Written By: Debjani Arora | Updated : March 5, 2016 8:52 PM IST
The most sensitive part of your body is also the most ignored one your eyes. Unless it is an emergency, an appointment with your ophthalmologist isn t on your to-do list. Worse, you fail to go for an annual check-up even though you have spectacles. That is the sorry state of affairs of your eyes. Admit it, we are not wrong! However, here are few signs listed by Dr Hemalini Samant, Pediatric, Neurophthalmology & Cataract surgeon from The Eye Associate Mumbai (TEAM) that say your eyes are screaming for help. Ignoring these could be perilous. Here are 10 things you can do to keep your child s eyes safe.
You are above 40
Your eyes age along with time and your vision isn t going to be the same forever. Your vision may deteriorate anytime -- happens early on in life for some while others may experience defective vision much later in life But no one is immune to vision degeneration. So, if you have never had spectacles in your life and crossed 40, it is better to go for a casual check-up. Chances are you might need reading glasses by this time. If you feel that you are holding your phone or the newspaper further away to read things clearly, you might have developed a condition called presbyopia that is common after or around 40. Getting help at the right time can save your vision from further damage. Read to know about some eye tests that can save your vision.
You wear glasses and still suffer from cloudy vision
Wearing glasses doesn t mean you don t need to visit your ophthalmologist ever. In fact, wearing specs all the time don t guarantee total vision restoration but can slow the process of degeneration. So, if you haven t checked your eyes and your number off-late and feel that your vision has become cloudy, go for a check-up ASAP. This could be the early signs of developing a cataract. Remember, when cataract starts to develop, vision becomes foggy even with glasses. Here are 14 causes of blurred vision you need to know.
You see in twos
Buy-one-get-one-free is a superb scheme in supermarkets, but not when your eyes start to show you everything in twos. Seeing double could be a critical sign related to your vision. It could suggest that you may have developed a sudden onset squinting which may be secondary to a cranial nerve palsy. Hence, seek opinion immediately. Here are four ways to keep your eyes healthy as you age.
You see large black spots
This is crucial for people wearing high negative number glasses or suffering from myopia. The higher the number more short-sighted one would be. In such cases, if one sees a large number of black spots in front of the eyes while looking at an object or sees half side of it clear, and the other half blurred it s a warning sign. This symptom could mean that there may be a retinal detachment that could lead to complete blindness if not detected in time. In people who have a high negative number, their eyeball axial length is longer than the normal. As a result, the retina is stretched because of which there may be tiny holes or weak spots called as lattice degeneration that can cause a total retinal detachment.
You see halos around white light
If you see haloes around the light and experiences a frequent change in number, follow up with your ophthalmologist s appointment diligently, as this might suggest that the intraocular pressure in the eye is high. When the intraocular pressure is high, it leads to a condition called glaucoma. It is usually painless and in the very late stages may lead to vision loss. If one has a family history of glaucoma, be more careful. Early intervention is the key to managing glaucoma, as this has no cure.
Your eyes turn red: Redness of eyes along with continuous discharge or pain with swollen eyelids indicates an eye infection that needs expert treatment. However, one often heads to a general physician in such a case who might start treatments using steroid. This could further aggravate the infection. So, head to your ophthalmologist without wasting time.
Your eyes pain after wearing contact lenses
This is common with contact lens users. This can indicate an infection or even an allergy. Sometimes it could also be due to a tear in contact lenses. However, it is wise not to put things to chance and get checked with an ophthalmologist.
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