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Eye Care

12/06/2024 Ophtalmology

5 factors can affect our visual health.

  1. Solar Radiation. 

Overexposure to ultraviolet rays emitted mainly by the sun is an essential factor in the development of pterygium or fleshiness of the eye, cataracts, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is an eye disease that can cloud central vision. It occurs when aging damages the macula, the part of the eye that controls sharp frontal vision.

2. Harmful blue light from digital screens.

Overexposure to harmful blue light translates into a significant risk for the development of age-related macular degeneration, and unfortunately, in our daily lives, this is all too common.

3. Poor diet and lack of physical activity.

A poor diet can lead to diabetes, which causes damage to the eye, such as diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma and/or cataracts. 

The lack of physical activity together with a poor diet potentiates the development of diabetes.

4. Refractive errors (myopia, astigmatism, hyperopia).

In children, specific undetected refractive errors can lead to ocular motility dysfunction (ocular deviations or insufficient eye movements) or amblyopia (poor vision that cannot be improved).

5. Eye Rubbing.

Rubbing our eyes can cause an ametropia such as astigmatism or can even be an essential factor in the development of keratoconus (an eye disease that affects the structure of the cornea). The cornea is the transparent tissue that covers the front of the eye. With this condition, the shape of the cornea slowly changes from a round to a conical shape), the incidence of which has been increasing in recent years.

 

How to prevent it?

  • Use of prescription or non-prescription lenses with UV filters.
  • Use of prescription or non-prescription lenses with a filter to protect against harmful blue light from digital screens.
  • Good nutrition in conjunction with physical activity.
  • Periodically perform a visual evaluation in children.
  • Use of ocular lubricant under conditions that cause ocular stress (playing video games for long periods, prolonged reading, a dry and dusty environment).

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