Eyes are among the most delicate and complex organs in the human body. Vision is one of the most essential functions for day-to-day life. If you could click pictures with your eyes, what would their quality be like?
According to the Canadian Association of Optometrists, the human eye would have a resolution of about 576 megapixels. For reference, a high-end smartphone camera is typically around 48 megapixels, while a DSLR is usually around 24 megapixels, so you can imagine just how powerful your eyes truly are- it is high time you take it seriously, actively working towards protecting your vision.
Vision-related problems are distressing and majorly affect how you move through the day. That said, it is vital to protect your vision, and protection begins with early detection. Sometimes, the vision problem may develop silently underneath, until significant damage has occurred. Often, the early signs are overlooked, which is a major oversight on your part when it comes to preventing vision loss.
To understand which signs can detect early vision loss-related problems, in a conversation with HT Lifestyle, an ophthalmologist, Dr Mandeep Singh Basu, director of Dr Basu Eye Care Centre. “Whether it’s a sudden shimmer at the edge of your vision or a gradual blur that creeps in over months, your eyes are constantly sending signals,” he gave some examples of how vision loss signs can seem common.
Then we asked how preventable vision loss is, to which he assured, “Most people visit a dentist every six months, yet go years without an eye examination. The truth is, many causes of blindness are entirely preventable when caught early.” By drawing this comparison, he wanted to demonstrate that eye-related screenings are far less than advisable.
What are the signs of vision loss?
Here are some which the doctor listed:
1. Sudden blurred vision:
- Blurriness that comes suddenly, affects only one eye, is a red flag, and needs to be taken seriously.
- Suggests the possibility of transient ischemic attack (mini-stroke), early-stage glaucoma, diabetes-related retinopathy, or the start of macular degeneration.
- Worse if sudden blurriness keeps getting progressively worse.
2. Floaters or flashes of light
- Floaters are tiny specks, threads, or cobwebs that drift across the field of vision. Common and usually harmless.
- But a sudden increase in floaters accompanied by flashes of light or a shadow at the edge of your vision, it is a medical emergency.
- Could mean the retina may be tearing or detaching. If retinal detachment is not fixed, it could cause vision loss.
3. Loss of side (peripheral) vision
- Loss of side vision means glaucoma.
- Glucoma systematically destroys the optic nerve while causing no pain and few noticeable symptoms in its earliest stages.
- Loss of side vision is the first sign. This means one notices less on the sides, bumping into things you once would have seen.
- Feeling like one is looking through a narrowing tunnel is a sign of advancing glucoma.
4. Double vision
- Seeing two overlapping images of a single object requires immediate medical attention.
- It means problem with the cornea or early cataracts when it happens in only one eye.
- If both eyes are affected with cataracts, the problems could be more serious, like misplaced eye muscles, strain on the nerves that regulate eye movement, neurological disorders, or even a stroke.
5. Dark or distorted spot in central vision
- If traight lines begin to look wavy or if a blurry or dark patch appears in central vision, it could mean age-related macular degeneration (AMD).
- AMD is the leading cause of severe, irreversible vision loss in people over 50 worldwide.
- AMD progression can be slowed significantly with early intervention. Amsler grid helps detect early.
6. Difficulty seeing in low light or at night
- Problem includes struggling to adjust when moving from a bright room to a dark one, or finding night driving hard.
- Night blindness can be an early indicator of retinitis pigmentosa.
- Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of inherited diseases that progressively destroy light-sensitive cells in the retina, as well as developing cataracts, vitamin A deficiency, or other retinal disorders.
- Night vision loss can also be a side effect of certain medications.
7. Eye pain combined with vomiting
- A sudden, severe pain in or around one eye, particularly when accompanied by blurred vision, nausea, vomiting, seeing colored halos around lights, and redness- major occular emergency. If observed, go to emergency.
- It means acute angle-closure glaucoma. In this condition, the drainage system of the eye abruptly blocks, causing intraocular pressure to spike to dangerous levels within minutes. Permanent damage to the optic nerve can occur within hours.
