4 tips for a great eyesight

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).




4 Tips for a Great Eyesight

In order to see clearly, the eyes need to be constantly lubricated. This function is performed by small glands located in the eyelids known as meibomian glands. These glands secrete oil onto the surface of the cornea through tiny openings on them. Malfunctioning of this gland can create an excessive amount of oil.

When oil accumulates on the eyelids, it encourages the bacteria present in the eye and the skin around it to multiply leading to inflammation. This condition is known as meibomianitis. Adults are at a higher risk of suffering from this condition as compared to children.

Some of the factors that could trigger meibomianitis are:

Allergic reactions
Fluctuation of hormones associated with puberty and adolescence
Acne and other skin conditions
Lice or mites on the eyelashes
Unsanitary contact lens solution
Contaminated eye makeup
Certain medications such as isotretinoin for acne that increases bacteria on the eyelids
However, in some cases, a clear trigger factor may not be identifiable.
Some of the characteristic symptoms of this disease are:

Dry eyes
Constant watering from the eyes
Inflammation and reddening of the eyelids
Burning sensation in the eyes
Itchiness
Flaking of skin around the infected eye
Heightened sensitivity to light
Excessive blinking
Crusting of eyelashes
Blurred vision
Frequent formation of sties
Loss of eyelashes or abnormal growth of eyelashes
Regular cleaning of the eyes with warm water and abstaining from the use of contact lenses and eye makeup can help reduce irritation and manage the inflammation. Additionally, the doctor may also prescribe antibiotics or steroids in the form of pills, eye creams or drops. Artificial tears may also be recommended to patients exhibiting dry eye symptoms.

Meibomianitis - 8 Things That Can Trigger It!

Do your eyes get tired easily? Do they look sore or sandy? If yes, then it s time to worry for your eyes now. There is every possibility that you might have developed a dry eye. It is a common disorder of the eyes that occurs due to aging. It causes discomfort as you end up feeling scratchy or gritty all the time. The eyes turn red and have a burning sensation and feel itchy. Things get worse when you tend to stress your eyes by spending extra hours in front of the computer or read texts. In fact, the discomfort increases as the blinking frequency of the eyes get reduced.

One may also develop blurred vision due to dry eyes. An individual feels as if there is some particle inside his or her eyes, but finds nothing. Though this condition doesn t lead to very dangerous consequences, it is always a wise decision to seek medical help. The medical term for this condition is keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Once you develop dry eye, there is always a tendency to get it back again. But, the good news is that it can be treated to get some relief.

Causes
Dry eye is caused due to problems related to tear formation. When we blink our eyes, a film is formed over it. This thin layer is called a tear film. Tear film is responsible for clarity in vision. In case, enough tear is not produced, one tends to suffer from dry eyes. It is mainly caused due to ageing. 
If you don't produce enough tears, if your tears aren't of the right quality or your tears aren't spread across the front of your eye properly then you may develop dry eye. The glands producing tear or the tear film get inactive with age. Sometimes, the tear film is also affected by certain medicines, contact lenses, diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren's syndrome.

Treatment
Dry eyes caused due to ageing cannot be cured completely. You must see a doctor for treatment but there are no permanent cure remedies. However, there are ways to help you get some relief. Here are the ways:

Try to increase the natural tears: There are certain home-based remedies to get some relief from the problem. You can keep the temperature of your room lower to get rid of the symptoms of dry eyes. Higher temperature leads to the evaporation of the tears. You can keep a humidifier in your room that adds more moisture to the air inside the room. This prevents drying up of the eye due to evaporation of tears. It is also found that when one blinks less, tear formation is reduced. The blinking is reduced while working on computers and reading. One must be careful while doing such things and try and blink as many times as possible.
Use eye drops: One needs to use eye drops called  artificial tears.  They are an alternative to the natural tears. If usual drops are not effective, gel-based thicker drops or overnight ointments are prescribed.
Block tear ducts: Another way of tackling dry eyes is by reducing the drainage of tears. For this, the tear ducts are blocked by plastic pieces called punctual plugs. The process is termed as punctal occlusion.
Take food supplements: Certain oils and Omega 3 and 6 are known to be beneficial in treating dry eyes. Include these supplements in your diet to keep your eyes healthy.

Dry Eye Syndrome - 4 Ways to Treat It!

Eye Strain is an umbrella term that denotes a number of symptoms that relate to the extended use of eyes as well as discomfort that may come from excessive smartphone and computer use. This condition may or may not lead to significant eye damage and is usually characterised by blurry vision, headaches and a feeling of dryness in the eye as you blink less which creates less tears. This may happen due to the extended use of the eye when you are following objects on a screen or staring at a screen for too long. So, is eye strain the cause of your headaches? 

Find out more in this article.

Causes: Eye Strain or Asthenopia is caused by concentrating on visually intense tasks like reading from texts that have a fine print, the use of computers and other screens for prolonged periods, and trying to focus on objects in the dark. This can lead to distress of the muscles in this area which can also cause eye strain leading to a variety of symptoms including double imagery and even headaches and mild migraine like conditions.

Eye Muscle Imbalance: When there is eye strain which leads to headaches, it can also give rise to eye muscle imbalance which makes it difficult to concentrate with both eyes at the same time. In such cases, one may need bifocal glasses so as to fix the issue and prevent such debilitating headaches to remain on a persistent basis.

Diagnosis: Digital eye fatigue and ocular eye strain leading to headaches can be diagnosed by a doctor with the help of regular eye examinations. In any case, one should have the eyes checked at least once a year. This is especially important if your job involves sitting in front of the computer screen for prolonged hours.

Symptoms: There are a variety of symptoms of these headaches that are caused by eye strain. Apart from blurry vision which does not allow the patient to see properly and clearly without glasses, it can also cause headaches with symptoms like nausea and sensitivity to light. Retinal or eye migraines do not necessarily have to come with headaches, but the pressure can be painful enough.

Treatment: To begin with, the best form of treatment for headaches born from eye strain includes prevention which can be done by getting plenty of rest and sleep even as we limit the hours spent in front of the screen. One can also lower the resolution of the screen and make it more ambient. Also, the screen should be placed at a considerable distance from the eyes. The doctor can also prescribe glasses and eye drops for better eye lubrication.

Headache - Can Eyestrain Be the Reason Behind it?

Lazy eye is an eye condition that is as underrated as some of the most intriguing characters in Marvel s movies like Namor or Daredevil. Indeed, lazy eye or amblyopia is responsible for the majority of loss of vision cases below the age of 40. It even surpasses the loss of vision due to injuries and diseases.  

What Is Lazy Eye?

Amblyopia, commonly known as lazy eye, is an anomaly of the eyes where patients get reduced vision, which cannot be corrected by glasses or even contact lenses. It is not even an eye disease. In fact, it is an anomaly where the brain cannot acknowledge and interpret the image formed on the retina. The saving grace is that it mostly affects only one eye. Despite that, it may contribute to reduced vision in both eyes. Cases of lazy eye are prevalent among children; around 3% of children suffer from this disease.

Conventional Treatment

Neither glasses nor contact lenses nor surgery can rectify the eyes.

Early detection offers a better chance for a cure.

Lazy eye can be treated quite successfully under the age of 2. This can be done by even glasses, eye patches, etc. However, it is difficult to treat with such simple measures in older children. Hence, it calls for a neuroscientific approach.

Indeed, neuroscientific studies have revealed that the brain and its various perceptions can undergo a change at any age and it is known as neuroplasticity. This is where Ayurveda can play a major role.

The Role of Ayurveda In Treating Lazy Eyes

The concept of Neuroplasticity dictates that the brain has the capability to change if you make the effort and motivate the brain to learn. It is a perfect preoccupation for a lazy eye condition. You need to motivate the brain to learn that it needs to interpret the image formed in the retina of one or both of his eyes. This can be done with Ayurveda.

Ayurveda is all about the mind-body connection, and it is this connection that gets slack in anomalies like a lazy eye. The ayurvedic interpretation of the neurological system involves a root, also called Mula, a pathway through the body also called Marqa and an opening, also known as Mukha. Each of these is known as channels also known as strotas which help to orient our focus to various stimuli including visual stimuli. Ayurvedic remedies help to restore this balance in these channels with the help of Herbs and Asanas. Ayurveda also takes into account the mental constitution of individuals since different mental constitutions call for a different treatment approach.

Take Away

Despite being no immediate solution for the lazy eye, this condition can be potently cured with ayurvedic treatment. However, it is always advisable to consult an ayurvedic specialist before going for any of ayurvedic treatment.

 

Lazy Eye - How Effective Is Ayurveda In It?

Hypertension is a killer disease whose symptoms develop late when the damage is in advanced stages. Hypertensive Retinopathy is one such disease.

It damages the retina of eyes. Since retina is responsible for vision formation, Hypertensive Retinopathy can result in loss of vision. It is of grave concern that in most cases, Hypertensive Retinopathy is diagnosed later.

This is due to the fact that there are often no symptoms in the early stages of the disease. In some cases, where symptoms do manifest, patients may experience pain in the eyes, reduced vision, or headache.

What Happens in Hypertensive Retinopathy

People suffering from long term hypertension are susceptible to Hypertensive Retinopathy. Long-term hypertension affects the small and narrow blood vessels that join arteries to capillary blood vessels taking blood to different parts of the eye. These blood vessels become narrow with time if hypertension in the eyes continues unabated. This narrowing is more common in young adults compared to older people. Such unabated systemic hypertension also leads to leakage of fluid. This is why in some cases of Hypertensive Retinopathy, patients may experience exudation. Ultimately, Hypertensive Retinopathy may lead to damage to retinal blood vessels.

Risk Factors

Long standing hypertension is the number one risk factor for Hypertensive Retinopathy. People who are suffering from longer hypertension become most susceptible for this ailment.

However, studies have shown that hypertension for more than 5 years can even make people susceptible to this ailment.

Diagnosis

Diagnosis is done by Funduscopic Examination. The doctor would look at the eyes of the patient through an Ophthalmoscope which has different lenses. The Ophthalmoscope illuminates the retina and the doctor looks at the retina with different lenses. He can get a view of the retina, including blood vessels and optic nerve disks.

Findings of Diagnosis

For a person suffering from Hypertensive Retinopathy, this examination is likely to show:

Constriction of the arterioles.

Changes in the walls of retinal blood vessels.

Flame-shaped hemorrhages in the retina.

Yellow and hard exudates.

Spots in the shape of cotton wool.

Swelling of the optic disc.

Treatment

The primary treatment for Hypertensive Retinopathy is controlling blood pressure of the eyes. Some lifestyle changes like reducing the intake of salt, avoiding tobacco, etc., may bring down or control systemic hypertension in the eyes. In many cases, doctors may just recommend lifestyle modifications. Nevertheless, it completely depends on the extent of the damage and whether or not there is any fluid accumulation.

If the doctor feels that lifestyle modification is not enough, he may go for medicines that help the patients to control blood pressure effectively.

If the problem is in advanced stages and there is fluid accumulation behind the retina, the doctor may go for Intravitreal injection or Laser Therapy to control the edema.

Conclusion

Eyes are one of the most significant part of the body, this is why it is important for people to take care of it. In case of disease like Hypertensive Retinopathy, one must consult a doctor before opting any treatment or medicines.

Hypertensive Retinopathy - Everything About It!

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