Top Health Tips on Treating Poor Vision

Most of us take our eyes for granted. It has been often noticed that an individual splurges on expensive sunglasses for looking smarter. But, when it comes to the health of eyes, he or she is either ignorant or simply reluctant to do anything. This tendency is bad for the health of your precious eyes.

Remember, how you use them to stare at the screens of your gadgets all day long. Take out some time from your busy schedule and take care of your eyes. They are precious and vulnerable too.

Follow the tips below to keep your eyesight intact till your dying day:

Eat right for a good vision: It is very important to provide the right and sufficient amounts of nutrients to your body for developing or maintaining a good eye sight. Include nutrients such as omega-3 fatty acids, lutein, zinc, and vitamins C and E in your regular diet to boost your eyesight. Food items like green and leafy vegetables, salmon, tuna, and other oily fish, eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources, oranges and other citrus fruits or juices and oysters and pork are excellent for the eye. The intake of a balanced diet keeps you away from diabetes, which causes blindness.
Give up smoking: Cigarettes or other tobacco products are bad for your eyes. They make your eyes more vulnerable to diseases like cataracts, optic nerve damage, and macular degeneration.
Guard your eyes from sunlight: It has been found that long exposure to sunlight leads to damage of the eyeballs. This happens as the UV rays in sunlight have an adverse impact on our eyes. You must put on sunglasses when you are outdoors for a longer period. You must choose sunglasses which give you 90 to 100 percent protection against sunlight. UV rays can cause cataracts and macular degeneration.
Avoid the screen: It is advisable to not spend long hours sitting in front of the computer screen or TV. Take breaks while working on the computer. Also, remember blinking your eyes while staring at the screen to avoid drying up of the eyes. Blinking increases tear production, keeping the eyes moist and healthy.
Use safety devices: If you work with hazardous substances, it is advisable that you put on safety devices on your eyes for their protection.
Hydrate your eyes: In order to have a good vision, you must hydrate your eyes by splashing water on your eyes wide open at specific intervals in a day. When you wash your face after returning from outside, don't forget to wash your eyes as well. As you splash water on the eyes, the dust particles on the surface of the eyelid, gathered from outside, gets washed away. f you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a ophthalmologist.

Cataract can be defined as the clouding of the natural lenses in the eyes. This is caused by the clumping of protein in the eye lens. Cataract is a common eye disorder and the leading cause of loss of vision in people who are past their fortieth birthday. Cataract can occur in one or both eyes. When diagnosed properly, cataract can be treated with surgery to prevent blindness.

Depending on where and how they develop, there are many types of cataract. The most common amongst these are:

Subcapsular cataract: These occur at the back of the eye lens. Diabetic patients are very susceptible to this kind of cataract.
Nuclear cataract: Yellowish-brown cataract that form in the center of the lens are called nuclear cataract. This is usually seen in cataract caused by ageing.
Cortical cataract: Cataract in the lens cortex are known as cortical cataract. These are wedge shaped and whitish in color. Spokes protruding out of these opaque wedges can be seen moving towards the center of the eye.
Congenital cataract: Though they are not common, babies can also have cataract. Cataract formed at birth or within the first year of a baby's birth are known as congenital cataract.
Secondary cataract: Cataract is one of the known side effects of diabetes and glaucoma. Some steroids and medicines are also linked to cataract.
Traumatic cataract: If your vision becomes cloudy years after an eye injury, it could be a traumatic cataract. It can take several years for this to happen.
Radiation cataract: Exposure to radiation can also lead to cataract. This is seen sometimes in patients who have undergone radiation therapy to fight diseases like cancer.
Though the type of cataract might differ from person to person, the symptoms are usually the same. Some of the common symptoms of cataract are:

1. Blurred vision

2. Reduced night vision

3. Increased sensitivity to light and glare

4. Seeing halos around lights

5. Colors appearing faded

6. Double vision

A reading test is the first step towards diagnosing cataracts. This is followed by tests to measure the eye pressure. Your doctor will also need to dilate the pupil to check the condition of the optic nerves and retina. Surgery is the safest way to remove a cataract. Surgery is usually recommended when cataract begin inhibiting your daily life such as preventing you from driving, interfering with reading etc.

In most cases, this can be done as an outpatient procedure. The earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to treat. Hence, if you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above, get your eyes checked at once. The surgery is a day-care surgery only, so a person can go home the same day.

LASIK stands for Laser In-situ Keratomileusis. This is a common eye surgery that helps in correcting vision problems. During this procedure, the cornea of the eye is cut across by a medical expert to raise the tissues and reshape them to correct vision. LASIK is suitable for patients who have shortsightedness, long sightedness or who suffer from astigmatism.

Here are the 5 benefits that a LASIK surgery offers:

1. Improved vision - A study reveals that 95% of the people who underwent this surgery achieved uncorrected visual acuity of 20/40 and 85% of the people achieved 20/20 vision. This procedure ensures that a patient achieves enhanced vision.

2. Quick results and recovery - This surgery enables you to return to your normal schedule immediately the day after the surgery. You can have clear and improved vision within a day.

3. Long- lasting outcomes - A minimum timeframe of 3 months is required for the eyes to adjust, after which LASIK results are permanently noticeable in a patient. No follow up procedures are required unless something wrong went with the surgery. The patient will continue to have improved vision unless there is any normal loss due to illness or aging.

4. No need of glasses - You no longer require glasses as your vision turns to normal post-LASIK surgery.

5. Goodbye contact lenses - LASIK surgery will help eliminate the need for contacts. You will be able to avoid all the problems pertaining to wearing a contact lens, including lens solution.

Diabetes is a condition wherein the sugar levels in your blood increases significantly. This happens when the sugar you consume from food is not efficiently processed by the body thus, raising your blood sugar levels. An excess concentration of sugar in the blood can make you prone to various health complications.

Symptoms
The symptoms of diabetes include frequent urge to urinate, increased thirst, increased hunger and rapid weight loss, combined with fatigue and irritability. Diabetes can also cause problems in the eyes, such as blurred vision as well as make you prone to cataracts and even glaucoma (in very rare cases). With diabetes, any injury or body sore tends to take a lot of time to heal.

Causes
Diabetes is a disorder that occurs due to impaired insulin functioning. Insulin is a hormone that is produced by pancreas, which is located right below the stomach. Diabetes, when occurs as a result of insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas, is known as Type 1 Diabetes. In this type, the immune cells in the body attack the cells in the pancreas, which produce insulin, thus discouraging insulin secretion.
Another kind is the Type 2 diabetes, which occurs when the cells in the body become insulin resistant. Most cases of diabetes are of this particular type, as one of the major reasons behind this is following an erratic lifestyle devoid of healthy habits.

Gestational diabetes is the third type, although it isn t very common. During pregnancy, the various hormones that are secreted in the body can play spoilsport with the functioning of the pancreas, thus the production of insulin. This leads to a drastic rise in blood sugar levels.

Ayurvedic treatment

Eat healthy: Eating healthy assumes the maximum importance; you need to eat healthy in order to control diabetes effectively. Include plenty of fruits and vegetables in the diet, but make sure to pick foods that contain little sugar. Fruits such as bananas and grapes are not the best options for a diabetic. Rather, one should consider cucumber and bitter gourd in such circumstances.
Exercise regularly: Regular exercise can keep your body weight at optimal levels which goes a long way in preventing and controlling symptoms of diabetes. Besides being good for your heart, cardiovascular exercises such as running bring down the excess glucose levels in the blood.
Limit stress: Stress is very harmful for the body as it reduces your immunity against diseases and infections. Leading a stressful life can make you prone to a variety of disorders, diabetes being one of them. Relaxation techniques such as meditation and yoga can help one deal with stress effectively.

An important organ of the body, eyes must never be taken for granted and need to be protected at all times. In addition to protecting them, you also need to improve as well as maintain their overall health.

Here are some of the ways of keeping your vision in top form:

1. Eat for good eye vision

To have healthy eyes and consequently good vision, you need to have foods that keep them in good health. Nutrients like Zinc, Vitamins C and E and Omega-3 fatty acids can help to fend off age-related sight problems such as cataracts or macular degeneration (a condition characterized by the deterioration of the middle portion of the retina). Foods like eggs, nuts, green leafy vegetables, oranges and citrus fruits are what you need to have to get good eye health.

2. Kick the smoke habit

Smoking can adversely affect your eye health and can make you prone to eye conditions like cataracts, macular degeneration and damage of optic nerve (a nerve that transmits impulses from the eyes to the brain). By kicking this habit, you end up saving your eyes from irreversible damage.

3. Use sunglasses

Exposure to the sun s ultraviolet rays for a long period of time can make you prone to common eye problems including cataracts. To protect them from the sun s harmful rays, you need to use sunglasses that block 99-100% of ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB) rays.

4. Go for a regular eye checkup

Going for regular eye examinations can help in protecting your vision and ensure you see clearly. Eye examinations are important to help you find eye problems like glaucoma (a condition wherein the optic nerve is damaged, resulting in vision loss). A comprehensive eye examination can help in identifying problems like nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism (an eye defect that occurs to a deviated spherical curvature).

People are well aware of the harmful effects that UV rays have on the skin, but very few know that UV rays can damage their eyes as well. The tissue that human eye is made up of is one of the most sensitive tissues in the body and hence, the most vulnerable. The increasing level of UV radiation reaching the Earth s surface every minute has made it indispensable to take the required precautionary measures to protect the eyes.

What are UV rays?

Sunlight consists of 3 types of radiations - Infrared, Visible light and UltraViolet. Artificial sources like lasers, tanning beds and welding machines also emit UV radiation.

There are three types of UV radiations - UV-A, UV-B and UV-C.

UV-C is absorbed by the ozone layer and does not possess any risk. It is UV-A and UV-B radiations that adversely affect the eyes and vision.

Impact of UV rays on eyes

Too much exposure to UV rays can affect vision, harm the eyes, and deteriorate overall eye health. There are various eye problems that are aggravated by excessive exposure to UV radiation:

Macular Degeneration: It is caused by damage to the retina over time by UV rays. It leads to age-related blindness. Too much exposure to UV rays increases the risk of developing macular degeneration.
Cataract: It is the clouding of eye s natural lens - the part of the eye that focuses the light we see. Too much exposure to UV rays increases the risk of developing cataracts.
Pterygium: Often known as surfer s eye , pterygium is a pink, non-cancerous growth that is formed on the conjunctiva. UV rays are believed to be responsible for the development of this growth.
Skin Cancer of the Eyelids: Too much exposure to UV rays can cause skin cancer in and around the eyelids.
Photokeratitis: Popularly known as corneal sunburn or snow blindness , photokeratitis is caused due to excessive short-term exposure to UV-B rays. Photokeratitis occurs when you spend long hours at the beach or skiing. It sometimes leads to temporary vision loss.
How to protect the eyes from harmful UV rays?

Here are some tips to help ensure that eyes are protected against harmful UV rays:

Always use quality sunglasses that block out 99-100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation when outdoors.
Stay away from tanning beds, and if you use them occasionally, always wear eye protection.
Wrap around frames should be used if you spend a lot of time outdoors.
Be sure to see your doctor at least every two years.

Causes and Symptoms of Hypermetropia You Need to Know About

Hypermetropia, commonly known as long-sightedness, is a common vision condition in which distant objects appear clear, but nearby objects seem blurry or foggy. A person's ability to focus is greatly dependent on the degree of farsightedness. This condition of the eye is usually observed at birth and is also hereditary to some extent. Although, contact lenses and eye glasses are common methods of treatment, surgeries are also an option.

Before getting to understand the causes one should be aware of the structure of the eye.

The eye has two parts that focus on images

- The clear surface at the front of the eye known as the cornea

- The second part is the lens, which is a clear structure

In a normal eye, these clear surfaces have a smooth curvature. The cornea and the lens bend or refract the incoming light to direct a sharply focused image on the retina, situated at the back of your eye.

Hypermetropia is caused when

- The cornea or lens in the eye is not even or smoothly curved. In such cases, light rays are focussed behind retina which gives a blurry vision.

- The condition can also occur when the cornea of the eye is not curved enough. A shorter than the normal eye can also lead to such a condition. Convergent squint with eyes turning in is common in hypermetropes.

Due to these factors, the image is not precisely focused on the retina, causing blurry vision for nearby objects.

Some of the symptoms of farsightedness include:

- Objects that are close may appear blurry or cloudy

- Squinting the eyes might be necessary for viewing clearly

- A person may experience strain in the eye, aching and even inflammation in and around the eye

- Prolonged periods of close task like reading, writing or drawing may cause discomfort in the eye or minor headaches

Chronic eye strain and cross eyes are some of the commonly observed complications.

Colour blindness is not a type of blindness at all; it is an insufficiency in the way some people see colour. Once afflicted by this vision problem, people face difficulty in distinguishing specific colours like red, green, blue or yellow. So to call it colour vision deficiency would be much appropriate, and it hits men more often than women. In a report by Prevent Blindness America, it is revealed that about 8% of males and less than 1% of females are affected with colour vision problems. Generally, red and green colour deficiency is the most commonly found. In very rare instances, a person may carry a trait which lessens his ability to distinguish between blue and yellow colours. This blue-yellow hue insufficiency normally is found in men and women equally.

Understanding signs and symptoms: Do you have any difficulty in seeing yellow, green or red colours? Do people often tell you that you are seeing the wrong colour? If so, then these are key signs that you are affected with a colour perception deficiency. Quite opposite to popular belief, hardly a colour blind person is able to see only the shades of gray. Most people who are deemed as colour blind are able to see shades but cannot distinguish between one colour and another and get easily confused with other shades, depending on the kind of colour blindness they are affected with. If you have suddenly developed a colour vision deficiency when you were able to view and distinguish all the shades previously, then you should visit an ophthalmologist without further delay.

Causes behind colour blindness: Colour blindness takes place when the light-sensitive cells within the retina stop responding accurately to variations in wavelengths of light.

Photoreceptors present in the retina are termed as rods and cones. Rods are present abundantly, and about 100 million rod cells are present in human retina and these cells are very sensitive to light, but rods are impervious to sunlight and therefore, are incapable of perceiving colours. The cones, on the other hand, are responsible for our understanding of different colours. There are three types of cones, each of which is responsible for perceiving red, green and blue light. The three cones work together to help us see the whole range of colours. People who are colour blind usually have faults in a particular cone cell, which makes them unable to distinguish that particular shade.

Combatting colour blindness: Gene therapies are reported to cure colour blindness in monkeys, as per the reports of a study conducted by researchers of the University of Washington and Florida in September 2009. While early methods appear promising, gene therapy is not considered effective for human beings unless the treatments are verified to be safe.

Hence there is no effective means of curing colour blindness, but there are some strategies that may aid you to function better. However, if you are into graphic designing or anything that requires handling of different colours, then you will need professional help. The sooner you become aware of your insufficiency, the better you can compensate for it.

Some people also use contact lenses or eyeglasses that act as filters to enhance colour perception. If you are affected by this problem, make sure you visit an eye-care practitioner for detailed advice.

Causes and Symptoms of Hypermetropia You Need to Know About

Hypermetropia, commonly known as long-sightedness, is a common vision condition in which distant objects appear clear, but nearby objects seem blurry or foggy. A person's ability to focus is greatly dependent on the degree of farsightedness. This condition of the eye is usually observed at birth and is also hereditary to some extent. Although, contact lenses and eye glasses are common methods of treatment, surgeries are also an option.

Before getting to understand the causes one should be aware of the structure of the eye.

The eye has two parts that focus on images

- The clear surface at the front of the eye known as the cornea

- The second part is the lens, which is a clear structure

In a normal eye, these clear surfaces have a smooth curvature. The cornea and the lens bend or refract the incoming light to direct a sharply focused image on the retina, situated at the back of your eye.

Hypermetropia is caused when

- The cornea or lens in the eye is not even or smoothly curved. In such cases, light rays are focussed behind retina which gives a blurry vision.

- The condition can also occur when the cornea of the eye is not curved enough. A shorter than the normal eye can also lead to such a condition. Convergent squint with eyes turning in is common in hypermetropes.

Due to these factors, the image is not precisely focused on the retina, causing blurry vision for nearby objects.

Some of the symptoms of farsightedness include:

- Objects that are close may appear blurry or cloudy

- Squinting the eyes might be necessary for viewing clearly

- A person may experience strain in the eye, aching and even inflammation in and around the eye

- Prolonged periods of close task like reading, writing or drawing may cause discomfort in the eye or minor headaches

Chronic eye strain and cross eyes are some of the commonly observed complications.

While spectacles are a fashion statement for some people, for others they are an uncomfortable necessity. Though contact lenses may be a little more aesthetically pleasing they too can be quite uncomfortable and cannot be worn throughout the day. Thankfully, there is a third way to correct vision. Laser surgery or LASIK, it is a popular refractive procedure that can correct common vision problems, such as nearsightedness, farsightedness and astigmatism. This procedure aims at reshaping the cornea so that light entering the eyes can be focused onto the retina for the person to have a clearer vision.

Laser surgery is pain-free and quick in most cases. Usually, it does not take more than 15 minutes to correct vision in both eyes. The results of this surgery can be seen in as little as 24 hours.

The first step of laser surgery to correct vision is to create a thin, circular flap in the cornea. This is then folded back to access the stroma or underlying cornea. An excimer laser is then used to remove some of the corneal tissue. For people suffering from nearsightedness, the cornea is flattened while for people suffering from farsightedness, the cornea is made steeper. In cases of astigmatism, an irregular cornea is smoothened. Once the correct gradient has been achieved the corneal flap is put back into place and the cornea is allowed to heal naturally. There are no stitches or bandages required in a laser eye surgery. You may feel a temporary burning or itching sensation in your eyes immediately after the procedure. It is important not to rub your eyes or place any pressure on them. Your vision may also be cloudy or blurred for the first few hours. A doctor will usually advise you to rest for a few days after the surgery so that your cornea can heal properly. In a few days, your eyesight should stabilize, though, in a few rare cases, it may take a little longer. You should also avoid any form of strenuous exercising for a few days after the surgery.

Though LASIK surgery has a very high success rate, there are very rare occasions where spectacles may still be needed even after the surgery. Thus LASIK is a choice of treatment for many who seek freedom from glasses.