Eyes, the valuable gift that God has given to us. The primary reason behind our perfect vision. The sense organ which enables us to see this exquisite world. But did you ever imagined life without eyes? Such a life will be completely filled with darkness. Our world is heading towards such darkness. At the age of 10 or 12, your eyesight will be good, clear and perfect. But will it be the same at the age of 25? A “no” will be the answer for many for sure. There will be surely variations in eyesight for many according to aging. The overuse of mobile phones, tablets, and laptops at the present makes the situation worse. Many people around us are now wearing spectacles. If this is the case, the day of darkness is not so far. Aging will surely affect our eyes and with that, if we use mobile phones, tablets, and laptops for more time that can really bludgeon us. This article discusses about how aging can affect your eyes and how can you protect your eyes from aging issues.
Protect your aging eyes | GoMyHealth
Major Eye Problems due to Aging
Your eyes will undergo many changes according to your growth. Aging can cause some serious eye problems. Some of the common eye problems due to aging are listed below
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a common age-related eye disorder. Presbyopia is the condition in which your eyes cannot focus on nearby objects perfectly. In most of the people, the signs and symptoms of Presbyopia occur at the age of 40. Even if you are a person with clear eyesight, you cannot escape from Presbyopia as it is a natural age-related disorder. The symptoms of Presbyopia include blurred vision at normal reading distance, holding reading material farther away from you to make the letters clear, eye strain and headache after doing some work. Presbyopia is caused by the hardening of the eye lens which occurs due to aging. According to the latest researches, it is evident that nearly 2 billion people worldwide have Presbyopia. Immediately meet a quality eye doctor before the condition gets worse and Presbyopia can be treated with eyeglasses, contact lenses and vision surgery.
Eye Floaters
Did you notice a black or gray spot, squiggly lines, threadlike strands or rings through your field of vision? Such an eye problem is known as eye floaters. The eye floaters may annoy you but will not interfere with your sight. Eye Floaters are mainly caused due to age-related changes when the vitreous inside your eyes become more liquid. If eye floaters annoy you more, go and consult a doctor and do the necessary treatments.
Dry Eyes
As the name tells, it is a condition in which your eyes become completely dry. Dry eyes occur when your tear glands cannot produce tears or when your tear glands produce poor-quality tears. The symptoms include eye redness, sensitivity to light, a feeling of something in your eyes, watery eyes(body’s response to dry eyes)eye fatigue and a burning or stingy sensation in your eyes. Dry eyes can lead to the burning of eyes or even lead to some loss of vision. So it is better to consult a doctor as fast as possible if you recognize dry eyes.
Cataract
Cataract is the clouding of the lens in the eye that affects vision. Most cataracts occur due to aging and are common in old people. Clouded vision can affect you in many ways. Due to the clouded lens, your vision becomes blurred and you will feel as you are viewing some snow or frost. This can lead to difficulties in reading, writing, driving and in all the major tasks you do. The symptoms include blurred vision, sensitivity to light, double vision in a single eye and fading of colours. A cataract starts slowly and then the clouding in your eyes will start to spread which will ultimately become more complicated. So try to get the consultation of an eye doctor as soon as you see the first symptom. Cataract can be treated using cataract surgery.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a very serious eye disorder and if not treated early can lead to permanent blindness. The main problem with Glaucoma is that like other diseases symptoms will not appear early and after realizing it will be too late. So the only solution is to conduct eye exams on a consistent basis. Glaucoma occurs when more pressure is inserted into the eyes than normal pressure. This disorder damages the optic nerve, the main factor behind the vision. If detected early, glaucoma can be treated using eye drops, LASER and surgery.
How to Protect your Eyes?
There will be variations in the eyesight according to your growth. So protecting the eyes is very very crucial. The following are some ways that can protect your eyes and can help you in leading a healthy life
Wear Sunglasses
Experts suggest that wearing sunglasses can protect your eyes. A quality sunglass can protect your eyes from the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun. The UV rays cause many problems for your eyes and some among them may be very critical. Some of the serious disorders that occur due to UV rays are cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygia, and photokeratitis. So wearing a sunglass can save you from all these disorders.
Stop Smoking
Smoking destroys almost all the organs in your body. A chain smoker is vulnerable to eye disorders such as cataract, glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, dry eye syndrome, etc. It is believed that smokers are at a high risk of eye diseases and eye disorders in smokers will be double strong than in a normal person. Therefore stopping smoking not only reduces the risk of eye disorders but also many other harmful diseases.
Consume Nutritious Food
Overconsumption of fatty, sugary and oily foods leads to many health problems. So it is better to reduce the use of such food items. Having nutritious food is another method to protect your eyes. Some of the good nutritious food are bell peppers, carrots, spinach, kale, and other leafy vegetables, blueberries, sweet potatoes, chia seeds, egg yolks, broccoli, vegetable oils, whole grains, corn, etc. All these food items are rich with several vitamins and minerals which can boost your health and reduce the risk of many eye problems.
Do Exercise Regularly
Doing regular exercise is an important procedure that reduces the risk of not only eye problems but also all other major concerns. Exercise can refresh your mind and can make your body flexible and active. Exercise can reduce high blood pressure and diabetes- remember two of these ultimately lead to eye problems. A 2016 study showed that people with a lack of physical activity will be vulnerable to cataracts. Glaucoma, another critical eye disorder is caused due to high blood pressure inside the eyes. Doctors recommend that exercise can lower blood pressure in all parts of the body including eyes and hence can reduce the risk of glaucoma. In short, exercise means not only a physical activity but also a treatment that can save you from many health issues.
Limit the use of Personal Gadgets
Today’s generation is completely addicted to handheld devices like smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. It is a bitter truth that without smartphones, tablets, and laptops, life is not that easy as many use them for official purposes too. But overuse of these devices will surely lead to serious eye problems. The blue light coming out from these handheld devices can harm any cells and remember it is your eyes, the most valuable sense organ which is in contact with this harmful blue light. This can, in turn, lead to severe eye issues. So it is better to limit the use of these handheld devices.
Conduct Annual Eye Exam
Do you conduct an eye test on a regular basis with an eye specialist near you? Experts recommend that you should examine or test your eyes annually so that you can clearly know whether you have any eye problems and can cure it with the required treatments. Remember, eye disorders such as glaucoma will not show early symptoms. Not only in the case of glaucoma, if you have any disorder, but it is also better to realize it early and do the necessary treatments. So fast so good. So conducting an annual eye exam is of pure worth.
Conclusion
The eye is the most valuable sense organ. Remember, our eyesight will have variations according to aging. Today’s generation is completely addicted to smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. Already our eyesight will have variations according to our growth and with that, if we do things that are harmful to our eyes, then what will be the situation? So we have to take care of our eyes. Use these handheld devices in the correct way they are meant to be. So there should be limitations for everything. Don’t cross the limit and remember if you cross, you have to pay for it. Once again remembering you all- eye is the most valuable sense organ and takes care of your eyes.