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!

The quality and sharpness of vision are generally measured with a Snellen chart. The Snellen chart shows letters of logically smaller size. Perfect vision is 20/20. This implies the patient or subject sees the same line of letters at twenty feet that a typical individual sees at twenty feet.

Here are a few doctor recommended tips that can be followed in order to achieve a perfect vision. These are as follows:

1. Eat right for good vision
Taking good care of your eyes begins with the food that you eat. Foods, for example, fatty acids, lutein, zinc and vitamins C and E may avert age related vision and eyesight problems, for example, macular degeneration and cataract as shown by certain studies. Eating these foods daily can lead to healthy eyesight. Following are some of the nutrients that can help us do so:

    Green vegetables, for example, spinach, kale, and collards
    Salmon and fish
    Eggs, nuts, beans, and other non-meat protein sources
    Oranges and different citrus natural products or juices
    Shellfish and pork

2. Quit smoking
Smoking makes you more inclined to get cataract, optic nerve damage and macular degeneration. The more times you attempt to stop smoking, the more probable you are to succeed.

3. Wear shades
The right sort of shades will shield your eyes from the sun's bright (UV) beams. An excess of UV exposure makes you more inclined to get cataracts and macular degeneration. Pick shades that piece ninety nine to hundred percent of both UVA and UVB beams. Wraparound lenses shield your eyes from the side. Spellbound lenses diminish the glare when driving. Some of the contact lenses come with UV protection as well. It is still a smart thought to wear shades for more protection, however.

4. Turn away From the Computer Screen
Gazing at a computer screen for a really long time can bring about eye strain, foggy vision, trouble focusing at a distance, dry eyes. The muscles around the eyes can start getting weak and painful if given too much strain. Turn down the screen brightness. You need to at present have the capacity to see, however, you should not feel like you are gazing at a very bright light. In case you are reading from the computer, use the zoom capacity to make the content bigger.

5. Pencil exercise
Take a pencil, and place it some place in the centre. Draw a letter, number or dot in on any side of the pencil. For this activity, you will concentrate on the pencil and the spot as you move it toward and far from your eyes. Pencil push-ups are rumoured to correct twofold vision and crossed eyes, yet it cannot hurt to attempt them for different issues since it is free, easy, and just includes focusing and refocusing your eyes. 

How to Have the Perfect Vision? Doctor Recommended Tips

Vision is one of our most important senses. Reduced vision that triggers the need for corrective glasses is one of the most common disorders associated with the eyes. Crossed eyes are another such common disorder that affects the eyes. In medical terms it is also known as strabismus. This condition is a result of miscommunication between the brain and the eye muscles that result in misalignment of the eyes. It is largely a hereditary condition and should not be confused with a lazy eye syndrome.

Crossed eyes can cause double vision and disorientation. Your depth perception may also be affected. It also causes eye strains and headaches that affect the quality of your life. This condition is seen mostly in children. If not treated in time, it can continue into the adult years as well. The development of crossed eyes in adults who have not suffered from this condition as children is usually a sign of a serious condition such as a stroke.

Some symptoms characteristic of this condition are:
1. Independent movement of eye balls
2. Tilting the head to a side
3. Squinting
4. Varied points of reflection in each eye
5. Frequently bumping into things as a result of impaired depth perception.

Treatment for this condition can be surgical as well as non surgical. Non surgical treatment aims at strengthening the eye muscles and treating the visual system as a whole. The aim is to not allow the eye to become lazy or amblyopic. Wearing an eye patch over the strong eye and forcing the weak eye to be used is one of the most common form of this treatment. Corrective glasses can also be used to treat this condition in cases where it has been triggered by excessive farsightedness. In some cases, medication may also be injected into the eye to relax the eye muscles.

Surgery to correct this disorder involves correcting vision by strengthening or weakening the eye muscles. To do this, a surgeon must first make a small incision in the outer layer of the eyeball to reach the affected muscles. To strengthen the muscle a small section is removed from the muscle and the remaining part is then rejoined. This makes the muscle shorter and forces the eye to turn towards that side. Alternatively, the doctor may make a partial cut across the muscle to elongate it and let the eye turn further away from it.

Crossed Eyes - How Can It Be Treated

Cataract is generally associated with old age. However, in some unfortunate cases, children could be affected by cataract as well. A cataract can be defined as a cloudy or opaque layer that forms on the eye's natural lens that lies behind the iris and the pupil, leading to eventual loss in vision. Cataract can affect children in one eye or both eyes.

Cataract can be a congenital birth defect or can develop as the child grows older. The latter case is known as pediatric cataracts. The exact cause of cataracts in children is not known, but it has been associated with a number of genetic disorders, low birth weight and infections during pregnancy. Traumatic events such as an injury to the eye can also cause cataracts.

The earlier a cataract is diagnosed and treated, the better it is. It is easier to identify a cataract that affects both eyes than a cataract that affects only one eye. If a congenital cataract is not treated in time, the part of the baby's brain used for sight may not develop properly. Hence it is crucial to recognize cataract symptoms.

Here are a few you should look out for:

    Not looking directly or responding to large, colourful objects.
    Not being able to find small objects while crawling.
    Excessive squinting or shielding their eyes to bright sunlight.
    Eyes that do not focus on the same point.
    White reflex instead of a red reflex in photographs.
    Uncontrolled movement of the eye.

Cataracts that are too small to affect sight can be treated with eye drops to dilate the pupil. However, this provides only temporary relief. Surgery is the most preferred form of cataract treatment. This surgery can be performed even in the first few weeks of a baby's life. The child is put under anesthesia and a microsurgical instrument is used to break the lens into small pieces and remove it.

This surgery is followed by the use of lenses or glasses to help the eye regain its power to focus again. In some cases, the lens may be implanted to replace the natural lens. In cases where cataract affects only one eye or one eye is more severely affected than the other, there may be a tendency to develop amblyopia or lazy eye syndrome. In such cases, it becomes necessary to patch the good eye shut and stimulate vision in the eye that has undergone surgery.

Cataract in Children

Conjunctivitis is a medical condition that is marked by redness in the eyes owing to the inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the membrane covering the white part of the eye. The condition is further characterized by the discharge of yellowish pus fluid from the corner of the eye. This condition, which is essentially an infection, can occur to people of all age brackets. 

Causes and Symptoms 

Conjunctivitis can be caused due to several reasons namely allergies, irritants, bacterial and viral infections, among others. Apart from the redness in the eye, some other apparent symptoms of conjunctivitis are: 

    Thin and watery discharge in viral conjunctivitis 
    Thick, mucous like discharge ranging from yellow to green in case of bacterial conjunctivitis
    Sticky eyelids
    Increased reactivity to light 
    Blurred or foggy vision
    Nasal discharges 

It is difficult to distinguish between viral, allergic and bacterial conjunctivitis. Different fields of medicine prescribe treatments according to the cause of the condition. Although subtle differences, such as thick and thin discharges can be observed, in Homeopathy the cause is not that important. 

Homeopathic medicines are natural and highly effective. The medications, which are prescribed in Homeopathy can more than manage the discharges, swelling, the sandy sensation and redness in the eyes. Homeopathic medicines are effective when the condition causes the eye to get dry, red, congested and swollen. Bathing the eyes with sterilized salt water is also a popular method of treating the infection. In addition to these, Homeopathic doctors also provide tips to curb the likelihood of further complications. Removing your contact lenses while treatment and cleaning your spectacles on a regular basis, if you wear any, are duly recommended.

Treating Conjunctivitis With Homeopathy

Night blindness is also called nyctalopia.It's a type of vision impairment. People with night blindness experience poor vision at night or in dimly lit environments. It is not a disease in itself, but rather a symptom of an underlying problem, usually a retina problem.

What Causes Night Blindness?
A number of eye conditions can cause night blindness, including:
1. Nearsightedness or blurred vision when looking at faraway objects.
2. Cataracts or clouding of the eye's lens.
3. Retinitis pigmentosa, which occurs when dark pigment collects in your retina and creates tunnel vision.
4. Vitamin A Deficiency
5. Zinc Deficiency
6. Dry Eyes
7. Diabetes

Are the Symptoms of Night Blindness?
The sole symptom of night blindness is difficulty seeing in the dark. You're more likely to experience night blindness when your eyes transition from a bright environment to an area of low light, such as when you leave a sunny sidewalk to enter a dimly lit restaurant. You're likely to experience poor vision when driving due to the intermittent brightness of headlights and streetlights on the road.

How can I Prevent Night Blindness?
You can't prevent night blindness that's the result of birth defects or genetic conditions, such as Usher syndrome. You can, however, properly monitor your blood sugar level and eat a balanced diet to make night blindness less likely. 

Orange colored foods are excellent sources of vitamin A, including:
1. Cantaloupes
2. Sweet potatoes
3. Carrots
4. Pumpkins
5. Butternut squash
6. Mangoes

What are the Treatment Options for Night Blindness?
The treatment will depend on its causes.
1. Nutrient deficiency (Vitamin A and Zinc) is the easiest to treat. 
2. If the cause is cataract, you can go for cataract surgery to remove the clouded lens and replace it with artificial intraocular lens. Vision is usually dramatically improved after surgery. 
3. For dry eye syndrome, lubricate your eyes with artificial tear drops as they provide instant relief. Just make sure that they are without preservatives. 
4. Diabetic retinopathy can be prevented with tight control over blood sugar, active lifestyle and good dietary habits.
5. As for retinitis pigmentosa, unfortunately there are no treatments available. Thankfully, new research is showing that vitamin A might have a slowing effect on the progression of this eye disease.

Night Blindness: Causes and Symptoms

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