THE EYE FROM BIRTH

How many of us have looked at a baby and exclaimed, “What beautiful BIG eyes that baby has!” The reason for this is that the eye is the only part of our body that is adult-sized at birth. Our eyes never grow in size from the day we are born. This is also significant in taking care of our eyes as we get older. The vitreous humour, the gel-like substance that makes our eye round, stays with us throughout our lifetime; it is never replenished, therefore any damage to it will be permanent. It is vital that we do whatever we can to maintain the health of our eyes. Studies show that already by the age of 11, our eyes begin to “age.”

As we grow older, we all believe that our eyesight is destined to deteriorate. We talk about “tired” or “old” eyes as if is inevitable that the gift of vision is taken from us simply because we have aged. The earliest ref-erence to cataracts in the Bible refers to Isaac, “And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see.” Genesis 27:1. The truth is that, with today’s treatment options, there is no reason for our vision to become “dim”. But, there is an element of truth to the notion that age-related process-es can affect our eyesight.

THE AGING EYE

Often, the first thing that alerts us to the fact that we are getting older is that our eyesight starts worsening. There is no cure for these age-related changes in the eye, and it is something that we all develop. At first, the changes are slow, but eventually we all notice changes in our ability to see. The lens is most significantly affect-ed by the aging process. As we get older, the lens of the eye loses flexibility; it also becomes increasingly dense and more yellow. A hardened lens becomes more fixed on distant objects; it no longer has the ability to to be-come rounder or more convex when we look from dis tance to close up. This impacts our ability to see close-up images in focus.

Most people, as they get older, can still see clearly when viewing distant objects, but find that they need “longer arms” to read the same size print. This change in the lens becomes noticeable in most people at the age of 40, and by age 43, they begin to start having trouble reading fine print, and need glasses in order to read. This is a condition called “presbyopia” or “old-man sight”. And as we get older, our lens gets even thicker and less flexible, therefore, requiring us to get stronger prescriptions to continue seeing with the same sharpness. Many think that wearing glasses weakens our vision, because of the need for stronger prescriptions. However, it just is a sign of the worsening of presbyopia.

The pupil in our eye also gets smaller when we age, letting in less light; therefore we develop difficulty seeing in low-light conditions. And, finally, our colour acui-ty start to fade; we have trouble distinguishing be-tween similar colours such as black and navy blue. Also, subtle differences in our environment are more difficult to distinguish between, such as where the sidewalk drops off, or the end of a step in a staircase. This re-sults in many injuries due to falls. The treatment for presbyopia is glasses, either reading glasses or bifocals. With glasses, most of us will continue to see well as we age. However, by age 75, one in four people reports some form of vision impairment, even with glasses. In the absence of disease, there is no significant age-related deterioration in visual ability of the retina or the optic nerve. Unfortunately, age-related diseases of the retina and optic nerve are not entirely rare.

EYE DISEASES

Aside from the normal changes that occur in an “aging” eye, there are also a few common eye diseases that can occur. We need to distinguish between normal ag-ing and actual eye diseases. These diseases can be treated with either medication, surgery, or reading glasses; however, if left untreated, blindness can occur.

GLAUCOMA: When the fluid in front of the lens of the eye (aqueous humour) does not drain properly and too much fluid collects in this area, the pressure in the eye starts to build up. This increased pressure damages theoptic nerve, which connects the eye to the brain. Permanent blindness can occur if this pressure is not relieved. The only way to diagnose increased pressure in the eye is by an eye doctor. If not diagnosed early, sig-nificant vision damage can occur before symptoms are even present. Medication or laser treatments work to improve the drainage of the aqueous humour. Eye drops used in managing glaucoma decrease eye pressure by helping the eye’s fluid to drain better and/or decreasing the amount of fluid made by the eye.

CATARACTS: A cataract is present when the lens of the eye becomes cloudy; it is covered with an opaque film, preventing light from entering the eye. The treatment for cataracts is to remove the lens and replace it with an artificial lens. The replacement lens cannot adjust like our original lens; therefore, most people also need to wear glasses to help focus the eye. Over six million cataract surgeries are done every year in North America.

MACULAR DEGENERATION (MD): MD is a cause of sig-nificant vision loss in older people. Why people develop Macular Degeneration is often unknown, but theories suggest that the accumulative effect of free-radical damage plays a role. This disease is caused by deterio-ration to a small area in the back of the eye, on the reti-na, called the macula. The macula is needed for central vision, and especially for fine-tuning our central vision. Blurred vision is often the first symptom of MD. People with MD often have side vision, but cannot see in front of them. This condition can also be hereditary.

DRY EYE SYNDROME: When damage occurs to the con-junctiva of the eye, or as part of the aging process, tears are not produced as they should be, and dry eyes develop. Blurry vision occurs when the surface of the cornea gets dried out. Tears are needed to provide nu-trition to the eye. Damage to the cornea can occur with dry eyes. This dryness can be counteracted by using products such as “natural tears” to moisten the surface of the eye.

DIABETIC RETINOPATHY: The blood vessels in the reti-na of the eye are damaged in diabetics who have un-controlled high blood sugar, leading to blockage, leak-age, or scarring. Twenty percent of newly-diagnosed diabetics already have damage to the eyes at the time of diagnosis.

VITAMIN A DEFICIENCY: Vitamin A is needed for our eyes to function properly. Many people in the develop-ing countries often have diets lacking in Vitamin A be-cause they have limited access to foods containing beta-carotene due to poverty. According to the World Health Organization, 190 million preschool-aged children and 19.1 million pregnant women around the world have a Vitamin A deficiency. In these countries, low vitamin A intake is most strongly associated withhealth consequences during periods of high nutritional demand, such as during infancy, childhood, pregnancy, and lactation. The most common symptom of vitamin A deficiency in young children and pregnant women is xerophthalmia. One of the early signs of xerophthalmia is night blindness, or the inability to see in low light or darkness. Vitamin A deficiency is one of the leading causes of preventable blindness in children.

HOW TO MAINTAIN GOOD EYESIGHT
There are things we can do to slow down the damage to our eyes and to delay the aging process:

PROTECTION FROM THE SUN: The sun’s rays can per-manently damage the retina. Cataract and macular de-generation risk increases with sun damage to the eyes. Always wear sunglasses with 100% UV-A and UV-B pro-tection. Wearing sunglasses without full protection can cause worse damage as our pupils stay open to let in more light behind dark glasses, and we don’t have the needed protection from the damaging UV rays. If you are unable to purchase sunglasses with 100% protec-tion, it would be better not to wear sunglasses at all, and to allow your eyes to react naturally to the bright sun by squinting, turning away, or closing the eyes com-pletely. Damage to the eye begins to occur within 30 seconds of staring at the sun; most people will develop permanent damage to the eye if they stare at the sun for 90 seconds. Wrap-around lenses help protect your eyes from the side. Wearing a wide-brimmed hat will also assist in protecting the eye from the light of the sun.

MANAGE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE: People with high blood pressure can damage the blood vessels in the eyes that provide nutrition to the eye, especially to the retina. Your doctor can help you to maintain normal blood pressure with a healthy diet and an exercise routine.

MANAGE YOUR BLOOD SUGAR: Diabetes is the number one cause of blindness, worldwide. The tiny vessels in the eye are particularly sensitive to damage from high blood sugars. For diabetics, it is vital to maintain normal blood sugar levels to protect eye health.

PROTECTION FROM INJURY: Protect your eyes from hazardous, chemical or airborne materials either at work or at home. Injury to the eye can cause infection and scarring, leading to vision loss. Wear protective goggles or helmets with face masks when risk of injury is possible from using tools and equipment in your job, or during sports such as racquetball and hockey. Direct trauma or chemical injuries can cause enough damage to the eyes to cause permanent vision impairment.

EYE STRAIN: Many think that staring at a computer screen for hours at a time eventually damages our eyes. This is not true. However, computer users do often complain of eye related symptoms such as eye strain, headaches, fatigue and dry eyes. These symp-toms are not caused by the computer screen itself but rather by the conditions surrounding the computer screen. Having to read or use a computer at a fixed, set distance for long periods of time can fatigue the lens. Also, when looking in one spot for a long time causes us to blink less often, causing dry eyes. When using a computer, make a conscious effort to blink regularly, to keep your eyes moistened.

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of dark-ness.” Matthew 6:22–23
“If the physical and mental organs are in a healthy con-dition, and the man is equally balanced, his judgment will be sound. With a discerning eye, he will be enabled to see the value of heavenly and eternal things. If the eye of the mind beholds the excellence of the mystery of godliness, the advantage of spiritual riches over worldly riches, the whole body will be full of light. If the imagination is perverted by the fascination of earthly pomp and splendor, until gain seems godliness, the whole body will be full of darkness. When the powers of the mind are concentrated upon the treasures of earth, they are debased and belittled. The Saviour makes more plain the results of covetousness on heart and soul, when he calls the condition of such a person ‘darkness.’ When the eye is blinded by desires for worldly treasure, the value of eternal treasure cannot be discerned. It was this fearful darkness that wrapped the Jews in stubborn unbelief, making it impossible for them to appreciate the character and mission of Him who came to save them from their sins. Worldly riches, bigotry, and pride made their eye evil, and they could see nothing in the Redeemer of the world that was de-sirable, because they were filled with darkness and un-belief. Virtue can never be related to avarice; self-indulgence, love of luxury, and greed of gain, can never be united with supreme love of God; but ‘if thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.’” –The Review and Herald, September 18, 1888
May God bless us to value our eyesight and to take care of it; to appreciate this blessing from God and use it for His honour and glory. Amen.

PART 3: Nutrition For Eye Health in the July 2014 issue.