Visual impairment is a decreased ability to see to a degree that causes disabilities or problems, not fixable by usual means, such as glasses. Loss of vision may be acquired and develop suddenly. It may affect one or both your eyes.

What Causes Loss of Vision/Disability?

Loss of vision and disability can result from the following  

Clouding of normally transparent eye structures

Abnormalities in the retina

Abnormalities in the nerves carrying visual signals to the brain from the eyes

Changes in vision may also occur due to conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. 

Can Psychological Rehabilitation Help Manage Visual Impairment?

Vision loss and disability often interfere with one s functional ability in everyday tasks. Sometimes, the disability may be so devastating that it affects a person s mental health and behaviour. Psychological Rehabilitation is designed to help such visually impaired people deal with disability or impairment. 

Psychological rehabilitation involves a wide range of methods that aims to restore functioning after loss of vision, just as physiotherapy restores functioning after an injury or stroke. The program allows patients to continue living independently and maintain their quality of life despite vision loss. 

Complete or partial loss of vision can jeopardize one s career   you may not be able to continue with your job due to the disability.  Many people suffer psychological and physical challenges, which force them to escape the outside world. Psychological rehabilitation helps in the following ways  

Helps individual understand and accept the disability, and find ways to cope with it

Motivates them in to keep trying

Cope with the pain and depression

Overcome feelings of fear or despair

Prevents the person from sinking into a state of self-pity, which may hinder recovery

Rehabilitation Psychology adopts a holistic and expansive approach to treat visual impairment. 




Loss of Vision & Disability - How Can Psychological Rehabilitation Help?

A person is said to have great vision more in the metaphorical way than in the literal sense. However, having both is just so important, especially as the ability to see reduces as a person gets older. Old age comes with its own set of problems, and vision loss is one of them. If kept in check from an early age, however, vision loss can be deferred indefinitely.

While a person's eyesight is likely to deteriorate over the course of his life, there is a lot which can be done in an effort to make sure that this is not the case. To start with, it makes good sense to be regular with eye check-ups. After a person attains the age of sixty, he or she should have a doctor take a look at his or her eyes on a yearly basis. There is no point trying to conserve eye sight if a person is too late in taking corrective action. By paying a visit to the ophthalmologist, a person will get to know the exact problem that he is suffering from.

A good diet which is rich in the nutrients which improve a person's eye sight does go a very long way in the long run. A person should make sure that is diverse enough to take care of the needs of a person and should include grapefruit, strawberries as well as berries and nuts.

One of the main things which can be done in order to preserve the health of a person's eyes until he or she reaches an advanced age is to stop smoking in all forms. As a matter of fact, tobacco leads to cyanide entering the blood stream and this does a lot of damage to the eyes. In fact, quite a few irreversible conditions of the eye are caused due to this.

Exercise is said to be good for a person at any age for a variety of reasons and it is really good for even the eyes, though the link may not be immediately so clear. It reduces the risk of age related degeneration by up to 70 per cent!

What is really interesting about a person's eyes is that they can be signs of trouble in other parts of the body. For example, if a person has blurry vision, they should get checked for diabetes. Also, eyes which do not produce enough natural lubrication can show a risk of rheumatoid arthritis and perhaps even thyroid disease.

All in all, a person's eyesight is so crucial to his or her overall health and wellbeing. We have only one pair of eyes, so we might as well take care of them!

Tips to Prevent Vision Loss in Elderly People

An inflammation resulting in the formation of a thin layer inside the eyelids or the white part of the eyeball is known as pink eye or conjunctivitis. This condition turns the eye ball into pinkish color, hence the name. Based on the severity of the infection, either one or both eyes get affected.

What are the common symptoms?

Medium to heavy swelling of the eye
Eye crusting after sleep
A burning sensation
Irritation, itching or blurred vision
Redness and increased sensitivity of the eye
Different kinds of conjunctivitis:

Allergic Conjunctivitis: This is the type of conjunctivitis that results from eye irritants such as animal dander, dust particles and pollen. This is not infectious in nature. Treatment prescribed by ophthalmologist includes eye drops and non-steroidal medications. It is advised to keep the eye moist till it gets cured.
Viral Conjunctivitis: As the name suggests, this kind of conjunctivitis is caused due to a viral attack. Sadly though, antibiotics don t work and there is no particular medication for this type of conjunctivitis. Like common cold, viral conjunctivitis runs its course in a span of 1-2 weeks. Since virus is contagious, it is necessary to ensure that the microbes don t spread. Some common prevention measures are listed below:
Eye cosmetics should be abandoned till the conjunctivitis is cured
Hands should be frequently cleaned
Hand and eyes should not be in contact
Frequent change of pillow covers, towels and clothes
Swimming should be completely avoided
Spectacles in place of lens should be used until advised otherwise by a medical practitioner
Bacterial Conjunctivitis: This kind of conjunctivitis is caused by the streptococcal bacteria and has potential to cause real damage if proper medication is not taken on time. This is highly contagious. Prescription often includes antibiotic drop and ointments. The medication is prescribed for 2-3 weeks depending on the level of bacterial spread in the eye. It is very essential to complete the full course of medication to avoid recurrence. Prevention measures as stated above should be strictly followed.
Chemical conjunctivitis: Eye irritants such as chlorine cause this conjunctivitis. Frequent swimmers often get affected by this type of eye infection. Topical steroids are prescribed to cure this kind of infection. Immediate medical attention is required to avoid lasting injury to the eye.
How to prevent pink eye?
While prevention is the best way to refrain from conjunctivitis, some basic hygiene checks are very important. Here is a list of must do s:

Do not share personal items such as combs, towels and toiletries.
Stay away from a conjunctivitis infected patient
Using of goggles while swimming
Frequent usage of hand sanitizer and hand wash

Pink Eye - How You Can Prevent It

High blood pressure can lead to hypertension, which is known to cause a variety of debilitating side effects or symptoms in the life of the patient. It can also lead to a number of related ailments which can affect the various organs of the body. The eyes are one of the organs that are most susceptible to this kind of spike in the body s blood pressure. Let us learn more about the connection between the two.

Retina: When high blood pressure goes untreated for a prolonged period, it can easily start to affect the blood vessels that can be found in the retina. The retina is the third or the inner most layer of the eye which is sensitive towards light and usually helps in refraction. This is where the light reaches so that one can focus clearly on an image. When the blood pressure of the patient stays high for a prolonged basis, there is significant pressure on the blood vessels in this part of the eye which can lead to an eye disease known as hypertensive retinopathy.

Symptoms: Symptoms of this eye disease include lack of clarity and focus when the eye comes to rest on an object, as well as headaches and other vision problems that typically spring from eye strain that one will go through while trying to focus even harder. It may be seen that the symptoms do not appear in the very early stages of this disease.

Diagnosis: The diagnosis of the condition is usually done by an ophthalmologist who will use an ophthalmoscope in order to project light towards the specific part of the eye so that the back of the eyeballs can be examined. The signs that the doctor will look for during the examination include narrowing of the blood vessels in this part of the eye, inflammation of the macula which is the central portion of the retina, and bleeding in the back of the eye. Also, the doctor will check for spots in the retina with the help of cotton swabs and exudates.

Treatment: The best and only way of treating this condition is by keeping one s blood pressure in control with the help of medication prescribed by the doctor.

Prevention: There are many ways of preventing the onset of this disease, including losing weight so that there is less pressure on the body. Also, one must stick to a healthy diet and exercise regularly after taking recommendations on the appropriate exercises from the doctor. Additionally, it is also important to see a doctor on a regular basis so that there is constant monitoring and regulation of the medicines and the blood pressure.

Blood Pressure - How it Affects Your Eye Sight?

Eye allergies are characterized by red and itchy eyes which may result from various allergens coming in contact with the eye. Eye allergies can cause swelling of the eyelids, redness in the eyes and may also lead to conjunctivitis. Conventional treatments prescribe eye drops containing chemicals that may aggravate the condition.

Homeopathy-the best natural treatment for eye allergies-

The allopathic system relies mainly on steroids and anti-allergic medicines for the treatment of allergic conjunctivitis. Even  then, it is unable to cure the allergy. It only ends up controlling it or keeping the symptoms under check. In homeopathy, the intention is to completely cure the allergy. Homeopathy recognises that the immune system of the body sometimes overreacts to some seemingly harmless things. This overreaction of the body is the root cause of problem. 

Therefore, it tries to correct the immune system. In this the medicines that are used by homeopathy are perfectly natural medicines. None of the medicines are chemical in nature. They are made from natural sources like plants or fruits or vegetables or minerals. The basic material is further diluted by a special mechanism which reduces the content of the original matter while increasing its latent healing powers. That is why these natural homeopathic medicines do not have any side effects.

The homeopathic remedies for eye allergies are:

1. Euphrasia

This remedy is used to treat allergies which cause watery discharge from the eyes and which tends to have burning sensation on the skin. The condition tends to aggravate during the evening and in closed spaces.

2. Argentum nitricum

Argentum nitricum is used to treat eye allergies which show symptoms such as aversion to bright light and conjunctiva swelling. The symptoms may be accompanied by gas in the abdomen.

3. Ruta

This is an effective remedy for allergic conjunctivitis where you may experience a constant feeling of something being stuck in the eye. There may also be swelling in the eyelids, redness and continuous watery discharge.

4. Pulsatilla

Pulsatilla is recommended if symptoms such as itchy eyes, yellowish discharge from the eyes and swelling of the eyelids are present. Hot and humid climatic conditions tend to aggravate this.

5. Apis Mel

Apis Mel is another homeopathic remedy that is used to treat eye allergies. Symptoms such as swelling of the eyes, burning sensation and intense pain in the eyes are very common. The symptoms are aggravated by hot weather conditions and direct exposure to the sun.

Eye Allergies - Know The Homeopathic Treatment For Them!

Glaucoma: An Overview
This disease can be developed or inherited; it usually refers to the accumulation of fluid inside a person's eyes leading to excessive pressure on his or her optic nerve.

How to Diagnose the Symptoms of Glaucoma-

A Fundamental Eye Examination: An experienced eye doctor will check the dilated pupils of your eyes so as to take a closer look at the optic nerve that further discerns the stage of glaucoma a patient is in. Doctors tend to keep track on the sequential progression of glaucoma and its specific mode of treatment through pictures of the optic nerve taken during an examination.

Tonometry may also be performed:Signs of Glaucoma may be spotted through the procedure called tonometry where the doctor will test a person's eye pressure and so on so forth. A visual field test might also be conducted to check if the patient can see things at the periphery of his line of vision. 

Symptoms that will help a doctor identify this condition in people:-

A loss of peripheral vision is experienced in the early stages of glaucoma.
A person may see halos when in the presence of bright lights.
Your eyes could turn red.
Hazy or blurry vision is a problem faced by young children affected with glaucoma.
Glaucoma could be accompanied by headaches and eye pain.
An affected person might repeatedly feel nauseous.
Ways to Treat Glaucoma:-

Microsurgery can effectively treat Glaucoma: Microsurgery can be performed in various ways. There is one way in which a channel is made to pump out the fluid creating extra pressure on the optic nerve. This method is referred to as trabeculectomy.

Eye Drops: Eye drops can relieve you from painful glaucoma. They are known to control the formation of excess fluid in a person's eye. In some cases, they can induce the accumulating fluid to flow out of the patient's eyes.

Laser Treatment: Laser surgeries can be undertaken to get rid of glaucoma. Laser can help in moving out fluid from the eyes of the affected person. It successfully hinders fluid blockage as well. There are different kinds of laser treatments available to cure glaucoma.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Glaucoma

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