Ever noticed spots or strands that  float  into your line of vision. These are known as floaters. In most cases, they do not affect your vision, but can cause a lot of discomfort. Thus, in most cases they do not require treatment unless they affect your vision significantly. Floaters are more likely to stand out when looking at bright objects or something like a clear blue sky. Moving your eyes can shift the fluid in your eyes and move these floaters out of your line of sight.

Dust particles entering and irritating the eye should not be confused with floaters. Floaters can be described as flecks of a protein called collagen. These flecks can be seen when they are loosened from the back of the eye known as the vitreous. This can happen at any age but is more likely to affect people between the ages of 50 and 75. Being near sighted or suffering from cataract also increases your risk of seeing floaters. In rare cases, it can also be triggered by a disease in the eye, an injury to the eye, tumors or crystal deposits in the back of the eye.

Noticing the odd floater is not something to worry about. However, if you notice a sudden increase in the number and frequency of floaters in your eye, see flashes of light, have pain in the eyes or experience a loss of side vision, consult a doctor immediately. This could also be a sign of a more serious condition like a detached retina that requires immediate medical attention. Excessive floaters can be removed through a surgery known as a vitrectomy or laser vitreolysis. A vitrectomy involves the removal of vitreous gel from the middle of the eye and replacing it with silicone oil or a gas bubble. The surgery last 2 or 3 hours, but you may require an overnight stay in the hospital.

Laser vitreolysis is a more recent form of treatment for this condition. This pain free procedure involves the projection of a laser beam into the eye that focuses on large floaters to break them apart or vaporize them. This procedure can be performed as an outpatient and is considered safer than a vitrectomy. The form of treatment suited to a person will depend on a number of factors including their age, what the floaters look like, where they are located and the frequency of their appearance.

Eye Floaters - When Should You Consult A Doctor?

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

Are you losing your sight day by day? Does it make difficult to see you at night? Is this the onset of Blindness? Get to know about Retinitis Pigmentosa with these tips.

What actually is Retinitis Pigmentosa? 
Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) refers to a group of diseases, which causes a slow, but progressive vision loss. It is a genetic disorder that affects the ability to respond to light.This inherited disease causes a slow loss of vision, beginning with decreased night vision and loss of peripheral (side) vision and eventually results in blindness.

Causes:
Retinitis pigmentosa is often hereditary (runs in families). If you or your partner has retinitis pigmentosa, there may be up to a 50 percent chance that you will pass it on to your children. Ask your ophthalmologist about genetic counseling if you are planning to have children.

Symptoms:
1. Slow loss of vision
2. Beginning of decreased night vision
3. Loss of peripheral vision
4. Difficulty in identifying colours

Diagnosis:
If you have poor night vision or a loss of side vision or if there is a history of retinitis pigmentosa in your family, your ophthalmologist will conduct a comprehensive eye exam to determine if you have retinitis pigmentosa. Your ophthalmologist will dilate your eyes to look at the back of them for signs of disease.

Treatment:
Currently there is no known cure for retinitis pigmentosa. However, research has shown that vitamin A palmitate may slow the progression of certain forms of RP. Your ophthalmologist can advise you about the risks and benefits of vitamin A palmitate and how much you can safely take. Taking too much vitamin A palmitate can be toxic, and evidence of vitamin A palmitate effect on RP progression is not substantial.
Another recommendation for slowing vision loss from RP is to wear sunglasses to protect your retina from harmful ultraviolet (UV) light.

Retinal prosthesis is also an important area of exploration because the prosthesis, a man-made device intended to replace a damaged body part, can be designed to take over the function of the lost photoreceptors by electrically stimulating the remaining healthy cells of the retina.

Retinitis Pigmentosa: What You Should Know About It?

Did you know that your vision is responsible for around 80% of you sensory input? your eyes are among the most delicate organs in your body. Long work hours in front of the computer and long study hours results in tired and sometimes irritating eye conditions. But help isn't too far. Before you head to the doctor, you can head to your kitchen to look for solutions. There are several home remedies that you can try to not only improve your eyesight but also get rid of glasses and rebuild your vision! here's how you can do it:

1. Exercise: Just like any other body part, your eyes need exercise too. Blinking your eyes rapidly for 5 seconds helps moisturize it. Similarly, cupping your eyes with you palms for 4-5 minutes triggers acupuncture points that helps the eye to relax. There are specific exercises to reduce eye strain, improve blurred vision and enhance reading. Do these as per the specific problem you are facing.

2. Take a break: Follow the 10-10-10 rule when you are on the computer for extended hours. For every half hour of work, take a 10 min break to look at something n a distance at least 10 feet away for 10 seconds. These becomes tricky if you are studying or working in a fast paced environment and easily forget to take breaks. Set alarms that help you know the time so that you can actively plan your breaks. To enhance break time, try to look at greenery during your 10 sec break which helps the eyes relax better. Splash your eyes with cold water to give them a fresh feel.

3. Yoga: Yoga and meditation relaxes your body and mind. It is also a great way to relax your eyes as you get to close them and give them rest. When you close your eyes, you shut out a big chunk of sensory inputs helping your body go from an active reaction mode to a passive action mode.

4. Eat for your eyes: Make sure you add your weekly quota of vision enhancing food in you diet. Carrots which are rich in beta-carotene and vitamin a are great for the eyes. Similarly grapes and blueberries work great to improve your night vision. Green leafy veggies, garlic, shallots, eggs and onion all contribute in keeping your eyes healthy and strong. Cold water fish rich in DHA is an another great food that helps reduce dry eyes and muscular degeneration.

5. Change your lifestyle: Other than exercise and proper nutrients, you need to ensure you get a shut eye for six to eight hours every day to let your eyes fully rest and rejuvenate. As always drink 6 - 8 glasses of water. And don't forget to get regular eye check ups especially if you are a diabetic or have other health conditions that adversely affect your eyes.

Natural Remedies For Better Eyesight

While it's assumed that numerous eye injuries are inflicted at work, just about the same number of them may happen while at home. Luckily, most eye wounds are preventable. Find ways to prevent eye injuries, as the eyes are very sensitive and delicate.
Here is a list of some of the most common eye injuries and tips on how to prevent them:

1. A lot of eye injuries happen from dust particles entering the eyes, causing itching and burning sensation. Protective glasses should be worn when doing any kind of activity in a dusty area with flying particles.

2. Pencils, scissors, forks, knives and all similar sharp objects can cause a serious eye injury. Day to day household items like bungee cords, wire coat hangers, rubber bands and fishhooks are capable of causing eye injuries. You must always remain aware and super conscious while using such objects.

3. While performing activities such as dusting, sweeping or lawn mowing, make sure to protect your 
eyes well as dust is involved.

4. Children are very curious by nature. Thus, all hazardous stuff like fertilizers, acids should be kept away from their reach. These contain harmful chemicals, which may inflict fatal damage to the eyes.

5. Cooking powder and spices like chili powder can cause injury to the eye. Always wash your hands 
after using these items, so that you don't harm the eyes if you by chance rub them with your hands.

6. Precautions should be taken while dealing with heat or boiling water or oil. They may spill and cause damage to the eyes.

7. Secure floor coverings and railings. On the off chance that a kid or elderly man lives in your home, use a safety gate at the top and base of stairs, and consider covering sharp furniture edges and corners with a padding material.

8. While travelling in a car, abrupt jerking or breaks may cause the head to bump and cause injury to the eye. Always put on your seat belt and do not allow children to sit in the front of a car.

9. Many modern toys, which are very attractive have got sharp edges because of their fancy design. Abstain children from playing with these kinds of toys.

10.  Laser pointers, a common fun gadget for children is very harmful and causes permanent damage to the retina. Stay away from laser pointers.

11. Wear eye gear to protect your eyes during sports activities. Also wear goggles during swimming as chlorine in swimming pool water damages the eyes.

Eye injuries may happen out of nowhere. You must always remain alert to avoid eye injuries.

Most Common Eye Injuries That Happen and Prevention Tips

Glaucoma is a serious eye condition in which the optic nerve gets damaged and the situation gets worse over time. If untreated, individuals may go permanently blind. Most individuals, with glaucoma, have no previous symptoms or warning signs of this disorder and this is the reason why it is important to have regular eye check-ups.

Causes of glaucoma
Eyes have a liquid called aqueous humor. This fluid flows out of the eyes through mesh like channels for proper lubrication of the eye. However, there can be situations in which these channels may get blocked. In such a case, there would be a build-up of this liquid, thereby causing an increase in fluid pressure. This is usually a major cause of glaucoma. Although there has been no elaborate evidence of what exactly causes this blockage, doctors have noticed that this can be inherited.

Other less common causes include:

Any sort of blunt injury or chemical injury to the eye
Blocking of blood vessels inside the eye
Other inflammatory conditions
Improper eye surgery
Types of glaucoma
There are mainly two kinds of glaucoma than can occur:

Open-angle glaucoma: This is the most common kind of glaucoma and is also called wide-angled glaucoma. In this kind, the tubular meshwork through which the liquid flow occurs is normal. However, the fluid flow isn t the way it should be.
Angle-closure glaucoma: This is also known as acute glaucoma or chronic angle closure. In this case, the liquid is not able to drain properly because of the angle between the iris and the cornea being too narrow, thus causing the iris to be in the way. This can cause a sudden build-up of pressure, thereby leading to chronic glaucoma.
Facts about glaucoma

This disorder usually has no previous signs or symptoms and occurs all of a sudden.
This disorder mainly affects individuals above 40 years of age.
Glaucoma can be inherited.
People with diabetes have chances of suffering from glaucoma.
If not treated early, it may lead to permanent blindness.
Symptoms of glaucoma
Usually there aren t many symptoms to warn people about this disorder. However, one of the first signs is definitely losing peripheral or side vision. Other symptoms might include

Chronic vision loss
Visibility of halo around lights
Narrowed vision
Glaucoma is treated by any of the three methods:

Prescription eye drops in order to reduce eye fluid formation, thereby resulting in outflow increase
Laser surgery
Microsurgery

Glaucoma - A Complete Guide on It!

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