Every person takes a vision test at least once in his life whether it is just casual or due to some medical reason. For a person, the eyesight has to be one of the most if not the most important sense out of all. Imagine living in a world full of darkness, that is just how it would be if we did not have our eyesight.

A common practice used throughout the world to protect our eyes is the use of prescription glasses. But, are they really that effective? The big names in the market like Overnight Glasses, Warby Parker, Zenni Optical, etc., are offering services like same day prescription glasses, lens replacement, and a lot more. Are these services really worth spending our money on?

Why do we lose our vision gradually in the first place and what other measures can we take to protect our eyesight? Let us find out.

How do our eyes work

To understand what factors damage our eyesight, it is first essential to know how our eyes operate. In simple words, light rays travel from an object into our line of sight and pass through the eye lens and into our retina where the rays meet and are transformed into signals that are then sent to our brain, enabling us to see.

Some major causes of poor vision

1. Cataract (Clouding of vision)

This problem can be described as when a Cataract forms in front of our retina, it clouds the lens and our vision becomes foggy, making us see rings of light otherwise known as a halo.

2. Macular Degeneration

The center of our retina is called the Macula which consists of little cells that sense light rays. If the macula gets damaged or ruptured, it leads to distortion of vision or even loss of central vision. Macular Degeneration is mainly more common among the elderly which is called age-related macular degeneration. With age, tissues begin to break down at a higher rate and blood vessels grow in the macula, damaging the person’s vision.

3. Diabetic Retinopathy

In some cases other medical conditions can also have an effect on our eyesight, one example being diabetes. Diabetes can cause our retina to swell, making the blood vessels grow, causing blurring of vision, pain, and flashes.

4. Refractive vision error

For us to see perfectly, the light rays must refract (bend) and meet right at the retina. For this to occur, the cornea (transparent layer forming in front of the eye), eyeball and the lens must be correctly positioned. Refractive error refers to the light rays refracting in the wrong direction resulting in the vision being impaired.

There are many refractive vision errors but the two most common are Myopia and Hyperopia. Myopia otherwise known as nearsightedness is a vision error where the light rays adjoin in front of the retina making the person suffering from this condition see objects near to him clearly but farther away objects blurry.

Hyperopia on the other hand also called Farsightedness is a vision error where the light rays converge after the retina, causing the person with this condition to see objects farther away clearly but objects near him blurry.

How to protect our eyesight

Now that we know what elements can cause our eyesight to weaken, let us see what we can do to protect it:

1. Prescription Glasses

Without a doubt, prescription glasses have made the lives of people suffering from poor vision much easier. Prescription glasses help solve refractive vision errors by focusing and ensuring that the light rays converge at the retina and allow the user to see all objects clearly no matter how close or far they are.

To cure Hyperopia, convex lenses are used in prescription glasses that converge the light rays to meet at the retina rather than behind it. In the case of Myopia, Concave lenses are used instead, which help diverge the light rays so that they meet at the retina rather than before it. New and advanced prescription glasses also now can block ultraviolet rays and blue light, both of which if exposed to long enough can lead to cataract and macular degeneration.

2. Proper Lifestyle

The best way to keep our eyes healthy is to live a healthy lifestyle. This means eating a balanced and nourishing diet to ensure we get vitamins like Vitamin A and Vitamin C which are essential nutrients to our eyes.

Similarly, we should get appropriate sleep to prevent our eyes from straining due to overwork. A major issue in the current generation has been the continued use of mobile phones, laptops, and gaming consoles which has led them to great exposure to ultraviolet rays and blue light which are as stated previously harmful for our eyes.

By reducing the extensive use of such gadgets we can greatly reduce the burden on our eyes.

3. Surgery

With the constant developments in science and technology, eye surgeries can now be conducted to heal and recover our eyesight but as with all other surgeries, there is always a risk involved so surgery should always be the last option and we should ensure it does not come to that point by considering other solutions beforehand.

Conclusion

In conclusion, prescription glasses do protect our eyesight from further damages by blocking harmful rays and correcting our vision. Not wearing your prescribed eyewear will lead to various problems like headaches, squinting, and in some cases further deterioration of your eyesight.