World Sight Day is celebrated on the second Thursday of October every year. It falls on the 13th of October this year. This day is celebrated globally to draw attention to blindness, eye health, and to recognize the work done by ophthalmologists.
There are a number of things that people have no knowledge about when it comes to their eyes. For example, when the eyes feel itchy or watery, most people think of infection. However, these common eye symptoms often indicate other health issues. And that’s what we’ll discuss in this blog.
Here you’ll find five common health concerns that your eyes could be warning you about. This way, you’ll be able to take the necessary measures and protect yourself from any adverse consequences. However, before that, let’s learn more about World Sight Day.
What is the History and Significance of World Sight Day?
World Sight Day was first celebrated by the Lions Club International Foundation in 1998. This day was later integrated into a vision in 2000 by the International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness. The day is celebrated to make people realize the importance of eyesight, collect funds for the visually impaired, and promote and work in making a world where nobody is visually impaired.
This day is celebrated every year with a particular theme. This year, the theme is ‘Love Your Eyes.’ The motive is to encourage people to take proper care of their eyes and draw attention to people who have vision issues or do not have access to eye care services.
5 Health Problems That Your Eyes Might be Warning You About
1. Brain Tumour
You might face vision problems when a tumor exerts pressure on certain parts of the brain. And this pressure gets transmitted to the eye, causing swelling at the back of the eye. It can be detected through routine eye exams. Brain tumor affects the optic nerve and can lead to vision loss, blurred or doubled vision, squinting, change in pupil size, etc.
2. High Blood Pressure
Hypersensitive retinopathy (damage of the blood vessels in the eye, causing loss of vision or blurred vision), choroidopathy (fluid build-up around the retina causing a distorted vision), and neuropathy (blockage of blood flow that kills the nerve cells resulting in vision loss) are some eye and eyesight problems in the eye that occur due to high blood pressure.
Hypertension damages the blood vessels responsible for delivering blood to the retina. You might not notice any difference in your eye, but regular exams can detect such issues. That is another solid reason to stick to your regular eye tests. There are various supplements like Virgin Omega-3 that may help you to keep your blood pressure under control.
3. Lupus
Retina is a major area of involvement in the case of Lupus. Lupus is an inflammatory disease that affects the nervous system, blood vessels, joints, kidneys, and the immune system.
It also affects the eyes. Lupus can damage the tear glands and cause dry eyes. It also leads to Discoid Lupus Erythematosus that forms a thick rash over the eyelids, Retinal Vasculitis that reduces the blood supply to the retina, and Optic Neuritis or Neuropathy, which is an inflammation around the optic nerve.
4. Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Optic neuritis is an early symptom of MS or multiple sclerosis. Optic sclerosis causes blurry and grey vision in one of the eyes. It majorly causes disturbance and pain in the center part of your vision. But some people might also face discomfort while seeing side to side too.
Most people easily recover from this issue. But if it does not get better, you might need professional guidance and treatment. There are other conditions too that can lead to optic neuritis other than MS. So, it doesn’t always mean that the person with optic neuritis has or will get MS.
5. Rheumatoid Arthritis
Rheumatoid arthritis primarily affects your joints, but its effect can also pass to other parts of your body, including the eyes. Signs of rheumatoid arthritis in the eyes include redness in the eyes with severe pain. These symptoms can also lead to scleritis (deep and painful inflammation of the white part of the eye that requires medical assistance and therapy).
Uveitis is another complication seen in the juvenile stage of Rheumatoid Arthritis. Uveitis is a type of inflammation of the iris, causing blurred vision, redness, and sensitivity to light. Treatment of the condition majorly depends on the symptoms.
Wrapping Up
Eyes are connected to a lot of serious diseases and health conditions. And that is why regular exams are crucial. But, apart from eye tests and exams, you must also try to take =care of your eyes regularly to ensure they are healthy. Taking care of your eyes include maintaining a completely balanced diet, reducing screen time as much as possible, using supplements like Eye Care Melts consisting of essential vitamins for your eyes, if needed, and getting adequate sleep every night.
References
● Huang M, Patel J, Patel BC. Optic Nerve Glioma. [Updated 2022 May 24]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2022 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557878/
● Tsukikawa M, Stacey AW. A Review of Hypertensive Retinopathy and Chorioretinopathy. Clin Optom (Auckl). 2020 May 5;12:67-73. doi: 10.2147/OPTO.S183492. PMID: 32440245; PMCID: PMC7211319. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7211319/
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● Zahid S, Iqbal M. Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Presenting as Optic Neuropathy: A Case Report. Cureus. 2019 Jun 3;11(6):e4806. doi: 10.7759/cureus.4806. PMID: 31403006; PMCID: PMC6682382. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6682382/
● Kale N. Optic neuritis as an early sign of multiple sclerosis. Eye Brain. 2016 Oct 26;8:195-202. doi: 10.2147/EB.S54131. PMID: 28539814; PMCID: PMC5398757. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5398757/
● Lazăr C, Spîrchez M, Ştefan M, Predeţeanu D, Nicoară S, Crişan M, Man O. Diagnosis and treatment of uveitis associated with juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Med Pharm Rep. 2021 Aug;94(Suppl No 1):S28-S32. doi: 10.15386/mpr-2224. Epub 2021 Aug 10. PMID: 34527905; PMCID: PMC8411823. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8411823/
● Promelle V, Goeb V, Gueudry J. Rheumatoid Arthritis Associated Episcleritis and Scleritis: An Update on Treatment Perspectives. J Clin Med. 2021 May 14;10(10):2118. doi: 10.3390/jcm10102118. PMID: 34068884; PMCID: PMC8156434. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8156434/
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