How often do we ignore the effort we need to put to read a sign board located far off? Or the struggle of being unable to read the stories written in a closely held newspaper? Pages seemed to be painted by ink, both sides, but not a word to understand. Very casually we let go of the problems caused to our eyes in the initial stage. But, is it right? No, it is not. In India, majorly everyone attaining the age of 40s are prone to experience vision weakening. Nonetheless, the changing lifestyles have caused almost all age groups to suffer the problem.
Hence, children, teenagers, and adults; everyone is likely to counter some or the other eye problem. The problems are mainly derived from their habits and lifestyles. Thus, there is an immense need for early diagnosis and treatment.
The cornea is the outermost part of our eye. Therefore, it is most prone to damage caused by habitual and lifestyle change. It is a transparent bulged out structure covering the pupil. It is because of the cornea that our eyes attain 2/3rd of its refractive power. Diseases, infections and excessive strain onto the cornea lead to its thinning or successive translucency. As a result, it causes loss of vision.
Even so, the WHO (World Health Organization) has declared corneal blindness to be the 4th top-most reason of blindness around the world.Some common problems which lead to corneal blindness are:
1. Microbial Infections:
A pathogen invasion can cause serious damage to our cornea. All sorts of bacterial, fungal or viral infections can be injurious.
2. Corneal Dystrophies:
It can be termed as a set of progressive genetic eye problem. It leads to accumulation of strange particles onto the cornea.
3. Chemical or Physical injuries:
Any sort of physical or chemical injury, directly or indirectly affecting the eye can cause serious damage to the cornea.
4. Excessive Eye strain or trauma:
Cornea can also be damaged due to working on a computer screen for hours, continuous glare causing uneasiness to eyes, or the load on the nerves because of trauma.
In order to avoid the consequences of these problems, act at the right time. Otherwise, the problem may enter a worse state. Moreover to mention, that the cornea of our eyes is untreatable. It can only be worked upon by chance of eye donation. Therefore, there are not various corneal services available to rectify corneal damages.
Nonetheless, if the problem has attained a diabolic state, then the most appropriate treatment would be to undergo a corneal transplant. But, the chances of being able to receive the transplantation in our country are quite weak. Considering the fact that, almost 11 lakh people are already in the queue. Therefore, it is always suggested to be precautious and take good care of your eyes.
Nevertheless, before you plan to take this step. We recommend you to consult a reliable corneal surgeon. It is extremely important for you to understand the symptoms and consequences of the treatment.
Article: Save Your Sight By Acting At The Right Time.
Author: Dr Rashid | Mar 31 2017 | UPDATED 02:00 IST
*The views expressed here are solely those of the author in his private capacity and do not in any way represent the views of Centre for Sight.
