• By EYE Q India
  • February 17, 2021
Eye care tips

Eyes are delicate and nowadays, are exposed to a lot of screen time, environmental pollution, and ultraviolet rays. With ageing, the eyes require better care. The question that pops up in our minds is “Why should we take our parents for eye check-ups?” Well, let us try and answer this question with simple scientific points. We all have heard about diseases like- diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid disorder. These diseases are quite common in the Indian population and put your eye at risk for a decrease in vision.

Here are a few diseases that you can avoid if your parents go for regular check-ups:

Cataract: Advancing age makes us all easy prey to cataracts. Ask your parents if their vision is gradually becoming cloudy or hazy or blurred. This could be a symptom of cataract in the eyes (What we call in Hindi as “motiabind”) Get them checked and treated today so that they can have a clear vision!

Glaucoma:
This eye disease is under-diagnosed. It is a silent vision killer! Glaucoma damages the main eye nerve (optic nerve) and can lead to blindness. It can start with sudden pain in the eyes, redness, and nausea. Take your parents for a dilated eye test once in two years.

Diabetic Retinopathy:
We have discussed this disease earlier also when we have discussed how diabetes affects our eyes. We all know that as our parents age, diabetes starts weakening their immune system. So, the more frequently you take them for an eye test, the better it is for them. They will be less prone to diseases.

Macular Degeneration:
This can be of two types, wet and dry. If your parent/s have trouble with reading or their distance vision is becoming blurry, then they are prone to the dry one. But if they are unable to decipher the straight lines, seeing dark spots, or cannot determine the true size of the objects… rush them quickly to the doctor.

Corneal Disease:
The cornea is the watch-glass of the eye. The light entering the eye first crosses the cornea. So, when your father hesitates to drive, or your mother suffers from nervousness while crossing a busy road after dark, it is quite possible that their cornea is weak. This could be an alarming sign for the future and only an ophthalmologic consultation can save them from becoming redundant after dark.

Temporal Arteritis:
Are your parents suffering from frequent and severe headaches, chewing, and the temples feel soft and tender? If yes, it could be temporal arteritis. This can also cause softness in the scalp, frequent fever, and weakness in the hips and shoulders.

Diplopia: ALL ABOVE ARE DISEASES AND DIPLOPIA IS A SYMPTOM. IT DOES NOT FIT IN WELL HERE.!

Sometimes, when you laugh at your parent as they see double images of one object, it is not a joke, but a sign of diplopia. And if there is a diabetic history or eye muscle trauma, the risks are more. Vision loss could be the outcome.

We must take our parents for a regular bi-annual eye check-up.
Our parents shower us with love, show them your care by insisting that they get regular eye check-ups and if you have trouble, let EYE-Q know, and with our specialists, we will make sure that they see bright and clear for eternity.