Your eyes are an important part of your health. Most people rely on their eyes to see and make sense of the world around them. But some eye diseases can lead to vision loss, so it is important to identify and treat eye diseases as early as possible. You should get your eyes checked as often as your health care provider recommends it, or if you have any new vision problems. And just as it is important to keep your body healthy, you also need to keep your eyes healthy.
Eye Tests and Exams
Everyone needs to have their eyesight tested to check for vision and eye problems. Children usually have vision screening in school or at their health care provider's office during a checkup. Adults may also get vision screenings during their checkups. But many adults need more than a vision screening. They need a comprehensive dilated eye exam.
Getting comprehensive dilated eye exams is especially important because some eye diseases may not have warning signs. The exams are the only way to detect these diseases in their early stages, when they are easier to treat. The exam includes several tests:
A visual field test to measure your side (peripheral) vision. A loss of peripheral vision may be a sign of glaucoma.
A visual acuity test, where you read an eye chart about 20 feet away, to check on how well you see at various distances
Tonometry, which measures your eye's interior pressure. It helps to detect glaucoma.
Dilation, which involves getting eye drops that dilate (widen) your pupils. This allows more light to enter the eye. Your eye care provider examines your eyes using a special magnifying lens. This provides a clear view of important tissues at the back of your eye, including the retina, macula, and optic nerve.
If you have a refractive error and are going to need glasses or contacts, then you will also have a refraction test. When you have this test, you look through a device that has lenses of different strengths to help your eye care professional figure out which lenses will give you the clearest vision.
hEALTHY LIVING, HEALTHY VISION
Good health is an important part of good vision. The healthier you are, the better chance you have of avoiding risks to your eyes. Lifelong good nutrition may lower your risk of some eye diseases. By eating a healthy, balanced diet, you will have a better chance of staying healthy and keeping your eyes healthy. A lifetime diet rich in certain dark green vegetables, such as spinach and kale, may reduce your risk of getting AMD.
By eating healthy foods, you will lower your risk of developing other diseases, such as diabetes, which can lead to diabetic eye disease. Diabetes is also a risk factor for developing glaucoma.
Stay Active! Staying active is part of a healthy lifestyle that can improve your overall health. Exercising regularly can reduce your risk of developing problems that can lead to eye disease. Talk to your doctor before starting an exercise program.
Control Your Blood Pressure. Controlling your blood pressure is not just a good idea for your heart. It is also a good idea for protecting your eyesight. High blood pressure can increase your risk for glaucoma. It may also increase your risk for diabetic retinopathy if you have diabetes.
Fruits and Vegetables for Good Eye Health
Eating more fruits and vegetables can help protect against eye disease and help your overall health. * Research supports this.1-10 To keep your eyes healthy, you should eat foods rich in certain vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals are called antioxidants. Antioxidants help keep our cells and tissues healthy. The following foods may help stop or slow certain eye diseases.
DRY EYES
Dry eye disease is a common condition that occurs when your tears aren't able to provide adequate lubrication for your eyes. Tears can be inadequate and unstable for many reasons. For example, dry eyes may occur if you don't produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears. This tear instability leads to inflammation and damage of the eye's surface.
Dry eyes feel uncomfortable. If you have dry eyes, your eyes may sting or burn. You may experience dry eyes in certain situations, such as on an airplane, in an air-conditioned room, while riding a bike or after looking at a computer screen for a few hours.
Treatments for dry eyes may make you more comfortable. These treatments can include lifestyle changes and eyedrops. You'll likely need to take these measures indefinitely to control the symptoms of dry eyes.
sYMPTOMS
Signs and symptoms, which usually affect both eyes, may include:
A stinging, burning or scratchy sensation in your eyes
Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
Sensitivity to light
Eye redness
A sensation of having something in your eyes
Difficulty wearing contact lenses
Difficulty with nighttime driving
Watery eyes, which is the body's response to the irritation of dry eyes
Blurred vision or eye fatigue
CAUSES
Dry eyes are caused by a variety of reasons that disrupt the healthy tear film. Your tear film has three layers: fatty oils, aqueous fluid and mucus. This combination normally keeps the surface of your eyes lubricated, smooth and clear. Problems with any of these layers can cause dry eyes.
Reasons for tear film dysfunction are many, including hormone changes, autoimmune disease, inflamed eyelid glands or allergic eye disease. For some people, the cause of dry eyes is decreased tear production or increased tear evaporation.
Decreased tear production
Dry eyes can occur when you're unable to produce enough water (aqueous fluid). The medical term for this condition is keratoconjunctivitis sicca (ker-uh-toe-kun-junk-tih-VY-tis SIK-uh). Common causes of decreased tear production include:
Aging
Certain medical conditions including Sjogren's syndrome, allergic eye disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, graft vs. host disease, sarcoidosis, thyroid disorders, or vitamin A deficiency. Certain medications, including antihistamines, decongestants, hormone replacement therapy, antidepressants, and drugs for high blood pressure, acne, birth control and Parkinson's disease. Corneal nerve desensitivity caused by contact lens use, nerve damage or that caused by laser eye surgery, though symptoms of dry eyes related to this procedure are usually temporary.
Increased tear evaporation
The oil film produced by small glands on the edge of your eyelids (meibomian glands) might become clogged. Blocked meibomian glands are more common in people with rosacea or other skin disorders.
Common causes of increased tear evaporation include:
Posterior blepharitis (meibomian gland dysfunction)
Blinking less often, which tends to occur with certain conditions, such as Parkinson's disease; or when you're concentrating during certain activities, such as while reading, driving or working at a computer
Eyelid problems, such as the lids turning outward (ectropion) and the lids turning inward (entropion)
Eye allergies
Preservatives in topical eyedrops
Wind, smoke or dry air
Vitamin A deficiency
risk factors
Factors that make it more likely that you'll experience dry eyes include:
Being older than 50. Tear production tends to diminish as you get older. Dry eyes are more common in people over 50.
Being a woman. A lack of tears is more common in women, especially if they experience hormonal changes due to pregnancy, using birth control pills or menopause.
Eating a diet that is low in vitamin A, which is found in liver, carrots and broccoli, or low in omega-3 fatty acids, which are found in fish, walnuts and vegetable oils.
Wearing contact lenses or having a history of refractive surgery.
complications
People who have dry eyes may experience these complications:
Eye infections. Your tears protect the surface of your eyes from infection. Without adequate tears, you may have an increased risk of eye infection.
Damage to the surface of your eyes. If left untreated, severe dry eyes may lead to eye inflammation, abrasion of the corneal surface, corneal ulcers and vision loss.
Decreased quality of life. Dry eyes can make it difficult to perform everyday activities, such as reading.
prevention
If you experience dry eyes, pay attention to the situations that are most likely to cause your symptoms. Then find ways to avoid those situations in order to prevent your dry eyes symptoms. For instance:
Avoid air blowing in your eyes. Don't direct hair dryers, car heaters, air conditioners or fans toward your eyes.
Add moisture to the air. In winter, a humidifier can add moisture to dry indoor air.
Consider wearing wraparound sunglasses or other protective eyewear. Safety shields can be added to the tops and sides of eyeglasses to block wind and dry air. Ask about shields where you buy your eyeglasses.
Take eye breaks during long tasks. If you're reading or doing another task that requires visual concentration, take periodic eye breaks. Close your eyes for a few minutes. Or blink repeatedly for a few seconds to help spread your tears evenly over your eyes.
Be aware of your environment. The air at high altitudes, in desert areas and in airplanes can be extremely dry. When spending time in such an environment, it may be helpful to frequently close your eyes for a few minutes at a time to minimize evaporation of your tears.
Position your computer screen below eye level. If your computer screen is above eye level, you'll open your eyes wider to view the screen. Position your computer screen below eye level so that you won't open your eyes as wide. This may help slow the evaporation of your tears between eye blinks.
Stop smoking and avoid smoke. If you smoke, ask your doctor for help devising a quit-smoking strategy that's most likely to work for you. If you don't smoke, stay away from people who do. Smoke can worsen dry eyes symptoms.
Use artificial tears regularly. If you have chronic dry eyes, use eyedrops even when your eyes feel fine to keep them well lubricated.
pINK EYE OR STYE?
Two common eye infections are styes and pink eye (conjunctivitis). Both infections have symptoms of redness, watering eyes, and itching, so it can be hard to tell them apart.
The causes of these conditions are completely different. So is the recommended treatment.
SYMPTOMS
The first step in determining what kind of eye infection you have is by evaluating your symptoms.
The main difference between a stye and pink eye is that a stye is characterized by a hard lump on the surface of your eyelid. Pink eye doesn’t typically cause lumps, pimples, or boils around your eye area.
PINK EYE
Symptoms of pink eye include:
blurry vision
inflammation and redness on your eyelid
tearing or pus around your eye
redness on the whites of your eyes or inner eyelid
itching
STYE
Symptoms of an eyelid stye include:
pain in or around your eye
a raised, red lump on your eyelid
swollen eyelid
sensitivity to light
eye pus or tearing
redness
a gritty feeling in your eye
CAUSES
The next step in identifying what’s causing your eye discomfort is asking yourself what the cause could be. Pink eye and a stye sometimes look similar, but they appear for different reasons.
There are several different types of pink eye, each with a different cause. Viruses, bacteria, or allergens commonly cause pink eye. Pink eye can refer to any inflammation or infection of the clear membrane that covers your eyelid.
Other causes of pink eye include:
environmental toxins (such as smoke or dust)
irritation from contact lenses
foreign bodies (like dirt or an eyelash) irritating the lining of your eyelid
On the other hand, an infection of the oil glands on your eyelid causes styes. Styes are characterized by a red lump around the site of the affected gland or eyelash follicle. These lumps can look like a pimple or a boil.
Activities that introduce bacteria to your eye can lead to a stye, such as:
sleeping with makeup on
frequently rubbing your eyes
trying to extend the life of disposable contacts
CELLULITIS OF THE EYE
Cellulitis of the eye is an infection of the skin and tissues around the eye. It is also called preseptal cellulitis or periorbital cellulitis. It is usually caused by bacteria.
This type of infection may happen after a sinus infection or a dental infection. It could also happen after an insect bite or an injury to the face. It most often occurs where there is a break in the skin.
Cellulitis of the eye can be very serious. It's important to treat it right away. If you do, it usually goes away without lasting problems. Medicine and home treatment can help you get better.
TO PREVENT CELLULITIS
Wash your hands well after you use the washroom and before and after you eat.
Do not rub or pick at the skin around your eyes. Cellulitis occurs most often where there is a break in the skin.
If you get a cut, pimple, or insect bite near your eye, clean the area as soon as you can. This can help prevent an infection.
Wash the area with cool water and a mild soap, such as Ivory.
Do not use rubbing alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, or Mercurochrome. These can harm the tissues and slow healing.
Call your doctor or nurse call line if you have a sinus infection with redness or swelling of your eyes.
EYE DO’S AND DON’T
From computers and smartphones to walking out in the sun without sunglasses, there are several things that can affect your eyes and vision. So, always ask yourself whether you are doing what’s best for your eyes. Are you eating right? Are you doing exercises for relaxing your eyes? Here are a few do’s and don’ts for takings care of your eyes:
DO’S FOR YOUR EYES
1. Eat eye-friendly food: Eat a diet rich in Vitamins, antioxidants, and other vital nutrients. Vitamin A and beta-carotene in carrots are particularly good for your eyes. Also, seasonal vegetables, especially dark green leafy veggies such as spinach, broccoli, and fruits such as watermelon are good for your eyes. These contain lutein, an antioxidant that protects the eyes from damage and boosts eye health. Also, eat fish that are high in Omega-3 fatty acids.
2. Always wear sunglass when going out: Sunglasses not only make you appear cool but also protect your eyes from the harmful UV rays. Be it a cloudy day or a sunny day, never walk out in the sun without sunglass. It’s because the UV rays can penetrate the clouds. Buy sunglasses that can block 99% UV rays.
3. Exercise: Exercise is not just good for your overall health, but for your eyes as well. Exercise helps in reducing the eye pressure. You can try doing eye exercises. Follow the 20-20-20 rule when working long hours in front of the computer. Focus on an object that’s at least 20 feet away from you. Do this for 20 seconds every 20 minutes.
4. Go for annual eye examination: This is a must-do. You might brush off your annual eye check-up as you think your eyesight is perfect. But you should never do this. Even if your vision is fine, visit your eye doctor. He or she is the only person who can identify any signs/early symptoms of potential danger and vision-related conditions.
DON’T FOR YOUR EYES
1. Do not expose your eyes to glares: Avoid staring at the sun and other bright objects such as headlights, bright lights, and laser pointers. This is extremely harmful to your eyes and can affect your vision. Even while watching TV or staring at computer screen, dim them a bit too so that they are not harsh on your eyes.
2. Never work in poor light: It’s because reading or doing any other activity under poor lighting conditions can strain your eyes. This can result in a headache, pain in the eyes, and other issues. Always use a soft white light that doesn’t produce glares for reading. Also, it shouldn’t directly reflect in your eyes.
3. Do not smoke: Both active and passive smoking is bad for your eyes. Smoking tobacco increases your risk of eye issues such as Age-related Macular Degeneration, cataract, and other eye problems.
4. Don’t sleep in your contact lenses: This increases your risk of eye infection and affects your eye health. Also, avoid sharing lenses with others. Also, use contact lens solution for cleaning the lens and avoid using water or moisten them with saliva.
The IDEA Club
DR. sandra barker
EYE ASSOCIATES OF WINTER PARK, P.A.
Dr. Sandra Barker is a Board Certified Optometric Physician. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with Honors from the University of Texas at Austin. She received her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Houston College of Optometry. After completing her internship in the Optometry/Ophthalmology Service at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Dr. Barker practiced for two years in Houston prior to co-founding Eye Associates of Winter Park with her husband, Dr. Gary Barker, in 1985.
While Dr. Barker sees patients of all ages for comprehensive eye care, her area of expertise is specialty contact lenses including Corneal Refractive Therapy and contact lenses for patients with diseased corneas such as keratoconus or post-refractive surgery complications.
Dr. Barker is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry, a member of the Central Florida Society of Optometric Physicians, the Florida Optometric Association, and the American Optometric Association.
