December 19, 2001

Resolve to Take Care of Your Eyes

At the beginning of each new year, numerous resolutions are made to take some steps to improve our lives. Smoking cessation, weight loss, and increased exercise are common examples. One suggested resolution that is seldom voiced, however, is a commitment to take better care of our eyes. Since January is both National Eye Care Month and the start of a new year, it is the perfect time to consider eye health.

The first step toward good eye health should be a visit to your eye doctor for a check up; an eye examination with dilated pupils should be done at least once every two years. People with certain eye disorders or physical illnesses may need to have their eyes examined more frequently. Regular eye exams can keep track of changes in vision over time, and can determine the cause of those changes as well as what corrective action should be taken. Further, since many eye disorders are not noticeable in their beginning stages, routine exams can detect problems early, when they are most treatable.

The most common problems found during an eye exam are "refractive errors," in which light rays are not properly focused as they pass through the cornea and the lens. Most of these problems can be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses. Prevent Blindness America lists the most frequently occurring types of refractive errors as myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia.

Myopia is the condition commonly referred to as "nearsightedness." While vision for close objects remains good, objects in the distance are blurred and fuzzy, causing people to squint. Normally an inherited disorder, the cause of the problem is that the eyeball is longer than normal, so it is difficult for light rays to reach the retina. Eyeglasses or contact lenses usually correct the vision by focusing light rays onto the retina, but there is no cure for the condition. At times, lasers or surgery can be used to correct myopia.

Farsightedness is the term used for hyperopia. In this condition, light rays from close objects are not focused on the retina properly because the eyeball is shorter than normal. Occurring most often in young children, hyperopia usually decreases with age. Like myopia, the condition normally is inherited and can be corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

An astigmatism develops when the surface of the cornea is uneven, usually curved more on one side than the other. Again, heredity is the typical cause, and the condition can be corrected with eyeglasses or contact lenses.

The fourth common refractive problem, presbyopia, is not hereditary. Most people will experience this condition as they get older. After age 40, it often becomes more and more difficult to focus on close objects as the lens of the eye becomes less flexible, so focusing is difficult. Magnifying reading glasses, bifocals, and trifocals are normally used to correct this condition.

Besides the more common refractive errors, an eye examination can detect retinal tears and detachments. These can occur when the gel-like material that fills the eyeball changes shape, pulling a piece of the retina in the back of the eyeball away and creating a tear. The fluid in the eye can then seep into the tear and cause the retina to be pulled away and detach. Symptoms of a detached retina can include a blind spot, blurred vision, or shadowy lines. There may be sudden

flashes of light or the sudden appearance of many floaters. (Floaters are the tiny spots that may be seen when looking at a light colored background. They are a natural part of aging that are of no concern unless there is an abrupt onset, there is an increase in the number or frequency of floaters, or they occur with flashes of light.)

Another frequent eye disorder commonly associated with age is the formation of cataracts. Cataracts are the clouding over of the lens of the eye, and can be surgically removed to improve vision.

Glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness in the United States, is a treatable condition if detected early. Since the beginning stages of glaucoma have no warning signs, a regular eye examination is the only way to detect this condition before permanent vision loss occurs. Without benefit of an exam, most people only realize they have a problem and seek medical attention once they experience a loss of peripheral vision (what you see out of the corners of your eyes.)

So, after ringing in the New Year and making a list of resolutions, make sure a visit to your eye doctor for a complete eye examination is at the head of the list. Your vision is probably the sense you depend upon most in your daily activities.