Your eye health plays a huge role in your overall wellbeing. And even though vision and health changes can happen at any age, we often take our eyesight for granted until it’s too late. It can be hard to imagine what it would be like to lose your vision.
DeltaVision partners with eye-care experts VSP to bring you the best networks and service as well as the most up-to-date eyecare information.
Keep your eye health and wellness top of mind by learning about different eye diseases and conditions, ways to keep your eyes healthy, how to combat digital eye strain, and more. VSP's Eye Disease Simulator shows what your vision could be like if you had an eye disease such as glaucoma or cataracts. To give yourself a better chance at catching eye diseases early, schedule regular eye exams with your VSP network eye doctor.
In this article we will cover:
Easy Ways to Keep my Eyes Healthy
What Are the Different Parts of the Eye?
Eye Diseases and Conditions You Need to Know
Systemic Diseases and Conditions That Can Affect the Eyes
Digital Eye Strain Symptoms and Remedies
Common Questions about Eye Issues
Easy Ways to Keep My Eyes Healthy
There are a lot of different ways you can help keep your eyes healthy, enrolling in vision care is a great first step! Being proactive with your eye care is a great way to protect your eye health and detect symptoms of many systemic health conditions, as well as prevent vision problems, eye irritations, or even eye diseases in the future.
Get an Eye Exam
An annual eye exam with your Network eye doctor is the most effective way to maintain the health of your eyes. A complete eye exam will gauge the overall health of your eyes and diagnose any problems that may be affecting your ability to see. In addition to refractive errors (like astigmatism, nearsightedness, and farsightedness), your eye doctor can also detect conditions like glaucoma, cataracts, dry eyes or macular degeneration—and even see signs of chronic health conditions including diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension.
Don’t remember what your benefits include? Create an account or Log in for a reminder!
Wear Sunglasses
Protecting your eyes from extended exposure to UV rays is the easiest way to keep your eyes healthy. It’s important to protect your eyes just like your skin, so every time you lather on sunscreen, think about shielding your eyes from the sun too. Your eyes need protection from extended exposure to UV rays year-round, not just in the summer. Prolonged exposure to UV light can cause periocular cancer (cancer of the eyelid), as well as accelerate cataracts and contribute to macular degeneration. Luckily, sunglasses and a broad-brimmed hat are simple ways to get the defense your eyes need—just be sure to always wear sunglasses with 100% UVA and UVB protection.
Rest Your Eyes
The importance of sleep goes way beyond just boosting our mood. Getting the recommended amount of sleep each night is an easy way to keep your eyes healthy. In addition to sleep, it is important to rest your eyes throughout the day. Whenever you find yourself spending a lot of time looking at a digital device or even reading for an extended period of time, be sure to take frequent breaks. Get up, stretch, and give your eyes a rest.
Eat Well
Much like drinking water and resting your eyes, eating a healthy diet does more for your vision than you may realize. You can obtain the nutrients your eyes need through a healthy diet. For example, dark leafy greens are great for eye health. We recommend including nutrient-rich foods or supplements1 that include:
-
Vitamin C: found in oranges, grapefruit, kiwi, strawberries, tomatoes, red and green peppers, and broccoli
-
Vitamin E: found in almonds, sunflower seeds, olive oil, and avocado
-
Zinc: found in legumes (lentils and beans), seeds, meat/seafood, dairy, and eggs
-
Lutein and Zeaxanthin: found in leafy green vegetables (kale, spinach, and swiss chard), broccoli, asparagus, and colorful fruits (raspberries, papaya, peaches, mango)
Focusing on a balanced diet high in fruits and vegetables will help you ward off eye disease and preserve vision, as well as reduce your risk of obesity which will also lower your diabetes risk.
Be Active
You can’t live a healthy lifestyle without being active. Did you know exercise is also a factor in maintaining healthy vision? Sticking to a regular schedule of moving your body can help prevent high blood pressure, diabetes, and systemic conditions that can affect your eyes and vision.
In addition to general eye health, it is important to know about possible eye diseases and conditions. While everyday eye care is essential, additional care may be necessary if you have conditions like macular degeneration or glaucoma.
What are the Different Parts of the Eye?
-
The cornea: the clear, dome shaped front part of your eye that covers the iris, pupil, and anterior chamber and provides most of your eye’s optical power
-
The iris: controls the amount of light that enters your eye. It also has pigmented tissue that gives color to the eye (i.e., blue eyes)
-
The pupil: the black circular opening in the center of the iris. It helps to regulate the amount of light that enters your eye
-
The retina: the nerve tissue in the eye that converts images from your eye’s optical system into electrical impulses that essentially tell your brain what you are seeing
-
The optic nerve: the nerve that connects your eye to your brain
-
The vitreous: the substance that fills the center of the eye
Myopia
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness. It is when you can’t see things clearly up close. It occurs when your eyes’ ability to focus is overpowered. Light rays from distant objects focus in front of the retina instead of directly on it.
Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness. It is when you can’t see things clearly up close. It happens when your eyes’ ability to focus is underpowered. Unlike nearsightedness, farsightedness occurs when light rays from a distant object reach the retina before coming into focus.
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is when your eyes gradually lose their ability to clearly see things that are close. This is a natural occurrence as your eyes age and the clear lens on your eyes becomes more rigid, which causes it to be harder to change shape and focus light onto the retina so you can see.
Astigmatism
Astigmatism is a common eye condition caused by a cornea that is not spherical or evenly curved. It occurs when an eye is shaped more like a football rather than a sphere (which is the more typical eye shape). The abnormal shape of the eye causes light to refract in favor of one direction over the other, resulting in blurry and unfocused views of an object.
Macular Degeneration
Macular degeneration occurs when a part of the retina called the macula, which controls your central vision, is damaged. This condition is also known as age-related macular degeneration, and it is one of the leading causes of vision loss.
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a disease that affects the optic nerve in your eyes. Open-angle glaucoma is the most common type of glaucoma and develops gradually when the eye does not drain fluid as well as it should. Closed-angle glaucoma can develop very quickly and result in vision loss.
Dry Eye
Dry eye occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough tears or do not make the right type of tears. Dry eye may cause symptoms like stinging or burning, blurred vision, scratchy or gritty feeling, redness, irritation, and over-production of tears (watery eyes). Dry eye can be caused by many different things and can be diagnosed by your optometrist at your next eye exam appointment.
Cataracts
Simply put, cataracts occur when your eye’s natural aging lens becomes cloudy. This causes vision to become blurry, hazy, or less colorful. Cataracts can also be caused by extended UV exposure and exposure to systemic medications that are used to control other diseases. Vision problems occur because a clouded lens prevents light from properly focusing onto the retina. Some people compare cataracts to looking out of a dirty windshield.
Corneal Dystrophy
Corneal dystrophy is a genetic degenerative eye disease that causes impacts to the clarity of the cornea, leading to potential vision impairment. Some symptoms of corneal dystrophy are blurred vision, mild to severe pain in the eye, light sensitivity, and feeling like there is something in your eye.
Systemic Diseases and Conditions That Can Affect the Eyes
Diabetic Retinopathy
Diabetic retinopathy is an eye disease caused by diabetes that causes blood vessels in the retina to swell or leak, resulting in vision impairment. If left untreated this disease it could lead to diabetic macular edema, which is an accumulation of fluid in the macula part of the retina due to leaking blood vessels. The macula is so important because this part of the eye controls our most detailed vision abilities. Catching diabetic retinopathy early can help prevent vision loss.
Arthritic Side Effects to the Eyes
Arthritis, which is a chronic disease that causes swelling and pain in parts of the body, can also affect your eyes. Arthritis causes damage to connective tissue which is made up of collagen. Collagen is also what makes up most of the eye’s sclera and cornea. People with arthritis may experience:
-
Dry eye
-
Inflammation, which can cause vision problems
-
Scleritis: inflammation causes the wall of your eye (sclera) to thin
-
Uveitis: causes the layer of tissue between the retina and sclera (including the iris) to become inflamed
-
Glaucoma
-
Cataracts
It is recommended to see your optometrist if you experience symptoms like dry eyes, continuously red eyes, or severe red eyes.
Multiple Sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is a neurodegenerative disease of the central nervous system that disrupts the flow of information within the brain and the body. Multiple sclerosis can cause eye symptoms like pain with eye movement, temporary loss of vision, blurred vision, dim vision, and loss of color vision.
Thyroid Diseases
Grave’s disease (hyperthyroidism) is when the thyroid produces too many hormones. When this disease affects your eyes, it is known as thyroid eye disease (TED). Some of the symptoms that can occur with hyperthyroidism include:
-
Vision changes
-
Eyelid refraction
-
Eye protrusion
-
Dry eye
-
Eye bags
There are a lot of systemic diseases and conditions that can affect your eyes, but what about the digital world? You may hear all about how blue-light and staring at a screen can affect your vision and cause strain on your eyes. Here are some tips to combat digital eye strain.
Did you know that two-thirds of people in the United States experience digital eye strain symptoms? As the world becomes more digital, we may start to notice eye strain symptoms like dry eyes, blurred vision, tired eyes, sore eyes, and watery eyes.
Tips to Reduce Your Blue Light Exposure
There are many ways to help combat digital eye strain and make your eye care a priority again. Three ways include:
-
Scheduling an annual eye exam
-
Limiting screen time before bed
-
Taking frequent breaks when looking at screens
Other eye symptoms may not be related to digital eye strain, including eye twitching or black specks in your vision.
Why is my Eye Twitching?
Eyelid twitching is common and is often caused by stress or fatigue. Though it is irritating, usually it will subside just as spontaneously as it started. Some tips to get rid of eyelid twitching include getting enough sleep, reducing stress, and limiting your caffeine intake.
What Are Those Black Specks in My Eyes?
If you have experienced flecks, webs, spots, streaks, or squiggly lines in your vision, they are probably what are called eye floaters. There are no clear causes of eye floaters, but some reasons include age, infection, head trauma, and nearsightedness. Flashes and floaters can also be a sign that there is a more serious problem like a retina tear. Most floaters cause no more harm than just general annoyance, but if you are experiencing them, schedule an eye exam to ensure your eyes are in good shape!
We hope that you are taking your eye health as seriously as we are. Be sure to schedule your annual eye exam with a local VSP network doctor.
This article previously appeared on VSP, Delta Dental of Tennessee’s DeltaVision partner.