How regular visits to the ophthalmologist can be key to prevent eye-related diseases

If you have 20/20 vision, you probably have never worried about losing it anytime soon. With age, surely, vision may not remain as strong, but did you know that there are some diseases that may impair your vision to the point of blindness?

Dr Kiran Kaur Pasricha, consultant-ophthalmology at Paras Hospitals in Gurgaon, says there are many non-eye-related diseases that may hurt your vision as well. “Diabetic and hypertensive retinopathy, tobacco and alcohol amblyopia, steroid use and even trauma may lead to blindness and people would not know,” she said.

A study by the Lancet Global Health journal in 2017 states that out of 36 million people who are blind, as many as 8.8 million are from India. The National Programme for Control of Blindness in India states that about 80-90% of the blindness is either curable or preventable. So why are there so many people affected by it?

CHECK-UPS CRUCIAL
“Most cases of blindness are because of ignorance and irregular eye checkups, especially for diabetics and glaucoma patients. Follow-up is the key as is following proper treatment. In many cases children with refractive errors are discouraged from wearing glasses by parents. Same for kids with lazy eye, whose parents must seek treatment from an ophthalmologist on time,” said Dr Archana S, medical director of Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital in Bengaluru.

Of course, as one ages, and with modern lifestyle stress, most people feel the strain on eyes. “Most people do not realise that things like pollution, smoking, too much drinking, lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, obesity and hypertension may adversely affect your vision,” said Dr Kiran Barthakur, a general physician practising in Mumbai, adding: “There are patients in their late 20s, early 30s who are suffering from poor vision and have no idea about it. They have never got their eyes checked and assume the headache is from stress.” Barthakur said that sometimes the loss of power could have been curbed if the patients had noticed and got their eyes checked immediately.

Pasricha cites genetic issues to also be a cause for vision loss. Therefore, even if you feel you have perfect vision, regular eye check-up is a must.

LOOK OUT FOR THESE
Archana’s advice is to remain on the lookout for cataracts, the leading cause of blindness in India. “Difficulty in sunlight and (facing) glaring headlights are early symptoms of cataract. Similarly, loss of vision in dark and coloured halos are early signs of glaucoma while floaters and distorted images are symptoms in retina problems,” she said.

Pasricha agreed, adding, “Symptoms such as blurring of vision, decrease in field of vision, pain, watering or redness of eyes, regular, persistent headache or difficulty of vision at night should be taken seriously and the patient should be checked immediately.”

Another serious illness that can cause blindness is AMD, or age-related macular degeneration. AMD may hit the muscles of the eye, causing you to slowly lose your vision, making daily work a challenge. Barthakur, therefore, specially recommends regular eye check-up of people with a family history of AMD, or who are over 60, even if they don’t feel any change in their vision.

PROTECTING YOUR VISION
Losing your sight can bring down the quality of your life immensely. People often underestimate how much their quality of life can be impaired due to poor or no vision.

So how can you prevent blindness? Experts believe regular visit to your ophthalmologist is the key to prevent blindness. Archana said: “Regular eye check-up in children and adults after 40 is mandatory to identify painless loss of vision. If one is diabetic, retinopathy screening is required. Any red eye should be checked by an eye doctor and one should avoid medicating on their own. In case of any chemical injury, remember that it is equivalent to an emergency and has to be addressed as early as possible.”

Pasricha insists that changes in lifestyle habits, like quitting smoking and drinking, and keeping your diabetes and hypertension under control will go a long way in keeping the vision intact.

Barthakur said: “It really doesn’t take much to get a regular eye checkup done, except for your time. However, late detection due to ignorance can lead something as simple as a refractive error, especially in children, to permanent damage and underdevelopment of the eye.”

CORNEAL TRANSPLANTS
“Cornea can lose its transparency due to injury, infection, hereditary disorders, etc. In these cases, corneal transplant can be undertaken to treat the blindness,” said Archana. Pasricha said corneal blindness is the only type of blindness that can be cured by transplant.