Already having trouble reading this? Eye problems could start earlier than expected

Wellness

Already having trouble reading this? Eye problems could start earlier than expected

Cataracts, glaucoma and presbyopia aren't just old people'due south issues. With diabetes and myopia on the ascent in Singapore, you could develop these earlier than yous thought.

24 Mar 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 08 Aug 2022 02:37PM)

You squint, put on your reading glasses, or grab someone to read for y'all when it comes to deciphering the fine impress on a nutrient label or WhatsApp messages.

If you lot're in your 40s, that's probably presbyopia (or lao hua in Chinese) starting to take over your vision.

But there may likewise be times when your optics begin to come across things. For instance, your eyesight could exist marred by "floaters" that look similar nighttime specks or squiggly lines. Or things appear to have taken on a yellow tone, as if your eyes accept put on a sepia filter. And life is all rainbows – or rainbow-coloured circles, to exist precise – when that's what you literally see when you wait at bright lights.

Information technology may not occur to yous even so but these centre-related issues tin can have their beginnings in your 40s, and can point to retinal tears, cataracts or glaucoma – conditions you acquaintance with your elderly parents or grandparents.

For instance, cataracts and glaucoma typically manifest in patients in their 50s simply when there are diabetes and high myopia present, those eye bug tin show up earlier.

And the risks of developing these mutual eye atmospheric condition wait high. For instance, lxxx per cent to 90 per cent of Singaporean adults are projected to be myopic by 2050, and 15 per cent to 25 per cent of these individuals may take high myopia, said the Ministry of Health.

Furthermore, one million Singaporeans are expected to develop diabetes past 2050, from the 440,000 in 2014, according to HealthHub.

Then the earlier you lot larn nearly some of these mutual eye problems, the better you lot tin can delay or prevent their onset. Here'due south what the experts say.

PRESBYOPIA

Causes: Your optics are able to focus on near and far objects with the help of tiny ciliary muscles attached to your optics' natural lenses. These muscles contract when you're using your handheld device, and relax when you're looking out for the bus.

READ: Why y'all shouldn't employ center drops that are not meant for contact lenses

Only every bit you age, the ciliary muscles weaken, said assistant professor Dr Mohamad Rosman, who is the caput and senior consultant of Singapore National Centre Center's (SNEC) Refractive Surgery Department. Ageing also affects your optics' lenses, causing them to go rigid and less easy to reshape, he explained.

Presbyopia usually begins from age forty and is often gradual, said Dr Marcus Tan, an associate consultant with National University Hospital's Department of Ophthalmology. "More than half of people in their 40s would have some form of presbyopia, only non all may be symptomatic."

Ageing aside, there are other factors that tin exacerbate presbyopia, said Dr Yap Zhu Li, a consultant with the Section of Ophthalmology with the SNEC Heart Clinic at Changi Full general Hospital. "Having certain diseases such equally diabetes, multiple sclerosis or cardiovascular adventure tin increase 1's take chances of premature presbyopia," she said.

If you lot're taking sure medicines, such as antidepressants or antihistamines, you lot may also be more prone to early on presbyopia, said Dr Yap.

READ: Living with 'lao hua': How to deal with presbyopia

What are the signs: Your eyes tin't focus on things near you, such as reading the text letters on your handphone. You find yourself having to hold the material further away in gild to read more clearly. In add-on, your eyes feel unusually strained when reading or doing about-sighted work.

What you can do now: There's nix you tin do to preclude presbyopia. Even so, information technology is always good to keep to the 20-20-xx dominion: For every 20 minutes spent looking at a screen, look at something 20 feet (or 6m) away for 20 seconds.

"Ensure adept and comfy lighting during reading to prevent eye strain," said Dr Tan, who also advised to keep a healthy and active lifestyle to prevent whatsoever chronic conditions such every bit diabetes.

Unfortunately, everyone will eventually develop cataracts as they age, like to white hair or wrinkles.

CATARACTS

Causes: Instead of beingness clear and transparent, the natural lenses in your eyes turn cloudy over months or years. "The vast majority of cataracts are age-related, then nearly people start developing them from the age of fifty onwards," said Dr Yap. "Unfortunately, everyone will eventually develop cataracts equally they historic period, similar to white hair or wrinkles."

Like presbyopia, sure conditions can create early cataracts. These include loftier myopia, diabetes, chronic steroid use (such as steroid inhalers for asthma, or steroid creams for eczema), eye trauma and smoking, said Dr Yap.

What are the signs: Yous may take cataracts, said Dr Tan, if you notice a blurring of vision, glare or sensitivity to lite, difficulty seeing or seeing halos around lights at night, or colours appear faded or xanthous.

What yous can do at present: Sunglasses aren't just for looking good. In fact, they are of import in sunny Singapore, said Dr Tan. "Ultraviolet or UV light from the sun can increase the risk of developing cataracts earlier. This is especially true for patients who are exposed to the lord's day for long hours during activities such as golfing or sailing," he said.

Better start wearing those shades because there is no medication to "cure" or wearisome down cataract formation, said Dr Yap.

READ: How to properly get tested for new spectacles so you're non wasting money

GLAUCOMA

Causes: This common centre condition occurs when the optic nerve, which connects the center to the brain, becomes damaged, said Dr Yap. The damage is usually caused by a build-upwards of fluid inside the eyeball, which increases the pressure inside the centre. "If not diagnosed and treated early, information technology can lead to irreversible blindness," she said.

"Approximately three per cent of people over the age of l in Singapore have glaucoma, and this increases to 10 per cent later the age of lxx," said Dr Tan.

Glaucoma tin can fix in before if you take diabetes, high myopia, a family history, chronic steroid use or eye trauma.

Interestingly, those with obstructive sleep apnoea are also found to have 10 times the hazard of glaucoma, according to the Glaucoma Enquiry Foundation. Its website noted that it might exist due to a drib in oxygen levels in the blood, which happens when you terminate breathing. "Routine depression oxygen concentration in the blood may contribute to the deposition of the optic nerve, potentially leading to glaucoma."

Those with obstructive sleep apnoea are also found to have ten times the risk of glaucoma.

What are the signs: Insidiously, glaucoma has no symptoms in its early on stages and as such, it is oftentimes called the thief of sight, said Dr Tan. "In the later stages, the loss of peripheral vision occurs and in avant-garde glaucoma, yous may knock into objects or accept decreased vision."

When people practice have symptoms, said Dr Yap, "it is mostly during the very late phase of the disease when they may find blurred vision or run across rainbow-coloured circles around bright lights". "Astute glaucoma can also develop of a sudden and cause a red, very painful eye and blurry vision associated with headache, nausea and vomiting," she said.

READ: Why snoring loudly could be linked to middle affliction, hypertension or worse

What you can do now: If you take any of the above gamble factors, Dr Yap advised to get for early screening with an ophthalmologist to aid with early on detection, treatment and prevent possible visual loss. And if you play sports, wear protective eyewear. "A surprisingly frequent cause of eye trauma is being hit in the eye by a badminton shuttlecock," said Dr Yap.

RETINAL Detachment

Causes: "As y'all go older, the gel inside the eye called the vitreous shrinks. It can slowly pull away from the inner nerve layer at the back of the eye called the retina," said Dr Yap, describing posterior vitreous disengagement or PVD.

"Visual problems acquired by PVD usually improve over a few weeks, and in fact, most people don't have symptoms, so they may not even realise that it has occurred to them."

According to Dr Tan, this eye condition normally occurs after age forty or fifty. "More than than one-half of adults to a higher place 50 years old would have some grade of vitreous degeneration. This is often harmless," he said.

What are the signs: It is normal to sometimes run across what expect similar nighttime specks, squiggly worms, flying hairs or spider webs in your vision. Only if you all of a sudden see a lot more of these floaters or even flashes of lite, information technology could be vitreous degeneration caused past PVD, said Dr Yap.

What you can do now: "Direct injury to the heart from sports or accidents can cause retinal tears or disengagement," said Dr Tan. "As such, wear appropriate protective eyewear when playing high-velocity racquet games such equally squash."

Already having trouble reading this? Eye problems could start earlier than expected

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