What Experts Recommend For Your Eyes

‘Have you visited a cardiologist, a dentist, or even a physiotherapist?’ These are common health checkpoints, yet one essential aspect that often gets overlooked: our eyes. Surprisingly, a vast number of people globally suffer from eye disorders simply because they lack the knowledge of proper eye care. Isn’t it time we accorded the same importance to our eyes as we do to our heart or lungs?

Consider this: eyesight ranks among our body’s most crucial senses, responsible for processing a staggering 80% of the information we receive and interpret. Taking care of your eyes isn’t just a matter of convenience; it’s a gateway to reducing the risk of vision loss and actively monitoring the emergence of conditions like glaucoma and cataracts.

The significance of regular eye examinations cannot be overstated—it goes beyond addressing problems as they arise. Establishing a relationship with a reliable eye doctor, at least on an annual basis, is pivotal to mitigating the risk of developing eye ailments. These examinations act as a proactive measure, empowering you to catch vision issues at their inception and procure corrective eyeglasses that not only enhance your vision but also elevate your overall health and quality of life. 

In this blog here, we will see what experts recommend for your eyes.

What you need to know about eye health at different stages of life

According to statistics, up to 80% of a child’s learning takes place through their eyes, making strong vision and visual abilities essential for academic achievement.

Children’s workloads rise as they move through the grades. They thus stress their focusing system and other visual processes.

A delay in learning may be significantly exacerbated by a weakness in one of these systems.

1. The age of innocence (for preschool age and toddlers)

It is very imperative to keep an eye on your child’s eyes, as it is the age of building and nurturing skills. Common play activities for this age group, including completing puzzles, painting, stacking blocks, and pushing or rolling toys, are important in the development of critical visual abilities.

These include the enhancement of visual perception and visually directed eye-hand-body coordination. Such activities should always be supported.

Eye defects to watch out for at this age:

• An untreated minor vision disparity can result in difficulty in recognizing symbols, colors, letters, shapes, etc.
• A condition named Amblyopia, commonly called ‘lazy eye’ is usually more apparent in this age group. It is the inability to see clearly out of one eye, which cannot be fixed with glasses.
• Conjunctivitis commonly called ‘pink eye’
• Astigmatism, hyperopia (farsightedness), and myopia (nearsightedness) are examples of refractive errors. With the help of glasses that an eye doctor prescribes, these errors can be fixed.
• When the eyes do not move in unison or line up in the same direction, strabismus (crossed eyes) develops.

2. The schoolers (for school-age children)

According to statistics, up to 80% of a child’s learning takes place by their eyes, making strong vision and visual abilities essential for academic achievement.

Children’s workloads rise as they move through the grades. They thus put more stress on their focusing system and other visual processes.

A delay in learning may be significantly exacerbated by a weakness in one of these systems.

Toddlers are also at risk of eye defects. Along with the previously stated defects, a few specific ones are as follows: 

• A blocked or swollen oil gland causes a chalazion, a swelling on the upper or lower eyelid. It may grow larger and enclose the child's pupils, worsening their vision.
• Epiphora is a condition in which the child gets constantly watery eyes or excess tears. It's caused by blockages of the tear tubes, infections, and ocular surface diseases or allergies. In most cases, it improves over time; however, you may be able to treat the condition with massages, eye drops, or small surgery if it is left untreated.
• Pediatric cataract is a type of cataract prevalent in children. It is one of the leading causes of blindness in children and hence early intervention is strongly recommended. The eye gets cloudy which leads to blurry vision in this condition.

3. Adults (young adults and middle-aged)

1. Young adults

• To reduce the risk of sight-threatening conditions in the future, young adults should take good care of their eyes and other parts of their bodies.
• The best way to do the same is to focus on proper nutrition which is the key to avoiding most eye defects.
• Experts recommend the following food intake to keep retinal and eye cells healthy and functioning:

1. Berries, fish, nuts, and green leafy vegetables (rich in antioxidants).
2. Multivitamins contain vitamins A, C, and E.
3. Carotenoids like lutein and zeaxanthin

• Quit smoking! There is no doubt that smoking is bad for the body. It can be especially bad for the eyes. Smoking greatly increases your chance of developing macular degeneration and early cataracts.
• A little effort to simply exercise for 5-10 minutes daily is highly recommended for better functioning of the eye.

2. Middle-aged individuals

This is the time for early eye disease clinical signs. These can occur without changing the patient's vision perspective. As with any disease, early detection is always best. That's why an annual eye exam is essential to healthy vision. Some reasons to be alert at this age are:

• Usually, presbyopia is a physiological change that occurs naturally which causes the eye to lose its ability to focus. It is treated using glasses.
• Dry eye syndrome is also a problem that increases during this period, especially for postmenopausal women. It is usually a chronic condition that, if left untreated, can cause significant discomfort in daily life.
• One may start experiencing changes in color perception. The normally clear lens in the eye may begin to change color. This makes it difficult to differentiate and distinguish certain colors from each other.
• There is a need for more light. To see as clearly as we used to, we need more light as we age. Bright lights around the work area or next to a reading chair can make reading and other close-ups easier.

4. The Golden Age (for old-aged individuals)

Eye diseases have no early symptoms. They can develop painlessly, and it may become difficult to notice vision changes until the condition is advanced. Smart lifestyle habits, regular eye exams, and early detection of disease can greatly improve the chances of maintaining good eye health and vision in the aging process.

Here are some vision-threatening diseases at high risk at this age:

• Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that affects the macula (the light-sensitive central part of the retina at the back of the eye) and causes loss of central vision. The macula allows us to see fine details and colors.
• Diabetic retinopathy is a disease that occurs in people with diabetes. It is the result of progressive damage to the small blood vessels that feed the retina. These damaged blood vessels leak blood and other fluids, causing retinal tissue to swell and blur vision.
• A retinal detachment is a tear or separation of the retina from the underlying tissue. Retinal detachment most often occurs spontaneously due to changes in the gel-like vitreous fluid that fills the back of the eye. If not treated quickly, it can cause permanent vision loss.
• Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases characterized by damage to the optic nerve, which causes loss of peripheral vision (side vision). It often affects both eyes. If left untreated, Glaucoma can lead to total blindness.

What advice do experts have for the visually impaired?

• Maintain body sugar levels.
• Avoid extreme exposure to sunlight.
• Wear the necessary lenses or shades as advised by the doctor.
• Make sure to use your eye drops on time.
• Avoid screen time as much as possible.
• Follow the protocol and don’t forget to take medicines regularly.

H2: Conclusion

Our eyes are our lifelong companions on this incredible journey. So, just as it’s important to keep your body healthy, it’s also important to keep your eyes healthy.

The Eye Health Talk, guided by expert advice, teaches us to cherish and care for these irreplaceable windows to the world. Regular eye exams, nourishing nutrition, mindful screen use, healthy lifestyle choices, and diligent protection – these are more than tips; they're invitations to nurture our eyes and embrace a life of vibrant vision, aligned with what experts recommend for your eyes.

So, let’s start this conversation with our eyes, and ensure that the world remains a beautiful place for us to see.