I’m an eye expert – the four most common conditions and how to prevent them
WE’VE all heard that eating carrots helps us to see in the dark, but the health of our eyes is often overlooked.
In the over-50s, damage to the retina — a thin layer of tissue that lines the inside of eyes — is one of the most common threats to our eye health.
Eyes are one of our major organs but information on keeping them healthy can be scarce.
Today Sun on Sunday Health looks at common eye conditions with the help of Alex Ionides, a leading surgeon at London’s Moorfields Eye Hospital.
He explained: “Eye problems can account for five to ten per cent of GP consultations but doctors’ surgeries don’t have the equipment to deal with them.
“That’s why you should go for an eye check every two years to pick up on conditions like cataracts, glaucoma or retina problems, which can lead to blindness.
“Some conditions are treatable but others, unfortunately, are not. However, there are plenty of things you can do to keep your eyes healthy just as you would with the rest of your body.
“My golden rule is that what is good for the heart and the brain is good for the eyes too so that means staying a healthy weight, exercising and eating well to minimise the risk of diabetes and high blood pressure.”
Here Alex breaks down four of the most common eye conditions in the UK . . .
Retina damage (macular degeneration): The retina lines the inside of the eye, like wallpaper.
And the macular is the central part that looks at people’s faces, the writing on a page or the clock on a wall, for instance.
When that is damaged, you lose your central vision which makes it hard to see fine details, up close or far away.
This usually affects people in their 50s and 60s.
There is no cure but treatment, through injections, can slow the disease.
An eye-healthy diet can protect the macular.
You should eat a large concentration of carotenoids — the pigments found in brightly coloured fruit and vegetables.
That’s where the old adage that carrots are good for seeing in the dark comes from — and it’s true.
Naturally red, orange and yellow foods are full of carotenoids, as are garlic, red cabbage and leafy green veg such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts and spinach.
Cataracts: This is when your eye’s lens becomes cloudy, making your vision go misty.
When we’re young, the lens in our eye is like looking through clear glass, but with age this deteriorates.
Cataracts develop in half of people over 50 and 100 per cent of people over 80 and can eventually lead to blindness.
They are not preventable but can be treated by one of the most common operations on the NHS, which sees a new lens implanted.
People can be genetically predisposed to cataracts and the risk is significantly higher for smokers.
UV light also has a role to play, so it’s advised that you wear sunglasses on sunny days.
Dry eyes: Tears are made up of mucus, water and oil.
There are around 200 glycoproteins in the mucus, which cling to the cornea and act like a sponge, absorbing the water in our eyes.
That water makes tears, which are full of our own antibodies and good bacteria, so good gut health can help contribute to good eye health.
However, everyday occurrences, including central heating, air conditioning, cold winds and staring at screens, can cause that to evaporate, contributing to dry, stingy, itchy, red eyes.
Over-the-counter drops can help replenish moisture.
And many contain antioxidants to mimic those antibacterial qualities that we create naturally.
Glaucoma: Four per cent of people over the age of 40 are at risk of developing glaucoma, where the optic nerve — which connects the eye to the brain — becomes damaged.
Symptoms can include blurred vision or seeing rainbow- coloured circles around bright lights. B
oth eyes are usually affected.
It should be picked up in a routine eye exam.
Glaucoma is caused by raised pressure — not blood pressure — within the eye.
The optic nerve is like a BT cable with 1.2million telephone lines going into it, and glaucoma knocks those out one by one, so your visual field is increasingly lost.
It can be treated by laser or surgery as well as daily eye drops.
- Alex Ionides is an ophthalmologist and advisor to specialist eyecare brand MTHK (Make Technology Human Kind).
