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macular degeneration

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Image by Laura Smith from Pixabay

Most people don’t realize that the eyes are among the organs most susceptible to damage. It’s one of the most exposed organs, yet people tend not to protect it. This seeming tendency to not care for the eyes can lead to several short- and long-term problems that will affect the quality of life that you enjoy. Therefore, it is vital that you take care of your eyesight regardless of the season.

Summertime is one of the best times of the year and one of the periods when people have to take extra eye care precautions. We have to be able to provide enough protection for our eyes so we can enjoy whatever activities we have planned. 

Here are some of the extra eye-related precautions we can consider during the summertime. 

Shield your eyes from the sun

With the summertime being one of the periods when the sun is most intense, people have to learn to protect their eyes by shielding them from it. Those with normal vision can easily do this by wearing their preferred sunglasses. Those who wear spectacles can resort to wearing clip-on that eyecare stores sell. People need to wear these sunglasses even if it’s cloudy.

Another way to protect your eyes is to wear a wide-brimmed hat to fend off those harmful ultraviolet rays. Not only will you be protecting your eyes, but you will also protect your skin and eyes from sunburn. You can also protect your eyes from macular degeneration, ocular melanoma, and cataracts. 

Stay hydrated and keep your eyes as lubricated as possible

You need to stay as hydrated as possible because there’s an increased risk of dehydration, especially if you’re exposed to the sun longer. Your eyes might dry and feel irritated faster or become watery for your own good. If you suffer from dry eyes syndrome (DES), it’s probably best to consult your doctor about OptiLight treatment designed to manage the condition. It is a non-invasive treatment applied to the areas below the eyes and is the only FDA-approved intense pulsed light (IPL) procedure.

Be sure to wear protective eyewear for various activities

Since it’s summer, you’ll probably want to spend more time outdoors. It will be best to wear different protective eye gear whenever you pursue summer activities. If you go swimming, don’t forget to wear goggles so you wouldn’t get your eyes irritated by the saltwater. Wear safety sports goggles whenever you hike or do other outdoor activities to protect your eyes from debris, dust, and the sun.

Wash your hands

Regularly washing your hands is one of the best ways to protect your eyes. People often wipe their eyes with their hands, increasing the risk of contracting eye-related illnesses such as conjunctivitis or trachoma. Avoid touching your eyes when your hands aren’t clean. 

Eat a balanced diet

Try to eat as much leafy green vegetables and omega-3-rich food. These are rich in antioxidants and also help in hydration. 

Takeaways 

There are several ways to protect your eyes during the summer. We have to be aware of these strategies to care for our eyesight properly. 

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US researchers have found that eye drops designed to lower cholesterol may be able to prevent macular degeneration, one of the most common forms of blindness.

Researchers showed how high cholesterol levels could affect the immune system and lead to macular degeneration.

Macular degeneration is more common in old age

Macular degeneration is more common in old age

Tests on mice and humans, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, showed that immune cells became destructive when they were clogged with fats.

Others cautioned that the research was still at an early stage.

The macula is the sweet spot in the eye which is responsible for fine detail. It is essential for reading, driving and recognizing people’s faces.

Macular degeneration is more common in old age. It starts in a “dry” form in which the light-sensing cells in the eye become damaged, but can progress into the far more threatening “wet” version, when newly formed blood vessels can rapidly cause blindness.

Specialists at the Washington University School of Medicine investigated the role of macrophages, a part of the immune system, in the transition from the dry to the wet form of the disease.

One of the researchers, Dr. Rajendra Apte, said the role of macrophages changed and they triggered the production of new blood vessels.

“Instead of being protective, they accelerate the disease, but we didn’t understand why they switched to become the bad cells,” he said.

Normally the cells can “eat” fatty deposits and send them back into the blood.

However, their research showed that older macrophages struggle. They could still eat the fats, but they could not expel them. So they became “bloated”, causing inflammation which in turn led to the creation of new blood vessels.

Dr. Rajendra Apte said: “Based on our findings, we need to investigate whether vision loss caused by macular degeneration could be prevented with cholesterol-lowering eye drops or other medications that might prevent the build-up of lipids beneath the retina.”

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