Latest Developments in Eye Care in Adult Life
Eye care generally refers to the habit of preventing damage or infections to the eyes or minimizing the effects of any damage or infection. Eye care is very important because as eye is one of the most crucial organs in the human body. With advancement in age, the eyes become more susceptible to infections and loss of vision. Fortunately, we now have good developments in eye care, especially for adults.
Since eye care begins with prevention of any problems that may occur to the eyes, it is important to know how exactly to do so. First of all, just like the general health of any other body organ, eating nutritious foods helps keep eye diseases at bay. Such foods include oily fish, citrus fruits, green leafy vegetables and oysters which contain valuable minerals like zinc which helps in keeping the eyes in good condition. A balanced diet also keeps body weight in check hence preventing obesity and diseases like diabetes which may lead to eye problems.
Living a healthy lifestyle also helps in preventing eye problems. Frequent exercising, especially for the elderly, helps in good blood circulation to all body parts including the eyes.
Avoiding lifestyle habits such as smoking also helps in preventing cataracts. Sunglasses help reduce the effect of the sun’s ultraviolet rays on the eyes and safety eyewear when one is involved in jobs or sports that may expose them to eye damage. Prolonged staring at a computer or phone monitors without proper protective eyewear effects vision.
Visiting the doctor regularly for checkups helps in identifying any looming eye problems at an early stage and therefore making it easy for prevention or treatment. One such problem that can be detected early is glaucoma, a condition whereby the optic nerve becomes damaged hence disrupting the relaying of visual signals from the eyes to the brain. If not treated early, this condition may lead to a significant loss of vision or even total blindness. The condition is characterised by the buildup of an aqueous fluid in the eye which leads to a rise in pressure inside the eye. Luckily, the condition can be treated owing to massive developments in eye care.
Glaucoma treatment involves making a hole in the eye under the eyelid by the surgeon which allows the aqueous fluid to drain hence reducing the pressure from the eye and subsequently from the optic nerve. Usually, the surgery takes about one hour to complete, and a drug is applied after that to reduce scarring. Apart from the surgical treatment also known as trabeculectomy, there are other non-surgical methods of glaucoma treatment. These include laser treatment and eye drops and a medical expert usually advises the patient on the most appropriate method of treatment. Old age should therefore not be a reason to get worried about our eyes because there is a lot of development in eye care.
