Beware of premature aging of the eyes

The article was professionally consulted with Master, Doctor Hoang Thanh Nga - Ophthalmologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Ha Long International General Hospital.

The eye is a very important organ, but it is also soon affected by the aging process. Aging of the eye is the result of impaired protein synthesis of the lens as well as the retina. The visual function of the eye will be severely impaired if the retinal pigment epithelial cells degenerate and no longer be compensated by the remaining cells. Common symptoms of aging eyes such as:
Eye fatigue: Eye pain, frequent eye fatigue, burning, watery eyes, dry eyes, blurred vision,... The cause of this phenomenon is due to With age, the corneal epithelial cells are easily scratched, the retinal pigment epithelial cells responsible for light reception are degenerated, and the ability to secrete tears decreases. The phenomenon of "flying flies" in front of the eyes: Is a common folk way to refer to the cloudy condition of the transparent environment of the eye, especially the vitreous mass. The degeneration and deposition of vitreous will create many debris with different sizes, suspended in the vitreous, hindering the light transmission medium through the optical system. Patients will feel black spots moving, floating in front of the eyes, causing a feeling of entanglement and discomfort. Distorted images, unclear vision are characteristic symptoms of macular degeneration (also known as macular degeneration). The disease is characterized by damage to the retinal pigment epithelial cells and visual cells, causing visual impairment. Dry eyes: Aging eyes often have many blood vessels, pterygium, and pterygium develop and accumulate outside the eye. When the eyes are aging, tears are also less, causing dry eyes and blurred, blurred vision when looking at everything around. Eyes look dull, tired, less agile: In people with aging eyes, eye muscles may be weak due to lack of blood supply, causing eye muscle disorders. The eye's ability to capture images is reduced, no longer as fast as usual. More severe can cause muscle paralysis, squinting. Aging eyes usually occur when people pass 40 years old, the aging state is obvious when entering the period of 50-60 years old. However, the degenerative eye condition is getting younger and younger, more and more symptoms of eye aging appear in people in their 30s. Many young people today have encountered phenomena such as prolonged dry eyes, eye fatigue, and poor eyesight. glare, appearance of black dots due to cloudy vitreous, blurred vision,... Even some people who are only over 40 years old but have had cataracts, vision decline like people over 60 years old .

There are many causes leading to premature eye degeneration in young people. The most common causes of aging eyes can be mentioned as:
Frequent exposure to polluted environments, industrial emissions, emissions from vehicles, cigarette smoke,... These pollutants will accumulate in the body into toxic oxidants, which change the protein structure of the lens, causing cataracts. These oxidants also cause damage and death of retinal cells. Cities with severe pollution often have a high percentage of people with impaired vision. Harmful effects of blue light: Blue light comes from two sources, which are natural sources from sunlight and artificial sources from computer screens, televisions, phones, led bulbs,... Regular exposure with blue light can cause changes in the heat-sensitive enzymes that protect the proteins of the lens, leading to cataracts. Blue light can also reverse the photochemical reaction of the visual pigment in photoreceptors, seriously affecting the ability to see clearly. According to the World Health Organization, the rate of vision loss is up to 90% if exposed to blue light for more than 3 hours a day. Modern life, continuous exposure to blue light due to the use of electronic devices day and night seriously affects the eyes, increasing the rate of eyes with premature aging. Improper nutrition: In modern life, many young people use a lot of fast food but lack vegetables and fruits. Improper diet will make the eyes not be provided with enough vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, making the eyes easily tired and aging quickly. Not getting enough sleep: Not getting enough sleep can cause red eyes, eyelid twitching, dry eyes, blurred vision. Prolonged lack of sleep, continuous eye work increases the risk of premature aging of the eyes. Smoking weakens the body's circulatory system, reduces the amount of blood to the eyes, increases the risk of eye degeneration.

The process of eye degeneration is fast or slow depending on the attention and care of each person's eyes. To prevent the risk of premature eye aging, young people need to strengthen their eye protection in a number of ways as follows:
Protect your eyes from sunlight and dust by wearing sunglasses with UV protection Violet . Limit going out on the street from 10 am to 3 pm, which is the sunniest time of the day. Wear eye protection when doing jobs that are exposed to harmful rays and chemicals such as welders, chemical plant workers, etc. Do not read books at a close distance, do not read books while sitting on them. moving vehicles. Give your eyes time to rest when working in front of the computer screen. After every 50 minutes of working on the computer screen, give your eyes a 5-10 minute break. Sit at least 50cm away from the computer screen, along with that, the center part of the computer screen should be 10-15cm lower than the natural eye level. Blink frequently while working at the computer. Do not smoke, maintain a balanced diet, provide your eyes with important nutrients such as zinc, selenium, lutein, zeaxanthin, vitamin B2, vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin C, etc. to nourish cells. healthy eye cells, prevent aging. Omega 3 is abundant in fish, milk, soy, ... is a component of the retina, also plays an important role in enhancing vision and protecting eyes. In addition, to protect eyes, young people need to build a habit of regular eye exams, every 2 years so that doctors can detect eye problems early and have timely treatment. Need to see an eye doctor as soon as there are abnormal symptoms, do not arbitrarily buy eye drops for treatment.
If you are experiencing vision problems, go to a medical facility immediately to be examined and treated by doctors as soon as possible. Currently, Vinmec International General Hospital has vision-related service packages such as:
Refractive error screening package Cataract surgery consultation and examination package Ortho-K package