical help.

Sudden double vision that goes away when you cover one eye can be a sign of an eye nerve palsy.

Blepharitis is usually long-term. Daily warm compresses and lid cleaning keep it under control.

Never squeeze a stye. Warm compresses a few times a day help most styes and chalazia settle by themselves.

As we age, eyelids can turn inward or outward, causing watering and irritation. A small operation usually fixes it.

Smoking makes thyroid eye disease more likely and more severe. Stopping smoking is one of the best things you can do.

In Bell's palsy, the eye may not close properly. Protecting it with drops by day and taping it at night prevents damage.

Uveitis can look like conjunctivitis, but it causes pain, light sensitivity and blurred vision. It needs an eye doctor quickly.

Children who spend about 2 hours outdoors every day are less likely to become short-sighted.

Lazy eye is best treated before about age 7 to 8. It often has no signs, so children's eye checks are important.

Children do not grow out of a true squint. Early treatment helps prevent a lazy eye.

A white glow in a child's pupil in flash photos can be a sign of retinoblastoma. Get the child's eyes checked within days.

Sudden flashes, a shower of new floaters or a dark curtain over your vision can mean retinal detachment. Go to Emergency the same day.

A sudden very painful red eye with headache, vomiting and haloes around lights can be acute glaucoma, an emergency.

Increasing pain, redness and worse vision in the days after eye surgery or an eye injection need checking the same day.

Chemical in the eye? Rinse with clean running water for at least 15 minutes straight away, then go to Emergency.