It is estimated that Every fourth adult has a problem reading a newspaper, an eye defect already affects more than 50% of today’s youth, and as many as 1/3 of Poles have never been to an ophthalmologist. We treat a doctor of this specialty the same way we treat a dentist: we only go for a visit when ailments bother us so much that we have no other choice.
The number of people affected by vision defects is steadily increasing, due to the galloping development of modern technology. Constantly staring at a computer, tablet or smartphone screen can contribute to or exacerbate the world’s most common visual defect – myopia.
As we read in the literature, more than 1.6 billion people worldwide have myopia, and the number is growing. As many as 55 percent of those with moderate to severe defect are women. It is estimated that before 2020, myopia will already affect 2.5 billion people. That’s as much as 35 percent of humanity!
And it all starts very innocently….
NEARSIGHTEDNESS (MYOPIA)
While high myopia is most often genetically determined, low (and then medium) myopia is most often earned by ourselves. Too frequent or prolonged strained accommodative effort, i.e. excessive tension on the circular fibers of the eye’s ciliary muscle, can cause myopia to form and develop. This happens especially in children who use smartphones without restraint.
Initially, so-called “school myopia” (apparent myopia) appears, which can be attempted to be controlled, for example, with drops that relax the eye muscles. Apparent myopia, if not caught in time, can turn into a permanent condition. If, despite problems with seeing objects far away from our eyes, we delay visiting the ophthalmologist, try to “catch focus” by squinting, the ciliary muscles remain in almost constant – not only when working at the computer or looking at a smartphone screen – accommodative contraction (spasm, spasm), and we breed higher and higher myopia.
Myopia of genetic etiology is associated with abnormal eye structure. More details here [link]..
It is worth knowing that high myopia can predispose to degenerative and atrophic changes and retinal detachment. People with high myopia should avoid excessive physical exertion and sports in which there is a high risk of head injury.
Short-sighted people have at their disposal corrective glasses, contact lenses, and can also undergo laser vision correction.
FARSIGHTEDNESS (HYPEROPIA, HYPEROPIA, HYPERMETROPIA)
Farsighted people are said to see objects located far away well, while those close to the eye are blurred for them, but the defect is actually more complicated. Farsighted people usually have a problem perceiving objects clearly from any distance. Sometimes reduced vision is also accompanied by headaches or eyeballs, strabismus or double vision.
Specialists divide hyperopia into symptomatic and asymptomatic – depending on whether the accommodations are still able to compensate for vision loss. And it is worth seeing that children have an accommodative ability of up to 14 diopters! However, this accommodative effort comes at a price: the defect will eventually manifest itself and require spectacle correction. Paradoxically, young farsighted people can often have the same symptoms as short-sighted people.
Only the complete pharmacological abolition of the ability to accommodate for the duration of the ophthalmologic examination allows a correct diagnosis to be made. Therefore, in the literature you may encounter the term farsightedness latent.
Farsighted people are prescribed glasses with convex lenses, or “pluses,” hyperopia canalso be corrected with laser treatments.
PRESBYOPIA (PRESBYOPIA)
Presbyopia is a set of changes that occur with age in the human eye. It is estimated that nearly 10 million Poles struggle with presbyopia, completely unaware of it and treating problems with reading fine print or seeing sharply after dark as something natural. As early as around our 40th birthday, our vision deteriorates, and even if we haven’t been diagnosed with any vision defects so far, the progressive stiffening of the lens and the weakening ability to accommodate the eye will eventually force us to visit an ophthalmologist.
We can stop with the diagnosis and glasses, but these days we also have the option of more advanced treatment for presbyopia. If we don’t want to wear glasses, it’s worth undergoing laser vision correction or refractive lens replacement.
ASTYGMATISM
It is estimated that about 40% of the population has a malformed cornea or lens, and consequently symptoms of astigmatism. It cannot be avoided – the defect is hereditary and our lifestyle does not have the slightest influence on its development. Nearly 50% of patients diagnosed with astigmatism experience such a significant impairment in the quality of vision and the associated comfort of daily functioning that they require eye care.
Astigmatics not only have problems seeing objects sharply regardless of their distance from the eye, but also complain of crooked and distorted images, poor contrast and an impaired sense of space. If astigmatism is accompanied by myopia or hyperopia, or developing presbyopia, vision problems can really make life difficult. Laser correction of astigmatism relieves vision sensations once and for all and is a lifesaver for people who, despite strenuous efforts, fail to get optimally formatted glasses.
CATARACTS AND GLAUCOMA – THE SILENT THIEVES OF THE EYE
Cataracts take many forms, but it is the acquired (degenerative) cataract, also known as senile cataract, that is referred to as the silent thief of the eye. Senile cat aracts appear around 50. year of age and may initially be unnoticeable to the patient – especially if he or she already has some visual impairment. We should be concerned about such symptoms as:
- Deterioration of distance vision,
- problem with perception and color discrimination,
- Better vision on cloudy days,
- Seeing objects “as through a dirty glass.”
- Deterioration of self-care due to visual impairment.
Cataracts develop gradually, from the incipient cataract (the opacity occurs only at the periphery of the lens), through the advanced, immature cataract, to its mature form, when the lens opacity is complete. Transperitoneal cataracts, on the other hand, are already a stage in which the lens fibers gradually liquefy, causing the lens nucleus to move downward, which can further lead to irreversible blindness.
The WHO lists unoperated cataracts as the cause of 35% of all cases of reversible blindness worldwide. Until recently, only mature cataracts were operated on, but ophthalmologists now take the position that cataract surgery is advisable even in the early stages, as long as the visual impairment is severe enough to impede daily functioning.
Glaucoma – untreated it accounts for nearly 8% of all cases of blindness worldwide – is an extremely insidious disease that irreversibly damages the optic nerve. Its causes are not fully recognized, although the most commonly cited is too high pressure in the eyeball. But it is not the only one that predisposes to the disease. Migraineurs, diabetics, people suffering from hypertension and atherosclerosis, as well as those with a family history of this insidious vision thief are at risk for glaucoma. Glaucoma leads to atrophy of optic nerve fibers and visual field loss, which can eventually mean complete loss of vision.
Due to the fact that humans have a lot of nerve fibers in the eye, their slow atrophy is often unnoticeable. Therefore, if we have a family history of glaucoma, it is necessary to have a follow-up consultation with a doctor once every one or two years, because the symptoms of glaucoma in many cases are faint and ignored. [here would be a link to a long article on glaucoma worth writing].
DRY EYE SYNDROME
Contrary to popular belief, dry eye syndrome is not an affliction of contact lens wearers. It is a group of conditions in the course of which there is an abnormal moistening of the surface of the eye by the tear film. Abnormal composition or too rapid evaporation of the tear fluid leads to excessive drying of the cornea and conjunctiva. Epidemiological studies have shown that dry eye syndrome affects 11-17% of adults in Poland. The most common symptoms are:
- burning eyes
- a feeling of dry eyes (often also dry “for no reason: mucous membranes of the mouth)
- feeling of sand under the eyelids
- Moderate congestion (redness) of the eyes
- serous discharge in the conjunctival sac
Patients often show pinpoint epithelial defects in the lower part of the cornea or within the eyelid stroma. The lesions occur bilaterally and are very chronic. Dry eye syndrome is often diagnosed in people with endocrine disorders, such as menopausal women, autoimmune diseases, or those taking constant antihistamines, antiarrhythmics, antimigraine, antidepressants, blood pressure lowering drugs or birth control pills. Treatment is purely symptomatic (drops, gels). Restricting computer work and quitting smoking/not staying in smoky rooms are also recommended.
There is no way to completely cure dry eye syndrome. The symptoms of the disease usually persist throughout life. The exception is the so-called secondary dry eye syndrome, associated with the use of medications, the symptoms of which may regress or diminish after their withdrawal.
AGE-related macular degeneration(AMD ) .
A degenerative disease of the retina mainly affecting people over 50. year of age. The exact causes of macular degeneration are not known. The macula is the part of the retina that is responsible for seeing the center of an image without distortion. It is only 5-6 millimeters in diameter. It enables central vision, which is what allows us to read, write or distinguish details and colors.
The primary risk factor is age; others include:
- smoking cigarettes,
- improper diet (deficiency of antioxidants, for example, vitamin C or E),
- cardiovascular ailments,
- obesity,
- years of exposure to harsh light.
Initially, AMD may be asymptomatic, then they appear:
- Seeing straight lines as wavy, distorted lines,
- Increasing reading problems,
- Weaker color recognition,
- trouble seeing details.
Depending on the form, AMD treatment proceeds differently.
