Today is World Sight Day, an annual day to raise awareness of the importance of preventing blindness and eye disability. This day is celebrated on the second Thursday of October.
On this occasion, Vissum’s Medical Director, Dr. Prof. José María Ruiz Moreno, explains the main vision problems and gives us a series of tips to follow. He also explains the impact of computer screens and mobile devices, in front of which the population spends several hours a day.
What are the main vision problems and their causes?
In our country, “legal blindness” is defined as the loss of vision in both eyes below 10%. In other words, it reflects a situation in which the patient is unable to perform, or has significant difficulty in performing, activities of daily living such as dialing a telephone number, crossing a street, seeing a traffic light, etc. We are faced with a person who cannot manage on his own and needs someone’s help to go about his daily life. The four main causes of legal blindness are glaucoma and three of retinal origin:
- Age-Related Macular Degeneration.
- Diabetic Retinopathy
- Magna Myopia
Worldwide there are other causes of blindness in underdeveloped countries such as cataract, but it is a cause that can be solved with surgery.
What effects can screens have on our vision?
The screens of computers and other devices such as cell phones do not directly affect our vision. However, they induce us to make a greater visual effort and therefore can cause visual fatigue as they force us to pay more attention. These devices can also cause a decrease in the frequency of blinking, which tends to cause a greater sensation of “dryness and foreign body” (like grit in the eyes). It is therefore important that we work with these devices at the proper distance, with correct posture and lighting to avoid or minimize these side effects. The use of preservative-free artificial tears will help alleviate the discomfort of “dry eye”.
What tips can we follow to protect our visual health?
Our visual health should be based on proper control, nutrition and correct medication. Those populations at risk for eye diseases such as those we have mentioned should see their ophthalmologist for a check-up and, depending on the findings, decide on the frequency of check-ups and whether or not they require any type of treatment. We should not self-medicate with eye drops, especially antibiotics and corticosteroids. Eye drops should be prescribed by an ophthalmologist or family doctor and always under their control and supervision. The diet should be as “healthy” as possible. It should be rich at a certain age in antioxidants and other supplements, an excellent example of which is the Mediterranean diet in Spain.
What is the relationship between diet and vision?
We have two different aspects. On the one hand, a diet deficient in vitamin A can cause important vision problems, such as “night blindness”, since it is necessary for the correct functioning of the photoreceptors. In addition, a diet rich in antioxidants and other dietary supplements is desirable in the population over the age of 50, to improve the function of these cells and to some extent exert a protective effect on some retinal diseases.
What is Age-Related Macular Degeneration and is it common?
Age-related macular degeneration is a disease that, as its name suggests, is a degenerative process that affects the photoreceptors, that is, the sensitive cells of the retina responsible for capturing light impulses and therefore the images that reach us from the outside. There are two forms of the disease, the dry or atrophic form that has no treatment to date, and the wet or exudative form that is treated with intraocular injections of specific drugs that maintain or, in some cases, improve vision. It requires very strict control and treatment. The three main symptoms of the disease are image distortion, decreased visual acuity and the appearance of a more or less dense and more or less opaque black spot (scotoma) in the center of the visual field. Regarding figures, the Report on Blindness in Spain by the RetinaPlus+ Foundation states that “the prevalence of AMD in Spain is approximately 1.5% of the current population, which means that around 707,857 people suffer from AMD in any of its forms and stages.
How can we prevent vision loss? Can it be prevented?
Loss of vision due to AMD cannot be prevented; the two main factors of the disease are age and genetic load and we cannot act on them. On the other hand, we can and should advise patients who suffer from AMD or who are at risk of suffering from it to give up the habit. In smokers the disease is more aggressive and responds worse to treatment. On the other hand, a healthy diet, as we have mentioned, will help in the evolution of the process. In addition, direct relatives of people suffering from the disease should have their eye fundus checked at the age of 50 and from then on their ophthalmologist will advise them, since there is a genetic predisposition factor that is transmitted hereditarily. In any case, it would be advisable for the entire population to have an eye fundus examination between the ages of 50 and 55.