Preventing Weakening of Eye Sight in Children

Wearing specs among children is a common sight nowadays. The main reason for weak eyesight today is excessive watching of television, use of mobile phones and computers. Apart from this, lesser interest shown by kids in outdoor activities and exercises can also be listed as the reason for weak eyesight. For the well-being of your child and especially their eye sight it is necessary to keep a check on time they spend with electronic devices as excess time spent on these during formative years may affect the vision badly as the person grows. 

Your Child's Eye Care is of utmost importance

Childhood is an extremely important period in a human’s life cycle. A healthy beginning of life is the key to overall health for the rest of the life. This is applied to the eye health too. If not looked after properly in childhood, even a little problem can turn into a serious one. Often parents don’t pay much attention to eye care until a child complains of being unable to see distant things or some other problem. This negligence can be harmful for your child’s eyes, as many a times some problems may develop and stay undetected before turning into a severe one. 

Cataract Removal Surgery: All that you need to know

Cataract removal is a completely safe procedure which is done on an outpatient basis which takes about an hour or less to perform. In this procedure, eye drops are put inside the eye to dilate the pupil and numb the area around. Post this, the clouded lens from the patient's eye is removed which is replaced with an intraocular lens. Once the surgery is done, the patient can get back home. But it is advised that the patient shouldn't drive, or perform activities like bending, lifting etc. for about one week after the surgery. 

 

Know about Cataract Removal Surgery

Today with the advancement in medical technology, surgery for cataract removal has become an extremely safe procedure.

Gone are the days when post cataract removal surgery, patient had to sit home wearing bandages for minimum 1-2 weeks. But today, Cataract surgery involves removal of the clouded lens of the eye and replace it with an artificial lens. This procedure is performed on an outpatient basis, which means that the patient don't have to stay in the hospital after the surgery.

Factors that play role in Cataract Formation

Aging‬ is considered as the primary cause behind Cataract formation. But there are certain other factors too, which can contribute to Cataract formation. They are diabetes, hypertension, Obesity, smoking, high cholesterol, previous eye surgery, high alcohol consumption, eye injury, excessive exposure to UV rays and family history of having cataract. Regular eye examination can help early detection of cataract which can further be helpful in the treatment process.

Always keep a regular check on eye number

At all ages, it is advised to keep a regular check on your eye ‬ number. The constan change in eye number (power of glasses) can be a serious outcome of an underlying ocular or systemic disease. Frequent change in eye power after 40 years may indicate development of cataract and needs to address. Corneal Disease ‬ like Keratoconus, Corneal Scarring can lead to frequent change of glass power as well.

Corneal Injuries

The Cornea is the most delicate part of the eye which helps in focusing image on the retina Any injury to it calls for immediate medical attention. Read more about Corneal injury in the accompanied article of mine that appeared in today's The Hindu.

Factors causing Cataract

  Cataract is generally known as an age related eye disorder, but there can be few other reasons too that can lead to occurrence of this disease. They are:
1. Aging: The most common cause of Cataract is aging.
2. Congenital: Some babies are born with cataract which can be an outcome of some kind of infection, injury or due to poor development of eye lens.
3. Secondary Cataract: This kind of cataract is caused as a result of medical conditions like diabetes or due to exposure to UV radiations or toxic chemical substances.
4. Trauma: Any injury to the eye too can cause cataract.

What is Cataract?

With an average of 10 million cases per year, Cataract is the most commonly found eye disease in India. Cataract is the clouding of the natural lens of the eye, which can cause blurred, decreased vision or vision loss. Generally, people over the age of 40 are most affected by this disease. It is seen that cataract develops slowly with age and can affect one or both the eyes.

 

Eye Protection during Summer

We are just in the mid of April, but the temperature is going higher and higher. With the ‪summer‬ heat at its peak, special care needs to be taken in order to prevent oneself becoming a victim of it. Enclosed below is a story of mine that appeared in yesterday's Rajasthan Patrika on how to take care of your ‪eyes‬ in Summer.

Reason behind Eye Senstivity to light

In this digitally active world, it is difficult to keep oneself away from digital devices. But, did you know, the Blue-Violet light emitted from these devices, can harm your retina cells? The bright light coming from your laptops and smartphones strains one's eyes, which can further lead to Eye Sensitivity to light. 

Air Pollution and its affect on Eyes

We all have been reading about how rise in Air Pollution is affecting our health specially our lungs. But, do you know the same pollution is also affecting our eyes majorly . The chemicals present in the air harms our eyes by causing problems like Eye Irritation and Burning Eyes. As a matter of precaution, it is advised to wear sunglasses while going out. Also, whenever you feel itchiness, irritation or burning in the eyes; instead of rubbing your eyes, wash them with cold water.

Over indulgence in Smartphones can cause Myopia

Smart phones have inevitably become a part of our life. We spend a large amount of our time sticking to our smart phones, holding just a few inches away from our eyes. What we don't realise is that by doing this we are pressurising our eyes to focus harder than the normal. And unfortunately due to lack of Eye Exercises in our routine, our eyes are increasingly becoming more prone to the problem of Myopia. This problem is more found in kids these days.

Blink your eyes to enjoy a healthier sight !!

The most commonly discussed Eye Problems these days is Eye Fatigue. Generally found among students (school or college going) and young working professionals, this in medical terms is also known as Asthenopia. Tired Eyes, Eye Pain, head ache, Burning Eyes and Blurred Vision are few indications of this problem. The best and the easiest solution to get rid of the problem is to blink your eyes often. Blinking helps in restoring the lost moisture in the eyes. So, blink your eyes after every 6-8 seconds to enjoy a Healthy Sight.

Relax your Eyes for a while.To avoid burning sensation in your eyes

Often while working on laptops for extended hours burning sensation is felt in the eyes. The best way to avoid it is to wear anti-glare lenses while working. Another important thing is to take small breaks after every half an hour or so, in order to relax your eyes. During that break, you can perform some simple eye exercises like rolling eyes in clockwise and anti-clockwise direction or relax our eyes by keeping it closed for a while.

Don't Let Work Stress Affect your eyes

With the rapid rise in the usage of mobile, laptops, computers and TV be it at home or office; our  eyes suffer a massive ‪stress‬. Problems like ‪Swollen Eyes‬, ‪‎Red Eyes‬, itching/irritation in eyes, tiredness and ‪Dark Circles‬ are increasingly seen in people from all age groups. But with proper care and attention towards one's ‪diet‬ along with certain ‪Eye Exercises‬, these problems can be curbed. In addition to this, it is very important to have a good night’s sleep of minimum 7-8 hours.

It is better to Prevent than Cure Diabetic Retinopathy

People with ‪Type 2 Diabetes‬ are at a much greater risk of having ‪Diabetic Retinopathy‬. Also, ‪‎Pregnant Women‬ having ‪‎diabetes‬ are more prone to developing this disease.

To prevent this disease, the first necessary thing is that as soon as you get to know about having diabetes, go for detailed ‪‎Dilated Eye Diagnosis‬ annually. Timely diagnosis and treatment can help prevent worsening of this disease. Diabetic patients should always keep their blood sugar level and blood pressure under control. Also, medicines prescribed by the doctor must be taken regularly. In addition to this, make sure to get a ‪Hemoglobin AC1 test‬ done twice a year and discuss the reports with your doctor.

Eye Care for Diabetes Patients

For anyone who's having diabetes, there are some telltale signs like Blurred Vision, seeing dark spots or spotty vision, sudden weakening of eyesight, difficulty in recognizing colors and seeing darkness at some places that can help in identifying Diabetic Retinopathy. In case you witness any of these symptoms, don’t ignore and get yourself examined by an Eye Specialist.