How Does Blindness Affect People?

Blindness completely blocks people’s vision and has a massive impact on their daily lives. Pieces of art, reading, looking at people’s smiles, and so much more are impossible with permanent vision loss. Blindness makes everyday life a challenge. That means simple tasks like moving around or attending work or school are challenging. Blindness can even often result in depression. 

What Causes Blindness?

Cataracts

If your eye lenses appear cloudy, then you likely have cataracts. This cloudiness blocks light through your lenses, causing blurry and fuzzy vision. Cataracts are a huge problem all across the world. If you don’t care for cataracts in time, they can get bigger and cause total blindness. Old age and too much consistent sunlight are significant causes of cataracts.

Glaucoma

Glaucoma is a group of eye conditions that causes damage to the optic nerve. The optic nerve is how visual information from the eye transfers to the brain. Intraocular pressure, the pressure within the eye, usually causes glaucoma. If not treated in time, glaucoma can lead to vision loss and blindness. It is one of the world’s leading causes of irreversible blindness. It’s tough to tell when you have glaucoma because it can worsen without noticing. It’s up to an eye doctor to find the issue.

Eye Injuries

Sustaining an injury to the eye from either a blunt or a sharp object can result in irreparable harm to your eyes. Individuals engaged in sports or machinery-related work face an elevated risk. These injuries can lead to momentary pain and discomfort; in more severe cases, they can result in permanent blindness.

Diabetic Retinopathy

Diabetic retinopathy is common among people with diabetes. When your body faces high blood sugar levels, it causes damage to the blood vessels located in the retina. High blood sugar levels cause the blood vessels to swell and leak. These changes can cause vision loss in diabetic patients of all ages. Diabetic retinopathy can lead to vision problems and even blindness if left untreated.

How to Prevent Blindness

Attend Regular Eye Exams

The best way to prevent blindness is to see an eye doctor regularly. Even if you think you have excellent vision, keeping your eyes checked is essential. Eyes naturally worsen over time. Your eye doctor can catch ailments like cataracts, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy early. If you take care of any issues in time, you can avoid severe or permanent vision loss. You can find a doctor for comprehensive eye exams at The EyeDoctors Optometrists.

Be Healthy

There are countless benefits to living a healthy life. Your body will feel better, you’ll be more mentally focused, and your eyes will be stronger. Part of a healthy life is exercising and eating healthy foods. For eye health, foods with vitamins A, C, and E, plus zinc and omega-3 fatty acids, are a great choice. Green leafy veggies, carrots, citrus fruits, and fish are healthy food options promoting good eye health.

Protection from UV Rays

UV rays from the sun can be incredibly harmful to our eyes. And that means spending too much time outside exposes us to those harmful UV rays. UV rays can be hazardous to our eyes because they can increase the risk of developing cataracts and other serious eye problems. Damage from UV rays accumulates, so the earlier you start protecting your eyes, the better. Covering our eyes is essential if it's a very sunny day. You should also protect your eyes on cloudy days because the sun's rays still hit your eyes; it’s less noticeable and less direct. For complete protection, you should invest in sunglasses that block 100% UVA and UVB rays.

Protect Your Eyes from Objects

Wear safety glasses, goggles, or helmets with face shields to protect your eyes from foreign objects. This is especially important if you’re playing sports or working in construction. You can protect your eyes from balls or any other debris that might hit your eyes directly by wearing protective eyewear. Encourage other teammates or coworkers to wear protective eyewear too.

Treat Chronic Conditions Properly

Diabetes and hypertension frequently lead to severe eye problems. If you have diabetes, it’s crucial that you properly control your blood sugar to prevent diabetic retinopathy and other eye conditions. These can lead to blindness if ignored. Hypertensive retinopathy is a result of poorly managed high blood pressure. Taking care of your high blood pressure is not only good for overall health and eye health too.

Contact The EyeDoctors Optometrists in Kansas Today

Blindness is a global issue, but with all of the valuable information we know today, there is a lot we can do to curb preventable blindness. All it takes is good care and awareness. Our team at The EyeDoctors Optometrists is here to get you the info and help you need to prevent blindness. Contact us today if there’s more you want to know about World Blindness Awareness Month.