Author: Kori Morrison

If you’re anything like I was a few months ago, you probably think that Glaucoma is an avocado-based dip from Mexico. Unfortunately, Glaucoma isn’t as tasty as that, but it is something everyone should be aware of. Affecting over 600,000 people, it is one of the main causes of vision loss in the UK.

If left untreated, Glaucoma can cause permanent loss of vision. But don’t panic! If you read this short blog we will teach you everything there is to know about Glaucoma and how you can safeguard yourself and your family against it, giving you the peace of mind to go back to enjoying the best parts of life – like avocado-based dips from Mexico.

What is Glaucoma?

Glaucoma is an eye condition where the optic nerve, which connects your eye to your brain, becomes damaged. If it is not detected or treated early enough, it can lead to permanent loss of vision.

Glaucoma is a common condition, but many people won’t realise they have it because symptoms are rare in the early stages. That’s what makes regular eye examinations so important.

Glaucoma can affect anyone of any age, however, Glaucoma is most common in those aged 70+.

What are the symptoms?

Glaucoma rarely causes any symptoms at first. Many people are unaware they have Glaucoma because it develops slowly over several years and tends to cause a loss of peripheral vision first.

Both eyes are generally affected, although it is also possible for it to be worse in one eye. Without treatment Glaucoma will eventually cause blindness. However, with this is easily preventable if you attend your routine eye examinations.

During your routine eye examination, your Optician can pick up signs of Glaucoma, however, with an advanced eye examination Glaucoma symptoms can be spotted much earlier, giving you the best chance of preventing any damage. An advanced eye examination can include an Optomap or an OCT screening. During these screenings Glaucoma can be quickly detected, allowing you to seek early treatment and protect your sight.

The advanced eye examination is fast and painless and offers an in-depth view of your eye health, which can help you detect health issues such as glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy which in their early stages are not apparent in a routine eye examination.

Causes of Glaucoma

 Glaucoma is usually caused by a blockage in the part of the eye that allows fluid to drain from it. This can lead to a build-up of fluid, and therefore pressure, in the eye and damage the optic nerve.

It’s still unclear what causes Glaucoma, however there are some factors that can increase your risk of developing it, including:

Age: Glaucoma becomes more likely as you get older and the most common type affects around 10% of people aged over 75.

Ethnicity: Those who are of African, Caribbean or Asian origin are more likely to develop Glaucoma.

Family history: It may not just be your nose that you inherited from your mum. You’re more likely to develop Glaucoma if you have a parent or sibling with the condition.

Doctors are yet to discover anything you can do to prevent Glaucoma, which makes regular and advanced eye examinations even more important. If you are worried about Glaucoma then contact your local practice today.

What are dry eyes?

Dry eyes occur when your tear glands don’t produce enough tears to lubricate your eyes. This condition can be uncomfortable and painful. It can be caused by both medical and environmental factors.

What is dry eye syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome is a general term used to describe dry eyes caused by either poor quality tears or diminished tear production. The symptoms include:

• scratchy, dry, and painful sensation in both of your eyes
• feeling like something is in your eyes
• redness
• mucus in or around your eyes
• light sensitivity
• fatigued eyes
• blurred vision

There are a number of factors that can cause dry eyes. These include:

• aging
• certain medications
• certain medical conditions
• environmental factors
• contacts
• allergies

Change your environment

Environmental factors are a common cause of dry eyes. Avoid cigarette smoke, and stay indoors when it’s windy.

Use appropriate eyewear to protect your eyes from wind when engaging in activities such as riding a bike or motorcycle, skiing, or riding in a convertible.

It may also be helpful to get a humidifier for your home to add moisture to the air.

Supplement your diet with fatty acids

Research indicates that eating more omega-3 fatty acids may relieve the symptoms of dry eyes. This fat is known to reduce inflammation in the body. It may help relieve dry eyes by reducing eye inflammation, allowing for more tear production and higher quality tears.

You can use omega-3 supplements, or eat more foods rich in this nutrient, such as:

• ground flaxseed and flaxseed oil
• palm oil
• soybean oil
• chia seeds
• fatty fish, including salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel
• walnuts
• eggs that have been supplemented with omega-3 fats

Try drops or ointments

There are a number of nonprescription products for dry eyes that may bring you relief. Eye drops, or artificial tears, can bring you temporary relief. Keep in mind that some eye drops contain preservatives.

These usually come in multidose vials and contain preservatives to prevent bacterial growth once a vial is opened. If your eyes react badly to drops with preservatives, or if you apply eye drops more than four times a day, you should use preservative-free drops. Preservative-free drops usually come in single dose vials.

Ointments are thicker than drops and are designed to coat the eyeball and provide longer-term relief from dryness.

However, ointments can impair your vision while you’re using them. It’s best to use them before bedtime and stick to drops during the day.

When to see your doctor for dry eyes

If these remedies don’t bring you relief, or if you think you have a more serious condition causing your dry eyes, it’s time to see your doctor. Here are some symptoms that should prompt you to call your doctor for an appointment:

• redness and swelling
• pain beyond mild irritation
• an eye injury
• flaking or discharge from the eye
• joint pain, swelling, and stiffness
• dry mouth
• continued dryness after a few days of self-care

Dry eyes are usually temporary, and are a natural part of aging for most people. But in some cases, the condition is caused by something more serious. Try home care for relief and see your doctor if needed.

How to prevent dry eyes

Besides using eye drops or ointment, there are several simple ways to help prevent dry eyes. These include:

Avoid places with a lot of air movement

This means limiting your exposure to fans and hair dryers, and by wearing wraparound sunglasses when outside on windy days to protect your eyes from drying out.

Turn on a humidifier in the wintertime

Home heating systems can cause the air in your home to dry out, and dry out your eyes. But using a humidifier can help the air stay moist. If you don’t have a humidifier, you can put a pan of water on your radiator to add water into the air.

Rest your eyes

Frequent reading, TV watching, and computer use can dry out your eyes, so it’s important to take breaks so your eyes can regain some of their moisture.

Stay away from cigarette smoke

Cigarette smoke can irritate dry eyes and increase one’s risk of developing dry eyes in the first place.

Use warm compresses then wash your eyelids

Placing a warm compress on your eyes then washing your eyelids with baby shampoo helps to release some of the oil in your eyelids’ glands, this improves the quality of your tears. Be sure you completely rinse soap from your eyes when finished to avoid irritating them.

Try an omega-3 fatty acid supplement

Some people report dry eye relief after adding omega-3 fatty acids to their diet. These can be found naturally in foods like oily fish and flax seeds, but can also be purchased in liquid or pill supplement form.

Digital eye strain is visual discomfort experienced as symptoms of dry eyes, irritation, fatigue which can also lead to blurred vision, watery eyes and headaches. On average the population spend more than 6 hours a day behind a visual screen from tablets, laptops and television at close range.

Many begin to discover the difficulties when shifting vision, leading to insomnia, as blue light is known to disrupt the normal REM sleeping pattern. Worst cases leading to myopia or near-sightedness, which at a later stage in life can become degenerative with higher risks of cataracts.

Children are particularly susceptible to undetected vision problems, as they are unaware of the festering issues. Limited self-awareness due to prolonged hours concentrating behind the screen with limited to no breaks can in some cases lead to spasms as a result of the eyes locking onto one particular distance for an extensive period of time.

As recent research has indicated people who spend more hours outside are less likely to develop myopia or nearsightedness. Around 10 million eye doctor visits per year are a result of symptoms related to computer usage. Particularly with hand held devices requiring the user to hold the screen closer to the eyes, meaning more focus is required when reading smaller words.

On average we blink 18 times a minute while during heavy focus on bright light, this is dramatically reduced, causing symptoms of burning and dryness of the eyes. Encourage your children to apply the 20-20 rule by ensuring you look 20ft away every 20 minutes from the screen. Having an updated eye test is also essential not only to identify their visual needs but also underlining health issues.

With many of us going through e-mails and social media on a daily accounts using various gadgets, the emitted blue UV-light from these devices contains the highest energy wavelength, exposure to man made light at close proximity is a major concern for eye doctors.

Preventing eye strain

• Follow the 20-20 rule
• Limit the time spent behind a visual screen
• Ask about BBGR blue UV lenses coating
• Supervise screen brightness
• Schedule your next eye exam
• Blinking frequently moisturizes the eyes

BBGR Neva Max Blue UV lens

Adjusting the lighting of your screen is essential, high intensity light can cause excessive glare. Combating these artificial UV-rays, we reccomend the BBGR Neva Max lens coatings which has the beneficial effect of reducing the level of blue light transmitted through the front surface of a spectacle lens to the eyes.

Improving overall contrasts and visual comfort, reducing fogging, acts as a dust repellent, scratch resistant from any mishaps; as well as being grease and smudge repellent. At Eye Emporium we know glasses are an investment and offering ultimate transparency and lasting quality for daily protection is our main goal.

Adjustments in the positioning of the computer monitor and keyboard should be in accordance to body parameters, where at least 40 to 76 cm should be placed between the eyes and the computer screen. For a child a foot stool may be needed to position them at the correct level to allow the child’s focus to be unobstructed.