Taking Care of Your Eyes
Many people fail to consider eye health a priority in their overall health scheme, especially if they have 20/20 vision. But, taking regular care of your eyes to prevent disease or degeneration should be part of your regular health regime. Regardless of your age, you should consider the following ways of taking care of the health of your eyes:
- Get regular eye exams, which can identify sight issues and disease early, before they become a serious problem.
- A child’s eyes should be checked shortly after birth, before staring school (age 3 or 4), and throughout the school years. Regular eye care is important even though a child shows no signs of eye trouble.
- If you are 55 or older, you should get an eye exam at least once every two years. If your have diabetes or other health problems you may need to see an eye doctor more often.
- Wear sun-protective glasses that screen out harmful UV rays.
- Eat foods rich in antioxidants (vitamin C, vitamin D) and lutein, a compound which can help protect against cataracts and macular degeneration, both common, age-related eye disorders.
Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD)
AMD is one of the leading causes of vision loss for people age 65 and older. (In the U.S. it is the leading cause of vision loss; it affects more than 13 million Americans.) More people are affected by Macular Degeneration (MD) than by glaucoma and cataracts combined. AMD refers to the disorder when it affects people over the age of 60. The cause of MD is not known, but the condition runs in families, leading to the conclusion that it probably has a genetic component. It affects both women and men equally.
MD refers to the breakdown of the macula, the central portion of the retina. There are two types of MD. The first, atrophic or dry MD, results from a gradual breakdown and degeneration of critical photoreceptors in the eye that provide night vision and visual acuity. The second, exudative or wet MD, is caused by leaks in the blood vessels of the retina. This bleeding results in scarring and retinal tissue death. About 80 to 85 percent of MD sufferers have the atrophic or wet form of MD.
The macula depends on one of the highest rates of blood flow through its blood vessels for its healthy functioning. New theories believe that anything that interferes with the blood flow can result in the malfunction of the macula. With MD there is normally a loss of vision in both eyes.
The first symptom of MD may be a distortion of vision in one eye, causing straight lines to appear wavy. Eventually, loss of central vision worsens, making it difficult to see at long distances, read up close, see faces clearly or distinguish colors. Dark or empty spaces may block the center of vision. Peripheral vision is not affected.
Good health is an important part of good vision. The following lifestyle choices can reduce the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the retina and eventually cause the death of cells in the retina and macula:
- Smoking can decrease blood supply by causing a narrowing of the blood vessels and a thickening of the blood.
- A diet high in saturated-fat can cause plaque buildup along the blood vessel walls, including the macular vessels, which impedes blood flow.
- A lack of antioxidants, such as vitamin C, vitamin E and lutein may increase the ability of plaque to stick to the blood vessel walls and promote the damage of the tissue.
So what can you do to lower your risk of suffering from AMD? The two most obvious answers are:
- Don’t smoke and avoid exposure to second-hand smoke.
- Protect your eyes. Be sure to wear sunglasses that contain UV protection.
What you eat can also play an important role in reducing your risk of MD. A diet very low in saturated fat and rich in antioxidants, i.e. vegetables, fruit, legumes including soy, whole grains and fish. There is evidence that the lutein in food helps protect against MD and cataracts, common, age-related eye disorders. It is one of the yellow and orange pigments found in many fruits and vegetables, including carrots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, watermelon, squash, tomatoes, peas and dark, leafy greens (spinach, kale, collards and bok choy, for example). Zeaxanthin, a carotenoid contained in orange bell peppers, oranges and honeydew melon is also an important ingredient in an eye health diet.
Laser treatments can help some people with wet AMD. Some treatments use a laser beam to destroy unhealthy new blood vessels under the retina. They can help to slow or stop the growth of new blood vessels and protect the vision that remains. A recent study suggests that people with moderate and advanced stages of AMD may benefit from large doses of zinc, vitamins C and E, and beta-carotene. While these supplements may slow the disease at later stages, they are not a cure.
Low vision rehabilitation can help people make the most of their remaining vision. Orientation and mobility training can give patients the skills to live with limited vision. Low vision aids, including telescopic and magnifying lenses, large-screen computers and other adaptive devices, can help patients with partial sight.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is an eye disease that causes loss of sight by damaging the optic nerve, which sends information from the eyes to the brain. Loss of peripheral vision is the first result of damage to the optic nerve, but, over time, damage to straight ahead vision may result. Glaucoma is frequently called “the sneak thief of sight” because people usually do not notice any signs of the disease until they have already lost significant vision. Once lost, vision cannot be restored.
Doctors don’t know for sure how glaucoma damages the optic nerve. Increased eye pressure seems to play an important role in most cases. The eye produces a watery fluid which goes into the eye and drains through a mesh-like pathway and into the bloodstream. For some people fluid cannot drain properly because problems in the drainage system. As people grow older, the drainage may gradually slow, there is no place for excess fluid to go, and pressure inside the eye builds up. This increased eye pressure may damage the optic nerve over time and slowly, the nerve fibers essential for vision die.
There are many types of glaucoma. The most common types include:
- Chronic (Open Angle) Glaucoma—This is the most common type. In open angle glaucoma, fluid drains too slowly and pressure inside the eye builds up. It usually results from aging of the drainage channel, which doesn’t work as well over time.
- Normal Tension Glaucoma—This form of open angle glaucoma is not related to high pressure. Reduced blood supply to the optic nerve may play an important role in normal tension glaucoma.
- Acute (Angle Closure) Glaucoma—This type of glaucoma affects predominantly those of Asian and Native American descent. It causes a sudden rise in pressure, and requires immediate medical attention. The signs are include blurred vision, severe headaches, eye pain, nausea, vomiting or seeing rainbow life halos around lights. However, occasionally, this condition may be without symptoms, similar to Open Angle glaucoma.
- Secondary Glaucoma—About 10 percent of glaucoma cases arise from other disease and conditions that damage the eye’s drainage system. These include diabetes, leukemia, sickle-cell anemia, some forms of arthritis, cataracts, eye injuries, steroid drug use and the onset of unhealthy blood vessels.
People experience glaucoma differently. Usually, peripheral vision is affected first. Later in the progress of the disease, glaucoma may cause “tunnel vision”; the person can only see straight ahead. However, even central vision can eventually be seriously damaged.
Glaucoma can usually be treated and controlled using medications, laser surgery, glaucoma surgery or a combination of all these treatments. Eye drops are usually the first step in treatment, but laser surgery may be just as effective a first choice.
Eye doctors use many medicines to treat glaucoma. These drugs lower pressure inside the eye. Often, people with glaucoma must take these medicines for life to control the pressure and limit vision loss. Doctors are researching new drugs that can protect or strengthen the optic nerve. Some medicines already available may help stabilize the optic nerve as well as lower pressure inside the eye.
The most common laser procedure uses laser light to open up the outflow pathway to improve draining of fluids from the eye. Another procedure uses a laser beam to create a tiny hole in the iris to allow the pressure in front of the iris to become the same as the pressure behind it.
Sometimes, neither medications nor laser surgery sufficiently relieves the eye pressure, and a patient must resort to glaucoma surgery. This surgery may create a new path through the eye to allow fluid drain from the eye or insert a tiny tube which becomes a path for fluid to drain away.
What are the risk factors that may increase your chance of having glaucoma:
- Age—The risk increases the older you are. Glaucoma affects 1 in 200 people age 50 and younger. This rate increases to 1 in 10 over the age of 80.
- Race—African-Americans are 4 to 5 times more likely to suffer from glaucoma than others, and they are also likely to experience it at a younger age.
- Family history—If anyone from your immediate family has glaucoma, you are more likely to get it too. If you have glaucoma, all your family members should have eye exams.
- Medical history—Diabetes, previous eye injuries or eye surgery, or long-term steroid use can increase your risk of glaucoma
Good vision is a vital part of feeling your best. We rely on sight more than any other sense to enjoy life to the fullest.
TAKE CARE OF YOUR EYES.
For more information on eye health: www.preventblindness.org
