New Delhi: In today's stressful life, we fail to prioritise our eye health. Our eyesight is affected due to various reasons such as constant exposure to digital screens, work pressure and unhealthy eating habits. According to a research study published in the Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, eye care centres in India reported a 96.5 per cent to 98.7 per cent decrease in patients visiting clinics for their routine care and follow-ups, including eye injections and retinal laser procedures as of May 2021, as compared to the previous year.
Here are four reasons why you need to take care of your eyes in today's screen-dependent world:
Screen time: With the large-scale adoption of work-from-home (WFH), the time people spend on screens (laptops, mobiles and TV) has exponentially increased. The damaging effects of extended screen times on eye health are well known, such as dry eyes.
Age no bar: For much of India's population with pre-existing lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, the pandemic only aggravated their condition. Ignoring these factors could lead to glaucoma and chronic retinal diseases, including Diabetic Macular Edema (DME), resulting from poor diabetes control.
Lifestyle choice: Habits such as smoking, drinking, lack of exercise and unhealthy dietary habits due to increased time spent at home can impact overall eye health. Additionally, this can lead to poor glucose control and weight gain, further exacerbating health complications, including eye health.
Mental health: Covid-19 has taken a considerable toll on people's mental health. With deteriorating mental health, people's focus on eye health, even for diagnosed conditions, has taken a backseat. For instance, a clear link has been drawn between suffering from depression and showing non-compliance to medical treatments, which can affect routine eye care and follow-ups and lead to several disease-related complications.
Dr Ajay Dudani, CEO Vitreoretinal Surgeon, Mumbai Retina Centre, commented on disease management, saying, "From a young age, people must learn to maintain optimal eye health. If an individual is at greater risk due to pre-existing conditions like diabetes, or old age, eye diseases can be identified and addressed early on through regular screenings."
DID YOU KNOW?
*Eyes focus on 50 different objects every second.
*The eye is the second most complex organ (brain is the first one).
*Eyes can identify 10 million colours.
*One simply can't sneeze without closing their eyes.
*Eighty per cent of what we learn is through the eyes.
*The iris has 256 unique characteristics.
*More than one million nerve cells are present in the optic nerve.
