By Henk de Jong (resident ophthalmologist and researcher, Rotterdam Eye Hospital)
Dry eyes
Dry eyes occur when you don’t produce enough tears or when the quality of your tears is insufficient. Dry eyes can cause a burning sensation, redness, irritation, and pain, and can affect your vision. Although dry eyes may seem harmless, they can significantly impact daily life. It’s also quite common. If you suffer from dry eyes, it’s important to see a doctor or optometrist. They can determine the cause of your symptoms. Dry eyes are usually a chronic condition, which means you’ll never completely get rid of the symptoms.
The causes of dry eyes include:
- Aging or hormonal changes. Dry eyes are particularly common among postmenopausal women.
- Diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, thyroid disorders, and lupus.
- Blepharitis (when the eyelids are red or swollen).
- Entropion (when the eyelids turn inward); ectropion (when the eyelids turn outward).
- In a smoky, drafty, or very dry environment (such as rooms with air conditioning and/or central heating).
- Long-term use of contact lenses.
- Certain medications.
- Prolonged computer use and reading. This is partly because we blink less often when we’re looking at things up close.
Tips for Dry Eyes:
- Stay out of very hot rooms, and use a humidifier to add moisture to the air during the winter months.
- Wear wraparound goggles when you’re outside in dry, windy conditions.
- Avoid using a hair dryer.
- If you spend a lot of time at the computer, try to blink regularly and take breaks from your work.
- If you have blepharitis, you can warm your eyelids with warm compresses, then massage them and clean them thoroughly.
- You can use artificial tears to relieve the symptoms.
- A healthy diet can help reduce the symptoms of dry eyes. This has been demonstrated, for example, with an adequate intake of omega-3. Omega-3 is found in fatty fish, vegetable oils, legumes, leafy green vegetables, and certain nuts, such as walnuts.
Diabetic retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is the leading cause of blindness among working-age adults. In this condition, high blood sugar levels cause damage to the blood vessels in the retina. This can block blood flow and lead to blurred vision. If you have type 1, type 2, or gestational diabetes, you can develop diabetic retinopathy. The longer you have diabetes, the greater your risk of developing eye problems. You may not notice any symptoms at first. That’s why it’s important to have your eyes examined regularly by a doctor or optometrist. Early and prompt treatment can reverse any eye damage and prevent blindness in most people.
Tips for reducing vision loss caused by diabetic retinopathy:
- Keep your blood sugar levels as stable as possible—that is, within the target ranges you’ve agreed upon with your doctor.
- Try to prevent high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
- Quit smoking to reduce your risk of eye diseases.
- Be physically active, which helps manage diabetes.
Age-related macular degeneration
Age-related macular degeneration occurs when the central part of the retina (the macula) becomes damaged. This causes you to lose your central vision.
There are two types of macular degeneration:
Dry age-related macular degeneration
About 80 percent of people with macular degeneration have the dry form. Dry macular degeneration occurs when parts of the macula become thinner over time. Currently, there is no treatment for dry macular degeneration
Wet age-related macular degeneration
This form is less common, but is usually much more severe. Wet macular degeneration occurs when new, abnormal blood vessels grow beneath the retina, causing blood or other fluids to leak. If left untreated, this eventually leads to scarring of the macula.
Most people don’t realize they have macular degeneration until their vision becomes very blurry. It’s therefore important to see an ophthalmologist right away if you experience early symptoms (blurry vision and/or distorted vision) and to return regularly for checkups. Damage to the retina caused by wet macular degeneration can be treated with injections administered by an ophthalmologist.
Tips for macular degeneration:
- Eat a healthy diet low in saturated fat. Foods containing antioxidants, such as vitamins C and E, carotenoids (lutein, zeaxanthin), zinc, and copper, have been shown to help protect against macular degeneration. It is recommended to eat 200 grams of vegetables and 2 pieces of fruit daily, and to eat fatty fish twice a week. People who consume a lot of saturated fat are at greater risk for macular degeneration.
- Dietary Supplements: Recent research has shown that high doses of certain dietary supplements may slow the progression of vision loss in people with early-stage macular degeneration if they have wet macular degeneration in the other eye. Always consult your doctor about supplements!
- Lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
- Quit smoking. Smoking is a risk factor for macular degeneration.
- Find out how you can lower your high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Glaucoma
Because glaucoma has no symptoms in its early stages, half of the people with this common disease are unaware that they have it. Glaucoma is so insidious that it is often called the “silent thief of sight.” The only way to find out if you have glaucoma is to have your eyes and intraocular pressure checked regularly. Blindness can often be prevented with early treatment.
There are several types of glaucoma:
- In open-angle glaucoma (the most common form), the eye’s fluid does not drain as well as it should. As a result, intraocular pressure rises and gradually begins to damage the optic nerve. At first, you usually don’t notice anything. As the disease progresses, you’ll experience loss of peripheral vision at the edges of your field of vision.
- Narrow-angle or closed-angle glaucoma occurs when your iris is very close to the anterior chamber angle in your eye. The angle of the anterior chamber is the part of the eye that drains excess fluid. With this type of glaucoma, the iris can eventually block the angle of the anterior chamber. When the angle becomes completely blocked, intraocular pressure rises very rapidly, causing acute glaucoma.
Signs of acute glaucoma include:
- Sudden blurred vision.
- Severe eye pain.
- Headache.
- Nausea.
- Vomiting.
- Seeing rainbow-colored rings or halos around lights.
Eye Simulator
Curious about how people with an eye condition see the world? Try the eye disease simulator.
SO WATCH YOUR GOOD EYE!
People who are aware of the signs described above can do a lot on their own to prevent eye diseases. So don’t wait too long if you have symptoms in your healthy eye, and if in doubt, see an ophthalmologist.
