Care for your Eyes: Your most precious assets


A glance of the eye is described as one of the most wonderful things in nature. Eye is an integral part of one’s beauty but we, at times, completely ignore taking care of it. Eye care is equally important and serious as other ailments because the damage it can cause is intense and immeasurable. Hence, consulting an ophthalmologist becomes important for avoiding any loss relating to your eyes.

The number of people with visual problems is truly deplorable. In a developing country like India, it is estimated that India is home to 23.5% of the world’s blind population. To curb this huge crisis, India, in 1976, became the first country in the world to start a national program for controlling blindness. Surveys show cataract to be the most common cause of blindness. Hence, recent focus has been on high-quality surgery and up-gradation of skills among the ophthalmologists. Other vital reasons of blindness are glaucoma, refractive errors, corneal blindness and childhood blindness.

Medical Tourism in India

India, besides being an IT hub, is becoming popular for medical tourism, with increasing number of international patients heading towards India for medical treatments. The prime reason being the highly cost effective treatment facilities, which is followed by world class techniques and tools. Listed below are the common eye care treatments available in India:
  • Glaucoma surgery
  • Lasik surgery
  • Corneal transplantation
  • Insertion of foldable intra-ocular lenses
  • Laser Refractive surgery
  • Oculoplastic surgery
  • Phaceoemulsification
  • Zyoptix treatment for correction of myopia
  • Phakonit, Micro-Phakonit Cataract surgery

Know the common symptoms of eye diseases

A few common symptoms of eye diseases are:
  • Pain within the eyes or headache
  • Diminishing vision which may be sudden or gradual
  • Watering of or discharge from the eyes
  • Irritation and redness in the eyes
  • Flashes of light, spots or sparks in vision
  • Sudden prominence of the eyes

Common solvable Refractive Problems

The common vision defects which can be rectified by using glasses are:
  1. Myopia – Also called short-sightedness, it is caused by an eyeball that is too long or a cornea that has too much curvature. This is rectified by using diverging lenses.
  2. Hypermetropia – Also called long-sightedness, it is caused by an eyeball that is too short or a cornea that has too little curvature. This is rectified by using converging lenses.
  3. Presbyopia – With the reaching of forty years of age, most people’s vision suffer Presbyopia. This is caused by the crystalline lens’ disability to focus on close objects or small prints with increasing age. Presbyopia patients are prescribed to use progressive lenses.
  4. Astigmatism – It is caused by the irregular shape of the cornea. This can be rectified using toric lenses.

Tips for protecting your eye sight

Reduce your risk of any eye related problems by using these helpful tips:
  • Know your family eye history regarding Glaucoma
  • Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from ultra-violet rays
  • Take regular screen breaks when using computer
  • Eat the right food containing lutein and zeaxanthin
  • Clean your contact lenses regularly
  • Take care when using cosmetics
  • Know your first aid when meeting an eye injury and seek medical help immediately
  • Visit your optician and have an eye test every two years
The eternal beauty of eye is deteriorated by the unhygienic environment around us, along with the inevitable aging. Unless we make a conscious effort to take care of it, eye diseases will never cease. Hence, it is important for each person to know the basic healthy tips of eye care, which will help making your eyes an asset to you throughout your life.