Protect Your Sight: The Essential Eye Care Guide

The eyes are complex organs. There are many parts that must work together to produce clear vision. Your eyes can also indicate signs of more problematic issues to do with your general health like diabetes and high blood pressure. Symptoms of these conditions are not always obvious, so regular eye tests are an essential part of maintaining your health.

It’s good for you to be familiar with what good eye health feels like, so if your eyes don’t feel quite right, you know what to look out for.

Overview of an eye test

An eye test is a series of tests carried out by an optometrist. These tests assess your vision, ability to focus and recognise objects, as well as some other tests related to the eyes.

Eye tests play a huge part in making sure your eyes stay healthy. Not only are they important for indicating whether you need to start wearing glasses or need to change your prescription, but also for detecting some common eye conditions.

How often should you go for an eye test?

If your optometrist doesn’t have any concerns about your vision or eye health, you should have your eyes tested every two years. Children should have their eyes tested every year.

The eye test process

There are a few types of tests and equipment developed to assess different aspects of our eyes and vision. Some are common to all eye tests, such as:

• The letter chart that indicates how clearly you can see,
• A light shone into the eye that allows a good view of the eye’s structures.

Others tests may be used when further investigations are required, for example, to check if the eyes can see colour normally.

The optometrist will check the health of your eyes and look for signs of other medical conditions. They will ask you if you are experiencing any eye problems and about your general health and lifestyle.

To fine-tune their findings, they will ask you to read a test chart through different strength lenses. This lets them know which lenses give you the best vision possible.

Once all the relevant tests have been carried out, your optometrist will be able to discuss the results and offer any advice. This could be a simple ‘all clear’, or they might talk you through particular options to match your lifestyle.

Treatments for any eye conditions are also discussed at this point as well as possible referral to a specialist.

Common eye problems and how to prevent them

Sight, when combined with our other senses, allows us to understand and navigate the world around us. It’s important to take good care of our eyes so they work properly well into the future.

Most people experience eye problems from time to time, and vision problems tend to increase with age. Many of these problems are minor and don’t last too long. But there are some serious eye problems that can cause major damage to the eyes, including permanent loss of vision.

Refractive errors

When light isn’t focused properly, it causes blurred vision. Glasses, contacts, or surgery can usually correct refractive errors, which include:

• myopia (nearsightedness): faraway objects appear blurred
• hyperopia (farsightedness): close-up objects appear blurred
• astigmatism, resulting in blurred vision because the cornea is not perfectly shaped to direct light into the eye
• presbyopia: farsightedness caused by loss of elasticity of the eye’s lens due to aging

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that affect the optic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. It often affects both eyes to varying degrees. As most cases won’t have any symptoms, one of the best ways to detect glaucoma is during a routine eye test. Glaucoma develops when increased pressure damages the optic nerve and the nerve fibres from the retina.

There are various types of glaucoma:

Chronic – this is the most common type of glaucoma and develops very slowly. It can take a long time before you realise you have a problem with your eyesight because chronic glaucoma is painless and usually damages the outer edge of the vision and works slowly inwards.

Acute – this is rare and may develop rapidly with a sudden, painful build-up of pressure in the eye. Other symptoms may include blurred vision and haloes around lights.

Did you know?

Chronic glaucoma affects up to two in every 100 people over 40 and around five in every 100 people over 80.

Cataracts

A cataract is a clouding of the lens, causing blurred or color-tinted vision. People with cataracts often report “haloes” surrounding objects they’re looking at, particularly at night. This condition is most common in older adults.

Cataracts can be removed by surgery that replaces the damaged lens with an artificial lens.

Did you know?

Cataracts are very common and are the main cause of impaired vision worldwide.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD)

Did you know?

Age-related macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of sight impairment for over-50s.

Macular degeneration isn’t painful. You may not even notice you have the condition until you experience a loss of vision. AMD affects activities requiring detail, such as reading and writing.

Dry AMD – The most common form of the condition, it affects your ability to see fine detail. You may find it difficult to read, use your computer, watch the television, drive, etc. Some people may not realise the change in vision, as the deterioration is slow.

Wet AMD – A sudden and sometimes dramatic decline in your central vision, usually in one eye. Typically, wet AMD develops in people who have already had dry AMD. It is very important that anyone who has unusual symptoms, such as straight lines appearing to be wavy or blurring of the central vision, contacts an optometrist as soon as possible.

There are also several risk factors associated with macular degeneration:

• Age
• Smoking
• Gender
• Family history
• Race
• Obesity

Lazy eye

A lazy eye, also known as amblyopia, is quite a common condition in children and happens when vision hasn’t fully developed, usually in one eye.

Early diagnosis and treatment are important in order to treat the condition successfully. Children should have their first eye examination from around the age of four to look out for any signs.

Symptoms include:

• An eye that wanders inward or outward
• Poor depth perception
• Squinting or shutting an eye
• Tilting of the head

It can be difficult without an eye test to tell if a child has a lazy eye, particularly if they’re too little to tell you what their vision is like. One way to tell is to cover one eye at a time – you may find that they’re quite happy having one covered but might push your hand away if you cover their ‘good’ eye.

Diabetic retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is damage to the blood vessels of the retina caused by diabetes. It causes blurred or dark spots in the field of vision and can eventually lead to blindness.

In its early stages, diabetic retinopathy does not usually cause any noticeable symptoms, so you may not even know you have it. The best way to avoid these vision problems is to keep blood sugars under control and see your eye doctor every year for a dilated eye exam. Proper care can lessen complications.

Retinal detachment or tear

Although this is a more serious eye condition, it can be treated in its varying stages. It’s usually related to changes in the eye as we age, so regular eye tests are essential for early detection and prevention.

What are the symptoms of retinal detachment?

• Flashes of light in the eye
• A cobweb across your vision
• Appearance of a curtain coming across your vision

Without early treatment, retinal detachment could lead to permanent vision loss in the affected eye.

Dry eye syndrome

Did you know?

Up to one in every three people over the age of 65 experiences dry eye syndrome. It’s also more common in women than men.

What are the symptoms of dry eye syndrome?

• Feelings of dryness, grittiness or soreness that get worse during the day
• Red eyes
• Eyelids that stick together when you wake up
• Temporarily blurred vision, which usually improves when you blink

More severe symptoms of dry eye syndrome include extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia), very red and painful eyes, and deterioration in your vision.

How to keep your eyes healthy

Have regular check-ups

Have your eyes tested every two years even if you think your vision is fine. An eye test can spot some eye conditions and other illnesses not related to sight. Regular check-ups are vital even if you have no symptoms.

Find out your family eye health history

Some eye conditions have genetic links which increase your risk of developing them. Share this information with your optician.

Take care of your contact lenses

If you wear contact lenses make sure you look after them properly. Thoroughly wash and dry your hands before touching your contact lenses or your eyes. Your lenses and their case should only ever be cleaned with the recommended lens solution.

Wear sunglasses

Protect your eyes when it is sunny or when you’re in high glare areas such as near snow or water. Sunlight can flood your retinas, releasing chemicals that can cause damage. Sunglasses provide a safe level of protection from the sun’s damaging UVA and UVB rays. Ongoing UV exposure can increase your risk of developing cataracts or macular degeneration.

Look away from the computer screen

Staring at a computer or phone screen for too long can cause:

• Eyestrain
• Blurred vision
• Trouble focusing at a distance
  • Dry eyes
  • Headaches
• Neck, back, and shoulder pain

To protect your eyes:

• Make sure your glasses or contacts prescription is up to date and suitable for looking at a computer screen.
• If your eye strain won’t go away, talk to your doctor about computer glasses.
• Move the screen so your eyes are level with the top of the monitor.
• Avoid glare from windows and lights.
• If your eyes are dry, blink more.
• Rest your eyes every 20 minutes. Look 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Get up at least every 2 hours and take a 15-minute break.

Keep fit and healthy

Being fit and well can help your eyes stay healthy. Maintaining a healthy weight and blood pressure can help with eye health.

Eat well

Make sure your diet includes nutrients such as Omega 3 fatty acids, zinc and vitamins C and E. These can help to slow progress of age-related vision problems. Recommended foods for general good health include green leafy vegetables, oily fish such as salmon and citrus fruits.

Stop smoking

Smoking is harmful to your eyes and can increase the risk of sight loss. Current smokers are 2-4 times more at risk of developing macular degeneration than people who have never smoked.

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This health guide is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, professional, or legal advice. The content provided is not a substitute for consultation with qualified healthcare professionals regarding your individual health concerns or sensory health needs.

While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, Nextcare does not guarantee its completeness or reliability. Any reliance on the content is at your own discretion and risk.

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