Care of the eye TIPS ON EYE HEALTH & EYE SAFETY

by Captain Dominica Ibhaduwede Adebayo

d. Regular use of sunglasses: Exposure to the sun can damage the eyes and increase the risk of developing cataracts and age-related macular degeneration. Thus, there is the need to protect the eyes by using sunglasses that block out 99 to 100 percent of both UV-A and UV-B radiation.

e.Useofprotectiveeyewear:Theuse of protective eyewear during certain vigorous sports and risky work in factories, construction and project repairs is essential. This protects the eyes from welding sparks, particles and flying objects that could injure/damage the eyes from theirimpact.

“Smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve. It is necessary to desist from smoking to promote eye health.”

The eyes are a major organ of the body. The importance of the eyes is reinforced by the fact that 80 percent of a person’s perception is obtained via sight. Therefore, people’s perception of the world around them is largely determined by what they see. This therefore makes it important for extra care to be taken to protect the eye and reduce the possibility of eye disease, visionlossandblindness.

To this end, the eyes need to get checked as often as the health care provider recommends, or as soon as vision problems emerge. Pertinently, just as it is important to keep the body healthy, it is also necessary to keeptheeyeshealthy.

Eyecaretips

There are quite a number of simple measures thatcanbe takentoensure healthy eyes and they include the following: a. Healthy balanced diet: A person’ s diet should include plenty of fruits and vegetables, especially deep b. Maintain a healthy weight: There is a direct correlation between a healthy weight and optimal eye health. Specifically, being overweight or obese increases the risk of developing diabetes which could result into diabetic retinopathy or glaucoma.

Eating fish high in omega-3 fatty acids, such as salmon, tuna, and halibut also helps in ensuring optimumeyehealth.

“Exercise helps to prevent or control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to some eye or vision problems.” c. Regular exercise: Exercise helps to prevent or control diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. These diseases can lead to some eye or vision problems. So regular exercise can lower the risk of eye andvisionproblems. f. Avoid smoking: Smoking increases the risk of developing age-related eye diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts and can damage the optic nerve. It is necessary to desist from smoking to promoteeyehealth. g. Family health history: Some eye diseases are inherited, for example, glaucoma. It is therefore important to find out whether there is a family history ofglaucoma. This would help in determining the risk of developing eye disease as well as ensure earlypreventativecare. h. Awareness of risk factors: The older a person gets, the higher the risk of developing age-related eye diseases and conditions. So, it is important to get acquainted with the risk factors so that due care and caution can be taken to lower the probability of eye disease by changingsomebehaviours. i. Basic hygiene: Basic hygiene is particularly important for people who wear contact lenses to prevent infection. Consequently, there is the need for proper washing of hands before putting on or taking out the contact lenses. Also, following the proper instructions on cleaning and replacing the contact lenses as and whendueisquiteimportant. j. Rest: The eyes need to be given sufficient rest. If a person spends a lot of time using a computer, there would be the tendency to forget to blink the eyes and this can lead to the eyes getting tired. Accordingly, in order to reduce eye strain, the 2020-20 rule should be adopted. This requires the person, at every 20 minutes interval, to look away about 20 feet in front of him for about 20 seconds minimum. This should be repeatedregularly.

Eyetestsandexam

Irrespective of a person’ s age, medical condition andfamily history, there is a need for regular visits to the medical practitioner to test the eyes and check for vision and eye problems.

Children usually have vision screening in school or at their healthcare provider's office during a check-up. Adults may also get vision screenings during their check-ups. But many adults need more than a vision screening. They need a comprehensivedilatedeyeexam.

Getting comprehensive dilated eye exams is especially important because some eye diseases may not give warning signs. The examinationsarethe onlyway todetectthese diseases in their early stages, when they are easier to treat. The examinationincludesseveraltests: a. Visual field test is to measure the side (peripheral) vision. The loss of peripheral vision may be a sign of glaucoma. b. Visual acuity test. where the patient is asked to read an eye chart about 20 feet away. This is to check how well the person sees at various distances c. Tonometry measures the eye's interior pressure. This helps to detectglaucoma. d. Dilation involves applying eye drops that dilate (widen) the pupils. This allows more light to enter the eye. The eye care provider examines the eyes using a special magnifying lens. This provides a clear view of important tissues at the back of the eye, including the retina, macula, andopticnerve. e. Refraction. The refraction test is used to identify refractive error and decide whether to prescribe glasses orcontactlenses.

This test is conducted by the patient looking through a device that has lenses of different strengths to help the eye care professional figure out which lenses will give the clearest vision.

“...black people are at higher risk of glaucoma and need to start getting the exams earlier. Furthermore, diabetics need to have an eye examination every year.”

Conclusion

The necessity for tests and the frequency of eye examinations depend on a number of factors. These include age, race, and overall health.

For example, black people are at higher risk of glaucoma and need to start getting the exams earlier. Furthermore, diabetics need to have aneyeexaminationeveryyear.