If you notice your eyesight is getting worse, the most important thing to do is visit your local optician for an eye examination. Your optician will be able to identify if there are any underlying issues that are causing your eyesight to worsen.
Changes in your vision can be due to numerous factors. There has even been discussion over whether wearing glasses can actually make your eyesight worse. If you suffer from a refractive error such as short-sightedness (myopia), it will progress regardless of whether you wear glasses or not.
Factors that can cause your eyesight to regress
With that in mind, we here at Optliase Clinics are taking better look at some of the reasons why your eyesight could be getting worse. This can include age, genetics, lifestyle, eye conditions and harmful light.
• Age: As you get older, particularly around the age of 40-50, your eyesight ability may decline for close-up tasks such as reading. This is because the crystalline lens in your eye becomes less flexible, which makes it harder to focus on close-up objects. This is known as presbyopia and will affect all of us at some stage in our lives. You might also experience an eye condition known as cataracts. Cataracts gradually make your eye cloudy, so it loses transparency, resulting in visual impairment.
• Genetics: There are many genetic reasons why your eyesight might begin to get worse. Many eye diseases are hereditary, such as glaucoma and even myopia. It has been shown that if a parent has myopia, the child has an increased risk. It is important to understand your family’s health history and look out for any signs that could put you at risk of developing an eye condition. If this is the case, it is recommended that you visit an optician more frequently.
• Lifestyle: Lifestyle choices can have a huge impact on your overall health, including your vision. Diet, smoking and excessive alcohol can all make a difference to your eyesight in the long run. Long-term effects of consuming too much alcohol can increase your risk of eye disease, including AMD and cataracts. A balanced diet is also key, as vitamins C and E along with lutein and omega-3 can all contribute to healthy vision.
• Eye conditions: Your eyesight could be getting worse because you have an uncorrected refractive error. If you begin to struggle to see far away or close up, then you should visit your optician for an eye examination. In the event that you discover that you have an uncorrected refractive error, you could think about laser eye surgery at Optilase.
Temporary factors
• Pregnancy: Pregnancy can bring lots of changes to your body including your eyesight. Hormones during pregnancy can affect your eyesight and vision quality. These changes are normally temporary, but you should still get them checked by an optician if you experience them.
• Harmful light: In large doses, UV light can be detrimental to your eyesight. Overexposure to UV is one of the leading causes of conditions like cataracts and photokeratitis. With that in mind, it’s important to protect your eyes when out in the sun. You should always wear sunglasses in the sun, or stay out of direct sunlight when it’s at its strongest. You can also protect your eyes by wearing clear lenses with built-in UV protection. These are simple protective measures that can have a huge positive impact on your eye health.
To find out more about your eye health, call Optilase +353 1 223 8821 on or visit any of our award-winning clinics across Ireland.
