Women’s Eye Care
Studies suggest that women are at a greater risk of contracting eye diseases, vis-à-vis men. What are the essential steps we need to refer to as we celebrate women’s eye health and safety month in April?
Several factors can contribute to the visual impairment of women. Protecting your vision is essential to keep your eyes healthy and understand the risks associated with it.
When we discuss eye care, we restrict ourselves to choosing functional eyewear. You can shortlist an eyewear option from the numerous glasses frames for women. You can get a variety of unique choices that reflect your personality from prominent brands. However, eye care is not just limited to shortlisting apt eyewear.
This article highlights the various aspects that women can focus on to tackle their vision issues.
Reasons for Vision Issues Among Women
Data suggest that women have higher issues relating to efficiency in vision or impairment due to blindness than men. The reason behind such a condition is due to
- AMD or age-related macular degeneration,
- Cataracts.
You will find that the pieces of autoimmune diseases and dry eye disease occur more frequently in women than among men.
Why Is the Risk of Eye Diseases High?
Scientists and doctors are still scouting for the answer to this question. However, data suggests that women in the United States have higher longevity than men. This aspect gives women a higher chance to go through such vision impairment issues during their lifetime. It also substantiates the reason behind the occurrence of vision-related concerns among women.
How to Protect My Eyesight?
The data suggests that 75% of all vision impairment leading to blindness is preventable or curable. A critical factor that can help reduce the risk of eye disease is the life choices we make. The below list has some variables that one can refer to and help reduce the eye disease risks before they become detrimental. You can choose to follow the fundamental aspects like:
- Checking the smoking habit – We often fail to address or understand that smoking can lead to several eye diseases, including glaucoma, cataracts, and AMD. Patients can even have a rare condition with cloudy vision via a disease called Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy. Smoking can also lead to retinal vascular occlusions. A person with diabetic retinopathy can experience deteriorating health conditions due to smoking.
- Opting for a healthy diet – If you can opt for the same diet that dietitians recommend for your heart, it can take care of your eyes. The lens and the retina of our eyes have two carotenoids — lutein and zeaxanthin. If you can opt for foods containing these elements, they can help you to reduce oxidative or light-induced damages that result in cataracts or AMD. You can go for green leafy vegetables and various fruits rich in these compounds. Some dietary supplements also have lutein. Including tuna, salmon, eggs, oily fish, beans, and nuts in your meals can be a great idea.
- Taking care of your eyes while outdoors – You can opt for a pair of sunglasses when you step outside. It is worth mentioning that your eyes get exposed to ultraviolet rays even on non-sunny days. If you spend a prolonged period under the sun, you can increase the chances of attracting cataracts or AMD. Adding a hat with a brim can be a great addition to the sunglasses to give your eyes extra protection.
- Regular eye care – We often miss scheduling regular comprehensive eye examinations. It is vital when you cross the age of 40. You can note that most vision impairment links to your age. Spotting the early signs of eye diseases by an ophthalmologist can help you keep a tab on the changing conditions of your eye year on year.
- Finding out family’s eye history – Most people often devote their time understanding hereditary issues associated with various organs but not their eyes. Verifying that a particular eye disease runs in your family can help eye care professionals to look for the early signs of that disease. You can also have a preventive treatment to slow down the disease. This aspect is particularly applicable for conditions like glaucoma, which has a history of affecting the patient slowly without any warning signs.
Therefore, as you can see, you can avoid a few known issues relating to vision impairment if you adhere to a few protective steps. Along with the above, wearing protective eyewear while working with any harmful chemicals or playing a game is essential. Another critical aspect is regularly changing your eyelash curler and make-up brushes.