What causes bad eyesight and how to combat it?

How well we can see is something we can’t seem to decide. Some of us have 20/20 vision, while some of us don’t have it and it is all due to the genes we inherit. Due to our genes, we may have bad eyesight leading to laser or surgery.

Health issues or diseases can be a cause of bad eyesight that eventually decreases and blur the vision. Most of the reasons for it are present in a person’s lifestyle and his/her habits or due to some previous health issues. Myopia, hyperopia, astigmatism, or presbyopia are also the common causes of bad eyesight. Nevertheless, we can treat this condition with the help of eyeglasses, contact lenses, or by undergoing kansas city lasik surgery.

Signs of bad eyesight

Some of the signs that show that the particular individual has bad eyesight are as follows:-

1. 1. Blurred and double vision
2. 2. Fuzziness, as in objects appearing indistinct and without sharp outlines
3. 3. Squinting
4. 4. Eyes feel tired and hazy
5. 5. Headaches
6. 6. Objects have ‘halos’ around them

What causes bad eyesight?

Bad eyesight is mainly by the habits we develop that eventually lead to a decline in clear vision. Following are the causes that lead to blurred or double vision: –

1. Increased screen time as a cause of bad eyesight

Without a doubt, working for a long time on your laptop or using your smartphone can result in red-eye, double sight, bad eyesight, or other health issues.

You can combat the resulting eye stress by using digital screen protection glasses, by taking a break of fifteen minutes to divert your eyes from the screen and see from a distance. Blinking about seven times can help moisten the eyes.

2. Insufficient intake of water

Another cause of bad eyesight is low water intake. If we are not drinking sufficient water per day, it can lead to dehydration. This can cause red, puffy, and irritation in the eye.

It is estimated that a male requires at least 15.5 cups of water intake per day while females should drink about 11.5 cups. The color of the urine can estimate the consumption of water. When the urine is light yellow, it means we are meeting our needs, but if it is clear, it indicates overhydration.

If you tend to consume minimal amounts of water, incorporating hydration drops into your routine can offer a convenient and effective solution to stay hydrated. Electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, and magnesium, help maintain fluid balance and support optimal eye health. Hydration drops, such as Buoy’s offerings, can be a valuable addition as they provide a concentrated source of electrolytes, ensuring you receive the necessary balance to support your body’s hydration.

3. Poor diet

Along with monitoring our water intake, we should also pay attention to the food we take in. An unbalanced diet is not suitable for our eyes. The food that is beneficial to our eyes is seafood, green leafy vegetables, eggs, and nuts. If we don’t introduce a balanced diet in our lives, it can result in bad eyesight.

4. Lack of sleep can cause bad eyesight

Lack of sleep is one of the significant factors that contribute to bad eyesight. It is a point often overlooked.

An individual is required to get not less than six to eight hours of sleep, as our bodies are not the only ones that need rest; our eyes should also be well-rested. Getting enough sleep helps our eyes to be continuously lubricated.

5. Rubbing eyes too often

Rubbing eyes, although it does seem to be of no harm to our eyes, it does damage to our eyesight more than we can imagine. It can lead to worsening of myopia and glaucoma, which indirectly leads to bad eyesight.

 This habit can start an eye condition called keratoconus. Typically cornea is round in shape. In keratoconus, the cornea reshapes and thins, forming a cone shape.

6. Not going for regular eye exams

Optometrists can detect and root out any vision problems or developing eye diseases. Skipping out on regular eye exams isn’t a smart thing to do as it just adds another reason to our bad eyesight.

To avoid such situations, it is advisable to take preventive measures. If there is any problem then the optometrists will give eye droplets regarding eye prescription or might prescribe strong glasses for your eyes.

7. Effects of smoking on bad eyesight

When smoking comes to mind, eye vision isn’t the first thing that comes to our mind. Instead, we consider heart and lung-related diseases to be a result of smoking.

Smoking may, however, cause age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, dry eye, and glaucoma that indirectly leads to bad eyesight. Smokers are four times more likely to develop AMD (age-related macular degeneration) than non-smokers.

8. Working long hours in dim light

Just as looking at the screen isn’t much help to our eyesight, working in dim light also puts strain on the eyes. In the dim light, our eyes have to focus more than usual and get tired. As dim light causes bad eyesight, in the same way bright light can also be a cause.

Diseases that lead to bad eyesight

The diseases that can cause bad eyesight are present in below: –

1. Myopia (Near-sightedness)

Myopia is one of the major causes of bad eyesight. Individuals can view objects clearly when they are near but blurry when moving the object to a distance. This condition is called myopia.

In this, parallel rays of light coming from infinity focus in front of the retina. This occurs due to long eyeballs. The use of a concave lens in front of the eye can correct it.

2. Hyperopia (Far-sightedness)

Another cause of bad eyesight is when parallel light rays are focused behind the retina, referred to as hyperopia. This is because of the short eyeball and a decrease in refractive power. Placing a convex lens in front of the eye can correct it.

3. Astigmatism

Apart from myopia and hyperopia, astigmatism plays a significant role in bringing about bad eyesight.

It is an error of refraction in which light rays passing through the lens do not all come to a common focal point, rather light rays passing through one plane of lens focus far in front of those passing through another plane.

Its cause is the oblong shape of the lens or cornea and can be corrected using cylindrical lenses.

4. Presbyopia

The inability to see objects clearly due to gradual loss of vision is called presbyopia. In older individuals, the primary cause of bad eyesight is this disease.

Mostly, it is unnoticeable till mid-forties and progresses after a person crosses 65 age and more. Loss of elasticity and denaturation of lens protein are its causes. The use of bifocal glasses can correct it.

5. Cataract

Cataracts can undeniably lead to bad eyesight or can cause temporary visual impairment. It is a cloudy or opaque area in the lens that occurs when the transparent proteins in lens fibers become denatured and then coagulate and become opaque.

With this in mind, surgical removal of the entire lens and implanting an appropriate artificial convex lens inside the eye is the only treatment of cataract.

Can it be genetic?

In most of the cases reported, bad eyesight can be genetic. Certain genetic markers determine common eye conditions, such as near-sightedness and far-sightedness. Those who express these markers are ten times more likely to have eye vision issues than those without genetic influence.

Research is still under process, but doctors have determined that the most common but serious eye diseases such as macular degeneration and glaucoma are inherited, according to Cleveland Clinic.

On the other hand, genetic links are found in even the most common eye conditions such as myopia and hyperopia. Unquestionably, most of the commonly occurring eye diseases seen in older individuals are inherited.

How can you treat bad eyesight?

Now that we have discussed the causes and conditions of bad eyesight, let’s get to treatment. There is never a quick fix to any problem, and certainly not in this case. Some habits or things you can do or not do to treat bad eyesight are:-

1. Inculcate good habits

Primarily, people, especially children nowadays, whether traveling or going out for a drive, always carry digital devices with them. They are glued to the screen, which is why children at such a young age have bad eyesight.

In the first place, cutting short on-screen time is an essential measure to fix our sight. Instead of getting holed up at home playing games online, we should go out and engage ourselves in outdoor activities. Furthermore, outdoor activity improves our overall health.

2. Get all the essential vitamins and minerals

Getting all the essential vitamins like vitamin A, C, and E and minerals like zinc that help prevent macular degeneration should be encouraged for healthy eating habits and an improved lifestyle.

To combat bad eyesight, we should include foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as salmon in our diet.

3. Quit smoking

Smoking has many adverse effects on heat, lungs, eyes, and all other body parts. To treat bad eyesight, smokers should give up smoking, which aggravates cataract formation and age-related macular degeneration.

From the first hours of quitting, your eyes will start to recover from the tobacco-induced harm, your blood vessels dilate, and inflammation eases off of your eyes and other body parts too.

4. Keep your hands and lenses clean

Eyes are sensitive to any germs and infection. Even a slight bit of irritation or infection can lead to bad eyesight

. So it essential that we wash our hands regularly and timely and disinfect our lenses. We should also change our contact lenses as is instructed by our doctor or pharmacist.

5. Get an early eye exam

To avoid getting bad eyesight, we should take regular eye exams at an optometrist. If any complication arises, it can be tackled beforehand and saves us from a lifelong dependence on contact lenses and eyeglasses.

A little comprehension

To sum up, the eyes are a highly complex and sensitive part of the body and should be taken care of properly. To avoid bad eyesight, you should provide extra care and protection if you want to live a long, vibrant and colorful life.

In addition to taking care of them personally, we should be on the lookout for any complications. We should immediately consult an optometrist or a specialized doctor if the need arises.

Takeaway

The eye is an important organ of the body. We must give it more importance regarding its care. There are various underlying health issues or diseases that can cause bad eyesight that eventually decreases and blur the vision. The lifestyle of the people can also be the reason for bad eyesight. you must also know about your bad eye prescription.

It is advised to go for eye check up as it will be easy to detect and treat illness in the time. After check up you will get eye prescription if you require strong glasses for your eyes. Some might get 20/400 eye prescription it all depends on the condition of you eyes. Take care of your eyes an consult a medical personnel if any problem is seen.

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