Your Eye Health and what you can do to have healthy eyes
Most people would rate their eyesight as the most essential of senses yet most of us take our eye health for granted. That’s not hard to do because it’s not easy to tell what’s happening inside the eye unless our vision is affected or we have symptoms. Ophthalmologists, aided with the right equipment, can look directly inside the eye to find out where the problem lies. I’ve created an introduction to some common ophthalmic conditions as well as the more specialist ones.
I’m asked all the time by my patients – “What can I do to make my eyes healthier? ”
Firstly, I thought a brief introduction to the structure of the eye would be useful. Along with this, I’ve added some simple steps to maintain your eye health. Whether you have an eye condition or not, the health and vitality of your eyes and your brain can be positively impacted by a little knowledge and a few small changes.
A brief introduction to the eye
Our eyes essentially contain the parts of traditional camera: The white of the eye is the sclera which behaves like the housing. A cornea and the lens make up the focusing mechanism of the eye. The cornea is the clear part covering the front part of the eye and the lens is just behind it.
The eye naturally contains some fluid ( aqueous humour) within a small chamber in the front of the eye ( the anterior chamber) which is continually being produced and drained. The fluid helps to maintain eye pressure inside the eye.
The retina is right at the back of the eye . It behaves like a camera film and captures images using thousands of light receptors (photoreceptors).
Within the central part of the retina, there is a highly specialised area which is densely packed full of photoreceptors. This area is called the macula.
The photoreceptors collectively send images from via the optic nerve to the brain. We ultimately process all this visual information in the part of the brain called the visual cortex.
Simple steps towards eye health
There are some simple things you can do to look after your eye sight and that of your family’s.
Glaucoma Screening: Have your eye pressure checked annually after the age of 50 to look for signs of glaucoma. If you have a family history of glaucoma, start getting the pressure checked every year from at least the age of 40.
Age related macular degeneration A major study into age related macula degeneration has shown that a diet- a diet rich in oily fish (omega-3), leafy vegetables is helpful for maintaining the health of the retina in age related.
Young children often don’t complain of visual symptoms, so it’s important to have their eyes tested for glasses annually, particularly if there is a family history of short or long-sightedness.
Quit Smoking . Smoking increases the risk of damage to the arteries within the retina and increases the risk of visual loss due to the ocular equivalent of a stroke as well as worsening other eye conditions.
Protect your eyes from harmful UV rays with sunglasses or a cap. This will protect your lens from premature aging due to cataract and your macula from developing age related macular degeneration.