Can vision become sharper without surgery, just with age? When is different eye color a reason to see a doctor? Which ways to improve vision work and which don’t?
The most tricky questions about eyes and vision were answered by Mail.ru Health by Vlada Khasanova, an ophthalmologist at the Fomin Clinic.
Eye color is determined not only by genetic characteristics (parental eye color), but also by the amount of natural pigment – melanin. The more melanin, the darker the eyes. Brown eyes have more melanin than blue eyes.
People with blue eyes lack melanin in the front layer of the iris (the part of the eye that determines its color). Lack of pigment in the eyes causes light to scatter when it hits them, causing the iris to appear blue.
2. Does it happen that one person has eyes of different colors?
Yes, this happens, although very rarely. Heterochromia is a difference in the color of the right and left eyes (for example, one eye is brown and the other is blue). It is common among some animals, but in humans it occurs in only 1% of people.
In most cases, heterochromia is a congenital individual feature. It is not a pathology and does not require treatment.
In rare cases, heterochromia can be acquired (if the eyes were the same color at birth and the color of one of the eyes has changed during life) and is a symptom of certain diseases.
Injuries, glaucoma, taking certain medications, and certain neoplasms can cause changes in eye color. If you notice that your eye color has changed, this is a reason to contact an ophthalmologist.
3. If you hit your head hard, stars begin to “dance” in front of your eyes, like in cartoons. What is the reason?
With sharp blows to the head, sometimes people experience an effect that is most often called “sparks from the eyes.” It seems that various dots, lines and zigzags are randomly flashing before your eyes. This phenomenon has a scientific name – photopsia or visual hallucinations.
Photopsia due to trauma occurs when not only a concussion (of varying severity) occurs to the brain, but also to the vitreous body inside the eye. With minor injuries, outbreaks resolve spontaneously without special treatment.
If flashes persist for several hours or even days, this may be a symptom of retinal damage and is a reason to contact an ophthalmologist as an emergency.
4. Can “minus” turn into “plus” with age?
Myopia (or myopia) is a refractive error in which the image is focused in front of the retina, causing objects at a far distance to appear blurry.
Myopia can be corrected with glasses, contact lenses or laser correction. There is a common myth that with age, “minus” can turn into “plus”. The key word is myth.
At approximately 40–60 years of age, physiological changes in vision occur—presbyopia.
Presbyopia is characterized by difficulty focusing at close distances. In this case, a person with relatively good vision, who has never used glasses or contacts before, finds it difficult to read small text at close range and requires selection of glasses for near vision.
A nearsighted person at the same age will notice that with the usual correction, near vision is not as good as before. To see small print at arm’s length, a person will have to take off his glasses and then, most likely, he will see better. At the same time, distance vision without glasses will remain the same as before.
To correct myopia in combination with presbyopia, you can use either separate glasses for distance and near, or complex multifocal glasses or lenses that combine different diopters.
5. Can the lens roll behind the eye and be out of reach?
This question often frightens new contact lens wearers. Due to anatomical features, the lens cannot roll behind the eye, since there are no communications between the front of the eye and the orbit.
The eyeball is limited by eyelids and muscles, through which it is physically impossible for a lens of any diameter, even the smallest, to pass.
The contact lens can indeed move, but at most beyond the lower or upper eyelid. In this case, discomfort will be felt, lacrimation and redness of the eyes may appear. When the lens is moved to its correct position, all of the above symptoms will go away. If you cannot center the lens yourself or you cannot find it in the eye, you should contact an ophthalmologist.
6. If you eat kilos of blueberries and carrots, will your eyesight improve?
Carrots and blueberries contain lutein, beta-carotene, and vitamin A, which are truly beneficial for vision and overall health. These substances are also found in many other vegetables and fruits.
However, there is no established connection between eating blueberries and carrots in large quantities and preventing eye diseases or reducing the symptoms of existing problems.
What can really help our eyes?
- healthy, varied, balanced diet with enough vegetables and fruits;
- to give up smoking;
- control and treatment of the following diseases: diabetes mellitus, arterial hypertension, certain thyroid diseases;
- walks daily during daylight hours for at least 90 minutes;
- eye protection from ultraviolet radiation;
- 20-20-20 rule: Look 20 feet (6 meters) into the distance for 20 seconds every 20 minutes when working close;
- timely contact an ophthalmologist if there are vision complaints, or preventive examinations in the absence of them.