Eye Health: For Healthy Peepers!

Eye anatomy

Placed in the upper and lower eyelids at the inner corner of each eye, tear ducts help drain the tears through your nasal bone. It also helps keep the cornea moist.

It is the outer layer formed by clear tissue and located at the front side of your eyes. It helps you to focus light on objects you are viewing.

Iris is a set of colorful muscles that surround and control the pupil, the round opening located at the center of eyes. The size of your pupil varies as per the light conditions it is exposed to, and the iris helps it in the process.

The lens is located behind your pupil, and the retina is made of photo-sensitive cells located just at the back of your eyeball. While the lens focuses light to the retina, the latter transforms the image reflected into electronic signals and sends them across to the optic nerve.

Located at the back of the eyes, the optic nerve acts as a transmitter between the retina and the brain.

Symptoms of eye diseases to watch out for 

• Loss of vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Irritation
• Rapid discharge of tears
• Blurred vision
• Pain

Types of eye diseases

There are various types of eye infections and other conditions that can appear as you age or follow an unhealthy lifestyle. Take a look at the most common types of eye diseases.

It is caused by rapid build-up of pressure inside your eyes. The condition can lead to severe consequences like optic nerve damage and complete blindness.

If your eyes cannot focus light properly, it leads to blurry vision. This condition is referred to as refractive errors. There are following four types of refractive errors.

• Farsightedness (hyperopia): Objects near you appear hazy and blurry
• Nearsightedness (myopia): Objects far from you appear hazy and blurry
• Presbyopia: A type of hyperopia caused by the loss of movability of the eye lens, a common condition in old age 
• Astigmatism: This condition results from a problem in the shape of cornea, which prevents it from directing light into the eyes in the proper way; it also results in a hazy vision

Most frequent among people who have crossed 60 years of age, AMD leads to a slow but steady damage to the cells of the macula, a pigmented area at the back of our eyes that controls the major aspect of our color vision, and produces the final detail of our every sight.

It is a diabetes-induced condition that leads to damage in the blood vessels of the retina. Its impact starts with the appearance of dark or blurred spots in your vision. If not treated on time, this can lead to blindness.

When cataract occurs, the lens in your eyes becomes clouded and leads to a blurry vision. If you have cataract, there are high chances that you may see a halo surrounding your object of vision, especially during night. There are low chances of getting a cataract at a young age.

Commonly called a ‘lazy eye’, this condition appears when one of your eyes has not developed proper vision. To prevent this condition, it is important to address concerns like tumor, lid drooping, or misaligned eyes as soon as they are diagnosed in your child.  

As evident from the name, dry eye syndrome happens when your eyes hardly have any tears. It can be caused by reactions to certain medicines or problems with tear formation, eye lids or tear ducts. It can lead to severe pain in the eyes and blurry vision. 

It is caused by the detachment of retina from the back of your eyes. Its consequences include hazy or partial vision as well as complete loss of vision.

Top foods for eye health

The health of your eyes is directly connected to your overall health. So, it is important to follow a healthy diet to help your eyes function properly, save them from harmful light, and keep degenerative conditions at bay. 

Here are the top foods to improve eyesight that you can add to your diet.

• Omega-3 fatty acids
• Vitamin A
• Vitamin E
• Vitamin C
• Zinc
• Gamma-Linolenic acid
• Zexanthin
• Lutein

To sum up, it is important to follow a balanced diet that protects your eyes as well as overall health.

With all these details regarding eye health conditions and how you can protect your eyes, managing eye health becomes quite simple. Just make sure to visit your optometrist for an eye check up once year. Go for an eyesight test if advised. Take the next steps as per the prescription of the optometrist doctor. You can also consult an optometrist on Bajaj Finserv Health, and get your concerns resolved by speaking with the doctor of your choice. In the Bajaj Finserv Health platform, there are over 8,400 doctors across more than 45 specialties with whom you can consult in multiple regional languages. 

Apart from that, make sure to get yourself covered by health insurance. For comprehensive coverage, you can go for an Aarogya Care Health Plan available on Bajaj Finserv Health. With the Complete Health Solution Plan, you can get healthcare coverage of up to Rs.10 lakh for two adults and four children 21. By subscribing to this plan, you are eligible for benefits like network discounts, pre- and post-hospitalization cover, in-patient hospitalization cover, preventive health check-ups, critical illness cover and more. So, get yourself covered right away and lead a stress-free life.