On the occasion of World Sight Day (against blindness), celebrated this year on Thursday 10 October, we learn how to take care of our eyes!
Prevention also plays an important role in the case of vision. Especially in the early years of life, but also in people over fifty years of age, the role of eye examination is extremely important for early diagnosis and effective treatment of pathological conditions that threaten vision. Furthermore, eye examination can reveal early signs of systemic diseases and autoimmune conditions such as diabetes mellitus, hypertension or lupus.
The first check should be done from the very first days of the baby's life. Depending on the age, family history and any medical conditions of each individual, the ophthalmologist will recommend that the check-up be repeated.
However, each age has specific reasons for investigating vision.
The brain learns to see by the time a child is eight years old. This means that if any eye problems are not treated early, for example if a child has to wear glasses to see and does not, this will lead to lazy eye, i.e. amblyopia.
In infancy it is also important to confirm that the retinal reflex (red reflex) is present. In any case, a child who does not grasp objects and does not focus on faces needs to be assessed by a paediatric ophthalmologist.
Premature children need close eye monitoring as they are more likely to develop high myopia, amblyopia, strabismus and glaucoma.
For all children, a review is recommended in the first and third year of the child's life. After four and five years, a child can cooperate and the assessment becomes better. At these ages a refractive abnormality may need to be corrected, as failure to correct it can cause strabismus.
In the age 10-19 years old common vision problems involve refractive abnormalities, most commonly myopia, which increases at this age.
The closer one is to the age of 20 years old, the rarer are the major problems, which appear when approaching the 50 years. Age, but also the history plays an important role in monitoring the patient. Myopes are more likely to have retinal detachment than the rest of the population. We also start looking at intraocular pressure, the increase of which is associated with the onset of glaucoma, even before the age of 40 years if there is a family history of glaucoma.
Passing the 50 years, control is for more serious diseases. Macular diseases affect these ages, with age-related macular degeneration being most common after the age of 65. Cataracts and glaucoma threaten the vision of people after the age of 65 and therefore annual eye screening is recommended at these ages.
Finally, people suffering from diabetes mellitus are a special category. These people must be tested every year. In fact, if there are signs of diabetic retinopathy, they should see their ophthalmologist every 3 to 6 months.
