Eyes and your health
Eyes are precious. We need to look after our eyes so they can serve us our whole lives. Let’s look at some issues you may be having with your eyesight and what you can do about it.
Do you have trouble reading sometimes? Do you have trouble driving at night? Do your eyes feel dry and gritty? Did you know that your eyes age with you and this could be part of the reason?
Dry eyes become more common as you get older as your tears are not able to lubricate your eyes enough. The tears in your eyes are made up of protein, fat and water and these needs to be in a certain balance or your eyes will become dry or water to the excess. Dry eyes can be the side effect of certain medications for high blood pressure, HRT, antihistamines or antidepressants. Air conditioning also does not help and eyesight illnesses such as dry eyes can begin for any number of reasons. Sometimes the reasons are misdiagnosed so they are not treated properly but it’s fairly easy to treat dry eyes with artificial tears from your chemist or drops that will help you make more of your own tears. Sometimes you may need a prescription from the doctor until it settles down but you must go and get it checked if you are having dry eyes as it could be for other reasons such as blocked tear ducts or even more serious reasons such as infection or a tumour.
Has the print become harder to read on your computer screen or in magazines? This could mean the lens in your eye has become less flexible which is natural as you age. It means that you have trouble switching from far to near quickly enough and it makes it harder to focus on closer objects which includes print when you try to read. It is not a good idea to squint to try to get your eyes to see. You may need glasses or contact lenses. You may only need reading glasses or you may need multifocal lenses to see both near and far. It’s also a good idea when you get your eyes tested to have them test for macular degeneration which is actual vision damage because the sooner you discover it the better. There are natural supplements you can take which will assist with macular degeneration and your natural practitioner can help you with which is the right one for your. Also remember that Bilberry is a great herb for eye Health as is ensuring you get plenty of sleep. Never rub the eyes when you are tired and especially if they are dry. Never ignore problems with your eyes as it could be the symptom of diabetes or something more serious such as an aneurysm or even retinal detachment.
It is not a good idea to squint to try to get your eyes to see.
Another issue could be that you don’t see colours the same way you used to. This could mean you have a cataract which grows slowly but you many not have even realised it was growing. One colour may be there more than another and it’s quite serious for your eyes because if you ignore it you could go blind. It needs to be removed so you can see clearly again.
Do you have trouble driving at night? You could be nearsighted, longsighted or have astigmatism or even floaters which are caused by bits of protein floating round in the eye. Sometimes an early sign of diabetes are issues with night driving but it could also be a side effect of steroids. If you have a lot of floaters all of a sudden it could be a retinal tear or detachment and if you don’t attend to it could blind you.
Glaucoma is another eye disease that causes damage of the optic nerve and usually there are no symptoms until the optic nerve is dead. First symptom is loss of peripheral vision. If the optic nerve dies there is no way to revive it so treatment is to stop other nerve fibres in the eye dying. This is usually a hereditary disease so make sure you talk to your doctor about it when you get your eyes tested.
Eyes are important. We need a mixture of good nutrition, enough sleep. chemical free makeup, UV protection and appropriate lighting for them to stay healthy and to get the proper coating for our glasses if we need glasses. Your natural therapist will be able to help you with which foods you need to eat to make sure you are not lacking in nutrition and your doctor or optometrist will be able to test your eyes and advise on which glasses or contact lenses are best for you. In some cases you may need a specialist who will be able to assist you with more difficult issues. Either way do not play Russian roulette so to speak with your eyesight. If you are having troubles attend to it. You only have one pair of eyes and you do not want to spend your old age not being able to see.
